How Buying Handmade Can Help the Economy

     

     Buying handmade means buying from a small business most likely a sole proprietor. The sole proprietor is often a stay at home mom (SAHM) or retired elderly. Both make their products out of love for the craft, but they also rely on selling them to supplement their household income. Your SAHM is trying her best to be able to raise her kids herself instead of relying on daycare or family to take care of them while she works. The benefits to this are a whole other blog post worth of information. She will often be up late to make sure an order goes out in time for a special occasion, she will bend over backward to get the details of a custom order down just right, and she will check up with her customer to make sure they are happy with their purchase. You just don’t get that kind of customer service from Big Box stores. The retired elderly are much the same when it comes to customer service and producing a quality item. The one thing they have in common is that they are both trying to supplement an income for their families. They are trying to make their lives a little better while doing something that helps make yours better too. The bonus is they get to do something they love to accomplish this.

     There are handmade businesses all over the world. Etsy is proof of this. They give handmade businesses a platform to sell on to reach a bigger customer base and providing you, the consumer, access to more handmade options and unique products from all over the world.

     Buying from a handmade business helps the economy by providing income to individuals like SAHM’s, retired elderly, and the disabled. This, in turn, helps them thrive, sometimes to the point of needing to hire help for their business, this, in turn, creates jobs.

     When you buy handmade you are buying a quality product that is made with love and integrity. You are also buying a product that is environmentally friendly by reducing the energy used to make the item and the toxic emissions that often come from factories.

     We here at JB Butterfly Designs do what we do because we love it. I (Juli) chose handmade because creating is a kind of therapy to me and it helps to supplement my income, but I also want to build something of value to pass on to the next generation. My children and my oldest granddaughter have had a part in helping me create. My granddaughter gets more joy out of helping create than she does playing video games or watching TV. I’m creating more than just a handmade product, I’m creating memories and teaching skills to my children and grandchildren.

     Dee Dee, my partner, chose handmade because it is therapy to her as well and being disabled but not qualifying for disability, this gives her a way of supplementing her husband’s income so that they can have a better life as well.

So next time you are looking for something special as a gift or something for a specific purpose try looking to handmade first. I am amazed daily by the variety of things I find in handmade that we use in our everyday lives. Handmade isn’t just about decorations and gifts anymore.

Spring has Sprung

     One of my favorite things about spring is witnessing the rebirth of all the great beauties of nature. Flowers would be some of my favorite. There’s nothing like the emergence of all those beautiful colors and enticing scents (my husband, Mr. Allergy, would say otherwise). Two of my favorite flowers are Irises and Lilacs. Obviously, the color Purple plays into this but I love the fragrance of Lilacs. This is the time of year that I break out all my floral fragrances for candles.

     I live in a wonderful lakeside community that is surrounded by nature and I love watching the progression of nature that’s all around me during the spring. The trees begin getting full of leaves and what was brown through the winter starts to turn green. I step out my door or take a walk by the lake and catch hints of honeysuckle and other flowers floating on the air. I spend more time by the lake fishing or just taking a stroll and enjoying the beautiful picture that nature is painting before my eyes.

     I hope that as the weather starts warming up that you will take the time to slow down and enjoy the beauty around you. I would love to see you share some photos on our Facebook page so we can enjoy the beauty of different areas around the world.

Doing Wax Warmers the Right Way

     How many of you use wax warmers? I bet quite a few of you do because it’s a better alternative to burning candles for some that may have small children and pets. There are a couple of options out there for warmer styles like tabletop ones and wall plug-ins. Whichever style you use there are pros and cons that come along with the use of these.

Wall Plug Warmer

Tabletop Warmer

     The pros are the long-lasting scent, no flame so no fire hazard, you don’t have to turn it off when the wax becomes liquid like you do when a candle has liquified, and it’s more cost effective than candles.

     The cons are it can still be knocked over creating a mess of wax, you must change the wax if you want a different scent, removing the wax can sometimes be a challenge.

     If you use a tabletop warmer make sure it is placed where kids and pets can’t knock it over easily or stick little fingers in the hot wax. If you use a plug-in unit, the same holds true as above. It can be a little more difficult to find an outlet that is out of reach of pets and children.

     Let’s talk about the removal of the wax. There are a few tricks that make this easier one is to use a silicone baking cup for cupcakes. Using this method lessens the need to wash your wax dish between waxes, allows for easy swapping of scents and the ability to save each one to swap it in again.

Another trick is to put a piece of ribbon in the dish with part of it hanging out of the wax. When the wax solidifies you just use the ribbon to lift it from the dish. This doesn’t always work with a clean sweep of it though as the wax is still soft enough it can come apart if it sticks in areas of the dish.

     This brings the third method into play. Put your wax dish in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes and your wax will pop right out.

     Now for those of you that have little rascals that are genius about getting into things and finding a way to reach that table when you’re not looking or for those of you that have cats that believe every surface in your home was meant for them to walk or lounge on I have created a solution. This idea came to me as I was looking at the candlestick wall sconces I have on my wall. I have created a hanging wax warmer that allows you to hang it out of reach of pets and children. 

     By hanging on the wall it also eliminates the likelihood of it getting bumped and spilling hot wax everywhere. I have two décor styles available right now but can do these with any style of wood and the possibilities for decorating them are endless as well. You can purchase these in my shop. I would be happy to take a custom order for designs as well.

     One last tip for your wax enjoyment. If your wax warmer has adjustable settings then use the lowest setting to make your wax last longer.