Hand Made Holiday

So, I have this friend on facebook; I went to art school with her and her husband way back when. Today she posted on her status about how her holiday shopping this year is mostly made up of handmade treasures making this year's trip to the mall less stressful and as a result more enjoyable. In the comments she went on to say that if everyone in the small town where she now lives in made the choice to give one gift that was locally hand made the change that would cause would be astronomical.

Think of it, one gift hand crafted by an artist or artisan who lives in your own back yard; a kind of 100 mile challenge of the holiday variety. In large city centers this is so easy to put into practice, even in smaller communities getting a lovingly handcrafted gift can be as simple as keeping an eye open for craft fairs and gift galleries that specialize in local artists. A quick visit to Etsy can locate local artists and their wares within specific search parameters, so if you're looking for an iPhone case that isn't the same as every other hipster's; a t-shirt for your in house baby paleontologist, an earth friendly coffee mug for the caffeine deprived loved one or a special bauble to adorn the throat of your significant other, you can find one in your country, state, province, city or town.

If everyone made the choice to purchase one gift from a local artist/artisan think of the change that could create!

For the artists in our communities making a living from designing and creating.

For the people who receive the gifts that had a little extra thought put into them.

For those doing the gifting dealing with a less stressful shopping experience...

the list could go on and on because like the long long list of handmade gifts that can be gifted the ripple effect from buying one single handmade gift locally would just spread out and out.


This is a movement I can really get behind because it's one small purchase, it's a baby step towards bigger change; not a call for a belly flop into the deep end. Would making the choice to make one of your gifts handmade be something that you could add to your holiday gift giving traditions? I'm not suggesting you drop the most wanted toy (in our house that would be an easy bake oven) from your kids list in favour of a hand made toy but I am suggesting that instead of buying an impersonal gift basket of pre-packaged teas and cookies you think about visiting a holiday craft fair and picking up some hand-made soaps or artisan toffees.

I couldn't write a post like this without (as I've been known to explain to the Peanut) putting actions to my words. Our gifts to grandparents, cousins and even a few gifts to the Peanut and the Bean have been (or are currently being) lovingly handcrafted. I'd love for this to become a wave of small change for the rest of the season and next year and the year after that too. Spread the word, it's going to be a thing.

My best gift and an exchange

I may have mentioned a few times that my family draws names for gift giving during the holidays. This year I got my sister, and as it happened my sister got me. My sister is not much of a shopper and I'll be the first to admit I'm not the easiest person in the world to shop for. Rather than leaving her with my standard "I'll be happy with whatever you get me " line, I had a specific request this year.

I wanted something that I knew I wouldn't get for myself. Also, I wanted to get something that was handmade. So I requested a french butter crock and included the email address of a friend of mine who lives near my parents who is a ceramicist who could probably whip one up with enough notice (keep in mind I made my request a week after Canadian Thanksgiving which is in October). Unfortunately for my friend she didn't get around to contacting her, but a handmade crock from another local potter was located.

It's lovely, the glaze is beautiful, the size is perfect and I put it into service before noon on the 25th.

Giving gifts to those not close by is a tricky concept. With the distance, it's sometimes hard to tell if your gift was appreciated or not. I just wanted to let my dear sister know that I loved it, that it was perfect and I don't know how I lived without it.


In other news Jen over at Chasing Domestic Bliss is holding an Art Card Swap to celebrate Imbolc. What is Imbolc you ask? To quote a quote from Jen's blog:

Imbolc celebrates the first stirring of the seeds, deep within the womb of earth. Just as nature is beginning to waken under its covering of snow, the birds sing again, the seeds to put forth the first tiny shoots, so we can feel ourselves beginning to look ahead, after long months of forced inactivity, to the plans and projects we will work on bringing to fruition in the greening season that is nearly here." -Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw

and to further quote Jen:

If you sign up you will receive a mailing address to send an Imbolc Greeting card to some one and you will receive one as well, this is not about being a great artist but about making something small and fun in as little as an hour or you can work on it for weeks. You can paint, collage, draw, take a photograph, use embroidery or even crayons. You can use Brigid as your inspiration or seeds stirring, you can make it very personal or keep it to a theme around an element or symbol that reminds you of this season. The sky is the limit and this is all about sharing and having fun so please join in.

Head on over to Chasing Domestic Bliss to read more about her exchange you can find out more here.

Thousand Words

CPSIA

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

5 Questions (for the first time)

So after a number of random posts over a few months I finally feel up to the challenge of a regular blog feature, one that will hopefully help to spread teh word about buying handmade. Each Friday I will be strapping an Etsy Artist into the comfy chair and poking them with the soft cushions until they confess... OK there will be no extreme torture in So anyway but there will be questions and there will be answers.

