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With just a few weeks to go until Mother’s Day, the MCDC team have been discussing what we’ll be getting for our mums this year.
We all love handmade, obviously. But we often get asked why handmade is so special, why each piece costs more than a similar item on the high street.
There are many many reasons to buy handmade, too many to list in one blog post, so we’ve come up with 6 reasons to consider buying a handmade gift for your mum this year:
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Say it with handmade
When you buy a handcrafted gift, you’re buying so much more than a physical item. You are investing in the maker who created it and you’re getting a little piece of all the time they’ve spent, not just making it, but learning their craft and developing their skills; their inspiration, imagination and passion. Giving a handmade gift says so much more than giving a gift from a high street store. We like to think of it as sending someone a handwritten letter instead of firing off an email. It means you’ve really thought about the person you’re buying for and taken the time to choose something really special for them.
Jane Blease, Studio 25 -
Personalisation
When you buy a handmade gift here at MCDC, the chances are you’ll be buying it directly from the person who made it. This means you can ask them to tweak the colour or size of something you’re interested in to make it even more perfect for your mum. You might even want to commission a maker to create something totally bespoke.
&made, Studio 21 © Visit England -
Telling stories
Handmade gifts are so much more interesting than mass-produced high street gifts. Every item has it’s own story to tell, whether it’s about the maker, something that inspired them, or the materials it’s made from and where they came from. When you know the story behind an item you appreciate it more and when you give someone a gift with a story, they’re more likely to remember and treasure it.
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One-of-a-kind
Our mums are all one-of-a-kind and we think the gifts we buy them should be too. No two handmade pieces are identical. Each item is unique and special in its own way – just like our mums!
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Sustainability
Buying handmade supports local craft industries and people, and the impact on our economy is huge. In the UK, the creative industries account for about 7% of the GDP and each artwork (including all the handmade pieces sold here at MCDC) contributes to this. Buying from our makers enables their work to continue and flourish and the traditional crafts and techniques used in making their products are kept alive too, creating a demand for education in these skills for the makers of the future.
Helen Tiffany, Studio 10 © Chris Payne -
A handmade gift is for life, not just for Mother’s Day
Mass produced items are often perceived as – or actually are – ‘throw away’. Things need to be upgraded and many people want to have the latest version. The difference with handmade is that you don’t need an upgrade, because it’s perfect just as it is. No need to lust after the latest version when every handmade item is a unique piece of artwork in its own right. And handmade products stand the test of time because they are the result of an enormous amount of time and skill. High quality raw materials and superior workmanship come together for a finished product that is truly something to be treasured and enjoyed for many years to come.
L-R: Eve Redmond, Tracey Birchwood, The Magpie’s Daughter, Destreza Designs, Amy Wilkinson