Living a handmade life...

I suppose that some may wonder why one would exert time and energy into producing something that could much more easily be pulled off the shelf and purchased from the local department or grocery store. Not to mention that it is often times cheaper to purchase these items from the big stores than to produce them at home.

I've pondered that myself, especially during my most hectic and busiest of moments. Of course, I do not work outside the home so I suppose I have more of the luxury of time, but I still have the same amount of general housework as well as all of the demands and responsibilities of homeschooling my children so my time is precious (and limited) as well. So why would I (and you) be so inclined to heap more duties and tasks upon our already-crammed-full schedules and itineraries?

The answer for me is this: there are so many little pleasures and treasures tied up in that kind of living that big-box purchasing just cannot give.

Of course, it would be much easier to buy a $10 winter hat from the local chain store rather than making it myself, but it honestly gives me so much pleasure to see my family wearing the warm things I've made them. Or cuddling up under that crocheted afghan that so many hours (and love) were put into stitching it together.

Or setting a table filled with nutritious, organic garden goodies and homemade dishes that I truly know are good and safe and fulfilling for my family.

And then there are those handmades that were not made by my hands, but the hands of others. The hours of hard work invested by friends or strangers that do it because they know that there are still those out there that value handiwork. Those handmades that beautify our living space and tell a story. That departed from a set of real, living hands, rather than cold, industrial machines before they arrived at my door.

Handmade living is rewarding to the soul. Despite the many hours spent weaving in those many yarn ends or stitching that tiny embroidery pattern or piecing together that quilt or canning those pickles or tending the garden, all of those things give back such reward over the course of time. And as others are blessed by the work of your hands, you receive a blessing back ~  little piggy toes stick out from under the simple patchwork quilt; red, rosy noses poking out from under the handknit woolen scarf; purple-stained berry fingers and faces from the backyard berry bushes; plates of nutrition-packed scrambled eggs for breakfast.

So I treasure a handmade life. I still shop at those chain grocery stores, and I still buy clothing from the mall, but I make what I can with the time I have. I aspire to keep moving in the direction of living an even more homemade life. And I love the privilege I have as a mother in instilling an appreciation for handiworks into the lives of my children.

Want to read more about our handmade living? Visit the following posts...

Handmade treasures from the thrift store...

Embroidery lessons on a cozy winter day...

Homegrown popcorn and applesauce-making...

A summer sweater...

The story of a sweater...

Creativity as a form of worship...

Our experimenting in simple patchwork quilting...

Some handmade pillows...

Teaching your young daughter to sew...

Mentoring our daughters...

A sewing machine for her birthday...

Growing garlic...

An oldie: Strawberry pies and jam...

Just a sample of a busy summer day...

A family tradition: Sauce day (plus a recipe)...

 

I'm participating in "Homemade Living Series" where six homesteading bloggers will be sharing their thoughts on homemade living, including recipes, how-to's, and diy's. This series will post each Wednesday.

Visit these two other blogs today to see what they're sharing on living homemade...

Staci at Life At Cobble Hill Farm
Meg at Little Homestead 

And next week, we'll be visiting Daisy at Maple Hill 101, Tammy at Our Neck of the Woods, and Mary at Homegrown on the Hill.