5 Awesome Handicrafts That Make A Difference
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
So a few weeks ago, I had the wedding-related task to search for Thank You cards for my wedding shower. I was hoping to find charity cards where at least a portion of the proceeds would benefit a cause instead of filling Target’s big, jolly red pockets. I didn’t think this would be so hard: in every post office, museum shop and local supermarket in the UK you can find packs of cards which benefit charities — and not just UK charities, but global causes as well.
But it would seem out here in the US, we’re are only interested in donating or buying charitable gifts when it suits our taxes. I could only find Christmas cards, and expensive ones at that. What I didn’t expect to find was an endless array of beautiful handcrafted goods. I do mean beau-ti-ful crafts that you would consider placing right in the center of a mantelpiece (or, at least, I would if I had a mantelpiece).
I’m used to finding gorgeous handcrafted goods on Etsy, and they do have their very kind Pay It Forward scheme, although as I understand it, it benefits sellers more than impoverished children in the Sudan. If you love Etsy half as much as I do, you’ll understand why I felt the need to list some of the beautiful handicrafts I found on my mission to buy charitable Thank You cards. Obviously, I am not looking in the right place for these cards, and when the wedding is all over and done with I’ll return to my sightseeing adventures to museums and the like, find the cards, and kick myself for not looking there earlier.