Declare Your Independence

Must be the 4th of July spirit, but I have suddenly been inspired to post this entry declaring Summer 2007 to be the summer I strive to persuade you all to free yourselves of commercial jewelry. Fitting that I should begin my campaign today.

Summer is the time of festivals, notably arts and crafts festivals. Visit a few and discover the joys of handmade objects and the rare opportunity to get to meet and possibly to know, the person whose hands made your purchase. I'm not even talking about just jewelry, you can buy the greatest handmade things at summer festivals; and maybe you will then be inspired to hunt out the small stores and galleries, like Evergreen Gallery, right here in Hamilton, that carry merchandise which is handmade by local artisans.

So, standup everybody and let's pledge: I will no longer spend my hard-earned dollars on unimaginatively designed, cheaply made jewelry from a giant, faceless corporation that somehow feels the need to tell me how to spell a four letter word!

Declare your independence -- tell them to _iss off!