Handmade Holidays: Why Should You?

We've arrived at the end of the Handmade Holidays series! Over the last month you've seen a lot of creative gift ideas from small business owners and artists, but today I have Mary here to talk about the meat of the issue: why you should support handmade businesses. Mary is an Etsy shop owner herself, and she has an adorable blog that you should definitely check out when you're done here. But first, several good reasons for lovin' on independent businesses:

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Hi everyone! I've been loving every post so far of Paige's Handmade Holidays, and I'm excited to be a part of it. Paige asked me to write a little about why I buy, make, and support handmade. It's something I'm very passionate about. I was jotting down reasons to buy handmade today as I thought of them--in fact, I filled several pages in my sketchbook--and the overarching theme is that it feels good! In fact, it feels great to buy directly from artists and makers. Many would say the reason it feels good is because it's a step toward conscious living, to spend mindfully and to know exactly where your money is going. Of course, that is true.

But as an artist and maker myself, buying handmade is more than an ethical decision. I love that I can support someone's passion in life, to say, "Hey, I think what you're doing is rad, and I want to help you keep doing that, in whatever way I can." How lucky are we that we have easy access to so many incredible artisans! And we can have a direct connection with them.

I think every handmade object holds a little bit of the person who made it. It might sound cheesy, but I put my heart into every stitch of the little things I sew. When someone buys something from my shop, it makes me incredibly happy, and I love being able to give that joy to other artists too.

On top of all that, I love surrounding myself with one-of-a-kind, awesome things that you can't just go down to the mall and buy. Here are just a few of the handmade items I've bought over the years; all of these things are very special to me for different reasons.

As to why I make things myself, well...I could probably write enough on that for a whole other post. I've often thought about why some of us get an idea, some spark of inspiration formed from the ether of imagination and experience, and can't rest until we've made something tangible from it. The nagging of ideas and the desire to create keeps me awake at night! More often than not, those ideas never come to fruition in a satisfactory way. But when they do, and an object feels finished, it's a wonderful feeling. And then, if someone happens to connect with that object enough to purchase it, well that's the best feeling ever.

I'd love to read why you buy, make, or support handmade too. Leave a comment! :)
xo, Mary

(Top photo is a pinback button brooch from Etsy Italia Team.)

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If you missed any of the Handmade Holidays posts, you can check out the entire list right here.