Are you ready for the giveaway that could change everything?
Last year after our Handmade Holidays giveaway brought together an amazing group of handmade businesses and led to some beautiful outcomes I started percolating. I decided to turn the tables this year and offer a giveaway to the very creatives who have supported OMHG all year: YOU!
We know building a business is hard work and most entrepreneurs have to piece their businesses together as they go along. One year the logo, the next the business coaching, then some advertising…bit by bit we work to make our dreams reality, learning along the way. There is much to be said for slogging along doing things the hard way but I know many of us have times when we wish for a little break or at least some elves to give us a hand. We can’t conjure miracles or house elves but for 3 hard working entrepreneurs we have extra hands and skills to help you along your journey.
If you are already in love with your brand and wouldn’t change a thing be sure to share this giveaway with your network and help us spread the word to entrepreneurs far and wide!
Now for the prizes:
For our grand prize winner Aeolida has offered the most generous prize EVER: a complete branding package valued at $2000! Your business will be renewed by the oh so talented fairy godmothers of the Aeolidia team-they have volunteered their time to sprinkle their magic star dust on your dreams. From a new custom designed logo to the pictures and words that will make your business sparkle, right down to how to spread the word, this package will give you wings!
Aeolidia Branding Package
- Custom logo design by Gaia Cornwall or Denise Holmes
- Business cards & letterhead OR Website header graphic (to use on Big Cartel, WordPress, Etsy, or elsewhere) by Lauren Hardage
- Product photography (5 products, 25 photos) by Jen Way
- Copywriting (5 product descriptions, or “about” page text) by Dewi Faulkner
- Custom media list OR press release by Isa Seminega
Oh My! Handmade Advertising & Mentorship Package
I couldn’t miss out on all the giveaway fun! I am offering a year of advertising in the OMHG sidebar so you can show off your gorgeous new logo to our 100, 000+ monthly visitors and an editorial feature to share your rebranding and your story. I am also going to be investing a year of my time and love into the winning business. We’ll start with a Skype call so we can get to know each other face to face and talk about what you want 2012 to hold and how you want to spread your wings. For the next year I will be following along in your adventure with monthly emails and encouragement. If you are stuck and need an answer or are struggling with a decision, if you need proofs gone over or a second set of eyes, I’m your girl! Each month you can email me your questions and concerns and I will get back to you with my perspective and support, like a business BFF and accountability partner all in one!
Ahoy Graphics Logo + 5 Branding Package
Logo + 5 branding suite package, created by skilled designer Kristen Hodges, of Ahoy Graphics. Includes a custom designed logo + choice of 5 items from the Ahoy Graphics ala carte design menu. Great for those looking to start a new biz or rebranding a current one.
Terms: Subject to Kristen’s availability for the start date and valid for 6 months.
Moxie Pear Product Photography Package
Professional, fully edited photographs of 10 products (2 pictures of each=20 pictures total) taken by the talented Lisa of Moxie Pear.
Ink Engage Copywriting Package
Copywriting package by wordsmith Tracey Selingo of Ink Engage and Twisted Pinky. Can include brand/product name and/or positioning or 5 product descriptions or copywriting for 3 web pages. Package valued between $750-$950 depending on services chosen.
Study Hall Business Coaching Session
Business coaching session with the lovely and knowledgeable Allisa Jacobs. Session includes:
- Initial email conversations getting to know your brand
- Individualized report outlining impressions and recommendations for branding, copy, cohesiveness, search relevancy, pricing and product development
- List of specific personalized homework assignments you can apply right away
- Follow up 45 minute phone conversation to discuss report, assignments, your concerns, and other thoughts to get your shop going
- Copy of Allisa’s ebook, Rise and Shine, for on-going guidance and inspiration
Oh My! Handmade Advertising Package
Give It Away Now eBook
Give It Away Now: The Marketing Tactic that Creates Faithful Customers, a 42 page digital guide to marketing your business through giving by Erin Giles.
This guide is for you if:
- You’re looking to create a buzz for your business online and either don’t have a marketing budget, or your self motivated + smartie pie self loves promoting your biz yourself.
- You so badly want to start pitching your articles to high traffic blogs to gain exposure and create a buzz about your business, but you are scared even thinking about it.
- Creating a digital freebie sounds hard but you are ready + ramped up to create one for your customers.
Aeolidia Custom Logo Design
Custom logo designed by either Sara Jensen or Tracy Bishop of Aeolidia
Oh My! Handmade Advertising Package
5 Steps to Etsy Shop SEO
Write With Moxie Thank You Package
Also from Lisa of Moxie Pear the Write With Moxie Thank You Pack includes a sweet pencil set (5 pc) of Lisa’s gorgeous eco-friendly paper pencils and a Handmade stamp. Perfect for sending little thank you notes to all your new customers!
