Pricing is a HUGE issue within the handmade community, especially around the holiday season where both mainstream and alternative retailers are all screaming for attention, enticing buyers with steep sales and everyone is just bombarded with promotional emails, ads and an overall feeling of desperation among sellers. So, in pointing to our handmade gifts under $30, I do feel a certain amount of reticence, like we are somehow caving into the pricing game.

The reality, however, speaks to budgetary constraints that many of us do have and for those who want to support handmade, there might be a long list on the gift list of nice people who deserve a token of gratitude, but not necessarily a huge financial investment, right? Teachers, office mates, the mail delivery person, and so on…  Many of our Artizan Shops do try to make an effort to offer a wide range of price point and we will highlight some of them here.

First, I would like to point to some of the issues that surround pricing and hope that you will keep that in mind as you shop around. We do not compete with electronics or make-up or kitchen gadgets. We do compete with specialty gifts like wearables and decorative items, whether in department stores or Mom and Pop shops. Pricing can be all over the place, including within the handmade shops we see on Etsy and on other marketplaces. Consider these factors:

1. Hobbyists often undercharge because they do not factor in their time or actual production costs. Full time artists and businesses working with handmade products pay for rent, utilities, supplies, salaries, and many other expenses.
2. The cost of living around the world varies greatly, as well as the value of currency exchanges. When the dollar is low, the euro or yen has much more buying power and vice versa.
3. Sweatshops bring artificially low cost products to the market because they are not paying fair wages, might be subsidized by their governments and may have negative impacts on the environment by using cheaper and dirtier energy and processing of raw materials.

Meanwhile, the big box stores have become places of insanity during their Black Friday sales.

Do we really want to be like this as a society?

All retailers need to sell in order to survive, but the experience can be a nice and pleasant one, more as a partnership or exchange. The maker needs its audience and the buyer receives meaning and enjoyment. If you are reading this post, you are already tuned into that experience and we are here to say that we appreciate your support and hope that you will engage with us and with others who offer a sane alternative. Go green and go handmade!

Artizan Made Gifts Under $30

Kitchen and Bath

Small ceramic plates have so many uses! They can hold appetizers, soap, candle holders, office supplies and just look great as decoration, too! Shown here are Botanic2Ceramic, Ceci Capen Clay Studio, Jan Fairhurst Pottery and Cheryl Wolff Ceramics.  Lynn from LoomOnTheLake is a weaver, but her husband jumped in on her shop with some nicely made trivets. Put your hot plate on it! Hammock Boutique has some small toy hammocks which are actually quite functional. They can hold fruit in the kitchen, toys, or extra toilet paper or soaps in the bathroom. Cindy Grisdela Art Quilts only had one set of coasters left at the time of this post, but if you like them, talk to her about your color preferences. not PERFECT LINEN‘s brings you peace and Mariposa Handwovens has other color choices for the handwoven towels, which I think would also look nice on a table.

Gifts for Men

Sometimes it’s hard to shop for men, although most of the dudes in my life really appreciate finely crafted handmade goods. Here are some special picks for the guys out there!

Elliott Glass Art‘s paperweight also looks great sitting by a window. Nelsonwood‘s small ring dish would also hold cuff links nicely, or paper clips, coins, etc. The Loaded Trunk‘s serving knife might just work as a letter opener, a handy tool to have in kitchen or office (for the chef!). Steel Goat Studio has a metal milagro stuck on to a block of decorative wood. This would be a prayer attached to a saint, a possible request for improved vision. Karen L Howard and Sue Canizares Ceramics? For the bird lover, of course!

Office

Do you draw names for gifts where you work? If you work with a cat lover, how about original Danish prints from Mariann Johansen Ellis? Affaires Nomades offers lavender sachets. Too much time on the computer? Head aches? The sachets will help! Carry in purse or keep in desk drawer. Wassupbrothers little owls can sit by a computer monitor and bring a smile…

Wearables

These are all really fun! Pouches and a bag by delightworthyn ART/wares, Fairly Worn and Rayela Art, wonderful upcycled gloves by Brenda Abdullah Designs (she has lots of color combos!), head wrap by Wrapture by Inese (I would wear it as a cowl. So soft!), and a crinkle scarf by HEraMade. The jewels are from Pri Fabrics and Beads, Gilgulim, Rioritajewelry, and Down to the Wire Designs.

Holiday Decor

Do you spice things up for the holidays? Carla Trujillo‘s domino art dolls would make unusual ornaments and MayaMam Weavers has a clever stocking utensil holder. And, everyone needs a Siamese Dream Design stocking hanging by the fire place…

The Crafty Gift

Finally, we all probably have creative types in our circles of friends and family and you can never have enough supplies! Here are a few ideas for the maker in your life:

Castilleja Cotton has dozens of quilt patterns to pick from, cute like the snowman to art quilt designs, Afghan Tribal Arts has loads of high quality beads and textile remnants, while both Oshiwa Designs and Cherscapes will thrill surface designers who print or dye. The Oshiwa stamps can all be used to press into clay, wax, soap and cookie dough and Cher has lots of stencils and dyed silk fabric in her shop. She wrote the book pictured here, an excellent reference with great tutorials on how to create the effects she achieves on fabric.

Well, this should give you lots of leads to explore and we wish you well on your shopping journey! Make sure to explore our Artizan Made shop for more ideas!  Above all, stay sane and make this a special and meaningful time for you and yours!

Happy Holidays from Artizan Made!

From our Market: