1, 2, 3... Just like that you're in my drawing!

And here you thought it was just an ordinary Wednesday. Heh. I scoff at ordinary Wednesdays! This is the Wednesday I give something away. Yup! Come midnight, one lucky winner will get to choose between the 3 items pictured above, and ta da... it's yours! Three seriously different kinds of jewelry: my one-of-a-kind clay pendants on cord, a pair of poppy jasper beads hanging from a subtle curve of sterling for your ears, and a wayfunkycool Festival Bracelet! Read on to learn how one of these can be yours. But first, why...

We've been asked a lot of questions lately about what it is small businesses can do during this, er, tricky time of economic upheaval. Well, some small business owners have come up with a very simple idea. Just Ask People To Consider Supporting More Small Businesses. Simple, right? With a huge shopping season approaching, we might be scaling back, but chances are lots of us are still gonna' be giving more  gifts during the coming months than we did in July or August. So? Well, so what if you bought more of those gifts from actual people? With faces. And stories. And love for what they do!

Some of us love what we do so much that we've hooked up with each other and on November 8 we're having what our hostess refers to as our Big Fabulous Day of Shopping and Social Delights. What she's talking about is a day you do not want to miss. I mean, if you're in Arkansas maybe you will have to miss it. Or Peru. But otherwise, maybe Greensboro's already on your list of Places I'll Probably Be Visiting Sometime Soon Anyway. So stop in and hang with us for a while!

To help get the word out about our hoo ha - and about our small businesses we'd love you to support - some of us are having drawings. Today!

Here's how you enter my drawing:

1. Tell at least one person about this post. (Forty if you're feeling generous.) Just email them the link to this page.
2. Take a peek at the  photos above, and choose which item you like best. (For yourself or your favorite lady.)
3. Leave a comment below, telling me the first name of one person you told about my drawing, and which item you like best. (And anything nice you'd like to say is welcome, too. It is, after all, Wednesday...a good day to say nice things to each other, no?)

Simple as that!

Then once you're in the drawing, take a spin over to my Etsy shop to see which other pieces of my jewelry are currently available online for sale!

Also, if you're interested in more free stuff, take a peek over at Kendra's site, My First Kitchen, where a fabulous piece of Cindy Cage's stained glass from Imagery Limited is the prize.

Meanwhile, the fabulousness who is The Nester is compiling a list of other small businesses you can support. I suspect some of the folks on this list are also hosting giveaways today. Check 'em out!

Check back here after midnight and find out who won! And remember to mark your calendar for November 8, 2008, 10-4! There are lots of things going on in Greensboro that Saturday. Add our stop to your festive rounds. We're betting you'll be super-glad you did!

Update on Thursday, 23 October, 2008 at 12:00 AM by Melody

And the winner is..

Hold up. Let me see. Two of my clocks say it's midnight and one says we have 2 minutes to go. Hm. What to do? Hold on. I'll be fair and call it in the middle. Should have checked my time pieces first, eh? But I'll take one last peek and make sure there's no new name on the list, then I'll shut it down...

Okay! It's officially done! And I'm putting my hand in the bowl where all your lovely names are written on little tidy slips of paper. And... We have a winner!!!

Susan, it's all you, baby! Congrats! Better go see which piece you liked, eh? Hold on and I'll check so I can put that info here too! She loves the bracelet! And she called me creative. But that's not why she won. I'm just saying.

Okay, go read the next blog post in which I annnounce that I had so much fun today that we're gonna' do this again soon. But who's to say when? Just sometime between now and November 8. 'Cause that's a very big day. Seriously. You should come.

Comments

[emily w.]

hey melody! this is great. i had already told a couple people about the event on Nov. 8, but i e-mailed 15 or so more people...i.e. lara, joann, julie, etc. :)
i like them all! but i guess i like the bracelet the best !

[My First Kitchen]

Thanks for the plug. :) I told my blog friend Molly about your drawing. But I want to win. I'm just saying. And I like the pendant. Well, I like them all, but my fave is the pendant.

[Breeze]

Hi Melody...I am the God mother of Emily Williams. A very special young lady. She sent me your email. Your website and jewelry is great. Please register me for your Wednesday drawing. I love any of your earrings or your bracelets.

Have a good wackyfun Wednesday

Breese

[Lizzy]

Hey girl! Ok, Ashely, Alli and Jess all have their emails. Thanks for the great opportunity!

I'm all for the earrings . . . :)

[Betsy S]

hi Melody! I love the bracelet! am sending to some friends here in Colorado and family in Atlanta. looks like I'll miss Nov 8's party, sorry. :) what a great idea tho! I'm going to something similar here that's a charity event - A Girls' Night Out. Ticket proceeds fund a non-profit parenting organization, and small businesses are invited to sell there wares as moms do their holiday shopping. See http://boulderparenting.org/events.html.

