A new way to promote your crafty business!

I received the following email regarding the Happily Handmade Giveaway. Definitely a great way to promote your business!:

"I wanted to let you know about a great promotional opportunity for indie business, called the Happily Handmade Giveaway. You might have heard of it, as we've had many craft mafia members participate in the past. We've just relaunched this event after a two-year hiatus, with a spiffy new website and a team of fabulous volunteers ready to make this giveaway bigger and better than ever before.

Even in trying times like these, we are confident that this giveaway will be more popular than ever. I mean, free stuff? No one can resist the prospect of that. And the cost to participate is minimal. Only $20 plus a donation for the gift boxes. It’s a small investment for a huge return - I think past participants will agree, there is no other tool more powerful to grow a mailing list than the Happily Handmade Giveaway.

A quick backstory:
The Happily Handmade Giveaway began in 2004 as the result of a brainstorming session among a handful of indie artists looking for a unique way to promote their businesses and reward their customers. Since then, it's grown to surpass our wildest expectations. Our last event gave away nearly $15,000 worth of indie merchandise to 51 lucky shoppers around the world. This event, our 8th, is shaping up to be incredible for all those involved.

The goal of the HHG is twofold:
- To promote indie businesses with an affordable promotional opportunity, allowing them to reach new customers and build their mailing lists.
- To reward shoppers for their continued support of indie business, for making the conscious decision to purchase from an independent crafter and not a big box retailer.

We're currently in our sponsor registration period, which lasts through March 20th, and are looking for indie businesses who'd be interested in sponsoring the giveaway. For a small fee (only $20) and a donation to our prize boxes, Sponsors will be listed on our website as an official hhg entry site. Contestants can enter the giveaway by visiting any the participating Indie Shop Sponsors' websites. Each website will feature a separate entry form, allowing entrants to increase their chances of winning by simply visiting more of the Indie Shop Sponsors. Each Sponsor will also have the full list of sponsors on their entry page, creating an active stream of traffic from site to site to site. Businesses participating in the giveaway report a huge increase in traffic to their site and subscriptions to their mailing list (often a requirement for entry).

For more information about the giveaway, our website is the place to go:
http://www.happilyhandmade.com/

Our most recent press release can be viewed here:
http://www.happilyhandmade.com/2009/03/the-happily-handmade-giveaway-a-valuable-tool-for-promoting-indie-business/

I'm also always available should you have any specific questions.

Thanks so much! :)

- Lindsay Landis
Webmistress and Event Organizer
The Happily Handmade Giveaway
http://www.happilyhandmade.com/

Cut Out + Keep

I first met Cat Morley on the Readymade magazine forums. Later I found her on MySpace and began to follow her blog at www.cutoutandkeep.net. Cat is a crafty computer whiz from the U.K.

I am telling you all this because, it just so happens that Cat recently launched a site (not so much a site as a new "home" for crafty types. The Cut Out + Keep site has all kinds of free crafty goodness - from craft projects to Cat's blog on all things artistic, to a forum where you can post your own questions and projects. And get this - Cat even writes and designs her own online magazine called Snippets.



Check it out, sign up for an account, post some projects, and as it says on the logo "don't run with scissors."