Cultivate Your Creativity Workbook
With all of this change and excitement you might find yourself needing time to reflect and get creative. This illustrated workbook is sure to get your creativity flowing.
Give It Away Now eBook
Give It Away Now: The Marketing Tactic that Creates Faithful Customers, a 42 page digital guide to marketing your business through giving by Erin Giles.
We already believe in you-all you need to do is show us you believe in yourself! So bust out the glitter, disco balls and noise-makers and throw yourself a word party. Don’t tell us why you can’t achieve your dreams or what is holding you back, we want to know how you are already walking confidently in the direction you need to go and how this giveaway will just give you more momentum. Convince us you’re going to make your vision reality regardless of whether you win or not-that is the spirit we are looking for.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for this giveaway you need to have an established business that has been operational for at least 6 months and can demonstrate steady improvement and growth. We will be doing our research, checking out your social media pages and seeing how you promote your biz-so make sure you include links to your website or shop, Twitter and Facebook. If you have none at all-this is not the giveaway for you, yet! Winners will be carefully evaluated and chosen based not only on the giveaway entry but their business as a whole + their determination to attain their dreams. This giveaway is open to anyone anywhere who meets this criteria.
There are three ways to enter this giveaway:
1. A 600-800 word essay on who you are/what you do and how you are working towards your dreams. We want to know how you have built your business to where it is now and your plans for the future. Be sure to address how winning this giveaway will help you make 2012 your year to shine. You can include links to 1-4 pictures with your submission to help showcase your work. Include links to your website or Etsy shop, Twitter and Facebook pages.
2. A 5 minute video essay on who you are/what you do, how you are working towards your dreams and how this giveaway will help give you wings. Get creative! Show us your workspace or family, work in progress, make an animated or stop motion video. Above all have fun! Be sure to address how winning this giveaway will help make 2012 your year to shine. Include links to your website or Etsy shop, Twitter and Facebook pages.
3. Be artistic. If your work is highly visual or you are more comfortable expressing yourself artistically you can enter this giveaway by writing a song, sharing a series of paintings, handwriting your entry, telling your story in pictures. Experiment! As long as you make sure your entry fully represents who you are/what you do, how you are building your business and how our giveaway will change everything for you. Include links to your website or Etsy shop, Twitter and Facebook pages.
To submit your entry:
Leave your entry as a comment or include a link to your essay or video (on your blog, public dropbox etc). Your entry can be as beautiful and complex as you want to make it!
Brownie Points:
Show your commitment to winning by tweeting your entry daily using the hashtag #omhg
Share this giveaway with your network on Facebook & tag Oh My! Handmade
Demonstrate your community building skills by connecting with other entrants and chatting about the giveaway and your entry on Twitter with the hashtag #omhg or here in the comments
Show behind the scenes peeks of your submission in progress by uploading photos to our #omhg flickr group
Help us spread the word-tweet this!
I’m ready to change everything + win a new biz for the new year with @ohmyhandmade & friends http://j.mp/w2EFs4 #omhg
Submit your story for a chance to win a new biz for the new year from @ohmyhandmade @aeolidia & more! http://j.mp/w2EFs4 #omhg
TY to @aeolidia @ahoygraphics @traceyselingo @MoxieLisa @allisajacobs @erinmgiles @MeaganVisser & @ohmyhandmade for a chance to win #omhg
Since this giveaway is judged based on the quality of your submission not on how many times you enter please feel free to encourage others in the comments and support each other!
This giveaway closes midnight December 28th 2011 with the winners announced midnight January 1st 2012 on Oh My! Handmade.
The winners MUST contact editor Jessika Hepburn by email on or before January 3rd to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to the Oh My! Handmade giveaway policies.
All prizes are subject to terms and conditions set by the individual prize givers.
Many thanks to Pugly Pixel for the glitter textures used in this post!
I am truly inspired by the marvelous and very creative entries that other small business owners have submitted.
Each and every single person has a different story and reasoning’s behind their businesses, and I am loving reading the behind the scenes look at everything.
Keep up the great work, everyone!
I truly enjoyed working on my entry for the Oh My! Handmade giveaway. It was a chance to reflect on 2011 and get excited for 2012!
Website: http://www.mychildish.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mychildish
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mychildish
Below is a link to my entry which is a PDF.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29676950/CHILDish-1.pdf
I am amazed! I am not an entrant in this amazing contest, but it sure has caught my attention! I opened an Etsy shop just about a month ago, so I am way too ‘young’ to be dipping my toes in this pond, but it is very inspiring to see all the contest entries, read the stories and see such amazing creatives following dreams. Thanks for letting me watch from the shoreline! I can’t wait to see who wins…good luck everyone!
bonnie
http://www.paperkeeper.etsy.com
So excited about this contest–thanks for the opportunity to sit and think about where I’ve been and where I’m going! Forget to do that sometimes. :)
http://frogprincepaperie.com/our-story/oh-my-handmade-entry
So much fun to make! Thanks for this opportunity!
