Giveaway: Blue Mushroom Sculpture by Woodland Whimsy

EDIT: Giveaway is officially closed. Congratulations to the randomly chosen 16th commenter, Wendy Hatton!


Winter has barely begun, and I'm already dreaming of warm weather and greener grass. If you're feeling the same, don't despair - you could be the one to win this rare blue mushroom that won't decay or freeze, no matter the season. Meet Crystal, an adorable ooak needle felted mushroom by Shana of Woodland Whimsy. The white portions of Crystal's exterior are sheep's wool and the blue portions are hand dyed alpaca fiber. Her skeleton is needle felted fiber fill. I have no skills in creating three dimensional art, so the sculptures and art dolls by my fellow Fantasy Artists of Etsy amaze me.

Although Shana has been crafting practically her whole life, needle felting is a new technique to her. Last year her mom bought alpacas and their fleece encouraged her to learn how to felt. Needle felting is a process that uses a special barbed needle to mesh the fibers together to create a solid sculpture. It takes thousands of jabs to complete a project. Taking the fiber from its raw (and pretty dirty) state all the way to a finished sculpture is very rewarding for Shana.

Fiber isn't the only natural medium she transforms into enchanting handmade items. She is a gardener by profession, and reclaims branches that have to be removed for the health of the tree or the safety of elements surrounding it. She infuses the materials with her own magic by reshaping them into fairy cottages, gnome homes, wreathes and ornaments.

How To Enter The Giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide. I will be pulling a number from my random.org top hat after 11:59pm EST on January 15, 2012, and the corresponding commenter will win! Shana will contact that lucky soul for a mailing address. If she doesn't hear back from the winner within 3 days, a new number will be drawn.

Mandatory Entry: Browse the Woodland Whimsy Etsy shop then comment on this post with your favorite handmade item and a way to contact you, preferably an email or Etsy shop.

Extra Entries: Don't forget the mandatory comment before moving on to these! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry to count.

1. Like that same item by using the facebook like button on the right sidebar of Shana's Etsy listing and leave a comment here with the number of likes to the right of the button OR share it on your business page and include the link when commenting.

2. Add that same item to your favorites AND heart her shop. Leave a comment with your Etsy username.

3. Buy anything from her Etsy shop. Leave a separate comment for every $5 spent.

4. Like this giveaway on facebook by using the like button at the bottom of this post OR share it on your facebook business page and comment with the link.

5. Like the Woodland Whimsy AND aquariann Art pages on facebook for one extra entry.

6. Tweet ONCE about the giveaway using the one below or a variation of your own. Leave a comment with the link.

Enter to win a cute felted mushroom sculpture by Woodland Whimsy! #Handmade #giveaway hosted by @aquariann ~ http://bit.ly/sqLnEI

7. Vote for my blog just by clicking Picket Fence Blogs. You may do this once a day.

8. Spread the word! Give this post a + 1 on Google or pin it to Pinterest. Click to share this giveaway on Stumble Upon, Technorati, Digg, or Del.icio.us. I'll honor one entry for every networking website you share it on, just make sure to leave separate comments for each.

9. Reblog my post on tumblr, just leave a separate comment to let me know.

10. Blog about it or copy and paste the button code below to your sidebar!

<a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2011/12/giveaway-blue-mushroom-sculpture-by.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/giveaways/125x125-shanaswoodland.jpg" alt="Woodland Whimsy Giveaway" border="0"></a>

Please convo aquariann.etsy.com if you'd like to sponsor a handmade giveaway. Item must retail at at least $20. Seller agrees to ship it directly to the winner, anywhere in the world. Hostess gifts are wildly appreciated, but not required.