Bottled Up Designs: Handmade Recycled Glass Jewelry

October 29, 2010 By Robin 4 Comments

The jewelry from Bottled up Designs , is both unique and eco-minded. The pieces are hand crafted from broken vintage bottles or antique dishware, with sterling silver settings and findings. With Bottled up Designs you are not just getting a piece of jewelry, but a little piece of history, as well.

The antique glass and bottles used to make this lovely jewelry is gathered from antique bottle dumps throughout the woods and farmlands of Pennsylvania Amish Country. Both removing the hazard of broken glass in these areas, and reducing the environmental impact of the production of the jewelry.

I was sent a pair of the Emerald Glass Hoop Earrings. I had requested these in particular, because I thought the green would be nice to wear during the holiday season. The earrings arrived promptly, and were presented on a heavy recycled paper card. The card also included a “Story of the Glass”, which detailed what the glass originally was, and the age of it. My glass hoops came from vintage 1960′s beer bottles. All jewelry pieces from Bottled Up include a similar source story…how cool is that.

Disclosure: While I received a sample for the purpose of this review, all opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Women Tagged With: buy handmade, Eco-Friendly, jewelry, review, reviews

Novica Fair Trade Gifts: Gift Card Giveaway

October 10, 2010 By Robin

I again have the pleasure of presenting a selection from Novica for you. In case you are unaware, Novica is an online store which offers socially responsible artisan made items from around the globe. Novica has a fair trade business model, and there is a personal connection with these products. With each item you will receive a card, about the place it was created and the artisan who made it.

If your are looking for corporate gifts, Novica would make an excellent place to shop. They offer a nice selection of wallet & travel bags, desk items, stationary, decor items and much more. A corporate gift from Novica would reflect both culture and responsibility on you. There are so many interesting options to chose from, and gift cards are available, as well.

I selected a pair of Balinese bowls, from Novica this time. I make noodle and rice dishes frequently, and since I often blog the recipes, either here or on my food blog, they will come in very handy. As someone who took three semesters of Ceramics in college, I really appreciate the good quality of this hand thrown pottery. It is nicely turned and glazed. I also enjoyed watching the video about the village the bowls were made in. It made them a little more special, to me.

Disclosure: While I received a sample for review purposes, all opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will win a $40 Novica Gift Card.

Mandatory Entry (must be done for all other entries to count): Visit the Novica and tell me what unique gift you would pick.

For additional entries:

Follow this blog via email
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For 3 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post (blog must be public & have a minimum of 25 followers)

One winner will be randomly selected from all valid entries, and will have 48 hours to respond to their prize winner email notification. If winner fails to respond, within that time period, a new winner will be drawn. Contest ends October 26, 2010 at 11:59 pm CT. Open to residents of US and Canada , age 18+.

Filed Under: Household Tagged With: buy handmade, giveaway, review, Shopping

Sentimental Silver Review

September 21, 2010 By Robin

Sentimental Silver transforms reclaimed silver, into treasured keepsakes. The recycled silver is crafted into hand stamped personalized jewelry. I was sent my very own pendant to enable me to do this review, and I have been wearing it since it arrived.

This jewelry is meant for everyday wear. It’s beauty comes from its simplicity. A simple hand stamped word or name without frills and ornamentation, pounded into the silver with a stamp, somehow reflects the strength of these words most effectively. As you can see to the side, my pendant says “Blessed”, and has a small heart with a green stone beside it, which is in reference to my daughter’s birth month. She truly has been a blessing to me.

The pendant and chain are very comfortable to wear, even to sleep in. I have long hair and the bead style chain did not snag my hair like most do. After two weeks of wear, this jewelry has shown no sign of tarnish either.

Sentimental Silver personalized pendants have become popular with celebrities recently, and Sentimental Silver boasts a huge list of celebrity clients, which can be seen right on their press page.

Jewelry from Sentimental Silver would make wonderful gifts for new parents, grandparents and children, as well. This is a great alternative to the traditional mother’s ring. How about dads… there are few jewelry options for men, that document each of their children. The stoneless pendant styles from Sentimental Silver would be fine for a male (longer chain length than is offered may be required for bigger guys). For children, the petite pendants are perfect, and the no tangle chain is certainly a plus for active little girls.

I am sure this company will be very busy this holiday season, and since items are custom made for you, I would advise getting your order in early.

Media sample provided. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beauty & Fashion, Women Tagged With: buy handmade, jewelry, review

Hand Bound Books & Albums from Rag and Bone Bindery

February 27, 2010 By Robin 12 Comments

Rag and Bone Bindery produces hand bound archival quality books and albums. These handcrafted books are perfect for safekeeping your special memories. Their product line includes: photo albums (see review below), journals, guest books, baby books, binders and more. Rag and Bone books and albums are available in a wide selection of attractive cover fabrics.

The bindery is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and their books and albums are handcrafted right in the studio, by professional bookbinders. Rag and Bone also sources, many of their materials locally. This local sourcing is not only an environmentally sound choice, but is economically beneficial to this struggling community. Another way that Rag and Bone has reduced the environmental impact of their production is the use of recycled content. 30% post consumer content paper is used for pages and paper products, and the book board used to create the covers is 100% recycled content (75% post consumer).

It is also nice to know that, Rag and Bone has done special orders for Oprah, Barnes & Noble, Sundance and many more.

Books, albums and papergoods can be purchased directly through the Rag and Bone website, or through various boutiques.

Hand Bound Photo Frame Album: Review

I was given one of Rag and Bone’s Photo Frame Albums for review. The album features slip in heavy stock pages, made of archival paper. It holds twenty standard size (4″x6″) photographs. There are currently 37 different fabric options available for the covers. The pattern featured in this review is called “Poppies”.

The bindery has been in business since 1991, and the experience certainly shows in the quality of their products. The cover was well constructed with tight seams. Unlike mass produced books, the care taken in production is quite visible.

I found it very easy to slide my photographs into the frame pages. The photos stayed snuggly in place without any slippage, but removing them, to rearrange was no trouble at all. These are important things to keep in mind, when selecting an album, especially if you are dealing with older cherished pictures. No one wants to damage special photographs putting them into an album for safe keeping.

The photos I put in my album are some of my favorite shots of my daughter. Most are about two years old now, and finally have a home. I am happy to know they are now safely stored in archival sleeves, and the presentation could not be better.

I will be keeping these photo frame albums in mind, when buying shower gifts in the future. They are perfect for both bridal or baby showers. The albums would also be an excellent choice for professional photographers, to showcase or package their work.

*Disclaimer: While I was given a free sample for review, the views presented here are my own honest opinion and no monetary compensation was given.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Reviews & Giveaways, Rhode Island Area, Women Tagged With: buy handmade, photography, reviews