i heart handmade: why i shop handmade.

This is the last edition of my i heart handmade mini-series! It's been wonderful to share about the handmade shops that have become a part of our home and whose products I use and regularly wear. Most of the shops I'm featuring have been generous enough to offer my readers a discount - click here for a full list of the shops and discounts being offered through the end of October! 

Today's post is all about why I love handmade and support other shops. Long before I started my own handmade shop, I scoured Etsy on the regular, looking for handmade accessories and jewelry. In fact, some of the shops I've featured in this series were some of my very first handmade purchases! I also love going to our local farmer's market to shop for items from local vendors and frequent local shops who carry handmade items.

For many of us, our handmade shops and businesses are not just for fun. They are vital to our family's income and enable many of us to stay home with our children. The profit from our shops also might be the little bit extra that enables us to put our children in extracurricular activities, pay off a bill or a car, or go on a family trip that we might not be able to swing otherwise. 

Shopping handmade also means you're buying from a person. I love knowing who I'm buying from and often, I have "met" the shop owner through their blogs or through their sponsorship on another blog I read. I often ask the people I buy from to send several business cards with my order so I can hand them out when people ask "where did you get that adorable _____?" I keep them tucked inside my business card holder, right next to my own.

This holiday season, will you consider buying handmade? 

It might mean you have to shop a little earlier to guarantee Christmas delivery but you will be giving a gift that was carefully created and made with love. *smile*

P.S. In the comments below, will you leave the web address to your favorite handmade shops and even your own? I'd love to check them out!