Handwork
True Craftsmanship
The term 'handwork' can be used to refer to anything made by hand, but especially in the case of home decorations, furniture, and textiles, such as blankets. In an urban area, hardly anything is created by handwork anymore. It's much cheaper and easier for large corporations to mass produce identical items and sell them in bulk. In suburban and rural areas, however, handwork is undergoing a renaissance.
Before industrialization, handwork was fairly common. Culture demanded that we re-use and re-purpose belongings, as there wasn't enough money or enough supply to just go buy a replacement. In today's fast-paced world, people who darn their socks, repair their shoes, and continue to use damaged or faulty appliances are considered odd (or, at the worst, 'dirty' or cheap). However, in many crafts and home furnishing circles, handworked goods are commanding high prices for their uniqueness. Among these, the house signs are both the most common and the most luxurious.
Need Versus Desire
The truth is, nobody really needs a house number plaque. Nobody really needs drink coasters, or yard decorations, or ceramic drawer-pulls. Yet all of these are the small and intricate details that make up the appearance of a well-loved and lived-in home.
You might purchase a house number plaque because you want visitors to be able to find your home, or maybe you saw a website offering house number plaque designs and you thought it might add charm. As frivolous as it may seem, a house number plaque does indeed fulfill several important functions. A highly visible, high-contrast, somewhat large house number plaque can alert visitors and delivery personnel to your address, eliminating time-consuming errors while driving.
Passersby can use your house number plaque to orient themselves as they drive, helping them find their destination more easily. In the event of an emergency, your house number plaque will draw the attention of emergency personnel, who will have an easier time locating and assisting you. It's not too much of a stretch to say that one day your house number plaque may very well save your life.
The Beauty of Handicrafts
Now, considering how useful and attractive a home sign is, imagine its increase in value and beauty when it is hand-crafted by a local workman. Anyone can buy house numbers at the hardware store and stick them on the front of their house, but having an actual house number plaque hand-crafted for you, on commission, is bound to win comments and appreciation from all your neighbors.
A handworked house number plaque could be done in stone or wood. It may take longer and cost a bit more than the store-bought standard, but this is a reflection of its true value as a piece of folk art and good old-fashioned ingenuity. When you have that custom hand-crafted house number plaque by your door, you'll know you have done something to support the true nature of art, and the fellowship of man.