My belief in buying handmade 
I truly believe that buying handmade items can enhance our
lives. When I started my own little handmade shopping site,
target="_blank">Hyenacart.com, in 2004, I don't think I totally understood how profound a shift it would make
in my life. I was simply putting together a place where people could sell their handmade goods. But as I've
watched the site and the community grow, and have become more entrenched in this idea of furnishing my and my
family's life with handmade items, I've realized that handmade items can enrich a person's life in a way that
mass-produced items simply can't.
Handmade items have a soul, and they are filled with the positive energy
of their makers. I feel deeply satisfied watching my daughter play with her hand-sewn Waldorf doll, or my son
building castles with handmade blocks. I wear my one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry with pride and often get
compliments and inquiries about the beautiful pieces. When it's time for me to relax, I can sink into a hot bath
fragrant with handmade bath salts and soaps.
I coded this site in one over-excited holiday weekend, with
visions of how it could change the world -- giving people a chance to inspire me, themselves, and each other by
describing how handmade items have enriched their lives. I would love for people to use this space to post their
musings on buying handmade, or simply to share their latest or favorite handmade purchases.
Please post
your story and join in on the effort, or, if you haven't done much handmade shopping, read through the posts and
see if inspiration sparks within you. I look forward to seeing you take part in the handmade community!
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