I was just browsing the storque on etsy and thinking about making my way over to blog. I knew what I wanted to write but hadn't totally gathered my thoughts. Then I stumbled across this article about cheating on the handmade pledge. Ha! This totally cracked me up. And here is why...
I love buying handmade. I signed the buy handmade pledge in a second and did buy most of my gifts from local craft shows, on etsy, or just made items myself to give as Christmas gifts for my family and friends. Of course nothing works out perfectly and on Christmas eve a large order of coffee gifts that I ordered kind of late still hadn't been delivered to my house. So on our way out of town on Christmas eve I stopped at Target to get some improvised coffee gifts instead. As I was rushing into Target I ran into my fellow WIST friend Cari from mud and mint. We said our kind of rushed hellos and good-byes and went off in our separate directions (it was Christmas eve!) As I was walking off with my son to find a gift for Grandpa I had to stop and totally laugh at myself when I thought back on the interaction from just a minute before. It went something like this…
Cari: "I just stopped in to get blah blah blah for blah because yadda yada blah…." (I'm putting blahs and yadas because the specific things aren't the important or funny part.)
Me: "Oh I am here because blah blah blah didn't come in the mail so I am picking up blah blah blah for blah."
Am I the only one who in retrospect thinks this is kind of funny? Maybe I am just easily amused? I just love that I subconsciously defended my shopping trip to Target to my crafty friend. Ha! It was so cute and it totally made me smile. I picked out my gifts and felt a little less defeated knowing that I wasn't the only crafty lady out at Target on Christmas eve.
And as far as the handmade pledge goes…yes, I totally cheated. But I did more shopping on etsy and at local boutiques/craft shows that I have in any year previous. So my evaluation:::success!
3 comments:
I love buying handmade but I soured on the pledge pretty quickly. I don't like pledges much in general. Never thought it meant buying exclusivly handmade. The whole "handmade lifestyle" slogan bugs me.
How come over commercialism and buying doesn't seem to apply to buying handmade? Especially if what a person wants and needs is something that can't be purchased handmade. I am more interested in not buying frivolous gifts than buying handmade.
well said, MLee.
We never really go crazy with gifts for any occasion. Actually my husband and I didn't get eachother anything for Christmas because we don't have a lot of money and don't really need anything. I really do enjoy gift giving, though - especially when it's a unique gift. My focus in the past few years has been to give gifts that are useable/edible/etc instead of trinket type stuff…I hate receiving gifts that sit on a shelf or end up in a drawer, know what I mean? My favorite gifts: cheese, chocolate. Give me cheese and you'll win my heart. Ha!
ha!
just so you know i bought a last minute card, stemless champagne glasses (so cute), an ice scraper and a cocktail shaker at target... and i don't feel bad about it at all.
:)
i agree, the handmade pledge is a lovely concept but impractical in some respects. the boyfriend loves video games... so where does that leave me?
i think it's better to give a thoughtful gift that someone will use/love/savor/appreciate rather than trying to stick to buying only handmade... which is why i didn't take the pledge. i did buy the majority of my gifts handmade this year but it just isn't going to work for everything or everyone.
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