I love knowing that a person has made what I buy, not a programmed machine.I love that I can order or buy from the maker, not by lining up in a queue.
I love that the maker created their art because they knew what they wanted and were frustrated they couldn't find it.
I love that I don't have to remove tonnes of packaging to get to my handmade buy.
And I love that two products sitting next to each other are the same but not exactly.
Handmade in Melbourne tells the story of 200 Melbourne artisans, including photos and details on where to buy their products. While not a book you would sit and read cover-to-cover, it is beautiful to look at and great to flick through and read about a different person each time you pick it up. But a warning.... you are likely to be inspired and want to buy stuff!
You can buy a copy of Handmade in Melbourne at their website or I am lucky enough to have 5 copies to giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you love things that are handmade. I'll use some random thingy to pick five lucky people next Sunday night (20th Sep). Due to postage, this giveaway is only for bloggers in Australia.
***Giveaway has now closed***
58 comments:
I love things handmade because I know that they are unique, and that makes them special to me. Often the reasons why a particular material or shape is used, isn't a commercial reason but a personal one.
I love handmade because it is a reflection of the time, thought, effort and love that has gone into each and every creation.
Oh I do love a give away! I love that the time, energy and thought that goes into handmade. When ever I make something, I think of the person, think about their colours, their personality and I like to think that people do the same for me.
Now, that. Is a giveaway.
Buying handmade is all about appreciating the heart and soul that went into the making. And you stole our thunder - because you just said it all!
What a wonderful giveaway. I love homemade as I like knowing that a person cared enough about something to create it.
Hi!
I absolutely love handmade because it's unique and made a piece at time...not 200,000 pieces all together and...you can find them all around you...LOL!!!
And...I love handmade because...I make handmade too!!! :O)
I love handmade because you can feel the love that has been put into it. it's like homemade food... it just tastes better
good luck everyone :)
Thanks Nikki - a very generous giveaway. I love handmade because I think more time and effort go into the creation and production of the handmade item. It's uniqueness (is that eve a word!?!) and the I think that it is nice to have something that not everyone has!
Oh goody, a giveaway :-)
I love handmade because it has character, and it's REAL. Do you know what I mean? Genuine, honest, meaningful.
I also totally agree with Shan - handmade food is soooo far superior to machine made/processed stuff!!
Handmade = Love.
I think a little piece of your heart goes into every thing you make by hand.
Great giveaway Nikki and what a fantastic book. Cheers to handmade.
Eeeeek! I would love a copy. I've had a flick through Liesl's copy and it's just beautiful.
I love the fact that I can buy direct from the crafter and I know that every single piece has been created with love. If there's a bit of handmade wonk involved, then it just adds to the charm.
where do I start with why I love handmade? I think its because you are buying a little peice of someone else that has created something with their loving hands... made with a desire to make something beautiful for someone else.. it is indeed about buying something from the maker- not from a faceless corporation and it is unique.
On top of all that as someone quite new to the whole blogging thing I cannot beleive the generosity of people to share- in every way and the sense of community that is the handmade community. It blows me away how kind people are. I was emailing Jodi from ricac and we were wondering which came first the niceness or the craftiness???
It goes without saying that I am keen for the giveaway.
I love hand-made! Hand made is the opposite to mass-production! Buying it means that the money goes straight to the person who made it, not to the man with the whip (lol!). My two year old already values hand-made over bought stuff as he knows that it is made just for him.
What a great giveaway!
Handmade goodies always mean they are made with love, pride and positive energy.
I feel a great sense of acheivement when I have made something by hand and excited and interested when I see someone else's handmade creation.
you beat me to it nikki. I just bought this on Sat and loved it soooo much that i decided to do a giveaway too. (: great minds think alike. I'll think of something else just as wonderful to giveaway.
I love reading the stories, and getting a little bit of the behind the scenes goings on of artists and crafters that I admire. Very inspirational.
I love that handmade things are created with one mind, one set of hands and love, not on an assembly line. I love that my money is going to an individual and not a multinational. I love the environmental consciousness of handmade items, they're not made at the Earths expense. I love the imagination, creativity and skill in handmade. I love it when people ask you where you brought something and you can tell them it is handmade/ I made it. I love my Mother for instilling this love into her children, for making us gifts we still cherish and for teaching us how to make things ourself. I'd love a copy of this book for when we fly to Melbourne in November. Thanks for the chance. :)
I love that hand made things are so much more than the object - particularly if someone has made something specifically for you. They are filled with the memories of times past, which become the inspiration for the creation of a very special gift, and then in the process of making, the gift also gathers dreams of future moments to be shared. When you receive hand made you know that its filled with love ... and possibly some blood - if the sewing machine was being nasty that day, swearing - if the sewing machine has been nasty and tears - but tears of joy as the gift is finished! and hopefully the sewing machine won't be nasty the next time.
