Hollyhawk Review and Giveaway

I often find myself browsing the seemingly endless pages of handmade goods on Etsy. On one of my latest searches, I came across these stunning handmade leather cuff bracelets that really caught my eye.

Established in 2006, Hollyhu6tawk is run from beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Holly always loved designing, working with her hands, and creating. After graduating design school, she turned her passion into this amazing online shop. Specializing in 100% handmade leather cuffs, accessories, and wallets, Holly continues to work towards perfecting style with both function and quality.

I was offered a leather wrap bracelet and a pair of antique brass earrings to review. They arrived quickly, were packaged in such a way that made for easy delivery and was wrapped in decorative paper.

Beautiful neutral design.

The elastic and button closure.

The bracelet is beautiful! Each cuff has a handprinted, original piece of artwork on it. In my case, I chose the tree silhouette print. I liked this one because it was neutral with just a hint of colour, so it will pair easily with almost anything. Since it has a button and elastic closure, it fits perfect with most wrist sizes (according to the product page up to 7" circumference). If you need a bigger size, that's no problem either. She can also do custom orders to mix and match prints and leather colours, if you see a couple that you like. So far I wear this more for casual occasions, going out with friends, shopping and the like, but I can also see me wearing it with a dressier blouse, or to add an edge to a girly dress. The leather was nice and soft against my skin. I appreciated that I didn't have to break it in to soften it, too!

The earrings are a light weight brass, which is perfect since I am not a fan of the heavy one's that make my ears ache. I could wear these all day, and even took a nap with them in by accident, without any problems. I love that in both pieces you can see that she draws her inspiration from the beauty in the nature around her. The only part of these earrings that I didn't like was the kidney shaped wire earring hooks. I just found them a little hard to put on, but that could have just been my inexperience with this particular closure. I think I am simply more accustomed to the classic earring hooks.

Overall, I would recommend Hollyhawk for anyone who loves nature inspired jewelry and accessories! The leather cuffs are stand out, and with such unique designs there is something for both men and women alike. Shipping is available to several countries (USA, Canada, UK, and more!) for very reasonable rates.

To receive 5% off Any 1 Item  use coupon code "HI5HOLLY" OR to receive 10% off your purchase of Any 2 or more items, use code "BUY2ORMORE" at checkout!

To stay up to date on new designs, future sales and promotions, you can connect with Holly on Etsy, Facebook and Twitter.

To Buy: Cuff Bracelet | Earrings

** Giveaway **

Prize: One lucky winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate to spend at Hollyhawk

Eligibility: Canada (excluding Quebec), USA, EU, Australia, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, 18+.

Entry Period: April 7, 2014 - April 22 11:59pm EST

Rules: See Rafflecopter for full terms and conditions. By entering you agree to these terms.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A winner will be chosen at random, and will be contacted by email. You will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email before another winner will be selected at random. The winner will be announced in the rafflecopter form once they have confirmed/responded to my email.   

Be sure to check out these other fantastic giveaways to enter! 

Would you like to see your products featured in a review/giveaway similar to this one? I would love to work with you! Please feel free to email me: oddball2003@hotmail.com .

I received sample products in order to conduct my review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own. 

Frosted Willow: Review and Giveaway

Photo Credit: APE

Frosted Willow is a fantastic Etsy shop specializing in a wide selection of bangle bracelets and sets, with a little something for everyone. From the bold, to the dainty, an eclectic taste is represented. Every piece is an original creation, handcrafted with love. You can find Charm Bangles, Name Bangle Bracelets,Vintage Glass Bangle Bracelets and so much more!

I was sent four stacking bangle bracelets to review, and I was so excited! There were so many to choose from, and it took me a long time to scroll through the amazing variety that is offered. I had a lot of trouble choosing because there was something that spoke to every side of my personality. There was something for the elegant side, the bold side, the boho side. You name it. Before I finally decided on the four pictured on the left, I was also thinking about either of these two.

Photo Credit: APE

Photo Credit: APE

I have always loved dragonflies. They seem so free, so I felt like that choice was appropriate for my personality. The orchid and the vintage turquoise stone bracelets looked so good next to each other that I knew those would make the cut. The last one, the more antique-looking bracelet of the bunch, really stood out to me. I can't quite put my finger on why. I think it might be the intricacy of the design, since normally I prefer something a tad more minimalistic.

