Mylana Review and Giveaway

I first became familiar with Mylana, an Etsy shop specializing in handmade soaps, candles, and jewelry, back in April of 2011 when I joined the April's Army Team on Etsy. I was able to try out Mylana's Light Spice Soap as Clare, the owner of Mylana, was offering it at a special discount. The soap is absolutely fabulous! It has a warm, earthy fragrance and is infused with patchouli essential oil which is my favorite. (Yes, I'm a hippie at heart!).  So when Clare asked me to do a review of some of her handmade products, I jumped at the chance.

When I received my review package from Clare, I felt like it was Christmas Day!  Clare sent me the most lovely jewelry and a couple of samples of her signature soaps.  The best way I can describe Clare's jewelry is that it is modern with a vintage feel to it.  I received two necklaces.  This first one is my favorite because it has vibrant blue beads, and I've been on a blue kick lately.  

The second necklace I received is a choker type beaded necklace.  I love the textured silver beads and the glass lampwork beads on this necklace.  Both necklaces have a toggle clasp closure, so they're super easy to wear.

 

Clare also sent me a beautiful beaded bracelet with a fun little silver card charm attached at the end.

I also received a sample of Mylana's The Great Outdoors, Pine and Clove Cold Process Soap.  I'm not a huge fan of pine scent, but the mixture of the pine and clove aromas together is really pleasing to the senses.  This actually may be one of my new favorites.  I was also sent a sample of Mylana's Awake Fragrance Blend Cold Process Soap.  It's a blend of citrus, rosemary, and mint and it smells absolutely divine!  Yet another new favorite of mine.  

Mylana also has lots of great candles in stock.  Clare carries votive, pillar, and jar candles.  Mylana is definitely a diverse shop with a little something for everyone on your gift list.  Her fragrance line caters to nearly every taste.   


Clare provides excellent customer service which I can vouch to firsthand.  She also offers free pick up if you live in the Murfreesboro, Tennessee area (just use the coupon code LOCAL to receive free shipping).  Clare is the Captain of the Middle Tennessee Etsy Team and she would love for any fellow Middle Tennesseans on Etsy reading this to join the team.


Clare is generously giving away 5 pairs of her handmade earrings (yes, I said five) to one lucky reader!  That's one pair for each weekday!  

 How to Enter:

You MUST be a follower of this blog in order to qualify to win this prize.  If you're not already a follower, simply click the "Join this Site" button on down the page and to the right of this post.  Then visit Mylana and come back here and comment on this post with the name of your favorite item from the shop.  This entry is MANDATORY.  Please leave your e-mail address or Etsy shop address in your comment so I have a way of contacting you if you're the winner. 

To gain EXTRA ENTRIES, you can:

1. Like Mylana on Facebook.  (Leave a separate comment below with your FB username).
2. Follow Mylana on Twitter.  (Leave a separate comment bellow with your Twitter username). 

That's 3 possible entries per person.  You must leave separate comment for each entry for your entries to count.  You must complete the mandatory entry or the extra entries will not count.  This giveaway is open worldwide.  The giveaway will be open from July 15, 2011 to July 22, 2011 at 6 a.m. EST.  The winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator from Random.org.  The winner will be contacted by e-mail or through Etsy convo and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.  One winner will receive the 5 pairs of handmade earrings pictured above from Mylana which is a $60 value.  I was paid no money for this review.  I received free products for the purpose of review and giveaway.  All the opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.

Cool + Kitschy Creations Review and Giveaway

The Romantic Type has reviewed one of my Etsy shops, Cool + Kitschy Creations, and is hosting a giveaway for a $15 gift certificate to either Cool + Kitschy Creations or my other shop, House of Plush. This is the first time that another blog has hosted a review and giveaway sponsored by me, so I'm really excited! So head on over to The Romantic Type and get your entries in today!

Diamond Glaze vs. 3D Crystal Lacquer . . . Which is Better?

For several months, I have been a loyal user of Diamond Glaze. Diamond Glaze is a clear, nontoxic sealant most commonly used these days to create the glass-like finish on Scrabble Tile Pendants. 3D Crystal Lacquer is a similar product, which I only started using last night.

Well I can already tell you that even after just one craft session, I'm sold on 3D Crystal Lacquer. Although I was loyal to Diamond Glaze, it wasn't very loyal to me. When using Diamond Glaze, you often end up with unwanted bubbles. Sure, the bigger ones can be popped by moving them around with the tip of the Diamond Glaze bottle when the glaze is still wet, but the small ones are nearly impossible to remove. I had absolutely no bubbles when using 3D Crystal Lacquer.

Another big problem I had with Diamond Glaze was that my Scrabble Tiles would end up with huge cracks in the glaze after they had dried. I Googled this occurrence which was at first attributed to a defect in a specific batch of the glaze. Upon further research, I read that others had problems with cracked glaze even in unaffected batches. I had no cracking issues with the 3D Crystal Lacquer.

3D Crystal Lacquer dries a lot clearer and has an overall cleaner look to it. I am really impressed by 3D Crystal Lacquer and do not intend to ever use Diamond Glaze again. Lost Luggage Reviews conducted a more professional review of the two products back in 2007.