My first feature is on designbynihan, A Turkish fibre artist and clothing designer who creates and designs one-of-a-kind knit pieces. Nihan lives in Istanbul and makes totally unique items specific to each owner. Nihan is a member of the European Street Team and she has been featured in an Etsy Storque Spotlight on fibre artists, as well as a number of blogspots and websites. Visit her shop profile to see a complete list.

What do I like about designbynihan? That's easy; the lush and cozy look of her one-of-a-kind designs, I can easily imagine myself wearing one of her beautiful sweaters on a cool fall day or even a brisk snow-filled winter day, or walking along the seawall in West Vancouver, they make me feel warm just looking at them.

What got you started?
Welcome to my creative world. I am Nihan Altuntas, a 27 year old Turkish girl, whose passion is creating and designing.

I have been crafting since I was old enough to pick up a crayon. My favorite childhood toys were carton boxes, yarns, pieces of cloth and all kinds of paints. As I grew up, I started to follow works of famous designers and visual arts in general. During this process I did not have any mentors except for the support of my family. When I converted my jeans into bags or painted my canvas shoes, they always supported me.

I majored in cinema studies and I minored in marketing. During college, I got back into knitting to relax and to express myself. I never liked pattern books or reproducing brand sweaters. I would design authentic knitwear by improvising with needles, sometimes not even knowing what the result would be. So I’ve realized that crafting is my lifelong passion. The appreciation and approval for all of that hard work is the basis of my motivation to improve myself in this field.

I started to knit for myself before, I had some ideas of what I wanted for myself when I was shopping, and it was really very hard to find what exactly I was looking for. Then I decided to create my own clothes.

One day I was asked by my friends to prepare a crafting workshop for their German clients. They mentioned Etsy and that’s how my Etsy journey began. I love to be in such an internationally competitive arena. Design by Nihan's success in Etsy is a combination of my talent, my marketing and business skills and my personality. I try to bring customer preferences and original patterns together. All “Design by Nihan” customers have an opportunity to choose the color and material, since all of the products are always knitted according to the customers' measurements. Each item is totally unique to its owner.


Who has influenced your work the most?
I am generally inspired by myself. My reference is my fashion taste but when I finish a work, I always share it with my family and my boyfriend to get their ideas, sometime they give me some really useful advice, or they suggest little changes on details.

I'm really in love with Audrey Hepburn's style. As for designers; I love Galliano (he is really crazy) Sonia Rykiel, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood and Oscar de la Renta; they are really inspiring, but I also follow modern designer's too. I love Micheal Kors, Kenneth Cole, Tom Ford and Hussein Chaglayan.



What is your favourite tool, art supply, material to work with and why?
I’m inspired by almost everything, even a simple button. I can suddenly decide to knit a sweater suitable for that button. Does that sound crazy? My favorite material is cashmere and alpaca but the most important thing is to be able to discover the perfect match between the design and yarn selection.

What life or art lesson have you learned that has shaped your work?
I graduated from cinema-TV and marketing. looking behind the visor of a camera really works on my aesthetic vision and my taste I think.

If you were an animal what animal would you be?
If I were an animal I would be a horse: nobless-freedom-charisma. I am also a fan of all equestrian wear & accessories.

Decking our halls

As the 25th of November falls in the middle of the week this year, we are decorating our tree today. This is the first year Miranda will help with the decorating. I'm excited about sharing the experience with her and a little nervous about the aftermath.... What if helping to decorate the tree gives her the idea that she can pull on, yank, or knock over the tree at will? It's a very distinct possibility.

I've already started with the pro-active "tell the toddler what's expected" mantra and I'm hoping for the best. I'll keep you posted on how well that's working out. Or if it's a spectacular failure I'll post full descriptions and pictures.

One of our family traditions is to add a new ornament to the tree each year. Because we've decided to do our holidays handmade this year, the new ornament this year is one made by Funktionslust We ordered it last week and it arrived safely in the mail yesterday even prettier in person than it was in the shop. Funktionslust is a fairly new Etsy shop opened in May 2008 and is chock full of lovely glass pieces from abstract sun catchers to gorgeous pendants and earrings.

My personal favourites are Abstract Distraction no.3, Abstract Distraction no.1 and Mossy Pendant and her tree ornaments are little works of whimsy to add to your holiday decor. We'll be treasuring our blue tree ornament for years to come.