Many people who are happy with their 9-5 jobs don’t really understand why I do what I do. Some others, who are unhappy with their 9-5 jobs, find it hard to have the courage to do what I do. Sometimes, even I – the big advocate of being self-employed – doubt the possibility of what I do.

I am by no means oblivious to the fact that I am very, very lucky to own a handmade business and get to work from home. I know I have it good but gosh, sometimes it is just so hard. The stress of handling every tiny detail by yourself and the pressure of “making it big” – sometimes I find myself further and further away from simply creating.

There are also times like now, like this past July, that make me believe the hard work is starting to pay off. One of the biggest challenges I face in running a handmade business is getting your name out. Sure, you can advertise consistently but it hardly comes close to a well-established community like Etsy putting your name out there for you.

My handmade shop has been on Etsy for almost two years now and while we focused mainly on fabric covered buttons in the first year and a half, we never had the chance to be featured on the Front Page or newsletters. It has always been an unspoken wish of mine to have my handmade items featured on the Front Page or newsletters – the simple idea of your product showcased to such a big community, it’s exposure that money cannot buy.

Well, this July, my little handmade shop has had the honor of being on the Front Page – twice – and featured in the Etsy Finds newsletter – twice! I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am for these wonderful opportunities and the lovely people who have been introduced to us because of them. Thank you all, the crafty community in the WWW, who have inspired me along my own handmade journey (and for having read my babbling entry)!

This giveaway is my little way of showing the gratitude that would otherwise be untold. There are 5 prizes to be won, one of each handmade item that has been featured on the Front Page/newsletters and one fabric giveaway to those who would rather sew their own.

Geometry 105 Zipper Pouch  by Heyday Handmade
Geometry 103 Zipper Pouch by Heyday Handmade

Yellow is My Favorite Color Large Fabric Buttons Set by Heyday Handmade 

Sweet Lace on Natural Linen by Heyday Handmade 

Polka Dots on Bright Colors FQ Bundle by The Heyday Shop

The giveaway is opened to everyone, anyone in the world. Simply leave me a comment (just say hello!) with your full name for a chance to win. The only thing I would ask in return is for you to spread the word, so I’m giving extra entries if you:

• tweet about this giveaway
• blog about this giveaway (or simply plug it in one of your posts)
• post about this giveaway on your Facebook page

Remember to leave me separate comments for each of the above that you do!

I’ll leave this open over the weekend so that you lovely people have more time to join. I’ll be hand-drawing the winners, as I always do – it’s my favorite part of hosting a giveaway!

(P.S. A couple of you have mentioned that you’d rather not leave your full name, which is completely fine. It just makes it easier for me to write different last names for the drawing, in case we have duplicates of same first names. Leaving your shop name or online moniker would be great, too!)