Ahmelie
http://www.mixbook.com/editor?fs=1&pid=6823873&type=book
Hi Everyone! happy almost new year!! im blown away at all of the amazing entries and businesses. im so inspired + uplifted! Here is my revised entry. My last one was spur of the moment, as soon as I saw the amazing giveaway, kind of entry – so here’s my final polished entry:
http://thepetitesoiree.blogspot.com/2011/12/oh-my-handmade-goodness-ultimate.html
I hope you enjoy it. I am so excited to hear the results on Jan 2nd!
My very best,
Stefanie
l
I am so incredibly inspired by so many of these entries – what wonderful business women. 2012 is going to be our year, for sure. I’m trying to get my entry finished before the deadline tomorrow – fingers crossed!
thank you so much for the extension. It gave me time to put together an entry that I am really proud of. You can check it out here:
http://traceyknits.com/2011/12/2012-year-to-shine/
I have never before made a video but we worked hard on this one! It was a family group effort, that’s for sure! This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m glad you are able to offer it! Here’s hoping ;)
View our entry here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj2cuLxZvZ4&feature=youtu.be
Well I decided not to make any changes after all. So here is my entry.
Thank you again to the organizers of this fantastic contest. I have been dreaming about the prizes since I first read about them. They are exactly what I could use to start the new year with a bang!
I make jewelry from my nature photographs so you can carry the beauty through your day. If you’d like to learn about me and my company, Moment of Focus, read our (abridged) story at http://momentoffocus.com/blog/the-gift-on-my-list-dec-26-2011. My submission has many pictures so the file is a large and may take awhile to open.
Have a beautiful new year!
Karen
http://www.momentoffocus.com
http://www.facebook.com/momentoffocus
@Momentoffocus
No one else in the world does what I do.
I am an exquisite image hunter; the Indiana Jones of archivists; the Sherlock Holmes of art sleuthing.
I travel the across the U.S. with my scanner, camera and family, returning with suitcases and hard drives full of exquisite ephemera. Back home I create vintage and historically inspired artwork that is on more than 10,000 products. For the past five years I have built a business where a wide audience–from hobby crafters to Harrods of London–can find images for all of their design needs.
Piddix llc has three main departments. The first is digital collage sheets, offered to crafters via etsy and instantcollagesheets.com for $3-$4 each. In the wholesale division I produce printed collage sheets for select high-end bead and collage stores. And finally I also research and design images for use in much larger commercial settings via piddix licensing.
It all started with a babe and a boob.
Like many crafty entrepreneurs, I started my business–piddix llc–while on maternity leave with my first son. During the long hours of feeding and napping, I began selling digital collage sheets on etsy. Over 25,000 sales later I’m quite happy to be one of the top 10 handmade sellers on etsy. I have some of the most amazing repeat customers around with whom I keep in contact via a piddix newsletter (1300+ subscribers), twitter (1100+ followers), and my blog.
Along the way I’ve expanded piddix as needs and opportunities arose. Wholesale sheets I created in response to numerous requests from brick & mortar shops wanting printed products. The process required extensive research into printing, paper, and packaging. Now that the upfront work is completed, the line of nearly 100 printed collage sheets has huge potential for growth via new distribution channels.
Licensing was something I completely stumbled upon. Several large publishers found me on etsy, looking to use piddix images on products such as greeting cards and calendars. I had no idea what I was doing as far as contracts, payments, and international copyright laws went. So I took a business class and wrote up a business plan, invested in capital improvements, met with copyright, trademark, and contract lawyers, and found some of the best fairy-god-mother-mentors a gal could as for. I travelled 1000 miles to a tradeshow with a manilla folder full of my designs and somehow talked my way into an amazing licensing agent who has placed my work with companies such as Target and Trader Joes.
And yet while it may seem on the surface that piddix is happily on its way to world domination, I struggle with the same pitfalls that challenge so many one-woman start-ups: a self-designed logo, a half-finished website, the constant re-evaluation of goals and plans while balancing budgets and life. The Ultimate Entrepreneur Giveaway is an eerily perfect fit for the stage in which piddix is at.
For 2012, my somewhat-ambitious but achievable goal is to essentially double gross profits while only working 20-30 hours per week. I will do this by:
*Developing and/or maintaining a total of 12 large licenses.
*Creating and/or maintaining relationships with 12 wholesale printed collage sheet clients.
*Continuing to sell on etsy (with minimal time investment) as long as it makes financial and strategic sense.
To meet these goals I will need to stretch my business legs and venture into areas in which I’m not always as comfortable, such as delegation, outsourcing, and approaching new clients. This is also the year I’m determined to address two of my worst paradoxical business fears: fear of failure and fear of success.
