Have You Taken The Handmade Pledge?

Hello again, savvy savers! Can you believe it’s already Spring, and Earth month? I for one am super excited as this means it’s time to unearth all of my stored planters, hangers, wreaths for the months ahead, and to scour Pinterest for new, funky upcycled design ideas! With this idea in mind, for this weeks Throwback Thursday Post, I want to speak to you about a very personal point in my life, handmade crafts.

As many of friends and readers may know, but I am all about homemade. I love all things upcycled, homemade, homespun, and Indie. I have placed many such touched within my home and garden, and have even tapped into my Art School past when creating this blog and my ETSY shop, Shadow Cat Crafts. I love the idea of all things handmade! These fond thoughts stem from a childhood filled with my Grandmother’s DIY macrame plant hangers, made-from-scratch recipes, DIY flower arrangements, and eclectic furniture styles, that were more throwback that a half-price sale at Pier 1! She filled my mind and spirit with the idea that all one needed for a fulfilled life, and home, were your own two hands!

With this idea in mind, today I want to urge you all to consider making strides this year to support your local (and online, of course) Indie, Handmade Market merchants.

Why support Indie? Well, the indie design movement is made up of independent designers, artists and craftspeople who design and make a wide array of products without being part of large, industrialized businesses. They are supported by a growing number of indie shoppers who are seeking niche and often handmade products as opposed to those mass-produced by corporations. Such products may include jewelry, ceramics, glass, furniture, art, paintings, metal work and much more.

Indie designers often sell their items directly to buyers by way of their own online shops, craft fairs. street markets and a variety of online marketplaces, such as Dawanda, Etsy, Mintd and Lov.li. However, they may also engage in consignment and/or wholesale relationships with retail outlets, both online and offline. Much like current socially conscious folks support Fair-Trade merchants, likewise we should support Indie markets, too! When you support Indie, you support people in your own neighborhoods, local community, country, and in the global community as a whole; buying handmade means you support People Sourced Goods!

The most dramatic reason to support this movement is that the indie design movement can be seen as being an aspect of the general indie movement and DIY culture. The DIY movement has brought together several networking groups like craftster ,craft mafias, indiepublic and Street teams formed through ETSY; all groups that help host chats weekly to share ideas, craft shows, and marketing ideas to empower small, homespun businesses!

Thus far, over 108,600 individuals have joined in the DIY movement and pledged to buy handmade. I encourage you to take the pledge this year, too!

I love the spirit of this movement. As Indie Artists do not follow any rules or guidelines in their art yet are very professional with their business. Indie brings the spirit of crafters, like my beloved Grandmother Ms. Carol, back to the public’s focus, in a funky new way, and I love it! Moreover, in today’s ever changing, fast paced, anonymity-driven world, often the purchases and gifts we can give that are handmade, hand-spun, and handcrafted, is just as valuable, if not more, than those purchased in mass retail!