Meadowbelle Market - Review & Giveaway

In the past few years, my love of jewelry has grown and grown and grown some more. So much, that my large jewelry box that I never though I would fill, has been filled to the brim. This love definitely has continued on with my wedding and finding the perfect jewelry for our big day...which has not been an easy task. First, I had no idea what I wanted, then, I figured out what I wanted but the trouble was finding it! Hopefully, this review will make your search a bit easier than mine has been.

I'd like to introduce you to an amazing eco-conscious Etsy shop called Meadowbelle Market by Aundrea and Erin. Aundrea and Erin are twin sisters living in Kansas City who have a passion for jewelry and other fashion accessories! Meadowbelle Market sells accessories for everyday and special days!

I absolutely adore their mission statement: "Our goal is to provide you with well-made, unique, creative, and stylish handmade items you will cherish for years. Whether for your special event, or to feel special everyday--we take great care in each piece we create. We endeavor to be conscientious, understanding, honest and fair. We delight in creating each item and are devoted to constructing every piece with each customer in mind. Just as there is a story beind us, there is a true miracle behind you."

As you look through their shop, you will notice that weddings are one of their specialties, however, they sell a variety of items that make wonderful gifts for yourself or someone else. Products sold in the Meadowbelle Market Etsy Shop include necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets, rings, as well as full jewelry sets. In addition, Meadowbelle Markets sells beautiful bridal bouquets, veils, hair and veil fascinator pieces (flowers, feathers, and more), boutonnieres, and garters. Meadowbelle enjoys making products from solid sterling silver, beads, various types of fabrics, as well as vintage pieces.

I'm often not overally impressed with Etsy profiles, but theirs is actually quite impressive. While writing this review and trying to figure out which parts to include and not include, I had a difficult time. So, with that said, I suggest you go take a look at the Meadowbelle Market Etsy Profile to find out a few interesting facts about these sisters and the products they sell!

Are you interested in buying something from Meadowbelle Market?  Now is a great time!  Meadowbelle Market is holding a sample sale to celebrate their 2nd anniversary!  Aundrea and Erin will continue listing products until they are all gone.  Products that are part of the sample sale are marked 'Ready to Ship' or 'Sample Sale'.

Plus, Meadowbelle Market is offering a special promotion to all my readers!  Get 10% off ANY listing in their store (including already discounted items, such as sets) if you mention 'Everything Up Close' in the ‘notes to seller’ section during checkout OR by contacting Meadowbelle Market through an Etsy conversation.

*REVIEW*

Aundrea and Erin were kind enough to send me a beautiful, customized 'Love is a Word' necklace to review.  Before even receiving this necklace in the mail, I loved it; from the pictures in the listing, I could tell that it would be absolutely stunning and it would make a great keepsake.  As stated in the product listing, this necklace reminds Erin of "a hand-scrolled love letter, maybe sent to one much thought of but far away. Innocent and pure." Any after holding it in my own hand, I get that feeling too! The word love is hand formed with 20 gauge sterling silver wire (solid) and soldered to ensure it is strong, solid, and sturdy so that it lasts forever! Once soldered, the necklace is placed in a pickling solution. 

In addition to the word love, tiny hearts are hand formed and added along the necklace chain and a date stamp is added to a round disk (which hangs from the clasp at the back of the necklace). This necklace measures 20" in length (including 'love' and the hearts). Aundrea and Erin mention in their listing that the necklace can easily be shortened by request.  Just send them an email through Etsy prior to ordering!

One of the great things about this necklace is that it is customizable - both the date stamp and the word ('love' in this case). First of all, the date stamp is hand stamped and can be used to commemorate a special occasion or you can decide to have a word, a name, or initials stamped on it. The disk can fit up to 8 letters and can be customized during checkout. If you'd prefer something without the disk and date stamp, make sure to check out the original 'Love is a Word' Necklace. Additionally, the word formed from sterling silver wire can be customized as well. Meadowbelle Market offers this service for free if you'd like 4 letters or less. If you'd like more than 4 letters, there is an additional $5 charge per letter. This customization option is great if you'd like to spell out another word (e.g. 'amor') or someone's name (possibly for your bridesmaids).

When I saw this necklace online, I immediately thought that it would make a perfect gift from the Groom to the Bride. This necklace would also be a fabulous gift for anniversaries (and as mentioned above, for your bridesmaids). If any men are reading this review, make note that this item would likely earn you some brownie points with your significant other! This is a stunning necklace that is romantic and truly thoughtful when given as a gift!

So, now on to my person experience with the necklace... As you can likely tell, I'm a huge fan of this necklace (and Meadowbelle Market). This necklace is beautiful, extremely well made, and it is evident that Aundrea and Erin take especial care in the details. One aspect that I really like about this necklace (besides it being customizeable, which all my readers know I love), is how light and feminine it is! Wearing this necklace brings a smile to my face and makes me feel extra girly! 

