A Handmade Legacy

When I am asked how I started "crafting" I have to give full credit to my mother.  My mother is an amazing seamstress and when we were small, she made a lot of our clothes for us.  Her mother was a home economics teacher, so she had grown up learning skills like sewing, knitting, and other needle crafts.  I "dabbled" in lots of craft hobbies as a child and teen, and I give my mother many thanks for teaching me from a very young age to make things and be creative.  Although I never did pick up her knack for sewing, unfortunately.

One of the most impressive gifts I remember was given to me and my 3 sisters in about 1986 or 1987.  That was one of the years that Cabbage Patch kids were the BIG THING - stores ran out of them, parents waited in line for them.  They were a bit pricey, too.  There are four girls in my family and it wasn't in the budget to buy 4 of these dolls, although we - especially me and my next oldest sister - were begging for them.  So, my mother purchased the doll heads and kits to make the "Doll Baby" versions for each of us (incidentally, it seems by searching online that it's actually debatable about whether these were the original or the knock-off version).  Yup, she made 4 dolls.  And didn't stop there.  That same year, she made matching outfits for us all - it included a blouse, a corduroy jumper (dress) and pant jumpsuit.  Yup, that's a lot of sewing.  But there's more!  She made from the leftovers - matching outfits for all 4 of those dolls.

Here is a not so great picture of a picture, which is aged anyway, but you get the idea.  I'm on the left, the oldest.  I was about 8, and my sisters would have been about 6, 2 and 1.  Yes, it's cheesy.  Yes, the dolls are kind of odd-looking.  But at that age, we didn't care.  And now, as a mom, I fully appreciate how many hours of sleep were sacrificed to sew these gifts after our bedtime.

Well, my little Elaina is now 2-1/2 and she really loves playing with dolls.  So, it occurred to me to go looking in the basement for a box which I knew contained my "Baby Doll" - Angela - and some of the clothes that went with her.  I found her!  And since I was 7 or 8 when I received her, she didn't get as much playing as the others in the family did, so with a run through the delicate cycle and an air dry, she looked pretty good!

I was so excited to share this with my daughter.  The dress she is wearing in this photo is the one, I believe, that I wore home from the hospital as an infant.  The sweater was hand knit by a family member, and in the next photo you can see me as a baby wearing it.  Mom also made the diaper bag you see in the photo and some other clothes are included that were also mine as a baby.

One final special thing to note about Angela: she has two right legs.  Mine was the first mom made, and she realized that she'd sewn the legs together incorrectly.  We always talked about her going to the baby hospital for surgery, but....well, it didn't happen.  And I love that about her now.  I love that she is a little bit imperfect, but represents so much time and loving care that went into a handmade gift.  Back in 1986, I might have been a little disappointed to get a substitute for the real thing.  But I now appreciate so much what my mom did for us that year, and I am so happy to be able to pass on to Elaina this version rather than a doll that probably hundreds of kids got that year.  There isn't another one out there exactly like this one and I hope Elaina can get more play time with her!

Thanks for passing on a heritage of creativity and making handmade gifts, mom!  It's a treasure I am happy to share with my daughter.

Three Cheers for Handmade!!

Over the past 6 months, I have spent a lot of time at arts and craft shows and other handmade events – on both sides of the table.  This has given me a true appreciation for the folks that are out there trying to make a go of it by selling their handiwork. If you haven’t tapped into shopping handmade yet, here a few reasons I recommend it:

1. Handmade makers get really excited when you buy their products or share with your friends how much you like their work.   Contrast that to when you buy something at your standard big box store.  The person you hand your money too has absolutely zero connection to the product and really cares little that you happened to stop in that day.  Not so with your crafter (or really any small business).   They are usually thrilled to meet you, personally encouraged by your purchase, and would love to talk to you about what they do.  I’ve made some great connections with some local folks, such as Shelly from Neighborhood Blonde.  I attended an event in September and Shelly spent some time chatting with me and also encouraged me to apply to an I Madeit Market event .  When I crossed paths with her at the Harvest Marketplace in November which was my IMI debut, she remembered my name and our conversation!  That meant so much to me as a handmade newbie!  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a fellow maker or small business owner mention on Twitter or Facebook that they made a sale, or hit a milestone, or were mentioned in a blog.  These things make their day!  Really! 

