The Case for Handmade

This Christmas, I am buying mostly handmade gifts. The people I've told this to are shocked. "What are we getting? Hot glued imported masks?" my brother in-law asked. Others suspect they're getting country-bumpkin roosters and potpourri-filled Santas. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but my point is that many people don't realize there is a huge market of beautiful, trendy handmade items.

There is a big difference between homemade and handmade. That difference lies in the quality and taste level.

Etsy is a great place, of course, to buy hand crafted products in every style and genre. Here's a listing of stores I've bought gifts from (I'm not going to say what I bought since many of the gift recipients read this blog!).

These fantastic vintage type-writer key products make great gifts for fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and uncles.

For the photographer in your life, these are an ingenious product.

If you're on the market for something personalized, this is a good option. And so is this.

Don't forget the yogis. This is a cute shop with great products.

Can't ever go wrong with jewelry. This shop is great for youthful gift recipients, and this one is great for everyone else.

A shameless plug, LivvySue offers great children's accessories, including bibs and hair pretties, and clothing sized 6 months through 5T. Our new button hair pretties make great stocking stuffers! (pictured above)

Even if you can't do all of your holiday shopping on Etsy (or other handmade source sites or local shops), try to buy a few things to support small businesses through this tough economic time.

Happy shopping, readers!