When I was in Ecuador last year, I learned that so many people in poverty-stricken countries rely on people buying their handmade goods for income. I came home with a lot of beautiful handmade jewelry, dolls, home decor and keychains. They were all so proud of their work and it truly was beautiful. Obviously, most of these artisans don’t have access to the internet to run an Etsy store or anything like that, but that’s where Novica comes in.
What is Novica?
Novica, in association with National Geographic, is a website that gives artisans from around the world a global platform to show and sell their unique items. From home decor to jewelry to clothing, Novica has just about every kind of gift you can imagine. Each item comes with a small biography that tells you about the artisan and the region of the world where they live.
As part of my review of the site, I purchased this Talavera Ceramic Bowl, crafted by Pedro Alba. This bowl just looked so beautiful on the website and I really love Central and South American art and culture. The bowl came with a story card about the artist, a post card from where he lives and was beautifully wrapped.
It felt like someone had personally and carefully crafted, painted, packaged and shipped this bowl just for me. I was definitely impressed with the little extra touches that I hadn’t expected like the postcard and the little ceramic pot charm that was attached to the bow (see it?). Then, there was the quality and beauty of the bowl itself. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful!
To give you an idea of the size of the bowl, I was able to put six clementines in the bowl easily. It’s not a huge serving bowl, but a gorgeous decorative bowl for smaller items.
More than Home Decor
Novica doesn’t just sell home decor items like my beautiful bowl. They also have jewelry, furniture, clothing, paintings and lots of other unique gifts! As a matter of fact, Novica even lets you curate all of your favorite items into a collection (similar to Pinterest) and show off your taste to the world! Check out my South America gallery that I put together of all my favorite items from South America!
Novica is rewarding it’s best curator from 2013 with an all expenses paid trip to Machu Picchu in Peru! Check out details about the contest by clicking here.
Novica Giveaway
Novica has given me a $50 gift certificate to give away to one of you so you can check out the amazing quality and beauty of Novica artisans’ work. All you have to do is fill out the form below and you’re entered to win! The beauty of this form is that the more you share and get your friends to enter, the more chances you get to win! Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a Novica gift card in order to facilitate my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
Thailand
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I would like to shop from India, maybe a piece of Jewelry. Thank you.
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I have ordered from Peru twice now. I have my eye on a bracelet from Thailand and wine glasses from Mexico.
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India
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Mexico
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I’d love to get a hammock from Mexico
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I would like to get a ceramic lamp from Mexico.
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Bali!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 @ gmail dot com
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I’d love to shop from the West Africa region!
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I’d shop from the Andes.
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I would like to purchase from Thailand, absolutely delightful earrings.
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Bali, I’d love to buy something from there.
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i like the jewelry from thailand
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Brazil and Tailand
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I would like to shop from Thailand.
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Central America
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Brazil
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I’d order from Brazil.
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mexico
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I’d order from Brazil.Thanks so much.
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