Some folks in the craft community may have heard about this, some may have not.

Recently, Alison Gordon, the gal behind WonderlandQ, a co-organizer of Bazaar Bizarre and a big help to The Sampler had a medical emergency. She had to go to the hospital and undergo surgery and everything.

Alison is out of the hospital now, but as is the case with many self-employed folks, has no health insurance.

So as a wonderful gesture, many of her friends in the crafty community have created an Etsy shop called Wonderland Retreat. All proceeds from the shop will go to help ease the financial burden for Alison.

There are some excellent goodies in the shop to peruse, like these:

What a Hoot owl print from Egg-A-Go-Go

Chicky iPod Cover byJulie Kohl

Donut keychain from Sweet Honey Complex

You can help by making a purchase! If you are interested in making a donation to the shop, please contact Renee Garner at wonderlandretreat@gmail.com. To make a monetary donation, please send it via PayPal to info@auroraseven.com.

Help out if you can!

The folks over at Rare Bird Finds have come up with a sweet list of 100 cool goodies that can be had for under $10. Click on the banner for more details:

It’s a deal you really can’t top. I mean, cool AND cheap? It’s heaven.

There are some excellent finds like these:

(Top left: Biz card case from FlickaBags. Top right: Crayon Keeper from Dine & Doodles. Bottom left: Change purses from Little Red Birdie. Bottom right: Nilla Sammie Soapsicle from soapylove.)

Do check out the list … there’s not enough room here for all the awesome stuff!

You like getting goodies, don’t you? How about some fantastic goodies from some fantastic indie crafters, kind of like these?

If you’re not familiar with The Sampler, well, this is where all this goodness comes from!

The Sampler is run by Marie Kare, and is basically a subscription to get indie goods. You purchase a subscription and in return, you usually get about 12-15 samples contributed by crafters around the globe. Each month’s Sampler varies, though there are lots of regular contributors out there who make some pretty awesome stuff.

Among my favorite things in my February Sampler (and I’m sorry I don’t have closeups of everything!):

This recipe card set from boygirlparty.

I also loved this coaster/mini blackboard from The Crafty Scientist! (It’s in the frosted envelope at the very top of the first picture.) It had this nice floral pattern and was a pretty good-sized square. But when I first looked at it, I saw it came with a piece of chalk. And I was stumped. Until I realized the backside of the coaster was black and you could write on it with the chalk! Ingenious! Use the coaster side for your drink and then turn it over and write a message to your kids/other half/spouse/dog to get you a new drink!

I was also a fan of the tissue holder from AmyD (in the bottom right corner of the photo) — I am quite a sneezer so it will come in handy! — and the little yellow pouch from aligator (near the top, next to the blue notebook).

Really, though, everything in the Sampler is pretty fab. Please check out the website for more great photos and information.

Warning: It’s awfully hard to snag a subscription to the Sampler. Seriously. But if you make stuff and want to contribute, that’s always welcome — you can get a Sampler in return for your hard work. See the site for more details.

And even if you don’t want to contribute, you should look at the site anyway — the galleries are full of great products from a lot of really great shops. Go window-shop. It’s fun.

You like to win free stuff, don’t you?

How about really awesome free stuff made by some wonderful indie businesses?

Then joining the Happily Handmade Giveaway is probably right up your alley.

If you enter the giveaway (which you can do at 80 fine indie shops), you will get the chance to win some wicked gift baskets culled from the donations of the 80 sponsors. Rosebud Designs is a sponsor, and an entry point.

Click on the logo below to enter the giveaway … and (shameless plug!) you can sign up for the Rosebud Designs newsletter, too.

There are lots of fabulous indie stores out there and many directories and websites dedicated to helping you find them.

But what about indie shops that also offer you fabulous discounts?

That’s the purpose of the Totally Indie Coupons, a set of coupons jam-packed with all sorts of discounts at great stores. There are different rounds of coupons, and only a set number of stores are able to participate in each round.

The only way to get these coupons is to shop at participating stores, which usually include them with orders.

Rosebud Designs is a participating store for this round. You can also check out other participating stores by clicking the logo:

As an indie business, it’s sometimes hard to get your name out there. You need to advertise, but advertising takes money, and you don’t have a lot of money, so you can’t advertise a whole lot (or as much as you want to). When you’re starting out, it’s almost like a vicious cycle.

Fear not, though — there are fantastic people like Gabbie of Missevilkitty.org who love helping out fellow indies!

Gabbie is always looking to interview shop owners and gives them some pub on her site. Usually, the blurb is in the form of an interview. She’s got more than 160 owners up on the site, and it’s always nice to find something out about other crafters. There is also low-cost advertising available for those with tiny budgets.

Do check it out sometime … you might find a shop you never heard of!

(Psst, Gabbie also has her own shop, MissEvilKitty. Treat yourself to some lip balm there.)