2. Working with a handmade maker means you’ll get an item that is truly unique.  In many cases, your item may be absolutely one of a kind.  I know for example that in my work, even in a "set" of matching cards, invariably something is a little different in each one.  If you buy a purse or bag from a handmade artist, for example, you might be getting a piece of vintage material that they had just enough to make that one item.  You won’t be seeing the exact same thing on every shoulder on the bus.  Also, let’s say you like a jewelry design...but….you’d prefer a different color, or another strand of beads, or you want it to be a little longer.  Handmade artists often LOVE to do custom work.  I know that I do – in fact, there is nothing I like more than customizing a card or a wall piece with a particular person's interests as inspiration.   So don’t be afraid to talk to them, ask what they might be able to do to customize for you!  To see a few of the custom pieces I've done, check out my gallery here.  

3. Your purchased handmade items are really and truly a labor of love.  We will spend time getting it just right.  We’ll search for just the right item.  We’ll truly put a little bit of ourselves into it.  When we send it off with a customer, there is a part of us that is a little sad to see it go.  But we’re also really, really happy that someone loved it as much as we did!    

So the next time you are looking for something you could purchase at a big box store, or you could check out Etsy, or a local handmade event or boutique, or you could contact a friend or artist that has a business, consider the difference your purchase can make!

Is there is a local artist you really love? Spread the word!  Share their info with your friends; like them on Facebook; give feedback to them via social media venues.  The best way for a handmade artist to grow their business is organically through happy customers!  

Along those lines, I’d like to give a shoutout to a few of my local favorites that have spent time talking with me at shows or have made some of the awesome gifts I was able to purchase this holiday season.  I know they would LOVE to have you “like” them on Facebook, visit their Etsy shop, or drop by one of their local shopping venues (many of them have items at Boutique 208 downtown or Wildcard in Lawrenceville):

1.   Amy  of Bonne Amy (love her alphabet photography, especially with photos of Pittsburgh!)

2.   Gillian of Gillie Beans Boutique (I love appliqué and since I don’t sew, I am happy to purchase her items for the little ones on my list!) 

3.   Deirdre of Ride Red Designs (has made several custom jewelry pieces for me!  Its been so nice to get just what I want)

4.   Kali of Vehement Romantic (makes unique jewelry using items from nature, or her kitchen cupboard.  One of my favorite purchases this fall was a pair of red pepper flake earrings!)

5.   WhimsicalWonders, owned by Melissa and Lew.  They craft jewelry and other items from silverware.  My favorite gift received at Christmas was a spoon watch!  So fun!

I hope you’ll consider buying handmade.  Pittsburgh has some awesome handmade opportunities.  Carrie Nardini and the team at I Made it Market coordinate wonderful events all year long and select some great makers!  At the holidays, the Handmade Arcade is also great!  And of course, if you ever need a card, small gift or wall art item, please consider Charis Notes and Gifts!

Thoughts about Christmas Giving

Reflections on Gifting

Those that know me well could attest: I love gift-giving. That may sound like a passive way to say that I like to receive gifts – and this is true, I won’t deny it. But really, I truly LOVE to pick out special gifts, big or small for others – and whether it is reciprocated or not isn’t part of the joy I receive from the giving. I’m known for being so eager to see the reaction that I cannot wait until the designated holiday or event.

