Win It Wednesday!

With many handmade artists busy with creating for the holiday season, giveaways hosted here at Gonna Want This-Handmade will be on hold until after the holidays. 

HOWEVER that doesn't stop me from bringing the best of the handmade giveaways in blog-land to you!  So read on for some fun giveaways you can enter!

1.  Since many readers are handmade artisans themselves...many with a shop on Etsy, I found it important to include THIS giveaway from Green Heath Treasures...an Etsy Advertising Media Mega Pack complete with custom designed banner, avatar vacation banner, etc.  Click on over to Green Heath Treasures to enter!  Giveaway is open through this Sunday, December 13th.

2.  I am a sucker for stamped jewelry (even though I don't actually own any yet!  hint hint honey...).  THIS is a great giveaway over at Etsy It Up, featuring Charitable Creations.  The giveaway is offering a $25 gift certificate to use at Charitable Creations towards any purchase.  Prices at Charitable Creations range from $2.50 to $45 with an entire selection of gifts under $20 as well!  And as the name suggests, this artisan donates 10% of her earnings to various charities.  Click HERE to go over to Etsy It Up to enter!  Giveaway open through this Tuesday, December 15th.

3.  I heard about HandmadeMN and had to check out their blog...because I live in MN, I love handmade AND I write a blog too...instant things in common!  And lo and behold, they have a giveaway going on!  Now it ends soon (December 11th) so if you are interested, get over HERE right away to get entered!  The giveaway item is a Bellaboogie Spa Pampering Basket with all natural products (including dusting powder, soap, sugar scrub, bath melts, and hair/body mist...all in your choice of essential oils!  The giveaway is hosted at HandmadeMN.

4.  There is often a new giveaway happening at Audrey's Giveaways and when I went to check out the latest, I found THIS fun and eco-friendly "upcycled" giveaway of an Ocasiocasa custom designed oil lamp!  Perfect for deck or bar decor, this one of a kind piece is sure to be a conversation item!  The giveaway is open through December 23rd and there are up to 12 extra ways to enter to win!  Check it out HERE.

If you are hosting a giveaway of handmade products, leave a comment and I'll feature your giveaway on my site!

Feature Friday: John Lewis Blown Glass

Congrats to Kelly (kellyihovey@) who won the Baby Loungewear Set Giveaway from TToz Designs!

Even the most skilled crafters amongst us have probably never ventured into the art of glassblowing!  That was once true for John Lewis, but he has now been creating awesome blown glass sculptures for over 30 years! 

Sun Spot Bowl - $249

All of John Lewis’ blown glass sculptures are done free-hand; meaning no molds or patterns are used in their creation...and consequently every creation is one of a kind!  All of John Lewis’ sculptures show their authenticity through the artist’s signature on each item.

Straight Walled Vase - $69

Originally John Lewis worked in post production filmmaking in New York.  But wearied by the constraints and attitudes he experienced within that field, he enrolled at Boston’s Mass Art to study Sculpture.  By happenstance, John was the one available to help a ceramics major in the lab with glassblowing.  From that first experience he was hooked!  He was able to study the glass medium further at Mass Art and soon thereafter John Lewis opened his own hot shop in Massachusett’s Berkshire mountains.  That was in the mid-1970’s.  John Lewis has been working with and incorporating blown glass into his art ever since! 

Cobalt Sun Ball with White Cane - $35

John gets his inspiration for his art from a variety of organic sources.  Life and the things we are brought into contact with every day all are part of the inspiration for John’s work; as is the natural world around us and the functional elements in the world of machines.  When asked what his favorite piece in his collection is or has been, John replied “For me, creation is a journey and my favorite work is always the latest successful one. BUT, I'm never finished; there is always something to be improved no matter how much I enjoy the finished work.”

Wedding Platter - $179

John’s work is available for sale online at his Etsy shop, John Lewis Blown Glass.  He has a personal website under construction right now - the main page is up and you can see more of John’s awesome creations there...go to JohnLewisLights.com and bookmark the site so you can come back and explore more once the site is complete! 
At the John Lewis Blown Glass Etsy shop you can find decorative globes, vases of all shapes and sizes, goblets, lights, bowls and plates.  The colors are magnificent!  John’s creations range in price from $35 to $249.

Wavy Bowl - $69

For Gonna Want This-Handmade! readers ONLY, John is offering a great deal over the weekend!  If you make an order from John’s Etsy site between December 4-6, you will receive FREE SHIPPING!  When making your order, follow these instructions:

Enter the code “FeatureFridays” in the ‘Notes to Seller’ on your order
If you pay by check, this will be the only adjustment you will need to do to your order - just send your check made out for the adjusted price. 
If you are paying via PayPal, do the following steps to your order to ensure you receive the adjusted FREE SHIPPING price:
1 - add items to your ETSY shopping cart & start the checkout process
2 - Enter the code (“FeatureFridays”) in the notes to seller AND an e-mail address where the revised invoice should be sent.
3 - Complete the order but DO NOT go to PayPal to pay.
4 - Instead wait for the revised invoice to come via e-mail and use the link to be able to complete payment online.

Table Lamp - $249

(No product or monetary compensation was provided to Gonna Want This-Handmade for the completion of this Feature, nor were any of the vendor’s products reviewed.  This is an artist feature post only.)