I am incredibly fortunate in that I absolutely love my job. I get to travel. I design art for a living. I literally crawl through dusty shelves and books and rediscover incredible forgotten treasures from centuries past. And even though I was once nearly crushed by an archive’s compact shelving (who says historical research isn’t dangerous?), I wouldn’t change it for anything.
So here’s to a lovely 2012, with all the hopes, possibilities, and dreams that the new year brings.
You can find me here:
http://www.piddix.com
piddix.etsy.com
twitter.com/piddix
piddix.blogspot.com
Thanks so much,
Corinna
Dear Jessika and family…
creating our entry has been a great way to clarify our business goals for 2012…
Here it is : enjoy !
http://www.kitesandcrows.net/ohmyhandmade!
**and to all the creative people that are part of this network…best regards to your business success!
Happy New Year !
Love, Kites & Crows
I just posted my essay for the oh my! handmade goodness giveaway. It’s such an honor to even be able to enter into this competition, and I wish everyone the best of luck. Everyone is so deserving!
http://rubyandlo.com/2012/01/01/entry-into-the-oh-my-handmade-goodness-giveaway/
My name is Lucy McClure, and I have a small jewelry business called bel monili by l.marlane. By day, I am a speech-language pathologist at a rural elementary school. I also work part-time doing early intervention home-based speech therapy. By night (…ok., all the time) I am a jewelry designer, artist, and crafter. Since 2010, I have hand-crafted jewelry and accessories using vintage and re-purposed components combined with new materials to make unique, one of a kind items that are fun, funky, and affordable.
bel monili by l.marlane was born out of a desire to create and express myself in a productive, tangible way. In the summer of 2010, my boyfriend at the time was travelling extensively for work, leaving me with lots of free time. I was going to be turning 30 the following October, so I dubbed summer 2010 “The Summer of Self-Improvement”. Think of it as a crafty bucket list combined with an adult summer school program. Between June and August 2010, I took classes in sewing, quilting, and jewelry-making. By the end of my “coursework”, I had created a pretty sad looking shirt, finished three quilted squares, and a had a growing mountain of beads, findings, parts, and finished jewelry. I found the jewelry design to be exhilarating and exciting; the more I made, the more I loved it. Strangers on the street were complimenting me on my design and color combinations, friends and family started asking me to make things for them, and… gasp!…they PAID me for it!
In September 2010, I participated in my first show, the I Made It! Market at WYEP’s Rock the Block. It was so successful that I applied for more shows, and was even accepted into a highly coveted Saturday spot at I Made It! For the Holidays, a local indie craft market that is wildly popular and quite well attended. After that, it has seemed to be a one-way road to hand-crafted blissful success. In January 2011, two local boutiques started to carry my items, followed quickly by two more. In April 2011, bel monili was asked to create a one of a kind necklace for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s (NOCC) TEALtini event. The evening’s honorary spokesperson, a drag queen titled Miss U-FAB, wore the piece for the duration of the event and then auctioned it off to benefit the NOCC Pittsburgh chapter. In May 2011, bel monili was invited to be a participant in the giveaway bags at the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 1,000 one of a kind flower pins, all hand-crafted and packaged within 10 days, shipped to Los Angeles on my last day of school. I smiled the whole way home from the post office…I can say that at that moment, I knew that bel monili was on its way to real success. This past fall was filled with seemingly endless festivals, art and craft shows, parties, events, and “special orders” that kept bel monili running at full steam almost around the clock. I also had been given a wonderful opportunity to serve on the inagural board of directors for the I Made It! Market, a position I continue to hold and enjoy.
On the “business” end of things, I took the leap to make bel monili by l.marlane a real, true, official business (well, business name) in March 2011. As of right now, bel monili is a sole proprietorship registered to sell (and pay taxes!) in Pennsylvania Ohio, and Texas. In November 2011, a group of artists wrote and won a grant for a pop up shop located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s cultural district. I was one of four jewelry artists (12 artists total) to be juried in, and I am now an active partner of the co-op shop aptly named “Burgheoisie”.
Social media has been an essential part of bel monili’s success. Right now, there are over 100 subscribers to the email list, over 200 followers on Twitter, and over 350 fans on Facebook. I make regular posts and updates to these accounts, and I am expanding my my focus to work on developing my blog and Pinterest pages for bel monili followers and fans. Facebook has served as a wonderful source of business and information sharing for me, and I see and average of 10-20 people per event/show tell me that they found out about the event and attended because of my social media posts.
