NOVICA {Review&$75 GC Giveaway}

I am always so fascinated by people from other countries; their stories, their culture, and their lives in general are so interesting and full of wonder.  It’s not often that I get to do a review (and giveaway…just wait that’s coming) where the story behind the product is just as fascinating as the product itself, but when I do it gives this job a whole new sense of adventure.

I had heard about NOVICA through different bloggers and had even read some of their reviews, but it wasn’t until I had the chance to do a review with them that I realized what they were all about.  NOVICA is a very  unique global platform where artists and artisans from around the world can express and share their creativity and art with the world.  NOVICA also provides consumers with unique, hard to find, amazing pieces and even better values thanks to its internet infrastructure.  Here’s a little more about NOVICA from their website:

“At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe.

We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.

In the spirit of the Internet, let us bring you together.
NOVICA. The World is Your Market.”

I love the idea of being able to support artists from all over the globe in a way that before was only possible by visiting the artist’s country.  NOVICA artists and artisans are able to list their items without fees and are in full control of every aspect of the items they have listed, they can raise or lower their prices or even remove them from the site completely, the power is left completely up to the artists.

Wondering where NOVICA’s very unique name comes from?

From the NOVICA website":
“The NOVICA global team comes from different cultures, countries and language sets. We knew we needed a name with no language barriers. A name with no cultural barriers. A new name that could be incorporated into the local language of all of our international offices. We couldn't have a name like Globeshop, which can't be pronounced in Spanish and many other languages. We couldn't have any "sh" sounds. We couldn't have "l"s, or "r"s, or "z"s. We needed a name that each of our artists could claim as their own, just as each of our clients would know it was theirs. We also needed a name that meant "new" - because we were creating a new system for the world. So, looking at the Latin root of "novus" as a base, the name NOVICA was born.”

Recently I was given the opportunity to do a review for NOVICA  and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.  As I browsed the pages and artists and pieces that make up the NOVICA website I found myself in awe of the brilliant artists and artisans and their spectacular items.  What I could have swore was only a few minutes of looking turned out to be over an hour, but with so many things to look at and stories to read NOVICA is too interesting not to take your time.  I finally settled on two different items for my review from two very different parts of the world.

The first item I chose to review was a gorgeous pair of earrings from Thailand.  The earrings (called Energy) are sterling silver drop earrings are hand crafted in Thailand by an amazing artist named Jantana or Na for short.  The tradition of making silver jewelry is one that Jantana’s parents (retired jewelers)  passed on to her and her siblings.  Jantana and her husband now employee 12 silversmiths who work side by side with them to create all of the phenomenal pieces carried on NOVICA’s website!  I can’t say enough good things about the earrings, they are exquisite and I have received so many compliments on them followed very quickly with a lot of, “where did you get them?”.  Jantana has an amazing collection of jewelry pieces on the NOVICA website so make sure you check her out…her jewelry would make a great holiday gift for any lucky lady on your gift list!

 

The second item I received from NOVICA were  a set of 4 hand-blown Cobalt Spiral shot glasses from Mexico.  My husband Jamie always complains (on that rare occasion that we drink, you know…New Year’s Eve) that he doesn’t have any shot glasses…well problem solved.  Though these shot glasses are not your average run of the mill shot glasses, not by a long shot!  The Cobalt Spiral  shot glasses that I received are hand-blown using a  technique that artists Javier and Efrén have perfected.  “Their crystalline depths are encircled with fluid spirals, and crowned by cobalt rims. Perfect for parties, they complement other works by the artisans.”  Javier and Efrén and their amazing peices have been featured in a array of magazines including the Sunset magazine to the Miami Herald.  “Since the 1990s, Javier Gutiérrez and Efrén Canteras have worked together to preserve Mexico's blown glass artistry. "This type of work is a beautiful craft. I love blown glass because of the pure imagination poured into every piece created," confides Efrén. “  The shot glasses are absolutely amazing, from their smooth, cold exterior to the tiny bubbles ( a result of hand-blowing) that make them one of a kind!  These shot glasses (or any of Javier and Efrén’s items) are the perfect gift idea for any man (or woman) on your holiday gift list!

Make sure you check out all of the great Corporate Gift ideas at NOVICA!!!!

fair trade corporate gifts
gifts for mom
green gifts
gifts for him
bracelets
earrings

Buy it!

You can purchase the Energy Earrings (made by Jantana) and the Cobalt Spiral shot glasses on NOVICA’s website!

I have a very special treat for all of my amazing readers!  NOVICA has generously offered to give one Misadventures in Baby Raising reader a $75 Gift Certificate to NOVICA.com!  That is so amazing of them!

Win it:  Mandatory Entry!

To enter this giveaway please visit NOVICA.com and have a look around, come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which item(s) you won choose if you won!  This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries are allowed!

Extra Entries!

Please leave separate comments for each additional entry…make sure you include your email address in your comments if it is not available on your blog or profile.

1 Extra Entry Each
Comment on any non-giveaway post
Enter any (or all) of MIBR current giveaways

2 Extra Entries
Subscribe to MIBR via email
Follow MIBR on Google Friend Connect
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3 Extra Entries
***Clarification!!!  It was brought to my attention that this part of the Extra Entry options is a bit confusing so I want to clear up any doubt.  For Tweeting (which you can do daily, up to 3 times) you get 3 extra entries each time you Tweet.  So if you Tweet tomorrow only once that is 3 extra entries…or if you Tweet tomorrow all three times that is 9 extra entries.  

For Facebook you can only share once daily, but that one time is worth 3 extra entries as well.  I hope I made it a little easier to understand…if you still have questions please feel free to email me @ a_proffitt79(at)yahoo(dot)com!***

Tweet this giveaway on Twitter, be sure to include @Allie_23 in your Tweets (up to 3x per day per length of giveaway)
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5 Extra Entries
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post
**If you’ve entered all of MIBR Current Giveaways (accessible on the sidebar) you can get 5 extra entries into this giveaway.  Just leave 5 comments saying “I’ve entered all of MBIR giveaways!”**

This giveaway ends on December 7 , 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.  One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in a separate winner’s post.  Winner will have 48 hours to claim his prize, failure to do so within 48 hour time-frame will result in winner forfeiting his prize and mew choosing a new winner.