Artisans (giveaway!)

The holidays are fast approaching. Stores are squeezing the witches, ghosts, and pumpkins on their shelves to make room for the accumulation of holiday lights, cards, and ornaments. But as I look at the store shelves, I have such a “ho hum” feeling.

It’s all the same. The same old holiday stuff.

I learned recently about a fabulous online shopping site called Novica. In association with National Geographic, Novica’s mission is to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity.

Want to know what this means for you?

It means you can find unique, quality, handcrafted ornaments and home décor for the holiday season. And unique, thoughtful gifts! Novica offers handmade jewelry, gorgeous handbags, home décor, and more. Even corporate gifts for those hard-to-shop-for business people.

About a month ago, I won a Novica giveaway from a fellow blogger. I was so pleased with the experience and the items, I am excited to spread the word. And happy that the good folks at Novica were willing to let me do so.

The first item to arrive at my doorstep? The adorable and fuzzy alpaca wool finger puppets, crafted by Virginia Apaza Ticona from the Andes.




They came packaged in a charming bundle with complimentary gift wrap.



Amelia loves her new animal puppets! Considering she puts socks on her hands on a regular basis, I knew these would be well loved right away.

  

I had a difficult time deciding what to select for myself. The jewelry is really lovely. The handbags are colorful and fun. But in the spirit of the upcoming holidays (and a desire to fight the same-old, mass-produced blahs), I selected these precious celadon horse ornaments from craftswoman Duangkamol Srisukri from Thailand. Seeing them online, they made me smile right away.



I chose the museum gift box as well. I knew it would give me an extra grin when I opened my package.

  

How pretty is this? I’m definitely keeping this box.

The horses even came with a story:




Unlike the stores, I have restraint when it comes to pulling out the holiday décor. So I don’t have my sweet little horses hanging on a tree yet. For now, they get to enjoy the view from our family room mantle.

I look forward to these horses being part of our Christmas tree decorating festivities for years to come. Hopefully Amelia will have them on her tree one day. If I agree to let her grow up, that is.

To experience the beauty and craftsmanship of handmade products from around the world, visit Novica.com.

Want to shop Novica.com for FREE?
Enter for your chance to win a $35 gift code to use on the site.
(But I warn you… you will have a really hard time deciding what to buy!)

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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Congratulations to our friend @JunkFoodKids!


Winner was chosen with Random.org from my spreadsheet of entries. GFC follower entries = x3.
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NOVICA provided a gift code for my purchased items. All opinions about the experience and products are entirely mine.