Whether you’re making it yourself, or need to seek ‘professional’ help, handmade gifts are ALL made with love.
If you haven’t been stung by the handmade love bug yet, we hope this post will help you see why the handmade movement is on the rise. With Valentine’s day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to dip your toe in and find a gift for your lover that has itself been made with love.
I’ve been blessed to meet some pretty successful local makers, and they are growing their businesses locally. Supporting other makers in the process. You don’t have to spend obscene amounts of money to shop local either, with the growth of the movement their are a wide array of makers and handmade goods to choose from in all categories and price ranges.
Amazing Makers whose handmade items will make perfect Valentine’s, Mother’s Day or just Saturday gifts.
- Boosh: Lipstick, Lip gloss, and lip balm, cruelty-free, made by hand in small batches.
- By the Horns: Mixed media wall art and home decor.
- Genuine North: Reclaimed wood and copper jewelry stands and home decor.
- Gracie Klutz Pin Ups: Pinup style hair ties and bows.
- Lavender & Stone: Modern diffuser jewelry.
- Moon & Co. Art: Watercolour and mixed media illustrations. Art prints and paper goods.
- Scented Market: 100% soy wax candles and scents.
- Vintage Acorn: Handcrafted jewelry inspired by geometric shapes and vintage florals.
You can find most of these makers at one or more of the Handmade Marketplaces we’ve listed below. Or click on their names to be taken to their Etsy or Instagram pages.
- Brika: Toronto, Ontario
- Deja Vudu: Grand Bend, Ontario
- Gifted: Waterloo, Ontario
- Got it made: Stratford, Ontario
- Lake Life Studios: Sarnia, Ontario
- One Sixty One: Cambridge, Ontario
- YLGG: Sarnia, Ontario
- Handmade Den: Guelph, Ontario
A bit of background on the movement towards Handmade
When big box retailers and chain after chain of knock-off clothing stores opened up, a lot of smaller ‘mom and pop’ shops were really hurt. So too was our local economy. With manufacturing for these mega producers going oversees, money is leaving the country more than it is staying in. Fast forward a few decades and you’ll find the rise of the handmade movement, a push to help small business, shop local and keep our dollars circulating back into our own economy.
Brought on mostly by stay at home mom-preneurs, Gen X and Millennials who were no longer satisfied with the quality of product, the price they were paying for goods that may or may not have been handmade oversees, and a frustration over Canadian design being stolen from our own artisans and then mass produced by China for Walmart.
The great thing about the handmade movement is that as these companies grow, they hire local, they produce locally and ultimately the money stays here. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for global economy and products from fair trade countries. Just that making the choice to purchase something that was made with thought and passion, and by the hands of the person you are putting the money into, means something.
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