So, that brings us pretty much right up to today, where I am staring 2012 in the face and trying to figure out where I go next (and how the heck I get there!). With my second successful holiday show season under my belt, I am taking the plunge and leaving my part time job to pursue new and expanding ventures with my business. Based upon my experiences over the past year, I am planning on taking the bel monili brand further by expanding my presence in two main arenas: the bridal market and custom design home parties. I had a beautiful opportunity to create bridal accessories for my dear childhood friend this past October, and since then have received multiple requests for similar bridal items. Similarly, I have had many requests from friends and loyal customers to have “home parties”. At first, I thought that it would be a cinch…just set up my show table at someone’s house! As the idea developed, though, I uncovered another layer of possibility in custom design. For my first home party, I brought my ready-made items as well as all of my vintage “finds” (earrings, brooches, etc.) for the guests to look through and choose as a focal point for their custom creation). The result was a HUGE success; guests loved looking through all of the gorgeous vintage items, and they got to participate in creating custom pieces of jewelry for a very reasonable price. The feedback I received was incredible; all of the attendees said that they had NEVER beeen to anything like my party before, and three women booked parties of their own right then and there!
I believe that bel monili by l.marlane has what it takes to be a hugely successful business with the right products (check), the right personality (check) and the right marketing (um…). That’s where this giveaway comes in! I believe that I am right at the edge of major success, and the expertise offered by the donors in this contest would be the perfect piece to complete the bel monili puzzle. I feel that my skill set and drive will help me to be able to really use the gifts offered by the experts and take my business to the next level. bel monili offers beautiful, unique, affordable products, and winning this giveaway will help me to share that with the world!
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/belmonili
twitter: @belmonili
blog: http://www.belmonili.blogspot.com
etsy: http://www.belmonili.etsy.com
First of all I want to thank everyone for this amazing opportunity & all of the OMHG tweets for support and motivation! My entry was inspired by my love of doodling- so many of my designs and ideas begin a chicken scratched ideas on a composition lined notebook before coming to life.
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0ARVSB8IWhSNhZGhwYmpudHJfMGMybmN2bWdj
http://www.trashn2tees.com
http://trashn2tees.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tntees
http://www.twitter.com/trashn2tees
http://www.facebook.com/trashn2tees
Wow! Thanks for creating this wonderful give a way. I enjoyed reading everyone’s entries. Here’s mine: http://rapturebeauty.blogspot.com/2011/12/plans-for-2012.html
http://www.Etsy.com/shop/rapturebeauty
http://www.twitter.com/rapturebeauty
http://www.Facebook.com/pages/Rapture-Beauty/111614982249396
Hi Everyone,
I’m Lorrie Brown and I own J & L Creations, LLC. Which is located in Harbor Beach, MI
J & L Creations was founded in my kitchen back in 2003. Being employed full time and having a small child at home I needed a creative outlet to relieve stress. I decided to buy myself a candle making kit. Once I poured my first successful batches of candles I was immediately hooked. I soon had more candles then I knew what to with I was giving them to friends and relatives to try. After a while they were coming back to purchase more of my candles. I quickly learned that my new found hobby was becoming very expensive and I would need to start charging for my candles. Here is a picture of one of them [IMG]http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/jandlcreations/DSCN0666.jpg[/IMG]
Not having any business experience I decided to test the waters at one of the local craft shows in the fall of 2004. It was a one day show from 10 am – 4 pm. My take for the day was about $75. Yes, I realize that it wasn’t a huge amount of money but it was a start. As my customer base started to grow so did their demands. They wanted new jars, different scents, and new items.
In the beginning part of 2005 I decided that I was going to try and make soaps and open a website. I researched the internet and read on all the forums that I was already on and designed my first soap recipe. It was a very basic one oil recipe. I made my first batch and left it uncolored and unscented. I waited 8 weeks for it to cure. Having never showered with a handmade soap I quickly learned that they are far more superior then store bought soaps. I began offering my soaps to my customers in the spring of 2006. They were a hit.[IMG]http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/jandlcreations/DSCN0707.jpg[/IMG]
When the economy started to slow down in 2008; I was pregnant with my second child and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go to as many craft shows so I started to work on selling both my soaps and candles wholesale to the local stores and I began to offer candle making supplies through my website.
While trying to get my products into stores I was told “No” on many an occasion but that didn’t stop me. I kept going and in 2009 I landed my first wholesale store. In the past two years I have added fourteen more wholesale accounts in two states.
I am hoping in 2012 to be able to add more wholesale accounts for both my candles and soaps and be able to attend my first trade show.
I know that if I won the Oh My handmade goodness give away it would definitely push my business in to the next level and help me build my brand into my vision. It has taken me a long eight years to get here by taking small baby steps but now I am ready to bund to the next level!
With another successful and busy holiday season behind me, I can look forward to the future of J & L Creations, LLC.
I wish everyone good luck and hope you win!
