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Giveaway Day ~ December 12!
It’s time for The Original, the big, the amazing… Giveaway Day! Mark your calendar for Monday, December 12th!
Giveaway Day is a HUGE event we coordinate where everyone with a shop or blog can give something away. This year we listened to your feedback and made some changes. We’re using a link-up system rather than having you submit your giveaway information ahead of time. On Monday, December 12 at 6 a.m. PST you can come here to submit your own link and a thumbnail photo for your giveaway. We’ll share instructions for how to do it (it’s easy) and we’ll be available to answer any questions about the process. In the meantime you can think about which category best suits your giveaway:
- Handmade for the Home (quilts, hot pads, pillows, etc.)
- Handmade Bags
- Handmade Baby + Kid Items
- Sewing Supplies (fabric, patterns, buttons, trims)
- Other Craft Supplies
- Handmade Accessories (hats, scarves, belts, adult clothes, etc.)
Our first Giveaway Days were just that, a Giveaway Day. Over the years it’s grown by leaps and bounds; to give you time to browse through the hundreds of giveaways this time Giveaway Day will last all week, from December 12- December 16. All giveaways must close on December 16 at 5 p.m. PST, and winners should be announced by email no later than Sunday, December 18 (you should also updated your Giveaway Day post to include the winner’s name).
Here’s some background about Giveaway Day, plus tips and info on how to participate:
Why do it?
Participants benefit because a) they get new readers (many participants end up with hundreds of comments & visitors); b) they get potential shoppers/readers; c) they can experience the joy of giving something they’ve made to a virtual friend. Readers benefit because a) they get exposed to blogs with great ideas; b) they are directed to shops with wonderful items; c) they get the opportunity to win a cool handmade prize; d) they know exactly when to tune in!
Guidelines
- Your giveaway item must be either handmade (for example, bags, artwork, etc.), or something that can be used for making handmade gifts (for example, buttons, ribbons, patterns, etc.).
- You need to write a post, including a photo of the giveaway item, and ask visitors to comment on that post.
- Your post must link to a blog. No Facebook or Etsy shop links this time.
- Come here Monday, December 12 at 6 a.m. PST (or later!) to submit your link.
- Decide how you want to choose the winner (random, best answer to a question, etc.).
- State in the post whether you’ll ship the item internationally.
- Leave your giveaway open until December 16 at 5 p.m. PST.
- Email your winner by December 18, and note the winner in the giveaway post.
- Ship your item by December 24.
- Spread the word! Make December 12 Giveaway Day everywhere! Grab our button and link back to this post to let your readers know you’ll be participating. Tweet about Giveaway Day, spread the news on Facebook, write on your blog… http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/november2011/GiveawayDay.jpg and here is the link url: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/11/giveaway-day-december-12/
- Please include a link back to SewMamaSew.com/blog so your readers can enter more giveaways.
Tips
- Every Giveaway Day people shout this tip from their virtual rooftops– People do not like it when you require them to become a follower, etc. in order to enter to win your giveaway. Make it easy for people to enter to win your giveaway. Feedback from participants tells us “hoops” like requiring people to Tweet about the giveaway, become a follower, etc., tend to frustrate readers and might make them less likely to visit you again.
- Include a picture of your giveaway. You’ll need one clear photo when you link to our giveaway posts. Take a good photo in natural light, without lots in the background to distract from your item(s). People will decide whether to visit based on the photo, so you want it to be good.
- One bit of feedback we also hear over and over is that people appreciate answering more specific questions when they comment on your post. Rather than just a random comment, consider asking readers to tell you their favorite food, what the view looks like from out their window, a favorite holiday tradition… Something to help people connect in some small way.
- Have fun!
Sign-Up
Want to participate? Prepare your giveaway item(s), take a photo, write your post and then link up on Monday, December 12 (starting at 6 a.m. PST). We’ll have separate pages for each of the different categories. Explore other sites and try your luck at winning a great giveaway!
82 Responses to “Giveaway Day ~ December 12!”
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GREAT idea to link up this time!
Love the changes! Thanks for extending it to a week long event. No more stressing out that I can’t possibly click on that many links and explore that many blogs in such a short time.
I like the changes. Can’t wait…now to go choose what to give away!
Great! Can’t wait. And thanks for chucking out the Facebook shenanigans – they were SUCH a pain.
Sounds like really good motivation to really start my blog!
I love giveaway day! Excited to participate again this year
I’m preparing my items now! Thank you for making those changes (whew!) and for sponsoring this. It’s such a great event (as are all the events that you sponsor)!
The link up is a great idea! Can’t wait!
This sounds really great. I think I’ll try participating for the first time.
Wow this sounds fun! I’m definitely going through my patterns for something to give away! Everyone has been so generous providing ideas for the passion series I want to give something too! It’s the Christmas spirit
Thanks for all you do! <3
I’m so excited! Can’t wait to get started. I didn’t win a thing last year but I had fun entering and got so many great ideas for things I made this year! Thanks for coordinating this!
Very excited for another giveaway day! Now to decide what to give away…
Great improvements! Looking forward to it again this year.
Love the changes! I’m mulling over whether to participate this time or not, but I’m wondering where handmade paper goods (books, gift tags, or something like that) would fall. What category, do you think?
Oh I’m sewwww excited for this! I might join in and do a giveaway! Last year I had fun entering alot of them and won some and found awesome new blogs (and friends) to follow! I didn’t really mind to “follow” the blog to enter. Its how I met alot of nice folks to keep up with their blogs. I’m glad its a week long now. I was up trying to read them all last time! lol I don’t know what I did before craft blogging! = )
excellent! i am very excited to participate again!
