I aways wanted to handmake beautiful things. My Nana was always working with yarn. Crocheting the cutest baby gifts, from booties to blankets. Mom didn’t crochet but she knew how to embroider. She wasn’t doing it when I was small but, on her dresser was a linen cloth she had hand-embroidered years before. I enjoyed studying the outline of colorful flowers and ladies in long gowns. She showed me how to do a few stitches and I was so happy. Before I was a teen, maybe even a tween, I found a library book showing holiday presents which inspired me. Using the basic stitches Mom had taught me I set about making my 1st solo product.
Paper is now my medium of choice. Handcrafting breaks us away from the keyboard and allows us to use our hands for more than typing. More of us are discovering the joy of crafting. It can relieve stress by changing our focus and produce satisfaction. Do you have a favorite medium? Am I tempting you to get your materials out or try something new? If not, there are many opportunities today to support others in their crafting obsession.
Many small businesses are being developed by handcrafters today. Visiting local craft fairs or artisan markets is one way to see and purchase handmade items. Today we have the internet which is a popular resource. Etsy is in the lead and where I decided to open Paper Crafted Bliss. Now purchasing airtime around Christmas and debuting an Etsy ad for the 2024 Super Bowl, they are gaining recognition with the non-crafting community. There are other sites in existence for groups of crafters too. Many crafters decide to go solo on the web and open their own websites using Square, Shopify or WordPress.
The official National Handmade Day is April 6th, always the first Saturday of April. There are so many ways to craft, using an array of materials and requiring a variety of skill levels. The options are endless. I hope you find a way to enjoy crafting on a personal level–– you decide THEN make time to follow your bliss.
Paper Crafted Bliss 