Lorrie Brown Owner of J & L Creations, LLC
http://www.jandlcreations.com
http://www.facebook.com/jandlcreationsllc
I am not sure how to edit my post but if you copy and paste the image links take out the [img] and you can see pictures of my work.
Thanks for this opportunity Jessika & all the sponsors! Here’s my entry, and happy 2012!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5YBZVddpvg
Thank you Jessika and the wonderful Oh My Handmade team for this splendid giveaway.
You can see my little entry on my blog… http://www.cupcakesforclara.com/cupcakes_for_clara/2012/01/oh-my-handmade-giveaway-entry.html
I was struggling to write it myself, so it is mostly written by my character, Clara. She is quite grumpy but sometimes lovely. I hope you like her!
You can also find me here…
blog: http://cupcakesforclara.com
shop: http://cupcakesforclara.etsy.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/cupcakes4clara
facebook: http://facebook.com/cupcakesforclara
Thank you!
Wow Wei – Honey Thistle looks gorgeous! I LOVE your entry!
EEK! All these entries are so creative and incredible choosing just 3 of you lovelies is going to be PAINFUL. You are all talented and awesome and I have loved being invited into your lives to learn more about who you are and where you are going. Each and every one of you shines! Happy New Year friends!
Parties By Hardie now has a new name — Nickwilljack! This is not a new entry but rather a redirect to my new website that goes alone with my name change (updated below). I am so sorry if this caused too much confusion. I was originally comment #88.
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. The timing goes perfectly with the expansion of my shop… and it would be awesome to win! Also, thanks for sharing all of your business tips for those of us without the business background.
My entry can be found here: http://www.nickwilljack.com/2011/12/ultimate-entrepreneur-giveaway-entry.html
•My shop: http://www.partiesbyhardie.etsy.com
•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parties-by-Hardie/118238718206709
•Samples of my work:
http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.196080898.jpg
http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.260361684.jpg
http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.261663171.jpg
I can’t believe the winner will be announced tomorrow! I don’t think I will sleep tonight at all. These entries are absolutely amazing and I am so thankful for all the talented entrepreneurs I have met through this giveaway.
Happy new year everyone!
Leeana Provan
Thank you Jessika, if nothing else, this giveaway gave us all the motivation we needed to seriously examine out strengths, weaknesses, and goals for our crafty businesses. Thank you, and happy new year!!!
I can’t wait any longer!!! it appears as if I’ve convinced myself that tomorrow will come faster if I’ll keep hitting the refresh button…. :)
My entry: (I hope)
http://thebowtique.blogspot.com/2012/01/oh-my-handmade-goodness-giveaway.html
Youtube:
http://youtu.be/zOx0nqaeUfQ
Shop: http://www.thebowtique.com/store/Default.asp
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thebowtique
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/thebowtique
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp
Hope i am not too late! This was such a great chance, I justhad to try my luck.
I am ever-impressed and inspired by fellow small business artisans.
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity to jumpstart the new year!
My entry is posted on my blog here:
http://thebigtwig.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-year-time-to-shine.html
Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for this opportunity! It will be such a wonderful experience for whoever wins. I know, too, that for all of us that have entered, it has been an experience in itself – finding our voice and our strengths.
Here is my entry as pdf: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxiTNxEqjzBGMzIwMjZlMDItMDJlYi00NzhlLTkyNWQtNTc0ZjU4ZmJkNGY3
And there is it as text in case you can’t read my writing :) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RngXtEJsJZw3K2xzj5m0CB4hzpTYmn0f1bCUI0WzeA8/edit
Now, I’m going to make some tea and read more entries, I can’t wait to get to know you all!
Tania xoxo
These are my links! Sorry they weren’t working in my original entry.
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/rubyandlo
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/rubyandlo
Website – http://www.rubyandlo.com
Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubyandlo
Madeit – http://www.madeit.com.au/rubyandlo
Contact – rubyandlo (at) gmail (dot) com
Sorry again! Hannah x
Thanks so much for this giveaway – just the idea of entering makes me giddy! :-)
I uploaded my entry here
http://bachata.homeunix.org/oh-my-handmade-essay.pdf
Thanks for such a lovely chance! And even more thanks for this blog – it is definitely one of my favourite! Your posts are my daily dose of encouragement! So much helpful advice!
Thank you and to a grand 2012!
Love,
Ursula
This is such an amazing give-away and opportunity…I just discovered it today and quickly put together my entry. Nothing like the last minute. All of the entries and comments are so inspiring. Thank you everyone for sharing and thank you Jessika – you and your blog are so awesome!
