by Beverly Rustica on November 20, 2009
in Holidays
The holidays are coming up fast for many of us who have committed to having a Handmade Holiday. Now’s the time to find and order those handmade gifts that will bring originality to your holidays as well as brighten the season of the artists you’ve chosen to hand make your gifts. But where to start?
There are innumerable blogs and sites with handmade gift choices, but you can spend hours browsing before you find one that gets you. I personally am partial to the markets of 1000Markets in part because the curators/market managers tend to pick the best available handmade work in their particular area, and it’s easy to pay through Amazon (with their A-Z Guarantee). In addition, you don’t have to sign up at the venue to purchase. So bearing that in mind, here’s my go-to list of especially well curated gift guides:
The Try Handmade Market is curated by our own Erika Jurney. She personally adds each item so you can be sure they’re the best artisan goods available. The work is organized into collections for easy browsing, and there’s a forum if you have a question or need some help. Payment is through Amazon, and you don’t have to sign up to purchase if you already have an Amazon account.
The Succulent Wife’s Marketplace is a gift market that has it’s own Cheery Holiday Gift Guide, with original gifts chosen by the Succulent Wife herself. If you don’t find something in the guide, check our the other collections organized by type of gift recipient, for easy holiday shopping. Payment is through Amazon. [UPDATE Jan '10: this market has closed.]
Holiday Gifts the Artisan Way is the gift guide curated by 1000Markets. It’s divided into numerous collections of gift categories that are fun to browse, including Artisan Gifts Under $50 that will help you stay on budget. Payment is through Amazon.
Etsy has the granddaddy of handmade gift guides. The Etsy Gift Guide is a good place to look if you’re already an etsy member or don’t mind signing up to purchase, and have loads of time to sift through it all. The Guides are organized by price, and by just about every other category imaginable, which is great if you like tons to look through but can be a bit overwhelming if you’re in a rush. Payment is normally through PayPal although other options are available through individual artists.
If you’d like to purchase a gift that’s shipped directly to your gift recipient with a hand written note, try searching any of the major handmade venues for the term “GiftShipper”. These are artists who will create and ship your gift, with a note of your choosing, directly to the person you designate. Often they will gift wrap as well (sometimes for an extra charge). To narrow things down you can add search terms such as ”giftshipper jewelry” or “giftshipper pottery“. Don’t forget to mention GiftShipper when you order, and specify the contents of your note.
If you’d like to search all of the major handmade venues at the same time for specific items, try the search at byhand.me. It’s powered by Google but lists items only from handmade venues, with photos and pricing. It’s not a complete listing, but is good for those who prefer less exhaustive search results. If you know what you’re looking for, this search will give you a good variety across all of the handmade venues without overwhelming.
Do you have a favorite Gift Guide? Is there something that would make handmade gift shopping easier for you? Tell us about it in your comment below!
Beverly Rustica
Beverly Rustica is General Publisher of
ByHand Gallery, an everchanging gallery of handmade work available online.
Beverly offered to write up a post in honor of the new
Try Handmade Market detailing what a Market on 1000Markets is, but she ended up saying such nice things about Try Handmade that I’m (almost) too embarrassed to publish it! ::
ErikaIt’s been said lately that once you’ve discovered 1000Markets, you’ll find 1000 isn’t nearly enough. I’ve been hanging around 1km (as it’s fondly known to its fans) for awhile now, and I think they may be right.
Despite the fact that there are an amazing variety of great markets to choose from already, I’m eagerly anticipating the day when I can spend hours pouring through a market with only the latest handmade artisan architectural hardware. Or discover a gift market so fabulous it only takes a few minutes to find the perfect gift. Or a browse a market filled to overflowing with gorgeous artisan work chosen by my favorite handmade site, Try Handmade.
Read more…
Beverly Rustica
Beverly Rustica is General Publisher of
ByHand Gallery, an everchanging gallery of handmade work available online.
For this edition of Handmade Faves I wanted to share a few more of the artists I’ve personally purchased from and continue to rely on for quality handmade goods and excellent customer service. Because discovering these gems can be somewhat of a challenge in the vastness of the online world, I’ve included some of the ways I’ve found them as well. I’m hopeful that you’ll be inspired to search out those artists who will become your own “go-to” sources for handmade work.
I may be the last person on the planet still writing paper checks, but I have several checkbooks that were always getting mixed up. So I went hunting for checkbook covers but just couldn’t find anything that blew me away. Weeks went by until EtsyPatrons started testing a project we were working on called Personal Shopper… the idea was that we would volunteer to help stumped shoppers find the perfect handmade holiday gifts. In the process, my friend Vintage Embellishment found the work of Get Felt Up and I promptly purchased two fun, eye catching covers. Personal Shopper didn’t make it, but my checkbooks have never looked better! Get Felt Up has since sold hundreds of pieces and was featured on Try Handmade and the front page of etsy but I still smile every time I write a check.
I’ve really been enjoying the way candles add ambiance to a room lately, so I’ve been burning through quite a few of them. My candles are purchased directly from The Beekeeper, otherwise known as Peace Blossom Candles. I looked long and hard before I settled on these, but the amazing shapes and explanation of bees wax in the Shop Policies section convinced me to give them a try. You’d think Oregon Organic Handmade Pure Beeswax Candles would be outrageously expensive, but they’re really not. I buy them in bulk to save on shipping, and several beeswax candles have found their way home with guests as well. They are amazingly detailed, smell divine, burn well, and make a great handmade story. I get the tiny ones so I can start fresh with each burn.