Yay, this is awesome!! I’ve always participated as a commenter, this year I think it’s about time I donated a skein of yarn!!
I’ve marked my calendar! Thanks for all the hard work that goes into it.
i’m a big fan – and i completely agree – having to tweet, follow, etc, drives me nuts. and i do enjoy the specific questions!
I’m so in – will set an alarm because I forgot all about it last year until all these lovely giveaway day posts started popping up in my reader!!
I’m so sad! I have to work till 11pm. I’m gonna miss out.
Great, I know just what I want to get together, thanks for sharing this opportunity!
Hooray! I love giveaway day! My poor neglected blog loves it, too.
Sounds fantastic! I better get sewing so I can giveaway something as well! This will be my first time participating.
I look forward to this every year. It sounds like you’ve made some great changes to the process – I can’t wait!
This will be my first year participating and I can’t wait. Sounds like alot of fun!!
Love the changes…I wasted a lot of time last giveaway visiting blogs for giveaways I had no intention of participating in..will surely link up
I’m really excited! Cool prizes!
I like the changes that are coming our way!
Great idea! And I appreciate the new rules and your advice. I too don’t like reading “legal documents” just to try to figure out what I need to do to participate in a giveaway. I’m looking forward to visiting and participating!
Thank you (as a blog reader) for the changes you’re making. I adore your blog, learn so much and look forward to all the different things you do.Making it a week long even gives time for readers to explore so many new places.
This sounds great — many wonderful improvements and tips (most importantly more time to do it!!!) Looking forward to participating again this year!
Last year was rather difficult for me to navigate to blogs (I’m on dialup) so perhaps will be easier this time.
This sounds like so much fun! I’m in!
What a wonderful idea! Gonna have to make some decisions now on what to give away…
Really looking forward to participating again! Question: do the fabrics have to be from my stash or can my sponsor provide the fabrics?
I have been saving a bunch of things for a giveaway, so I will do this for sure. I will prepare my post and be ready to go.
Can’t wait! I love participating in Giveaway DAy!
Yay, a give away day. I participated in May and am very excited about this one. Thanks for the changes and all your hard work. Look forward to it!
How exciting, this is new to me and I’m really looking forward to participating!
love the changes you’ve made. I’m excited to be a part this year (my first!)
love the changes
I am sewing away as we speak
Esther.
I’ll definately be participating in this!
OH! I am so glad that I didn’t miss this… been a crazy week! Just going to figure out what I am gonna do.
[...] hope you were inspired to make, buy and give handmade this year. The fun continues in December with Giveaway Day, Modern Block of the Month posts and so much [...]
Cant wait, i took part in the last giveawa nad found it was everything you described. I learned so much and communicated with some wonderful folk all over the world and even sampled first-hand some loveliness as well which I treasure.
I am so excited about these changes! Hopefully I will be able to put together a giveaway in time to participate this year.
It will be my first giveaway day. Can’t wait! ;D
I am in – I will be giving away other craft supplies (original crochet patterns). I’m tired so I probably just missed this – do I need to write up the post now, & wait to link up, or wait until the 12th to write up the giveaway post? The latter makes more sense to me, but I just want to sure. Thanks!
[...] companies and businesses this weekend. Thank you for playing along, and don’t forget about Giveaway Day on December 12th– It’s coming up soon, and it will give you all new opportunities to [...]
Giveaway day was such a blast for me last time! I got so many great comments and I even managed to pop around a bit and won some prizes myself. Can’t wait for this one!
Awesome stuff!
Looking forward to participating!
This is great! I have just finished sewing my giveaway.
This will be my first and I know it will not be the last.
Im in too…………what fun!
I participated in the last one and got lots of new readers for my blog. It was fun. Can’t wait until this one. Thanks for sponsoring it.
This is my first year to participate and I am soo excited to do so! Thanks for such a fun give a way day. Have a wonderful week! Sincerely, Trish
I’m so excited to find new blogs! I have to go organize my “pins”to get ready!:)
I am looking forward to it!! Thank you!
Love all the changes!! I can’t wait to host a giveaway again and participate!!
it sounds great !!
Awesome, can’t wait. Thanks for making it give away week this time, staying up half the night last year was not a good idea and I have an active 16 month old now so she doesn’t let me catch up on sleep during the day so much now.
Thanks again, I am really looking forward to finding some great new creative people to meet in Blog land.
is it too late to participate?
This sounds amazing! Off to take some GOOD photos and write up my giveaway post, can’t wait to see all of the amazing giveaway goodies. Thanks so much for this, Deb
I’ll be participating again…will be my 2nd time! My post will be up tomorrow afternoon and will link up then! Thanks for organizing this and can’t wait to enter everyone else’s giveaways!
my post is already to go, but I won’t be able to link up til about 4pm-ish PAC time I will be at work at 6AM….I am assuming that is still fine though, yes??
Looking forward!
I am excited
All set up!!!YAY!My first time!!!
[...] a full list of guidelines and tips see this post. Have [...]
[...] a full list of guidelines and tips see this post. Have [...]
[...] a full list of guidelines and tips see this post. Have [...]
I am ready to link up and very happy to participate!!!
Not sure how I can enter can someone please help?
Thanks
Sorry but I don’t know how to grab a button and put it on my blog and link to it. If you have time could you add that to the instructions? Thank you.
I’m so excited!
Love this amazing idea!!!
wow this is nice. pick me up.
I would love to enter.
Hugs
I don’t have a blog, and the links to Publish don’t make any sense to me. Very frustrating. I am not comfortable leaving my email address in the comment.
I added my link for the Giveaway! Thanks for hosting such a wonderful giveaway day or days!