Another thing I was happy with was Meadowbelle Market's shipping practices. Meadowbelle Market uses recycled materials whenever possible and charges the actual amount that it costs them to ship (unlike some other shops). In addition, Meadowbelle Market sends special care instructions with each of their sterling silver pieces. As some of you may already know, sterling silver will tarnish after prolonged exposure to the air. To prevent this during shipment, Aundrea and Erin carefully package the product (necklace in this case) in a small zip-lock bag to reduce exposure. A small note is included with the item that explains to reduce tarnishing, the item (necklace) should be kept in a bag when not in use). Since I'm sure some people don't realize that sterling silver will tarnish, this little note is useful (and a great reminder for those who do already know). One thing I would like included on the instructions is how to clean it if it does get tarnished.

Everyone who has seen this necklace has absolutely loved it and inquired about where I got it.  I loved it so much that I decided to wear it for Jay and I's engagement session; now this necklace will be part of our memories forever.  My photographer, Amber from Amber Bond Photography (in Winnipeg, Manitoba) took a keen interest in the necklace and took some beautiful pictures of it (shown below) during our photo shoot.

Overall, I have been thoroughly impressed with Marketbelle's products, professionalism, and service. Their Etsy Shop is absolutely beautiful and I would love to order from them in the future. I already have my eye on a few different items!  Whether you are looking for something nice for yourself or for someone else, this is a great place to shop!

 *GIVEAWAY*

How many winners are there? One.

What can you win?  One winner will receive a set of glass pearl cluster earrings for you or your Bridesmaids {choose up to 3 colors}.  Total ARV = $48.

To enter, Go look through Meadowbelle Market's Etsy Shop and find a favorite item. Then, come back here and leave a comment stating the name of your favorite item. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- *NEW* For each $1 you donate to my Wedding Fund (through ChipIn at the top right hand corner of this page), you will receive two (2) bonus entries for this giveaway.  Please make such to leave two extra comments along with your PayPal email so that I can verify your entry.

- Telling me which color/s you'd choose for your earrings if you won.  Color choices (including a picture) is available here.
- Visiting Meadowbelle Market's blog and leaving a comment. Once you've done this, please come back here and leave a comment stating your visible name and a link to the post that you left a comment on.
- Following Meadowbelle Market's blog with Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Following Meadowbelle Market on Twitter @ MeadowbelleSays.  Please leave your Twitter name in your comment.
- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).  SUBSCRIPTION METHODS HAVE CHANGED!  In order for your subscription entry to count, you must resubscribe.  For more details, please visit my post: 'Are you an Everything Up Close email or RSS subscriber?' 

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my 'Everything Up Close Bridal Shower' event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name in your comment.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- 'Liking' Everything Up Close on Facebook. Please leave your name (First name and last initial) that is shown on Facebook for verification.

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Thursday, August 26th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to everyone WORLDWIDE!

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, Meadowbelle Market sent me a custom 'Love is a Word' necklace free of charge.  Receiving this item did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

The Perfect Match - Review & Giveaway

Since I started blogging, I've had a chance to review a number of great jewelry pieces and jewelry shops.  Needless to say, I've gained a better appreciation for these precious accessories and the work that goes into creating them - through this, my little 'jewelry fascination' has grown.  When it came time to start looking for bridal jewelry, I found myself being extremely picky.  Why?  Picking one set of jewelry for that special day is extremely difficult; you have to remember...the jewelry you pick will complete the look you are hoping to achieve on your wedding day and the image that will be etched in your memories (and photographs) for years to come.

Since I've done a lot of work with Etsy Sellers in the past, this was the first place I started to look.  As I started to look, I realized that I was not only having to look for jewelry for myself but for my bridesmaids as well!  Luckily I found a shop that caters to both brides and their bridal party: The Perfect Match.  The Perfect Match specializes in matching jewelry sets that are perfect for weddings, other special occasions, or just regular every day use.  The Perfect Match sells a variety of styles (formal to more casual pieces) at a range of price points.  The Perfect Match is also proud to offer custom design services to make your special day (or just your every day) more personal and individualized!

Besides bridal jewelry, The Perfect Match also sells jewelry for everyday use and just recently started selling interchangeable watch bands.

More about the Designer...Professionally and Personally

"I have always loved wedding jewelry; I think it makes the Wedding Party’s outfits complete. When I was in college I made all of the bridesmaids’ necklaces for my sister’s wedding. Since each person had a different color dress she wanted a design that would bring some consistency to the outfits so I made the same necklace and earring set in 4 different colors. A year later I made matching illusion style necklaces for my wedding with drop like earrings. Since then I have been making a variety of styles that would be perfect for a Bride or Bridesmaid."

"I attended Valparaiso University in Indiana where I majored in Elementary Education. While a student at Valpo, I was proud to serve as the Vice President of Academics for the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in education and a minor in mathematics. I currently teach Kindergarten and live in Chicago with my husband who is 3rd year Medical Student. During my free time I love to design and create necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and watch bands. For the past few years I have made jewelry to go with all my outfits, for family, friends and to give as gifts. After learning about etsy from a friend, I decided to open up a shop and began to post last summer."

Review
Kelli, owner of The Perfect Match, offer to send me an Illusion Necklace and Earring Set for review.  This set is fabulous for bridesmaids or just everyday (or night-out) use!  The set I received is similar to this one; the only difference is mine is shades of purple (not browns). 