So when Christmas rolls around and EVERYONE is thinking and talking about giving gifts and marketing strategies inundate us, I begin to feel uncomfortable. Why? I’ve been thinking about this especially this year and I’ve realized it’s for a few reasons:
1. I hate to feel like I’m just following the crowd to do what is expected
2. I feel like the commercialism around Christmas gifting has robbed me of something precious

So, this season I was challenged to be truly thoughtful about the meaning of Christmas gifting and to consider how I might reclaim this in a way that is a more true celebration of the gift of Jesus, and not a glorification of materialism. To further prompt me in this reflection, our church services during Advent at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church were around the concepts of Advent Conspiracy, which is all about rethinking how we approach Christmas and especially gifting, with emphasis on these concepts:

1. Worshipping Fully
2. Giving More
3. Spending Less
4. Loving All

I’ll let you read details in the link above if you want to learn more, but in this blog I want to share just a few thoughts about how I’ve practiced these this gift-giving season. In subsequent blogs, I’ll share some more details about some specific gifts given and received, and some lessons learned in the process – but not all gifts have been given yet and I don’t want to spoil any surprises!

1. This year, my Christmas shopping experiences have been an opportunity to celebrate creativity and beauty. Since launching Charis Notes and Gifts as a business in July I have been privileged to spend a great deal of time in the "handmade" scene. Now, I know it’s super trendy and cool to buy handmade and local right now. And I’ll admit – I like being super trendy and cool. But as I have spent time at events as a maker and have connected with other artists and crafters in person and via social media networking, I have discovered other reasons to be committed to buying handmade. You do truly appreciate another’s work when you walk in their shoes a bit!

2. My launch of a business was for several reasons. The first, of course, was because I like making things. The opportunities to custom create gifts and cards so that my customers can give a special and meaningful gift is such a blessing! I am pleased to think of how many people across the country might be receiving something I made this holiday season!

3. A second reason was to contribute to our families’ financial needs, especially for things that are “nice-to-have but not essential.”  I kept hearing things about considering handmade gifts as a money saver but, in the spirit of being thoughtful and thinking of what others might really like, I felt that I could only give card sets or wall art out to my family so many times before it becomes lame and self-promoting. Instead, I took another approach and used the profit I’ve made by selling my own handmade items to purchase the gifts I am giving from other makers.   At least ¾ of the gifts I purchased this year were handmade, and most of them by local artists. An added benefit to this was that I have spent very little time in traditional retail settings, which has been a significant saver of time, energy and stress for me!

4. Part of the local handmade scene is a large emphasis on creative reuse – recycling, upcyling, using vintage products. It’s been a lot of fun to see the creative things people can do with stuff that might be wasted or thrown away! A number of times I have happened upon something that reminds me of a childhood memory, or a family member that is no longer with us. You can’t find that in a department store!! I have really grown to have a deep appreciation for thinking about the potential beauty in things that might be discarded (there is a spiritual parallel here); and to really treasure the things from the past, many of which have a story to tell.

5. If you’re familiar with the book “The 5 Love Languages”, it will be no surprise to you that my top “language” is giving and receiving gifts. A close second is quality time. So in an effort to rethink gifts that just add more “stuff,” I gave pause to think about whether a gift item would be truly used, appreciated, or valued. Is there a gift I could give that is more about time together and less about “stuff”?

6. I also acted in a few small ways to be prudent with my own time and energy level at the holidays. I’ll admit, it’s been busy juggling my Charis orders with my holiday preparations and other commitments. But in small ways I’ve made choices, like purchasing cookies from a small local business to free up a little of my own time to spend with my family.  This is a first for me, as in the past I've tried to do it all. 

7. The one thing emphasized in Advent Conspiracy that I cannot say I acted on sufficiently is sacrificial giving to those in need.   Tt is probably safe to say that my giving in general is not proportional to amount of need I could meet. I think that a part of me was a little resistant to giving to others as an alternate use of resources that would have been spent on gifts for others. In thinking more about why that bothers me, I think it’s because I know that if I am honest about my resources, there is more than enough for me to give to my friends and family a small token of love and appreciation (especially if done with the above principles guiding) and still find enough to give to someone who is truly in need. I feel that in my situation, the sacrifice should be in some other choice rather than less giving to others. So, my response to this is to spend the last few days of 2012 to think and pray about how a lifestyle change in 2013 could simplify my life and free up resources to give to others – all year long.

Merry Christmas everyone!