The post holiday lull is a great time to explore new possibilities. With the renewed interest in buying handmade items directly from the people who make them, there are suddenly a bounty of new places on line to find handmade goods. And the selection never ceases to amaze.
I've purchased jams from a woman who makes them from the trees in her own backyard, artisan cheeses from a small farm in South Georgia, and handmade soap that you have to try to believe. There are small batch home coffee roasters, artists who work in clay or fiber, and jewelry artisans of every sort. And of course, those of us who create an ever evolving selection of home decor.
With the plethora of items available, where does one start? It helps to find someone to guide you through the ever expanding sea of handmade, whether it's a website you're comfortable with or a blogger with tastes similar to your own. I'll be posting about sites I've found in my personal excursions across the web, but in the meantime I've selected three sites to showcase my own work. The links to my shops are in the upper left corner of this blog, and I'll be expounding upon why I've chosen those three in a future post.
With a new year at hand, I'm feeling lucky to be pondering resolutions with my toes in the sand. I've been thinking a lot about the handmade movement of late, and of the many creative and talented people who offer their work on the many handmade venues available on the web. Like many people across the country, their art is no longer a hobby but a lifeline of extra income needed to help provide for their families.
So this coming year I'll be buying more handmade goods. I'll be sending my money to real people who make real products, and who will hopefully choose to use some of their income to buy what they need from real people too. Sometimes this will mean spending a bit more for goods than I would if I ordered from a Big Box retailer, but often I'll be getting a better product at a price similar to what I would have spent on mass market goods.
I hope you'll join me in making a concerted effort to purchase handmade in 2009. For those of us who are serious about supporting the idea and the reality of handmade goods, buying handmade on line as well as locally is an easy, meaningful way to support your favorite artists. Happy Handmade New Year!
