A Crafty Holiday

I’ve become such a huge fan of homemade holidays.  Making things by hand always takes longer.  But do you remember the handmade ornaments you used to hang on the Christmas tree as a child?

The memories of those ornaments are the ones that resonate most strongly in my heart.  There were the ones that my siblings and I made, of course, and there were ornaments from relatives.  But my absolute favorites were the ornaments my mom made for her first Christmas away from home so she’d have something for a tree.

I’m replicating her project this month.

I originally thought, “Oh.  I’ll make one ornament each day of November!”  30 seemed like a perfect number of handmade ornaments.

I’m already behind!  It takes time to come up with each unique ornament idea, find the fabric, and piece it together.  So my plan has changed into something more like:  Make handmade ornaments this month.  It’s not measurable that way; it’s just fun.

Today I’m linking up with “A Crafty Holiday” where 35 bloggers are taking turns talking about our homemade missions and favorite homemade shops and goodies this season.

If you’re on the hunt for ornaments and gifts this year, try handmade.  I’m loving my little project already!

Some big chain stores in the US have caught onto the handmade movement and are pushing their own lines of handmade ornaments made in third world countries.  So what is handmade then?

I’m not sure making those handmade ornaments for department stores gives these workers any more opportunity or better treatment than the people next to them working in factories that produce ornaments that aren’t labeled handmade.  If you think about it, everything is handmade to some level – even ipods.  Somebody’s hands have to put the pieces together or guide the machines that will.

So for me, handmade is:

  • made by the person selling it to me,
  • enriching the life of the person who builds it when I purchase,
  • made by me or someone I know,
  • local, stateside, or coming from an online handmade shop like etsy or my own big cartel shop of journals and baby books.

(A huge thank you to everyone who has purchased a Daily Christmas journal!  I can’t wait to work on these through the season with you.)

What’s your definition of handmade?

Oh – and while we’re at it, if you know of any fabric-related ornament tutorials or cool pictures out there, plllllease send them my way!

Up next week – a new small business series, a few autumn tricks on living with less, and some handmade goodness.  See you then!