Countdown to Christmas: KCEtsy Team's Great Giveaway! WEEK EIGHT: Win anything in shop from Dumb Kid Designs!

WEEK EIGHT: Win your choice of any wallet/card holder, passport holder, or pocketbook in her shop from Susanne Brink at Dumb Kid Designs!

According to Susanne, "I have always considered myself creative and crafty, so it is hard to pinpoint when I really first started making stuff. So I found Etsy a little over 2 years ago and took a shot to see if anyone other than my family and friends liked what I made. I'm really glad I did; I love it!"

Susanne says she dreams a lot and thinks that due to this, everyone and everything inspires her. "I try to take it all in. It works out for me because working with paper as a base for my items, my possibilities are endless that way. My products are pretty similar, except in size really. I cannot say I have a favorite item, because I use them all. I personally like the maps the best. I can get lost in them for hours. They remind me of where I have been and where I want to go. Who lives here and who lives there. They are also my favorite item to sell too. My customers tend to tell me stories of why they want a certain place/city, and that's what makes it so much more real. It's fun for me that way."

TO ENTER THIS CONTEST AND WIN YOUR CHOICE OF ANY ITEM IN HER SHOP, simply visit Susanne's Etsy Shop dumbkiddesigns.etsy.com and choose your favorite item in the shop, then post a comment about your favorite item here. BE SURE TO INCLUDE contact information (your e-mail) in your post, so we can notify you if you win. For an EXTRA ENTRY, become a follower of this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know you've done so. For yet a THIRD entry, Tweet on Twitter or blog about this contest on your own blog, including a link to this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know. Include in your comment a link to your post! Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. Monday Oct. 5, a winner will be randomly drawn from eligible entrants and notified by e-mail, and the winner's name will also be posted here. Winner has one week to contact Susanne to claim his/her prize. Contest open to U.S. residents. Keep checking here for our weekly drawings!

This week's winner is Joyful Girl Naturals! Congratulations!

Countdown to Christmas: KCEtsy Team's Great Giveaway! WEEK SEVEN: Win TULIP EARRINGS from Newelry Jewelry!

WEEK SEVEN: Win a beautiful pair of tulip earrings in the winner's choice of pink or blue from Anchalee Srimongkolkul at Newelry Jewelry! See her Etsy shop listing here for the prize description and more photos!

Says Anchalee, "It all started couple of years ago when I tried to fix a broken eyeglass holder myself. One thing lead to another, and I began making jewelry for myself, my friends and my family. I enjoy making it so much, but there are too many pieces to wear myself! So I decided to try selling them on Etsy. Most of my pieces are one of a kind."

Anchalee likes to use real stones, her favorites being tourmaline, turquoise, rose quartz, and rutiliated quartz. "I also like to use natural-colored freshwater pearls. I also found some beautiful high-quality glass beads and handmade lampwork beads from other artisans, and these also inspire me to create my jewelry." Her favorite metals to work with are sterling silver and 14K gold filled. "I explore using other materials such as brass or copper sometimes. All the jewelry in my shop is made as if I were making it for my own. I feel every single piece is special and unique. I hope people who see my jewelry like it too."

TO ENTER THIS CONTEST AND WIN THESE GORGEOUS EARRINGS, simply visit Anchalee's Etsy Shop newelryjewelry.etsy.com and choose your favorite item in the shop, then post a comment about your favorite item here. BE SURE TO INCLUDE contact information (your e-mail) in your post, so we can notify you if you win. For an EXTRA ENTRY, become a follower of this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know you've done so. For yet a THIRD entry, Tweet on Twitter or blog about this contest on your own blog, including a link to this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know. Include in your comment a link to your post! Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. Monday Sept. 28, a winner will be randomly drawn from eligible entrants and notified by e-mail, and the winner's name will also be posted here. Winner has one week to contact Anchalee to claim his/her prize. Contest open to U.S. residents. Keep checking here for our weekly drawings!

