And the winner is....

All the entrees to The Circle Of Love Giveaway have been counted up (14 people took part all together with 55 entrees into the draw between them). A random number generator was used to pick the winner... and that person is...

Helen Small

of Small Things Bright And Beautiful

I am off to pack up my heart garland now ready to send to Helen - i hope she likes it and all the other lovely gifts that are about to be winging their way to her...!

Long Linen Heart Garland by Free Spirit Designs

CONGRATULATIONS HELEN!!!

Feeling Lucky!

Wet Wet Wet...

Its been a funny old week. Its been wet, windy and grey, the kitchen ceiling is leaking and my recently pleasant dog walks have turned into a hunched trudge through the windswept and sodden landscapes of Wiltshire... and yet i feel lucky, reaaaaaaaally lucky :)

...more on why soon!

I have been making some lovely Summery things but they will have to remain under wraps for now as the weather has been far too gloomy to photograph them properly. It seems that the whole of Britain is having a pretty wet time of it right now (whilst simultaneously having drought warnings and hosepipe bans - only in this country!!). At least it gives us all something to talk about eh!

So, my make for this week's Handmade Monday is this mug which i've decorated with porcelain enamel paints... here's some more views of it!

I'm loving the generous proportions of these mugs which i took a delivery of this week - expect to see more of them in my shop soon, i've got some fun ideas of how to decorate the rest!

Lady Luck!

So why am i feeling so lucky..?

Some of you may remember me mentioning that i was planning a giveaway with a group of craft bloggers involved and lots of lovely handcrafted prizes - The Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway - well, its started! The prizes are fabulous and i'm really grateful to the fantastic bloggers who have decided to get involved :)

If you'd like to enter you can click here. If you'd like to be a participating blog, drop me an email - there's still time!

(p.s. Some of the contributors to the Circle of Love Giveaway are from the US and so operating in a different time zone - if you find that their giveaway posts aren't published yet i would suggest leaving your comment on the current post! :) )

The whole idea of the giveaway is to generate positive connectivity between crafters and people interested in crafting - hence 'The Circle Of Love' - this is something i really believe in, that if you put love out into the world then you attract some good vibes back..

..and guess what...?!!

A couple of hours after starting the Circle of Love Giveaway i got an email from Penny (of the fantastic Planet Penny blog) saying that i'd won her giveaway!!!

Her adorable and beautifully crafted sheep, Goldie, is coming to live with me!! :)

I can't tell you how chuffed i am, or how much i already adore Goldie (those of you who read my coaster post last Monday will have clocked that i'm a bit of a sheep fan! :) )

I put a lot of time and love into making the heart garland that i'm giving away in the Circle of Love, and little Goldie is also going to forever act as a reminder to me that when i give, the universe gives back. Its a great feeling :)

On that note i'm going to hand you over to the rest of the Handmade Monday crew - expect much talk of the weather :) and some fabulous crafting tales and talent!

The Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveway

UPDATE: THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!  FIND OUT WHO THE WINNER IS HERE:)

The giveaway has started!! Enter now to be in with a chance of winning a wonderful collection of handcrafted prizes contributed by a group of talented craft bloggers - you've got from now until 12 noon GMT on Sunday the 13th of May to enter the draw and be in with a chance of winning it all!!

[Want to be a participating blogger? there's still time! Email me by Sunday the 6th of May  free.spiritdesigns@rocketmail.com]

The great news is that there are lots of ways to increase the number of times you are entered into the draw (please note that the giveaway is only open to residents of the UK and EU Europe):

1 x entree for each blog you follow from the list of participating blogs

1 x entree for fulfilling each of the additional entrance opportunities offered by the participating blogs (e.g. 'liking' their facebook page or following them on twitter)

2 x entrees for blogging about the competition

IMPORTANT! MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE CIRCLE OF LOVE GIVEAWAY POST OF EACH BLOG YOU'VE ENTERED THROUGH SAYING WHAT YOU HAVE DONE e.g "i've followed your blog and liked your facebook page" - IF YOU DON'T DO THIS YOU WON'T BE ENTERED INTO THE PRIZE DRAW!! PLEASE ALSO LEAVE A KIND AND POSITIVE MESSAGE IN THE COMMENT BOX - THIS IS THE CIRCLE OF L♥VE AFTER ALL!! :) 

Want to see the prizes...?

Long Linen Heart Garland by Free Spirit Designs

As you may have noticed this is my contribution! It is has a retail price of £18 and is just under 150cms with nine hearts in total - you can see more pictures and details about it here. For more information on the other prizes visit the blogs that donated them!

Handmade pinups for Shawls or Scarves by Lilees Gram Knits

HartFelt Mini Owl by iHartFelt

Knitted Wire Brooch by Fiddly Fingers

Loveheart Tattoo Needle Felted Brooch by Mythological

One lucky person is going to be the winner of ALL of these lovely goodies!!! To increase your chances make sure to visit all the participating blogs (click on The Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway badge in their sidebars to find the giveaway post).

Participating Blogs

Free Spirit Designs (yup, that's me! see below for how to enter on my blog :))

Lilees Gram Knits (Knitting fans must see her wonderful hand dyed yarn!)

HeartFelt by Heather (Amazing owl cuteness plus lots more adorable plushies!)

Fiddly Fingers (Cochet expert extraordinaire!)
Mythological (Multi-talented crafter and maker of exquisite model dolls)

How To Enter The Prize Draw On This Blog

1x entree for following my blog

1x entree for 'liking' my facebook page

1x entree for 'sharing' the link to the giveaway that i've posted on my facebook page

1x entree for following me on twitter

1x entree for re-tweeting one of my tweets on twitter about the giveaway (maximum of 5 times)

and remember, you can get 2x entrees by blogging about the competition!

