I’ve written a lot how I am not a huge gift giver as I much prefer to give the gift of time to friends (a trip, a spa, a fancy dinner out…) or the unexpected gift. But when I do buy, I tend to lean towards handmade, unique, specially crafted goods whether they come from a chain store, a local shop or Etsy. So when I read the “Buy Handmade” Pledge for the holidays, I thought it was a great idea.
I have a lot of favourite items on Etsy, Decor8, Poppytalk Handmade, and Sew Green also have fantastic handmade lists. There are a lot of great stores that do handmade on a bigger scale like:
- Anthropologie (a lot of the home goods and jewelery are artisan made and quite a few done by charitable organizations).
- Branch Home (a lot of recycled and handmade items. I’m partial to these.)
- Shabby Chic (her furniture is artisan, not the Target Line),
- Whole Foods (they have handmade products from Africa that range from jewellery to home goods),
- Mothology
Another thought is to donate money or time to a charity in someone’s name – a great gift for the person who has everything.
There’s so many fantastic ways to buy handmade or locally – what are yours?
Ten Thousand Villages is one of my favorite places to buy handmade items from around the world. http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/ Even when I don’t buy gift there, I do find a lot of Christmas decorations that I like in their store. I also try to make as many gifts myself as I can.
I agree about Ten Thousand Villages. I used to volunteer there and had so much fun unpacking new merchandise. They have a real social conscience.
Their main store in Ephrata, PA is a real treat to visit.