Handmade Long Island releases gift guides featuring holiday gift ideas handmade on Long Island

It’s that time of year, where patience and budgets are straining and everyone is struggling for gift ideas for the friends and family on their seemingly endless shopping list. Handmade Long Island is releasing a series of gift guides on its blog featuring handmade gift ideas created here on Long Island. Handmade Long Island is a website and online community hosted by Building Your Image LLC Publicity Consulting at no cost to participants.

While the “shop local” movement is beginning to take hold, many people still believe that shopping handmade and American made is prohibitively expensive. While it is true that some items are priced higher than their mass produced counterparts, shopping handmade and American made is largely accessible to most budgets. The first installment of the 2013 Handmade Long Island gift guide, titled “Shopping for the home chef” lists four top-quality, affordable items from local artisan-owned small businesses, the most expensive being $35.

Buying items handmade on Long Island allows shoppers access to unique, one of a kind pieces they are unlikely to find elsewhere. This allows a wide range of possibilities for the shopper, and guarantees a gift as special as the recipient.

More gift guides will be published on Handmade Long Island throughout the holiday season, including “Handmade gifts under $20,” “Shopping for a crowd,” and “Gifts for baby.” Readers are encouraged to not only consider the specific items included in the guide, but to peruse the e-commerce websites or Etsy shops each item is available in. The selection of affordable, quality handmade items available is astounding, and the gifting possibilities are endless.

To view the Handmade Long Island gift guides, visit the blog page at www.handmadelongisland.com. The gift guides may not include every member of Handmade Long Island, as some do not sell online but can be found at Long Island craft fairs and events throughout the holiday season and much of the rest of the year. While at handmadelongisland.com, view the Directory and Events page to see the full membership and where to find them, and don’t miss the Sales & Deals page for valuable coupon codes. Followers of Handmade Long Island on Facebook and Twitter will see each gift guide first, as well as learning about and sharing the best and brightest in Long Island handmade.

About Handmade Long Island:

Handmade Long Island (handmadelongisland.com), hosted by Building Your Image LLC Publicity (www.buildingyourimage.com) Consulting is a free website and online community that seeks to support and promote artisan-owned Long Island-based small businesses. In addition to providing promotional services for members, the site is available as a resource to the Long Island community, listing local craft and artisan businesses as well as local events. Handmade Long Island has been nominated for the Long Island Press Best of Long Island 2014 in the “Website Based on Long Island” category.