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.)

I placed an order at Gerbera Designs a little while ago, and ordered this XL Messenger Bag:

Let me tell you, it’s pretty awesome. Such a lovely print too!

I really needed a wicked large bag because I carry a lot of stuff around. Folders, books, something to knit, the world’s fattest wallet (full of receipts — not cash!) and five billion other things. Sometimes a backpack is too unwieldy, you know? And I love messenger bags. So this fit the bill.

And yes, it is roomy:

There will be more stuff in this bag as time goes on.

Thanks, Vanessa!