These are closed bangle bracelets so I found it very helpful that the wonderful lady behind Frosted Willow, Katrin, has a sizing guide available. You just measure a bangle bracelet you already have, or the circumference of the widest part of your hand. Though, I found that I measured a little too true to fit and my bracelets were a little hard for me to get on. When you are taking your own measurements I would suggest not pulling the measuring tape too tight.

I had a lot of fun mix and matching different combinations to get the look I wanted. Each bangle looked beautiful on its' own, but when I put certain pairs together it only enhanced each design.

Photo Credit: APE

The orchid and the dragonfly were very fitting, and I liked that even when they are put together it still looks simple. I don't often go for things like a flower charm, but it was nice to tap into that side of me for a change. I feel like these would be great for a casual look or to be dressed up. I'm especially excited to wear these out with a feminine, flowing spring dress (again something I don't do often).

My favourite bracelet was the one that spoke to me the loudest. The antique-y one. It reminded me of one of those old spoons that my mom and dad used to collect when I was younger. I would admire them from my side of the frame,         looking but never touching. Now it's kind of like I get to wear one reincarnated around my wrist. I love that this design is something far different from what I would normally be drawn to.

Photo Credit: APE

I appreciate that while browsing, I could spot something for almost everyone I know and their individual tastes. With each bracelet costing only about $15 on their own, or around $40 for a set depending on the set, I would say that the prices are very affordable. I have no problem  paying for little works of art such as these, especially when I know each is originally designed, and carefully handcrafted. There are even sections dedicated to earrings, necklaces and bridesmaid/bridal gear. To top it off, when you order multiple pieces, you only pay shipping on the first item you order. I love this shop, and will definitely be keeping Frosted Willow in mind for special occasions.

You can stay connected with Frosted Willow for new designs, sales and future promotions on Etsy, Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Adapted from Frosted Willow Etsy Shop

Katrin has offered to giveaway this set of bangle bracelets to one lucky Living As We reader.

Prize: One winner will receive a Midnight Owl Bangle Bracelet Set from Frosted Willow
Eligibility: Worldwide, 18+ (excluding Quebec).
Entry Period: March 18, 2014- April 2, 2014 11:59 EST
Rules: See Rafflecopter for terms and conditions.

To enter just log in to the Rafflecopter form below and claim as many entries as you'd like. Don't forget to come back for your daily entries to increase your chances of winning! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A winner will be chosen at random, and will be contacted by email. You will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email before another winner will be selected at random. The winner will be announced in the rafflecopter form once they have confirmed/responded to my email.   

If you run an Etsy shop and would like to see your products featured in a review/giveaway similar to this one, please feel free to contact me! oddball2003@hotmail.com

You Could Win with Girl Intuitive! (2 Winners!)

Welcome to Girl Intuitive International Giveaway where not just one.. but two lucky winners will each in a $50 gift card to buy their choice of fashionable accessories.

Girl Intuitive is an online fashion jewelry boutique with a wide variety of beautiful pieces designed by many great artisans around the world. They proudly showcase all handmade pieces including the vibrant Latin American collection, the Fair Trade pieces from India and Nepal, and the stunning pieces from Africa.

Giveaway Monkey has partnered with Girl Intuitive, Living As We and many other bloggers to give away TWO (2) $50 worth of Gift Cards that the lucky winners can use to buy their choice of fashionable accessories at GirlIntuitive.com. Feel free to head over to Girl Intuitive's page for all the jewelry that are available for under $20  or under $50 - some of which are shown below - to see how great this is!

For your chance to be one of the two lucky winners, enter using the rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open worldwide (because Girl Intuitive can ship anywhere internationally for a flat rate of $10). This giveaway will only run from February 24, 2014 through March 14, 2014. Don't forget to come back to collect your daily entries to increase your chances of winning! Good luck :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners will receive an email and will have forty-eight hours to respond. If no response is received within forty-eight hours, another winner will be chosen. Giveaway Monkey and other participating blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is in no way associated with social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.