This is the link to my entry…file:///Users/rachellow/Dropbox/Public/Ultimate%20Entrepeneur%20Giveaway.pdf
My website: http://www.pinsandneedlesnyc.com/
My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pinsandneedlesny
My blog: http://www.pinsandneedlesnyc.com/blog/
My Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/startstitching1045
My twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/StartStitching
My pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rachel_low2/
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous and magical 2012. What a great way to kick it off!
xx
Rachel
Hi there! Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway! After much time, I have decided to leave my comfort zone and tell my story. Here is my entry:
http://notyoureverydaycards.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-not-who-you-are-that-holds-you-back.html
Hope you enjoy the read!
Diana
Blog – http://notyoureverydaycards.blogspot.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/matdi123
Etsy Shop – http://www.matdi123.etsy.com
I’m not sure if my entry went through but here it is again just in case:
http://notyoureverydaycards.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-not-who-you-are-that-holds-you-back.html
Etsy Shop: http://www.matdi123.etsy.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/matdi123
Blog: http://notyoureverydaycards.blogspot.com/
Thank you for this awesome opportunity!
Diana
I found out about this contest only days ago and just look at my cool video I shot and edited within about 48 hours about my biz ClutchJewels.com and my Fashion & Culture Blog http://www.FashionistaSista.ca!! I had so much fun doing it so I thank you for being the inspiration! Its like I have a Clutch Jewels Commercial! Love it.
Here’s my link to the entry on my blog:
http://clutchdesigns.com/blog
Much love friends and fellow handmade entrepreneurs for life!
Mary.
http://www.ClutchJewels.com
http://www.FashionistaSista.ca
http://www.youtube.com/user/aFashionistaSista
Facebook: Clutch Jewels Fanpage
Twitter: Clutch Jewels
Better late than never, right? My entry is at http://www.themetalmark.com/OMHG_2012_Makeover.pdf
You can also find me at:
Website: http://www.themetalmark.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheMetalmark
Twitter: @TheMetalmark
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMetalmark
Thank you so much for this awesome makeover. It’s been wonderful seeing how vibrant the handmade community is. Good luck to everyone!
thanks cupcakes for clara/laura :) clara’s a cutie! I wish I had her to play with when i was a kid.
I know, I know…procrastination. How can you avoid it? With two kids, a third on the way, a full time job and two businesses, there is no way anything happens on time in our home anymore.
I used to follow timings to the tee, after all, my full time job is with the military. That is one of the first lessons we learn in basic training. Lately though, it seems the only timings I make are with military. However, I guess technically I am still on time because it is not officially midnight January 1.
So here it is, why Re-wood Toys deserves this amazing prize from Oh My Hand Made Goodness:
O – Outdoors is what inspires us! Jamin grew up in Beautiful British Columbia and has always loved nature and as such it was only natural that he would begin a hobby that included parts of nature – trees, wood, grains.
H – How could we have succeeded this year without our fabulous Etsy shop found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Rewoodtoys
M – Money isn’t everything and in the end we have succeeded so far on very little. After all our wooden toys are made using recycled, reclaimed or otherwise unwanted woods!
Y – You can find our products in many retails stores across Canada and the US. We have been steadily expanding our wholesale line and retailers LOVE our wooden toys.
H – Have you seen our actual website? http://www.re-woodtoys.ca. Well, we will admit, it is a work in progress, but hey, what isn’t when you are trying desperately to build your business with little to no business background. You learn as you go and we are learning lots!
A – And have you found our twitter page? Well, you may have to look hard, because realistically it belongs to our other business Go Green Baby (www.twitter.com/gogreenbabyca). See Natalie, the wife in the business, is the one that does most of the marketing (if you can call it that?), and she has trouble checking in with too many different sources. But if you look deep in this twitter account, you will indeed find her many attempts at promoting Re-wood Toys. Some days I think she forgets about the other business.
N – New products are what keep us going and keep us interested. We love coming out with new products and are regularly trying to keep customers happy, both local and online. We have had some successes (like our Dog Pull Toy http://www.etsy.com/listing/86473998/pull-toy-for-babies-toddlers-and) and others have failed (like our Penguin teether.http://www.etsy.com/listing/76428018/teething-toy-for-baby-organic-penguin I don’t know if we have even sold one yet!). We recently just added a new Peace Sign Necklace that was inspired by a family member. We hope you love it as much as we do!
D – Did you know we were featured on Etsy’s Facebook Page early in December? It took us forever to figure out how our views for our Elephant teether went from about 20 to 4000 overnight? Low and behold Etsy loved our elephant as much as we did!
M – Many of our products are tested on families in our local community. As mentioned earlier, we run another busines and it just happens to be the perfect community for trialing wooden toys – naturally inspired families. Families that visit our retail store are always excited to see and learn about our natural wooden teethers, toys and necklaces.
A – All our products are made with love, sweat and a few tears. Each one comes from the heart and is created to make babies and children happy, even when they are teething and in pain.
