Send an Artisan Made Gift, it's Easy!

Want an easy way to send a handmade gift directly from the artist with a personalized handwritten note included? Try searching your favorite handmade venue (etsy, 1000Markets, or Artfire) for GiftShipper! You'll find lots of great artisan gifts from artists who will create and ship your selection, with a note of your choosing, directly to the person you designate (US addresses only). Often they will gift wrap as well (sometimes for an extra charge).

To make choosing even easier, you can add search terms such as "giftshipper jewelry" or "giftshipper dyed fashion". You can get as specific as you'd like to come up with the perfect gift. Don't forget to mention GiftShipper when you order, and specify the contents of your note.

Start Early and Have a Handmade Holiday

The holidays are coming, and with them the usual unending stream of commercialism associated with gift giving. I'm not advocating joining the Scrooge camp or anything, but if you'd like to dial it down a notch, perhaps you'll join me in having a Handmade Holiday.

Start now with a leisurely browse through some of the great handmade work at etsy , or one of the amazing artisan markets found at The Markets of 1000Markets . Search for "stocking stuffers" or "gift" or "free shipping" even, and see what turns up. Chances are good you'll find the perfect one of a kind gift, created by hand by a talented artisan. And you'll both have a wonderful Handmade Holiday.

My New Column - Why Handmade

Today marks the debut of my new column at http://www.tryhandmade.com/ , which is devoted to helping buyers navigate the online world of handmade goods. The bi-weekly column, Why Handmade, will explore the major handmade venues from a buyer's perspective, how to connect with artists and artists' groups, the great possibilities of custom work and how to order it, meeting up with other buyers who have a particular interest in a particular type of work, how to deal with any problems that arise with an order, navigating the feedback systems of the various venues, how to introduce others to handmade and more.

The debut installment is an introduction to handmade, titled "How You Spend Matters: The Case for Buying Handmade" and discusses the impact you can have as a patron of handmade artisans. It can be found here: http://tryhandmade.com/how-you-spend-matters-the-case-for-buying-handmade/#more-2555

Quick Check Out - Just Click to Buy!

Artfire's Rapid Cart has come to www.byhand.me Spotlights! See a knob or hook you like? Simply click to buy with no hassles. Or select one of the icons at the bottom of the cart for more information on the item. Or click through to my shop to contact me for a custom listing!

Want a Handmade Wishlist? Make a Spotlight!

Almost since Etsy was born, people have been asking for a Wishlist. They wanted a simple way to show their family and friends the handmade items they'd like to have as gifts. Many have also floated the idea of a handmade registry... a way to choose handmade items for their wedding gifts, baby showers, or house warmings. Etsy's Favorites feature, while very useful for bookmarking, just wasn't cutting it for a sharable, customizable wish list that could easily be passed to others via a link in an email.

Many global wish list alternatives have cropped up in the mean time, but all require a download or tool bar button of some type, preventing the easy adding or changing of wish list items from alternate computers, like one at work or a friend's house. And serious proponents of handmade work longed for a dedicated handmade Wishlist... one that wouldn't showcase hand crafted work in the same space as a pack of underwear from Walmart.

Enter byhand.me Spotlights. Now true aficionados of handmade work have a reliable, easy method of creating a wish list and sharing it with others. Even better, it allows you to choose items from all of the major handmade venues including etsy, 1000markets, shophandmade, artfire, and more. You can share your list with the world, or keep different lists to share only with specific people (handy for sharing your love of handmade lingerie with your boyfriend, but not your grandmother!). You can allow comments on your Wishlist, or not. You can change out items, let the list live forever, or delete it whenever you choose.

My current Wishlist is below. It's fully operational, but I've included the direct link in case you'd like to see it in its native environment. You can make your own at http://byhand.me/

http://www.byhand.me/component/option,com_content/Itemid,70/id,967/task,view/

Every Home Needs a Little Beach!

Nothing says "Beach House" like a few well placed, coastal home decor pieces. The items below are the handmade work of the artisans of The Boardwalk at 1000markets. Click on a photo to go directly to the artist's listing for a full description, pricing, additional photos, and shipping information.

Take A Walk Down the Boardwalk

This is a new Spotlight I created to show off the talented Coastal Fine Artists of The Boardwalk at 1000markets. Clicking the photo will take you directly to that listing with description, artist information and pricing. Many thanks again to http://byhand.me for working so hard on Spotlights!