Why do you buy handmade? Is it a priority for you? In the past, to be honest, I bought from Etsy sheerly because of the amazing variety and the affordability of certain items.

Over the years my thinking changed. Before starting my blog I did a lot of research and it gave me the hard facts I needed to shift my spending patterns. I read in article after article from mainstream and well respected newspapers about continued concerns with the conditions for workers in overseas factories. Further to that it was noted that many factories do not have appropriate environmental standards.

The transition to shopping handmade hasn’t been perfect for me. Overall I find myself shopping a lot less generally. This probably isn’t a bad thing – but I do find from time to time that I buy things at the mall that could be found on Etsy or at smaller shops here in Vancouver that carry clothing and other items that are manufactured in North America.

Scoutie Girl wrote an interesting post the other day and one point in particular that she made really hit home for me. To really increase my spend on handmade products – I’m going to need to plan ahead.

So – I started tonight. I need a good messenger style bag – and sure I could find one at pretty much any mall location. And it would probably be cheaper than the gorgeous grey letter bag that I found from Moop. And I’d be able to get it tomorrow and not wait a few weeks to receive it. But since I can wait, and because I want to support handmade and everything it stands for – this is the one I’m planning to get.

I’d love to hear your story and how buying handmade fits into your life!