D – Did you visit our Facebook Page yet? We have quite a few likes. Since opening earlier this year, we have inspired a magnificent 410 individuals and/or families to join our online community! How awesome is that? https://www.facebook.com/rewoodtoys
E – Enjoying local craft shows and markets is one of the major benefits to running a small handmade business. It brings much joy to our faces to actually see the reactions and gratitude of our customers. Smiling babies and excited children are essential for us and keep us going when times get tough. Online selling has its benefits, but you never truly get to see a customers true appreciation of your product. This past year we have enjoyed being part of the local Waldorf School’s Winter and May Fair, as well as the Military Base Christmas Craft Fair, where we showcased our wooden toys.
G – Growing is never easy, after all there are growing pains, hurdles and bumps along the way. We truly hope the next year brings us new challenges and new successes. Of course, this will not come without disappointment and defeats. But these will be what makes us stronger. After all, we did make it through the Christmas season, with some sanity left! It can only go up hill from there!
O – Our workshop has grown over time and we continue to slowly expand our tools, equipment and supplies. We started out in a tiny 1 car garage in the suburbs and have since moved to a large garage (that would fit 2 cars if we actually used it as a garage) with a heater, bathroom and loft! A woodworkers dream. The garage has been a true blessing for our business and has allowed us to grow and expand our product line.
O – Our tiny family business has been increasing steadily since we opened January 24, 2011. In our first year, we have made close to 300 sales. We are thrilled with how we have grown this year and hope that 2012 will bring us further growth and that our products will be introduced into the lives of many more babies and children.
D – Dan is the Re-wood Toys granddad (Natalie’s dad). He is a carpenter by trade and has been the one guiding, training and mentoring us along the way. He is filled with knowledge and tips that have been key to our success. He also supplies us with many of our woods. He makes kitchen cabinetry and what happens to all those little pieces that get sawed off? You guessed it! It comes straight to our workshop to be made into beautiful wooden toys.
N – Necklaces is where it all began. Our handmade wooden necklaces was the beginning of our business. Natalie wanted a natural alternative to the silicone teething necklaces on the market. Granddad had a scroll saw (the one with the tiny blade to cut small items). Put two and two together and now you have a wooden teething necklace. It was destined to become a top seller, and has been since day one. View one here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68441792/organic-wooden-teething-nursing-necklace
E – Ending 2011, we want 2012 to be OUR year. We want to continue to inspire families to make conscious choices about the products they are using with their babies and children. We want to invite new families into our community and for babies to be welcomed with solid, handmade items that will last for generations. We want to create amazing toys for babies and children so that they too can be part of a hand made community.
S – Simply natural. Our family believes that nature provides the best outlet for learning, growing and playing. Our main goal is to create safe, earth friendly and natural toys. This is what guides us and this is why we want to further develop and grow our business. This is why we believe the Oh My Handmade Goodness prize will be beneficial for our business. The more we can promote a natural lifestyle, the more beautiful our earth will be!
S – Start to Finish, Re-wood Toys is a family business. Jamin does the design and woodworking. Natalie does the packaging, shipping, online design, marketing and paper work for the business. The kids help along the way with product development, product testing and a little hand sanding here and there. We truly believe that as family, we create gorgeous products that will be well loved by others.
So my entry is at
http://addiahinspired.com/
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this. Best luck to all and to your businesses!
Finished at the last minute :) Thanks so much for this amazing give away! I’m so excited to see the results!
My Entry is at
http://blog.harttoheart.ca/?p=42
You can find me at:
Web: Harttoheart.ca
Blog: Blog.harttoheart.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/harttoheart
TWitter: @Hartoheart
Pinterest: pinterest.com/sarahart/
Please check my blog post for today to find my entry…..
http://www.logcabinyardage.com/blog/
Thanks!
Talk about late……
Cheers
Nicole
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity! And for extending the deadline. Nothing like working down to the wire…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVd-fJgm0l0
See my post referencing the contest at my blog.
http://www.linsieloo.com
Lindsey
http://www.linsieloo.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/linsieloo
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linsie-Loo/185872158111383
I’m Mike with StylishHome. We are a web site offering design tools, resources and catalogs to help outfit your home. As part of that effort, we feature Etsy products in each catalog category, maintain an Etsy team called “StylishHome,” and produce a special eCatalog of various themes featuring Etsy items curated by our staff and our team.
As you are all about handmade, I thought you might enjoy checking out our new eCatalog and perhaps sharing it with your members. Here’s a link to the blog post on StylishHome that contains a link to the PDF version of the catalog. This is our 2nd issue and is on the topic of “Home Makeover.” Our goal is to present some really great products in a “magazine” format for all to enjoy.
http://www.stylishhome.com/Community/StylishHome-Current/Home-Makeover-Catalog
Thanks for having a look. Would love to hear your comments and/or suggestions.
Best
Mike Samsel
StylishHome.com