I pledge to buy handmade...

The holidays are fast approaching and its time to start organizing your gift list. So why not take the pledge to buy handmade this year. Buyhandmade.org has kicked off this holiday season with a one-two punch to the big box stores. Buyhandmade.org is a collaboration between Etsy, Craftster, indiepublic, Craft Magazine, Interweave, Burdastyle, The Austin Craft Mafia, Design*Sponge, and The American Craft Council. Nine giants in the handmade/indie design realm.
Pluses to buying handmade are unique, one of a kind gifts, avoidance of mall crowds, quality... I can go on! So go to the Buy Handmade website, take the pledge and pass the word.

Below are some great resource links from the Buy Handmade site:

http://www.coopamerica.org/: Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Their mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
http://www.sweatfree.org/: A Network For Local action against Sweatshops.
http://ilsr.org/: The Institute For Local Self-Reliance. The Institute’s mission is to provide the conceptual framework, strategies and information to aid the creation of ecologically sound and economically equitable communities.
http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Issues/Business/Allegedly_Unethical_Firms/Wal-Mart/ :
See what Walmart is up to in your community.

Now that you are informed and ready to do some shopping from handmade/ indie designers, check out some of these crafty peeps!