Handmade things are made with respect for their materials, love of the craft (or art) and a desire to share with others. Not to forget a need to make money! ;) Chele x
Look at you with your special give away hey :)
The reason I enjoy homemade things is because they are made with love :) (I hope)
xo
Nicky
SUPER giveaway!
I love handmade things as each is unique and a lot of love and thought goes into it. This is not particularly so with mass-produced items.
I also think handmade is becoming more and more sought-after and loved because we are becoming such a consumer society, and people feel that handmade is reminiscent of a simpler time when mamas baked bread and kids played with clothespin dolls.
Thanks for this chance Nikki!
I love handmade things because, as someone who uses my hands, I know how much time and effort goes into them. It is lovely to be bringing something that someone has looked at and noticed everything about and touched into my house, instead of another shiny thing that no one has really looked at.
I love them because the choices made to bring them to me are more likely to be mindful rather than arbitrary, because what they are made out of and how they are made and why ARE choices and decisions, and that makes everyone's experience richer.
I love handmade things because they are a bit different (a bit noice and a bit unyewshul too... oops, got a bit carried away there!) But really, it's nice to be able to go to a market and find something that you wouldn't see in just any old shop. I love handmade things that are handmade by me, too, because I usually have an intended recipient and make *exactly* what I have in mind, so there's definitely love in handmade ;)
wow, Nikki, what a great giveaway, thank you!!!
I love anything handmade because you know that it's unique and made by someone with an abundance of creativity and passion.
Wow Nikki!What a great giveaway...I think this book is a fabulous idea!Maybe we will need one in each city now ;))
Of course... I love handmade because of all the reasons you mentionned ;)and I think it is almost a therapy in itself for the maker and that need to be supported too ;)))
Handmade = Heartmade for me.
What a fabulous giveaway.
Nikki, I love handmade because it is unique and not always perfect and I love the fact that somebody has actually gone to the effort to make it instead of just going to the shop, which is sometimes easier.
This book looks amazing!!!
I love handmade... the time, care and creative thought that goes into every piece...I love that the maker created something that inspired them and the fact that they are willing to share that unique piece with others...
I love handmade items because they're often imbued with their maker's personality, drive and passion for their craft. For the same reason, they're also unique and imperfect (as are we all) but this is what makes them so amazing.
I love handmade things because they are so unique and they embody the creativity and personality of the wonderful person who made/crafted/sewed/constructed it.
love handmade as it is like a tiny little piece of that person. Plus I am often supporting those with similar values/ideals as myself. Handmade is often customisable to be just what you want. I also love giving handmade as it is a wonderful challenge and I love that little bubble of pride you get when a handmade gift is well received.
Buying handmade is special because it links us to someone else. Life is getting more and more impersonal and purchasing something someone has made by hand is a great way to connect. The item you are buying is more genuine, thoughtful and heartfelt than something mass produced. I love to make things and I love it when it makes someone else happy. I would be so happy, myself, to win one of your books, thankyou for the opportunity xo
Great giveaway Nik!
Handmade's best, we all agree
With lots of love built in
The gifts you make, I love to see
But where do I begin ...
To tell you how I admire you,
Making time for creating things
For us to enjoy a gift "made by you"
And the pleasure those gifts shall bring
I love handmade because of the care and thought, because it feels more personal and unique and because I am supporting someone's passion and creativity.
I just love making; giving and receiving anything that is Handmade. Always checking what other people are involved in so thank you for directing me to this "Handmade" hugs Joy
I love that they care, that they are using their precious time, that they very likely love what they are doing and they have a really cool skill. I also really like to know something about who has made something and where it has come from. Thanks for a fab giveaway!
I love hand made, the imperfections, the uniqueness, the character and the story that it tells.
Being a handmade crafter myself, I know I speak from experience when a little bit of me goes into every piece that I do. Every piece has a different inspiration, and every piece has a different meaning to the person who makes it. That in itself is the beauty of handmade.
