NOVICA REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Those of you who enjoy my blog and are acquainted with me know that I am an honest person with values, principles, ideals and an acute sense of integrity. This is why I take my role as a "influential" blogger seriously, refuse to bullshit my trusty followers and exclusively associate myself with brands I can relate to.

As a matter of fact, I regularly turn down offers as I'm very exclusive/picky in my selection. My desire is not to brainwash you with cheap adverts for useless knacks or tacky bric-a-brac. All I want to do is showcase items that have a real value to my eyes and which I can present to you without feeling like a complete sell-out or a vulgar whore running after freebies or a few easily earned coins...

Now that we have cleared this point, I wish to talk to you about NOVICA, a US-based company with whom I have previously collaborated twice (in 2011 and 2012) and whose business etiquette is fully compatible with my beliefs. 

I embrace their philosophy and truly adore their goods, hence when they contacted me for the third time and proposed to organize another giveaway, there was no way I was going to refuse the opportunity of making one of my readers a lucky winner and treating myself to one of their exquisite and irresistible objects.

What I really like about them is that they are different and fight to promote an alternative. NOVICA wants to provide us with access to unique, hard-to-find items at bargain prices that only the internet infrastructure can allow. Their aim is to give artisans around the world a global platform where they have the possibility to express their true artistic talents as well as spur their creativity and forge ties with the buyers.

In association with THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, this fairtrade and eco-friendly organization's purpose is to establish a revolutionary system through which small producers (the team comes from different cultures, countries and language sets - Andes, Bali & Java, Brazil, Central America, India, Mexico, Thailand and West Africa) can display their fine works to an international audience of prospective customers.

NOVICA does not charge artists any fees for listing their items on the website. Furthermore, they remain thouroughly independent (free to raise or lower their prices and remove their items from the website). By cutting out the long strings of middlemen, NOVICA allows both consumers and craftspersons to get the most out of each and every transaction. In addition, customers have the chance to help the artisans by making a interest-free loan (microfinance service) directly to them.

They sell a vast array of products ranging from home decor (furniture, tableware, sculptures, tapestries, etc...), fashion and jewelry (women's clothing, women's accessories, men's clothing, men's accessories, men's scarves, women's scarves, short dresses, Peruvian Chrysocolla jewelry, pearl drop earrings, etc...) to paintings (abstract, religious, landscapes, etc...) and also specialise in corporate as well as green gifts. Perfect if you want to spoil yourself or others!

As you can imagine it was very difficult for me to choose something from their catalogue as there are so many wonderful items to pick from. Anyway, being a big fan of South American art, a food enthusiast who loves handmade tableware and a photographer with a soft spot for pretty props, I decided to order a set of four delicately manufactured and enchantingly colorful Talavera soup bowls made by Pedro Alba from Mexico.
 
The merchandise was fastly shipped (I placed my order on a Tuesday evening and my parcel arrived on Friday) and everything came to destination in mint condition (extremely well-packed).

After a very long session of packet opening, I finally discovered the objects of my longings. For a few seconds, I stood there breathless and incredulously gawping at my flawless, refined, elegant and beautiful ceramic bowls (they look even better than on the photos). How on earth did I manage to get my hands on such gems, I asked myself in disbelief. I felt like a kid in a candy store and bubbles of happiness were dancing in my heart. A dream had come true...

GIVEAWAY
One 75$ gift certificate.

Rules and Entry Details:
- You must leave a COMMENT in the comment section of this post (one entry per person).
- Winner will be chosen using the "hat method".
- Winner will be notified via email (please leave your e-mail adress if you don't have a blog).
- This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE (please check NOVICA's International Shipping Table to know if they can ship to your country).
- The contest closes on the 4th of October 2013 at 12pm CEST.

Statement:
This giveaway is provided to you by NOVICA. Please note that I only promote things that stay true to my tastes, convictions and interests. The opinions expressed on Rosa's Yummy Yums are purely my own and based upon my personal experiences with NOVICA. I was given a gift certificate, however I was not paid to publish a positive review.