Monday, February 16, 2009

Winter Blues Giveaway!!!


YAY!  The time has come for the first giveaway at Green Gracious!  This giveaway is kindly sponsored by Jess at Umlauf and open to any person with a US mailing address.  I asked Jess to tell us a little bit about why handmade treasures are not only special and important in keeping crafty artisans at work, but a great environmental option for people wanting beautiful and useful things.  I think she put it perfectly when she said:


Receiving a handmade gift is really special. As sentimental as this may sound, there is a certain energy that flows from, say, a set of handbuilt bowls. You look at the texture carved into them, the glaze, the shape, and immediately are able to connect it with the ceramicist who put her time and heart into them. It's an experience in direct opposition to going to Target and plonking down some cash for factory-made bowls.

I'm in constant awe of the wares I see on www.etsy.com, and since I opened shop there last year, I've made a conscious effort to buy handmade more often. Many artisans and craftspeople place a priority on producing items that are friendlier to the earth than mass-produced items. They choose to upcycle and reuse materials that might have otherwise ended up in a landfill; they use vintage fabrics; their packaging is recycled. The mindset here is to, as much as possible, make beautiful clothing or wood products or paintings using materials that are already out in the world. By doing so, they lessen their dependence on factory-manufactured materials and take advantage of the existing abundance of goods.

When you buy handmade, you buy stock in human creativity. You're helping to support not only the maker's family, but also the community to which they belong. You're also most likely lessening your own carbon footprint. You're making an important choice to NOT put money into the pockets of a multi-million dollar corporation.

And for all those reasons and more, Jess is giving away this gorgeous handmade neck-warmer.


In order to win please pop over to Jess's shop, come back here, and post a comment on your favorite item she offers.  If you email address is not easily accessible, please leave it in your comment.

For additional entries (one for each of the following, please leave a comment for each):
  • Follow or subscribe to Green Gracious
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Blog about this contest
  • Tweet this contest
  • Become a fan on Facebook
The contest will run from February 16 through February 22nd and the winner will be announced February 23rd.  Thank you for entering!  Have a great day!

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVED the National Geographic Magnets, so cool!! My kids would love those.

Anonymous said...

I am a subscriber. :)

Unknown said...

hey there - thanks for stopping in from sits and saying hi! yes, i have a business... you can check it out at www.thepurplerose.net. i also do phone and email readings. id be happy to share anything that might help you. pleasedtameetcha as they say where i come from!

Pink Armchair Designs by Jenny said...

Hi Willo! Just wanted to let you know that I emailed you. If you don't receive it, check your SPAM folder. If you still don't receive it, email me back again!

MLDB said...

Hey there! First of all...I LOVE the neck warmer, and love it even more since it is handmade. I need to show these to my mother in law...she would love to make them.

Second..I wanted to tell you before that we were thinking of the name Everett. I hope it's OK with you;)

Aunt Spicy said...

Oh....I love handmade gifts! And Jess's work is just lovely! I think the red emergency scarf is just calling my name!

Aunt Spicy said...

Opps, I forgot to add I am already a following-fan!

Tina said...

The repurposed envelope sets are my favorite next to the neck warmers which look so cuddly and cute. I love sending an "old-fashioned" letter to a friend instead of an email. It adds a personal touch. And what better way to do it than on something recycled. Plus, it reminds me of my dad who had tons of old National Geographic mags at one point in time.

Kari said...

I love the green passion coasters- set of 4. They'd look great in my living room!

Electronic Goose said...

I love etsy, and Jess has such cute things at her shop. My favorite were the National Geographic magnets. Great giveaway!

The Blonde Duck said...

Popped in from SITS!

Cynthia said...

I like the checked fisherman's cowl...cute stuff!

Pam said...

I cannot choose just one favorite item. The top three are the Artic Sproutneck, the Spicy Lace neckwarmer and the magnets.

I am also a follower.

Kimberly said...

LOVE the national geo magnets!!!!!!!

Phase II said...

I love the green passion coasters.

Lori said...

The With Love India Vol 2 envelopes were really pretty. Thanks for the chance!

lkziegler[at]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

I love the Saloon Neckwarmer! I love the colors and especially the flower. Much better than a scarf! Thanks for the giveaway :).

ronandwhit at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I just became a follower!! YAY! I can't remember the name of it, but I loved the neck warmer that was one of the first ones displayed. It was all different shades of green. And the magnets are pretty cool too!

Carolyn G said...

I adore the dazzling high spirits scarf. SO darling.

ABCD Diaries said...

i like the repurposed envelope set...what a clever idea:) thanks!
christinbanda@yahoo.com

CC said...

I like the ladder of leaves neckwarmer

Unknown said...

I really liked the arctic sprout neckwarmer.

Gift of Green said...

Oh the sweet buttercream cowl - it's like vitamin D in a neck warmer!

Gift of Green said...

I follow!

Anonymous said...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17496714

I would love that scarf! ^


pink2pie.admin@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

this really cool

www.AForestFrolic.typepad.com said...

CA-UTE neckwarmer...Etsy is my fav! I love having a shop there, it's so much fun and a great sense of community!

Okay, I just 'followed' you!

www.AForestFrolic.typepad.com said...

...and followed you on Twitter! BTW, where did you get that cute 'follow me on Twitter' logo for your blog, I really like it and would love to replace mine!

Jamie :-)

www.AForestFrolic.typepad.com said...

...Okay, just Tweeted about it too...

Jamie :-)

www.AForestFrolic.typepad.com said...

Ooops, I forgot to tell ya my fav from Jess's shop...it's the'little sailor rabbit neckwarmer!' Love that look!

Jamie :-)

KR said...

I love the 70s houseplants - handbound notebook.

annies home said...

i like the national geographic magnets