The book doesn't just tell you that. As you read, the inspiration just keeps growing as they share their lives and stories with you. You feel braver and much more motivated knowing that there are others who have succeeded before you. It is a beautiful book and I long to own one. =)
Handmade simply means from the heart. I love handmade because of all the thought, love and creativity that goes into making something, from the smallest pincushion to the biggest quilt, it is what makes anything handmade extra special.
knygh[at]hotmail[dot]com
I love handmade just because it's that, handmade , can't beat it !
I love handmade because..at the time of 'it's' non mass production, I didn't know it until I bought it/was given it/or made it, but, it was created just for me. Created by the hand of someone who cared enough to make it. Nuff said, (you covered it all really) Peta xo
I love the care and attention, the love that is put into something handmade.......... Well actually when I find something handmade I start to wonder how much pin pricks, swearing, tossing over the other side of the room, has gone on.......all the effort and time that goes into handmade items is priceless.
I can't believe I missed this... Grrr. You know why I love hand made lol... It makes a better world and we only have one so we need to be smart and support handmade... I like the warm fuzzy feeling too!! hehe
kisses Steph
I love all things handmade for the authenticity of them, the personal touch, the creative urge realised. Handmade is tangible, substantial, crucial, vital! Hopefully unstoppable! Great giveaway, thanks, I'll be buying it if I don't win it (and probably even then for gifts).
Let's Haiku it up:
You are your own art
To create and have it loved
You, your craft, matter
That's why I love home made things. As someone in a different creative industry, nothing is better than seeing someone enjoy your work.
So when I buy something made by a someONE and not a someWHERE, I not only have something beautiful and unique, I have a little happiness boost knowing that I've let someone know that the item they poured so much of themselves into is now sought after.
Plus, I'm not like other people. So why should my wallet/my scarf/my tea towels be plucked from a pile of 20 at Target? Surely they should be as weird as me!
I got the first handmade book for my sister when it came out to encourage her to start selling her quilts and getting out there generally in the arts marketplace.
What I love about handmade is that it's not done by some clothing outworker or offshore in exploitative labour conditions. I can't claim to be lily white on this one - I do love a bargain and don't pay the premium that you would if you wanted to ensure all your purchases were produced in fair conditions. But it does guide my consumer habits to an extent.
And I like it that people are making money from something they love doing and are able to get better at all the time.
I love handmade because it's the whole story of the creator's journey.... not jsut the time and effort that went into the piece but the story of how they developed their skills. Each piece is a slice of time and space in that journey, and a bit of the creators love.
I also love this book because I know about half the people in it!! I own a copy but I'd love to have one to give to a special friend.
I love handmade because it connects me in a creative and loving way with my mum and two grandmother's who have shown me how to sew and make things all my life.
Handmade reflects me to my family and friends. bye for now Mary
I love others handmade because I see such beauty, difference, time and energy all rolled into a "package" for me
Handmade is my ideal because I love the quote "When I give you something I've made with my hands, I give you a piece of my heart"
Great giveaway...so many reasons to love hand made...made with love, care, attention. One of a kind, better for the environment (smaller carbon foot print) funky, cool just love it
As I pick up the handmade item I can feel my universe changing and I am transported to a place of quality, beauty and . . . . . . softness. My psychi lands happily amongst the soft folds and I breath out . . . . . .
Each handmade item is unique. They are not produced for the sole purpose of making a buck or two but made with care and attention to detail.
Thanks Nikki for a great giveaway!! Melbourne Crafters Rock! Handmade to me means all that everyone has said - it is hard to add anything else - handmade is just purely and simply BETTER!
Why handmade? I have a lovely quilt my grandmother made for me as a baby- it was stitched with love in her hand, she died but I have this very special thing to remind me of her. I also have the quilt I lovingly made for her 90th birthday- she had just moved into a nursing home and had left her beloved garden- there was a lot of rose print fabrics in that quilt. When I make something for some one, they are held in my heart as I stitch. Why buy handmade? Because I can support people who are passionate about what they do (you'd have to be before you contemplated a business in handcraft wouldn't you!) and feel it's ethical and 'good' as well as getting the beautiful things!
I love handmade because it becomes more than the product itself - it is also a journey, handmade is all about living!
Brilliant giveaway - please put me in the draw! Handmade = special.
I like handmade because the product and process seem more connected
I love that handmade is special, one of a kind, made with love, sometimes heartache, and is a little piece of someone's heart.
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