Please Please Please Buy Handmade!

Almost everyone who buys from our site makes stuff, and many of you sell what you make.  Some of you even make your living selling what you make.  That said – with the holiday season coming up, please consider supporting your fellow artists and buy handmade gifts whenever possible!

One good source – Etsy (www.etsy.com) ! For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy, for the artist, it is a quick and easy way to get a store up and running. Kind of an eBay, but limited to handmade goods or supplies for making such. Some people just have a few items up for sale, others make their living selling there. For the buyer – no auctions or bidding to have to keep up with – just a wealth of hand-made items that can be immediately purchased. A lot of sellers will even send gifts directly to the recipient for you.Some things that you might consider:  Cards – there are loads of cards out there – either handmade, or printed from original artwork. Buy Christmas card sets, or buy a bunch of birthday cards to keep on hand for when you need them. I gave one to my step-daughter for her birthday and she said, ‘Somebody made this! This is really cool!’. Soaps, lotions and lip balms – you can’t go wrong with these on hand to give out as gifts. Of course – Jewelry! Loads and Loads of it! If you know anyone with a Pandora, Troll, Biagi or similar bracelet, you can find lots of beads to fit the bracelets. Purses, totes, diaper bags, wallets, credit card holders, jewelry rolls and pouches, travel bags, makeup bags, ipod cases – the list here goes on and on! Artwork – from small inexpensive prints to original paintings. Ceramics, pottery, sculpture, mixed media! Really cute children’s clothes, hats, socks, toys. Pet or pet-lover items and gifts! Just to put in a little plug here, April does a really cute Naughty Cat card series at her Daisy and Friends Shop . If you have a cat, you’ll definitely relate! Music – from engraved guitar picks to original CDs. Food – wonderful baked goods! If anyone has an Etsy shop that you’d like to plug, just reply to this post with your Etsy store name. If I get a chace, I’ll blog some of the shops.