Handmade = Heart + Soul

Here at T-Party, we are big supporters of items made by very talented people. We sell lots of vintage goodies, but we always carry quite a few things that are made by hand. This holiday season, I discovered BuyHandmade.org that lets you affirm your belief that handmade treasures make some of the best gifts. Click on the link if you'd like to take the handmade pledge. I did!

Some of the lovely handmade things we sell at T-Party are pictured below . . .

Sweet chenille cupcakes by Carol Riley of Chenille-No-5.com.

Beautiful hand sewn tote bags by T-Party's very own Cynthia of Belle Island Bags.

Rick-rack tea towels, tissue cozies and fragrant lavender sachets by Janet McCaffrey of Primrose Design.

Here are some very compelling reasons, from the Buy Handmade web site, to purchase handmade gifts this year:

Buying handmade makes for better gift-giving.
The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.

Buying handmade is better for people.
The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.

Buying handmade is better for the environment.
The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.

If you can't make it in to shop at T-Party, we are happy to provide mail order for any of our items. For more handmade gifts, visit Etsy.com or the other links featured on Buy Handmade's "Handmade Consortium" list.

Susan

Comments

[Heather Craig]

I always love what you have to show in your shop, and I am a huge fan of Janet's things! I am also glad to see you promote Etsy! Thanks so much for the needed advertisement! I took the handmade pledge a few weeks ago as well, and there are so many handmade things out there that are amazing I don't feel even remotely like I am losing out. Yay for handmade!

[Tracy]

Lots of handmade goodness here--lovely eye candy! I took the handmade pledge at Thanksgiving. Great you're encouraging it here! Happy weekend ((HUGS))