One of the first posts I saw and commented on at Try Handmade featured the handmade felt cases of hine. I quickly discovered that they are never in stock and she doesn’t take orders. While I was digesting that news, she went on vacation for something like two months. I finally resorted to setting up a shop feed so I’d know when new products were added, and so I eventually managed to snag the coolest camera case ever. It was kind of on the expensive side, but it fits my Cybershot like a glove and I’d rather lose the camera than the case. In short, it rocks.
Just prior to a recent event at my house I realized my drinking glasses were a mismatched embarrassment. I went looking and settled on a set of six hand blown glasses by TandemGlass. This took a lot of looking, a few convos back and forth, and finally a leap of faith, due mainly to the fact that the actual glasses you receive are not the ones in the photo and they are not inexpensive pieces. DH was skeptical but I pulled the trigger and was rewarded with some absolutely fabulous pieces of hand blown glass that were the hit of the event. The thing to remember about this kind of purchase is that if you have questions, just ask. Most artists are more that happy to discuss their work and their responses can help you choose when a listing alone isn’t quite enough.
I’m not normally much of an impulse buyer, but I stumbled upon this piece by dyedianadye on the front page of 1000Markets and had to have it. A few convos back and forth to discuss sizing and such and I made the purchase. It arrived quickly, gorgeously wrapped, and ready to be thrown on for a summer barbeque that night, to rave reviews. You’d think it would be hard to buy clothing without trying it on, but if you know your measurements, the measurements of the garment, and are working with a patient artist, you can be confident that it will fit and that you’ll be wearing a unique piece of art.
If you’ve got some time and want to browse great handmade work, there are numerous spots on the web that will make you wish you had deeper pockets. Try Handmade is, of course, a given (bookmark now if you haven’t already!). The front page of Etsy is the source of much discussion as to their choices, but it changes often and is great for a quick handmade fix every now and then. ByHandGallery (my own Front Page On Steroids) changes often, includes work from all of the most popular venues, and hosts small galleries of handmade work chosen by my friend LuminaJewelry, who has an amazing eye for gorgeous collections.
So which shops or artists do you go back to time and time again? How do you find great work? Post below and fill us in on your own personal handmade finds!
Beverly Rustica
Beverly Rustica is General Publisher of
ByHand Gallery, an everchanging gallery of handmade work available online.
One of the advantages of being involved with the handmade community is the opportunity to find and try a variety of handmade goods. I’m often asked about my personal choices and how I discovered them. So for this first of a series, I thought I’d share some of my go-to artists and how I happened upon them. These are people from whom I have made multiple purchases, as well as my “house” artists who supply the things I purchase over and over again and whose handmade work is counted among my favorites.
To people who know me this won’t exactly be news, but all of my soap is made by Ann of Ann’s Lotions & Potions. Read more…
Beverly Rustica
Beverly Rustica is General Publisher of
ByHand Gallery, an everchanging gallery of handmade work available online.
You’ve browsed and searched for handmade goods and have found some things you’d love to purchase. How can you be sure you’ve selected an artist who will ship your item promptly, communicate with you as needed, and make sure your package arrives safely to your door?
Fortunately, it’s rare to find an artist doesn’t ship at all and it’s relatively easy to deal with that sort of issue if it does occur. The best way to be fully protected (and I would say this about any online purchase) is to pay with a major credit card. In the unlikely event there’s a serious problem you can, as a last resort, report it to your credit card company. They’ll will take the charge off of your bill while they sort it out.
If the item you’ve chosen is on Etsy, you can check an artist’s feedback to be sure there have been no major problems before you commit. Some of the other venues also have feedback ratings, so check them before you purchase. Sometimes the number of sales by an artist can be an indicator of experience selling and shipping, but often new artists will be just as conscientious so don’t let a lack of sales stop you if you find something you really love.
Most venues have a Policies page for each artist’s shop, so look for it before buying. You should find complete information about shipping and returns. If you have a question, send an email or “convo” and ask. If you don’t feel comfortable with an artist’s policies, or if the information is sketchy, don’t make the purchase. An email will also give you an idea of the communication you can expect later in the process. In most cases you should get a response within 24 hours; if it takes longer than 48 hours you may want to rethink the purchase. Normally an artist who is away longer than two days will have put their shop in “Vacation Mode” or at least added a note on their main shop page letting you know.
The venues themselves do not normally get too involved in transaction issues. You can report not receiving an item, but that’s usually about as far as it goes. The Amazon A-Z Guarantee applies to all 1000markets purchases, and Paypal also has a Buyer Protection Policy although it apparently only applies to ebay purchases. Both of these have specific requirements, so be sure to check them out ahead of time if you’re going to be relying on them.
Before taking any action with a third party, be sure you’ve given the artist an adequate amount of time to create and ship your purchase. It’s a good idea to communicate with the artist before buying to ask when they would be able to ship so you’ll have an idea of when to expect it. If it’s a gift or is needed on a specific date, leave plenty of time for creation and shipping and ask if you have any doubt.
If a problem does arise, your first step should be to contact the artist. Most will do whatever it takes to make it right.. And more times than not you will have discovered an artist that you’d be happy to purchase from again.
Beverly Rustica
Beverly Rustica is General Publisher of
ByHand Gallery, an everchanging gallery of handmade work available online.
