Ten Reasons to Go For Handmade Products

From rugs, bags, and sandals to jewellery, cards, and gifts, I have always been one to make/buy handmade items. I also know quite a few people who love handmade products and while they all have different reasons for buying such items; I found out that there are a number of things we all agree on. Thanks to the responses they gave, I was able to come up with a list of top ten reasons why people love handmade stuff. So, here we go!

1. Every handmade item has  its own personality
2. More often than not, such items are made by home based businesses and run by moms and other people who can’t find employment elsewhere. Thus, in buying them, one supports such businesses.
3. The quality is always of a standard much higher than that of mass produced items. This is especially true when it comes not just to handmade cards, but to bags and jewellery as well.
4. They are an expression of uniqueness and art.
5. When you buy a painting or object from an artist or a crafter, you do not just buy that product; you also get a piece of the artist’s life; and a wonderful one at that.
6. Most crafters use recycled material in developing their creations .So, in obtaining such items, you also play a part in conserving the environment.
7. Handmade products are individual, rewarding ,and special.
8. Since every handmade item is made on its own, every aspect of it can be customized
9. In most cases, the items are made out of passion more than a desire for profit
10. And finally, some people love handmade stuff’ just because’; nothing specific about it...but it’s still love all the same.

Do you buy handmade cards or any other handmade products? If so, what are your reasons for doing it? No single rationale is weightier than the other; so, let’s share as we spread the love for all things handmade!

Preparing to Send Out Wedding Cards? Here Are the Details Not To Omit

So you have made up your mind on everything: from the wedding venue and the day, to the entertainment and the catering. The only thing you need to do now is to send out your wedding cards so that each one of your guests is up to date on when the special event will occur. However, you seem to have a problem coming up with a list of what to include on those invites. What to do? This little guide about the details not to leave out should help.

 

1. Time

While everyone remembers to add the venue of their wedding on a card, it’s possible to omit the time despite it being yet another very crucial element. If guests arrive way before the party begins, they can get bored and decide to leave. On the other hand, if they arrive late, they will feel bad that they missed out and you will also not be happy that they were not there. These are some avoidable occurrences that you don’t to deal with on your big day and the best way out of this is to be clear on when and where the wedding will take place from the word go.

2. Having a ‘no children wedding’?

There are some wedding venues that will only work well if you have no kids on your guest list .So, if you are planning to have such a wedding , it’s important to let  your guest know about it upfront. Some ideas on the type of wording you can use to indicate this on a card include:

‘Adult reception to follow immediately’

 ‘Even though we adore the little ones, the event is an adult only affair’

Instead of writing 'To Mr. & Mrs. ABC and family, you can leave out the word ‘family’

Still, holding an ‘adult only ‘ceremony or reception can come across as rude; hence, as you send out those  invites, you should prepare for some scorning because you will definitely get lots of it.

3. Dress code

If you are a free spirit, you will hardly be concerned about what everyone wears to your wedding as your focus will purely be on exchanging the vows. If you prefer to have uniformity and an element of formality on the day though, you may wish to have your guests dressed in a certain way. Many couples especially love black and white weddings where everything is done in black and white, and people are expected to dress in those colours too.Be sure to indicate such details on the card; you don’t want anyone showing up in green or orange in such instances!

Your wedding is the day when you get to seal your relationship with your spouse in front of those who are close to you. Thus, you should make them feel welcome by giving invites that are not just polite, but also helpful. When your guests feel well catered for, you can be sure that your day will be more joyous and meaningful as well.

Four Things Not To Tell a Sick Person –Or Write in a Get Well Soon Card

Being sick makes a person the center of attention; and this happens to be the only good thing about it. At such times, even those who may have disappeared for ages will suddenly show up and want to be by your side –it’s just great! Unfortunately, in most cases, these are the same people who will end up telling you insensitive things, or giving you cards with not very thoughtful messages. Given that, here are the five things I believe no sick person would want to hear. 

You can beat this!

The last time I was in hospital, an old friend brought me some cards, flowers and a whole basket of fresh fruit. While I appreciated that, I was a taken aback when from out of the blue, she blurted ‘if there’s anyone who can beat this illness, it’s you’’. Then, I thought to myself, no one fights with a disease; you just get unlucky and are forced to deal with it. If medical science doesn’t work for you therefore, it doesn’t mean you lost because there was no battle in the first place.

I really need to see you

You might have a very busy life that you may even find it hard to create time to see a sick friend. Still, you don’t have to tell them about that. Just make an effort and stop by some day after work, or after you are done running your errands. If you can’t, then don’t talk to them about how you couldn’t get time off, it’s just wrong!

You look horrible!

Okay, this is not something that any sane person would say but still, there are those who simply can’t stop themselves. When a person is sick, they want to hear hopeful, encouraging, and helpful messages. So, if you are visiting someone and you get the urge to tell them that they have gained excess weight and that they should work on it’s as soon as they recover, its best that you just leave them that card and mound of snacks that you brought and walk out.

Is there something I can do to help?

This is a phrase that most of us love to use and even though you may really mean it, it’s absolutely cliché. Because of that, someone may assume that you are just saying it for the sake. To get around this, a better idea would be to point out something specific and volunteer to do it. For example, if the person has kids who need to be picked from school, you could ask to handle the task for a day or two. Don’t make things harder for them by trying to drive them into thinking up a duty for you.

Other than these, there are also those people who may try to argue with you about how dialysis or chemotherapy feels like just because they read it someplace on the internet, or in a magazine. Some may even go ahead and tell you how lucky you are to have survived. Regardless of that, as a patient, the most important thing for you to do is to stay positive; and if you have ever told someone any of these things, you shouldn’t stress about it either. It could be that you didn’t know what to say and felt that you were doing your best at the time, or maybe you believed that what you said or wrote in that card was actually nice. Still, the good thing is that, as long as they have that delicious cake, beautiful cards, and fresh flowers, on their side, most people will not dwell on something wrong they think you may or may have not said.