And the winner of this drawing is JennTRC! Congratulations!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: KCEtsy Team's Great Giveaway! WEEK 6: WINNER'S CHOICE of ANY BABY SLING from Polkadot Papoose!

WEEK SIX: Win a baby sling of your choice from Tara Harrup at Polkadot Papoose! According to Tara, "Everyone has hobbies, and I’ve had my string — cake making, soapmaking, photography. I may have even tried macrame, though I can’t remember now — but most of these passions cooled. After wearing my infant son in a fabric baby sling four years ago, however, I had that transcendent 'I could really improve this product' moment, and Polkadot Papoose was born."

"My flesh-and-blood inspirations are my boys, Aedan and Silas, who remind me daily of the value of snuggles, but in a more esoteric sense, I draw light from colorful writers and artists such as Frida Kahlo, Maya Angelou, and Isabel Allende, as well as literary characters and even a few well-known creative individuals who camped on the melancholy side of life, such as Sylvia Plath."

"While my favorite sling is the Artemesia, my favorite item currently in my shop are the Diaper Dots. It’s a classically pretty scented sachet that can be stuffed in shoes, purses, diaper bags, or drawers, and it seems to always draw comments. In general, however, I love making anything that brings color and life and contented smiles into the everyday lives of my customers. That, I suspect, is really why all of us crafters are in business."

TO ENTER THIS CONTEST AND WIN YOUR CHOICE OF ANY BABY SLING IN HER SHOP, simply visit Tara's Etsy Shop polkadotpapoose.etsy.com and choose your favorite item in the shop, then post a comment about your favorite item here. BE SURE TO INCLUDE contact information (your e-mail) in your post, so we can notify you if you win. For an EXTRA ENTRY, become a follower of this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know you've done so. For yet a THIRD entry, Tweet on Twitter or blog about this contest on your own blog, including a link to this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. Monday Sept. 21, a winner will be randomly drawn from eligible entrants and notified by e-mail, and the winner's name will also be posted here. Winner has one week to contact Tara to claim his/her prize. Contest open to U.S. residents. Keep checking here for our weekly drawings!

And the winner of this week's drawing is sarsosari! Congratulations!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: KCEtsy Team's Great Giveaway! WEEK 5: WINNER'S CHOICE of ANY ITEM IN SHOP up to $15 from Jewelry by Shirley!

The KC ETSY TEAM is proud and excited to feature COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS - 18 weeks of wonderful blog giveaways from now until December! Don't miss your chance to win some fabulous free goodies from this very talented team!

WEEK FIVE: Win the item of your choice (up to $15) from Shirley Borchardt at Jewelry by Shirley! Shirley started making jewelry about 3 years ago when her mother-in-law bought her a jewelry kit for Christmas. According to Shirley, "The beads themselves inspire me. I look at the materials for a while and an idea just comes to me."

"I don't know that I have a favorite item. I love all of my creations. I often joke with family and friends that I hate to sell my jewelry. I myself am a jewelry lover and collector. I have always found it difficult to find quality jewelry at affordable prices. The jewelry that can be bought cheap is usually mass produced cheaply and breaks easily. My jewelry is quality without the cost."

TO ENTER THIS CONTEST AND WIN YOUR CHOICE OF ANY ITEM IN HER SHOP, simply visit Shirley's Etsy Shop shirleyborchardt.etsy.com and choose your favorite item in the shop, then post a comment about your favorite item here. BE SURE TO INCLUDE contact information (your e-mail) in your post, so we can notify you if you win. For an EXTRA ENTRY, become a follower of this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know you've done so. For yet a THIRD entry, Tweet on Twitter or blog about this contest on your own blog, including a link to this blog, and BE SURE TO POST A SEPARATE COMMENT letting us know. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. Monday Sept. 14, a winner will be randomly drawn from eligible entrants and notified by e-mail, and the winner's name will also be posted here. Winner has one week to contact Shirley to claim his/her prize. Contest open to U.S. residents. Keep checking here for our weekly drawings!

And the winner of this week's drawing is LoveCharlesVintage! Congratulations!