Terms and Conditions

The Competition is only open to residents of the UK and EU Europe.

Items won in the prize draw are non-returnable and are distributed according to UK law.

To be entered into the prize draw entrants must leave a comment on the giveaway posts of the blogs that they've entered through saying what they have done.

If the chosen winner is found to have contravened any of these terms and conditions the participating bloggers reserve the right to select a new winner.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. We hereby release Facebook and Twitter of any liability.

Winners will be contacted by email within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway.

If you have any questions email free.spiritdesigns@rocketmail.com

I am soooooooo looking forward to telling the lucky winner the good news on the 13th! And i hope that everyone who participates feels like a winner too :) you're sure to discover some wonderful crafting talent and fun blogs to follow!!

UPDATE: THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!! FIND OUT WHO THE WINNER IS HERE:)

Join The Circle Of Love Handcrafted Giveaway!

[Update: The Giveaway Has Begun!! Find Out More Here!]

Like all blog readers, i love a giveaway :) i've never won one yet but that doesn't stop me entering, especially when there is a really special prize!

Giveaways are great for bloggers too - they generate increased audience interactivity and often attract quite a few new readers.


What i have in mind is a giveaway with a difference, a giveaway that will provide the opportunity for a great deal of beneficial connectivity in the craft world, as well as a really super duper prize for the lucky winner!

Here's the idea:

♥ A group of craft bloggers will each donate one of their handcrafted items to the giveaway, creating a fantastic jackpot prize of all the donated items.


♥ People can gain a chance in the prize draw every time they follow one of the participating blogs or fulfil another of the entrance opportunities suggested by individual bloggers (such as liking their facebook page etc). They can also gain 2 chances by blogging about the competition.

Some Finer details

♥ Entrants must leave a comment on 'The Circle of Love Giveaway' blog post of any blog they have entered the competition through saying what they have done to enter e.g. "i have followed your blog and liked your facebook page" (this is very important to ensure you are entered into the prize draw). Entrants are also encouraged to say something positive about the blog or the craftwork of the blogger - this is The Circle of Love after all!

♥ At the end of the competition i will ask all the participating bloggers to send me a list of the people who have entered through their blog (including how many chances of winning they've gained there).

♥ I will use a random number selector to choose the winner, and notify them immediately of the good news! I will also notify the participating bloggers of the winner's details so that they can send them all their lovely prizes :)


♥ The competition will run from mid-day GMT on Sunday the 30th April to mid-day GMT on Sunday the 13th May.

The Circle Of Love

I have called this giveaway 'The Circle Of Love' because i hope it will result in lots of likeminded people connecting to and supporting each other through blogs and other social media networks. One lucky person is going to receive a truly wonderful prize! but it is my hope that everyone involved in The Circle Of Love will come out feeling like a winner! :)

My Donation To The Prize Draw Jackpot

Here is my donated item to give you a taste of things to come... a handcrafted linen heart garland with the retail price of £18. It is just under 150cms long and there are 9 hearts in total. I rather like the way it symbolises the way that blogs will be linked by the Circle of Love Giveaway! :)

If you would like to see further photographs and details about my garland it listed there for sale here: Free Spirit Designs or here on Etsy, Folksy.

Want to be one of the participating blogs? Here's what you need to know:

♥ If you are a crafter with a blog, you are invited to donate one of your own handmade items to be part of the prize for the giveaway. As a guideline, i am looking for items with a retail price of around £10 to £20, but items outside of this bracket are also welcome - the main thing is that they have been handcrafted with love! Please send me and email with a photo of the item you want to contribute to free.spiritdesigns@rocketmail.com by mid-day on Friday 27th April.

♥ I will email out a copy of all of the photos of the contributed items to the participating bloggers before the competition starts, and a list of links to their blogs.  When the competition begins, each participating blogger can write a blog post about it, with details of their own contribution as well as the other photos and blog links to the other participants. (If the item you are contributing is also available for sale make sure to include a link to where people can purchase on in your blog post!)

♥ Following the blog of any of the participating bloggers will count as one chance in the prize draw, but each blogger may add further opportunities to enter the draw on their blog such as 'liking' their facebook page (if you want people to like from their personal page make sure to ask for that), following them on twitter, or following another blog that they write.

♥ Before submitting the names of the people who have entered the competition by commenting on your giveaway post, please check that they have done the things that they say they have (twitter following etc) to keep things fair!

♥ The more you spread the word about the competition once its underway, the more successful it will be for all involved - so get the word out as much as you can from 30th April onward! 

♥ Participating bloggers can't enter the competition themselves, but they are encouraged to leave positive comments on each other's blogs anyway to help spread the love :)

♥ Non uk bloggers who wish to take part are more than welcome although they should keep in mind that they may be sending the item they've donated over seas. On this note, all participating bloggers might want to think carefully about the weight of the item they are contributing! (I have decided to restrict postage to the UK and EU Europe - the winner will need to provide an address within these areas to send the prizes to)


♥ The participating blogs will each write a blog post about, and individually promote the competition. This will create a circle of influence far wider than a giveaway run by a single blog and enable everyone involved to benefit from the increased interactivity. If you are a craft blogger that wants to publicise their handcrafted products, gain more blog readers and social media followers, and connect to more like minded and supportive crafters then this could be a really fantastic opportunity!

Have I Forgotten Anything?!

The competition is not in full swing yet so there is still time for fine-tuning - if you've got any ideas on how things could be improved please do comment here or get in touch - there are bound to be some obvious things that i haven't thought of!!!


p.s. If you would like to be notified when the competition begins, drop me an email, or follow this blog and keep a look out for The Circle Of Love Giveaway post!




[Update: The Giveaway Has Begun!! Find Out More Here!]