Everything Girl

What is a revolution? According to the dictionary, a revolution is defined as “a sudden, complete or marked change in something.” A political revolution is defined as “an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.” And the Handmade Revolution? How does one define it?

DIY, or do-it-yourself, has been around since the beginning of time. However, during the Industrial Revolution, the vital direct connection between the producer and consumer was lost. Each decade since it has manifested into a new shape or form based upon the latest fad or fashion by the people who feel jaded by the coldness of machinery and anonymity. And now, in 2007, DIY is at an all-time high. There are entire television networks devoted to nothing but DIY and the followers, which call themselves DIY-ers. But the single biggest influence in the DIY world is the world wide web. Alas! The beloved Internet!

“Quality! Handmade items are done with time, care and love. Each item is looked at individually and put together with human hands, versus the cold metal of a machine.”

Amid the websites that offer an outlet for the average, or extraordinary, DIY-er, is Etsy. Etsy, an online marketplace born in 2005 for buying and selling all things handmade, has been built by artist, for artists. Etsy is striving to reconnect the maker to the buyer. Instead of buying your purse from Wal-Mart and not knowing who made it or with what, Etsy makes it possible for the purse to go directly from Sue, the designer and maker, to Jane, the buyer and carrier with a complete knowledge of what went into the labor of making the piece. Etsy has a vision of building a new economy and offering the world a better choice to buy, sell and live homemade.

“But why?” some people ask. Why would someone want to pay, in most cases, more for a purse or coffee mug from a handmade shop than to get one at their local chain store?

“I think people recognize the love and care that goes into each handmade item. There’s something special about drinking from a handmade cup or eating off handmade dishes,” says Meredith, owner and ceramic-guru at foldedpigs : porcelain. And she’s right! It all goes back to that vital connection between producer and consumer.

Another shop owner, Talula, who’s shop focuses mainly on revamped jewelry and trinkets, says, “I think people are beginning to see the difference in the quality of a handmade item versus a mass-produced one.” Quality! Handmade items are done with time, care and love. Each item is looked at individually and put together with human hands, versus the cold metal of a machine. So many items are being recalled today from mass marketers due to items being put together improperly. In the handmade world, items are tested and done right the first time.

So is the handmade revolution the way to go? With the massive followers it has obtained within the last decade, one would think so. There is a bit of magic knowing you’re wearing a one-of-a-kind dress or your daughter is playing with the only handmade plushie of its kind in the entire world. And that beautiful necklace you bought handmade from a seller last week? It sparkles all the more knowing it was a custom piece done specifically for you… all under $20!

Follow All Things Girl over the next two months as we take a closer look into the Handmade Revolution, it’s sellers, it’s buyers and it’s goods!

Tiffany Hixon is a published novelist & freelance writer living in Ohio. When she’s not writing, she works part-time in a salon and spa and is a Fine Arts & Art Education double major at Ohio University. In the rare moments of free-time, Tiffany likes to sew stuffed critters with her three-year old daughter, Sydney or geocaching with her husband, Scott. She loves chocolate, iced coffees and singing to 80’s hair metal.

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