Buying Local

Christmas craft sales are finally here!!! I attended my first one of the year last weekend and found many treasures. I ended up buying some hand knitted scarves from a local knitter living in my community as well as some fridge magnets created by her daughter. The magnets had photos on them that she had taken of her blooming garden in the summer. They are gorgeous and a great idea! I love to be able to meet local artisans and tell them how great I think their work is. I also met and spoke with a local soap maker. I even bought some coal soap for my teen’s stocking from her. She sells on Etsy as well. If you’ve never visited Etsy online (www.etsy.com), I’d definitely recommend checking it out. It’s like a craft fair but online! They also focus on selling many recycled items or upcycled items, depending on how you look at it. I think that buying local is a great way to support the economy of small business owners or crafts people. It helps the environment by cutting down on shipping and packaging waste. It helps you to know that the products that you are bringing into your home are safe — you have met and spoke with the artisan who lives in your town and knows the local regulations for product safety. I would definitely recommend craft sales as a way of completing your Christmas shopping while thinking of some of the greater issues in the world.

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