Handcrafted Gifts

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A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale production of goods, or their maintenance, for example by tinkers. The traditional term craftsman is nowadays often replaced by artisan and by craftsperson. Historically, the more specialized crafts with high-value products tended to concentrate in urban centers and their practitioners formed guilds. The skill required by their professions and the need to be permanently involved in the exchange of goods often demanded a higher level of education, and craftspeople were usually in a more privileged position than the peasantry in societal hierarchy. The households of artisans were not as self-sufficient as those of people engaged in agricultural work, and therefore had to rely on the exchange of goods. Some crafts, especially in areas such as pottery, woodworking, and various stages of textile production, could be practiced on a part-time basis by those also working in agriculture, and often formed part of village life. When an apprentice finished their apprenticeship, they became a journeyman searching for a place to set up their own shop and make a living. After setting up their own shop, they could then call themselves a master of their craft. This stepwise approach to mastery of a craft, which includes the attainment of some education and skill, has survived in some countries to the present day. But crafts have undergone deep structural changes since and during the era of the Industrial Revolution. The mass production of goods by large-scale industry has limited crafts to market segments in which industry's modes of functioning or its mass-produced goods do not satisfy the preferences of potential buyers. As an outcome of these changes, craftspeople today increasingly make use of semi-finished components or materials and adapt these to their customers' requirements or demands. Thus, they participate in a certain division of labour between industry and craft.

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Article title : Craft
"holiday-themed craft fairs are particularly popular, offering unique, handcrafted gifts. Additionally, some craft fairs emphasize sustainability by promoting..."
Article title : Playa Blanca
"Wednesdays and Saturdays (both in the morning). The goods sold range from handcrafted gifts to local wines. Two hundred meters to the east of Marina Rubicon,..."
Article title : Handicraft
"when buying gifts for loved ones, compared to more distant recipients. Secondly, they are willing to pay a higher price for handmade gifts when the purchase..."
Article title : Kitchener Farmer's Market
"foods and kombucha. Non-food products like flowers, skin products and handcrafted gifts are also available, and artisan vendors change from week to week...."
Article title : Braddon, Australian Capital Territory
"designers, stylish Australian fashions, imported designer shoes and handcrafted gifts and homewares. There is also a mix of restaurants, bakeries, bike..."
Article title : Paper Source
"stationery and gift retailer based in Chicago, Illinois, that offers papers, custom invitations and announcements, gifts, greeting cards, gift wrap, paper..."
Article title : The Longaberger Company
"distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products. The company opened in 1973, and its handcrafted baskets were a popular..."
Article title : Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey
"Canada and Europe, SCI's Christmas at Sea program provides over 16,000 handcrafted gifts to merchant mariners working over the Christmas holidays. Begun in..."
Article title : Novica
"artisans to sell their handcrafted goods to customers worldwide. Partnered with the National Geographic Society, Novica shows handcrafted works of art, ranging..."
Article title : Birthday
"officer to the wife of another. Books were a popular birthday gift, sometimes handcrafted as a luxury edition or composed especially for the person honored..."

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