March is National Craft Month!

The hard work and dedication put forth by many Team Etsy Austin members in order to showcase Team wares at SXSW 2009 seemingly makes 'National Craft Month' just that much more apropos for our group! The members of our group, and all Etsy-ites for that matter, are linked by a love of all things hand-made; indeed, I'm sure that we would all agree that there is an immense satisfaction in procuring and producing items rendered by hand.

People have been 'crafting' since the dawn of humanity, but the identification of an actual 'arts and crafts movement' began in Europe and America during the Industrial Revolution, around 1860-1910. This movement was fueled by artists and craftspeople reacting against the 'soulless' mass production of the machine age and the eccentric and antiquated styles of Victorianism. Followers of the movement sought to emphasize the personal satisfaction gained from crafting and the better quality of goods produced by individuals rather than machines, and to eliminate humanity's subservience to machinery, both as worker and consumer. The aesthetic and principles of the arts and crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century still holds true in the 21st century marketplace, as evidenced by the prodigious popularity of arts and crafts websites such as Etsy.

Below, I have featured a sample of some of the many arts and crafts, from a variety of disciplines, produced by our talented Team Etsy Austin members. Whether you are a crocheter, knitter, jeweler, artist, etc., I wish you successful crafting/arting and a very happy National Craft Month!!! ;-) xoxo, Holly@BowerbirdDesign

Information Source: Wikipedia