[Kimberly]

Love the jewelry but especially the festival bracelet! It is so colorful and HAPPY! Emailed 10 or so friends (Kim, Judy, Marianne, Joyce, Linda, etc..)Great idea and I look forward to seeing more of your stuff at Kendra's!

[Missy K]

Hey Melody-- I told my friend Elizabeth about this event and drawing. You already know I'm sadly not going to be at TCW, but I love to support independent artists and crafters on etsy.

I really like your festival bracelets.

Have a good day!
Missy

[Marie]

I love the bracelet!
I'm sending it to everyone in my address book (Michelle, Heather, Patsy, Pam to name a few) My daughter lives in Atlanta & I know she will send it to her friends too.
Have a good day!
Marie

[Angela H]

Melody, I am so excited about your drawing. If I win I'd love to have the bracelet. If I don't win I'll have to buy the bracelet (because I LOVE it). I told April, Laura, Holly, Marsha, Lisa, Julie, Pam, another Lisa, Marie, Melissa, another April, Marianna, Pixie, Lynn, Kim, Tracey and Tracy, Kathy and the other Kathy about your event. Expect to hear from all of them. Your page looks great. I'm so glad to see you continuing with something you love. You are an amazing, talented, generous, fabulous beyond measure woman. Thanks for brightening my day, Ang...

[Lynda]

What a nice surprise today. Thanks to you and Johnnie who told me about it. Lynda

[Betty]

Melody,

This is great! I emailed the gang. We missed you at the Farmer's Market Sale. I love the bracelet! Hope things are going well!

Betty

[Hanan]

Hey Melody, I'm e-mailing your site to my friends everywhere, from NC to Michigan by way of Maryland. The ones here are (Myrt, Becky, Gail and some of my church members) God bless.

[Susan]

Hi Melody,
What a great idea. I am sending this to Raylene. She and Jim and I are doing a sale on the same day in High Point. It is a great time for all artists to get the word out. I love the bracelet. You are so creative.
~S

****** Susan Won a Bracelet!!! ******
And you're forgiven for not planning to come to our event on November 8. A woman can hardly be expected to sell her own stuff and be in the next town on the same date, now can she? But all you other people? You should totally come.

Congratulations Susan!

[Lorrie]

Hi Melody,
I emailed a couple of friends (Aimee, Lynn, Cherie...) I will be there on the 8th, what a great idea, and your website is so beautiful, That may be my Christmas present to myself, having you do my website. I love the bracelet.
Lorrie

[Jessie]

Hey....I've emailed a good chunk of my address book (Laura, Nicole, Amy, Jennifer, Leslie, Mark, Kelly, Brian, Suzette) and I hope to be at your show....I love the bracelet! All the best to you!!

[Nancy]

I sent a link to Diane and I like the bracelet!

[Cindi]

hey melody,
I emailed your email to about 15 ladies, most of whom are here in Hotlanta! Kelly, Robin, Heather, DeAnne, Anne Marie, etc! Then there's Vickie, Tracy, Mom, Mandy, etc.... You know what I like! Anything!!!!!
Great idea and good luck...still not sure about that weekend, seems like it would be a blast!!!! Just gotta plan and figure out the kid coverage thang!
Cindi

[Cheryl]

I sent the link to Carol, J.J. and Vickie. I like anything you make but I'm partial to the earrings. Every time I wear one of your necklaces, someone stops me to ask where I bought it. By the way, I'm out of your business cards! :)

[Allison]

Hey there! Thanks to Cindi I now have another blog to add to my reading enjoyment. I will kill two birds with one stone though- entertainment and shopping! I plan on sending your link to family/friends-I have already scoped out the Rosalind necklace on etsy-truly unique.(my sister lives for etsy-she found one of my favorite necklaces ever there) In case, it is not slightly obvious I am a big necklace fan!!! Good luck-you have beautiful jewelry.

[Mom]

I like the necklace--gonna e-mail some friends.
Mom

[Heather]

Hey Melody!
I like the bracelet and I have emailed Cheri, Steph, and Michelle to name a few.

Heather friend of Cindi Endredi

[Melody]

Hey everyone! I swear I haven't been ignoring you. Just really needed to stay focused on a web project I'd gotten behind on. Thanks for all your comments. Later when I haven't been sitting in a chair for hours upon hours straight, I'll respond more specifically to some of your notes. But I had to say hi now and thank you for all your fun notes and kind words and for "playing my little game!"

Less than 2 hours now! :)

[Mom]

OK so I didn't read the whole instructions. Some names: Betty B., Judy G. and many, many more.
Mom

[Jen from Wolf Creek]

Hi!
The necklace is my fav
sending emails to the Mom and sisters and perhps a few EAC peeps,
Miss chatting.... will write soon
Jen in Wolf Creek

[linda]

Hi Melody!
I sent the link to a bunch of friends! I like them all, but I want to win the braclet!
I feel lucky!
Linda :-)