Nicole Theis-DeMoss and Lindsay Landis, owners of The Happily Handmade Giveaway, have announced the launch of their newest promotion, The Fall 2006 Happily Handmade Giveaway. The event is sponsored by indie artists, designers and Indie Shop Sponsors who contribute their handmade creations to the contest. These items are then combined to create fabulous boxes filled with handmade gifts, with every gift box valued between $100-$150, which are given away to randomly drawn contestants.

The Fall 2006 Happily Handmade giveaway will officially begin on September 30, 2006. Entries will be accepted through October 31, and the winners of the 50 extraordinary gift baskets will be announced on November 1st. Contestants can enter the giveaway by visiting the participating Indie Shop Sponsors websites and submitting their contact information. 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.

"The Happily Handmade Giveaway was created in appreciation of indie shoppers. Run twice a year, the event has become a cornerstone of the independent design community, giving away nearly $10,000 in prizes," reports Nicole Theis-DeMoss, one of two partners responsible for organizing The Happily Handmade Giveaway. "This event has marvelous results for everyone involved -- the entrants get a chance to win amazing prizes while the sponsors benefit from increased traffic, publicity, brand awareness and additional sales!"

Nickie Langley, a winner from Memphis wrote in, "I was so thrilled and quite surprised when I found out that I had won! I don't think my husband quite believed me when I told him I had won all of the items that were covering our dining table. I received a wonderful teapot that I use several times a day and one of the cutest belts ever! I also received some awesome bath products and candles -- you can never have too many. It took me quite a while to take all of my goodies out of the box -- I kept finding cool jewelry, magnets, stationary -- it was more than I expected! Everything was so beautiful."

When asked why they run this giveaway, the owners will give you a smile and point out the track record for both shoppers and designers. "It's summed up best in an email we got from one of our winners during the Fall 2006 Giveaway," reports Lindsay Landis. "The winner thanked us for hosting the contest, then went on to tell us that she had not been familiar with any of the companies that took part in the contest until she entered. She also told us that she had already purchased additional items from the businesses involved and had created a wish list of other items to buy. Knowing that we are helping these small businesses reach their target market is an amazing feeling. It only gets better when you see how happy everyone is to learn about them!"

The idea behind the Happily Handmade Giveaway began in the Spring of 2004 from a brainstorming session among a handful of indie artists and has grown to surpass their wildest expectations. The Fall 2004 event awarded gift baskets to nine winners, a measly number when compared to the Spring 2006 event, which generated 50 winners. Yet it isn't only the winners who benefit.

Jen Wallace, the artist behind jewelry company Tilting Swiftly, shares "The Happily Handmade Giveaway is a great opportunity for advertising my business and generating newsletter registrations. Even though I donate the items I send, I get a lot of bang for my buck with this one. I've done the HHG three times now and I am hooked -- I'll be signing up as long as Lindsay and Nicole feel hosting them."