The necklace in this set is made up of 3-strands with three different colours and sizes of Swarovski pearls (4mm, 6mm, & 8mm). For ease, I will be referring to the Swarovski pearls just as 'pearls' throughout the remainder of this post. The necklace has an extender and can range from 16 to 18 inches in length.  The earrings in this set have fishhook ear wires and they measure approximately 1.25 inches in length.  The silver parts used in this necklace are all sterling silver.

All-in-all, I really like this set!  The time put into making this set is evident (each pearl is individual strung, which I personally think is impressive...and time consuming)!  The style of this necklace is absolutely stunning.  Because Kelli used invisible thread to string the pearls, it looks as if they are floating.  Additionally, I think the attention to detail is fantastic!  I love how the end of the extender even has a little pearl on it to match the look of the necklace.  For me, this necklace is the perfect length and light enough to wear all day long.

As for the earrings...they are absolutely adorable and beautiful.  First of all, I think they are adorable just because of the style of them; The bunch of pearls reminds me of a bundle of grapes.  Kelli did a fabulous job of attaching the pearls so that they were uniform and hid the internal sterling silver strand.  Each earring has a total of 12 pearls in various sizes and colours.  Personally, I think these earrings match the necklace perfectly. 

Because I am a bride and not a bridesmaid, I am planning to use this set for everyday use.  I'm looking forward to adding this set to my work wardrobe and using it for date nights with my fiancé.  Because of the amount of work that went into making this set, I can see why it is priced as it is.  When taking this into consideration (along with the costs of material), I think the price charged is fair.  The Illusion Necklace and Earring Sets sell for $65 in The Perfect Match Etsy shop.

My only suggestion for The Perfect Match is that they add more sets to their inventory that include a bracelet.  I personally like to have a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet to match.  I think this would add to the appeal of their shop. 

What can you win?  One winner will receive a beautiful bridal set including the White Beauty Necklace and White Cluster Earrings that are shown directly above.

To enter, visit The Perfect Match and look around.  Then, come back here and leave a comment stating the name of your favorite item and what you would use it for. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- *NEW* For each $1 you donate to my Wedding Fund (through ChipIn at the top right hand corner of this page), you will receive two (2) bonus entries for this giveaway.  Please make such to leave two extra comments along with your PayPal email so that I can verify your entry.

- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my 'Wonderful Wedding Wishes' event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Friending Everything Up Close on Facebook. Please leave your name that is shown on Facebook for verification.

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Friday, July 9th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Good Luck!



*Special Promotion*
The first 10 buyers who spend $50 or more at The Perfect Match and mention “Everything Up Close Blog” in the message to seller will get a free pair of earrings (shown below).

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, I was sent a free Illusion Necklace & Earring Set.  Receiving these items did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

The Wish Pearl - Review & Giveaway

The Wish Pearl is a lovely online shop that specializes in an interesting jewelry concept called Wish Pearl Pendant Sets. Besides these special sets, The Wish Pearl offers beautiful pearl jewelry sets, hair accessories, wedding favours, and more! This shop is privately run out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Wish Pearl originally started as a small brick and mortar shop and now is known and sells internationally.

I love it when companies agree to give back to the community through charitable organizations. The Wish Pearl offers a special fund raising program for groups that want to raise money and give back to the community at the same time. According to the Wish Pearl website: "The Wish Pearl Foundation offers the opportunity for anyone who is looking to raise funds using our wish pearl kits. We donate a percentage of the sale from the sets to the charity of your choice."

Review
I was luckily enough to receive one of The Wish Pearls unique Love Pearl pendant gift sets to review. The Wish Pearl pendant set comes packaged in a gift box and is ready for giving to that special someone. The Wish Pearl is unique because instead of just sending you any pearl, they send you the item that it is actually created in: a mollusk (mussel). The genuine cultured pearl within the impregnated mollusk takes approximately 3-5 years to develop. The mollusk creates five (5) different colours of pearls - each which are believed to hold special meaning.

Pearl Colours & Meanings:
White - for health
Cream - for happiness
Peach - for love
Lavender - for wisdom
Gold - for wealth

Because you receive the entire mollusk, the colour of the cultured pearl remains a mystery until the recipient opens it.

In order to obtain the pearl, The Wish Pearl suggests the following sequence:
"1 - Make a Wish then open the sealed can
 2 - Open the mussel (molluck) and take out the pearl carefully
 3 - Open the pendant* [the pendant comes with a sterling silver chain which measures 17 inches (or 41.5cms) in length and compliments the pendant perfectly]
 4 - Insert the pearl and it is ready to wear!"

*The shape of the pendant is completely up to you. The pendant is available to order in the following shapes: heart, dolphin, awareness ribbon, heart pendant with CZ stones, rose, Hawaiian flower, twisted cage, key to my heart and tear drop.

I really love the mystery and hope that comes with the wish pearl pendant sets! I had so much fun receiving it - making my wish and opening the mussel that held my mystery pearl were that best parts! Because of the belief that the pearl set I received is a Love Pearl, I think it is a perfect gift for any bride!

I think the concept of this necklace set is unique and fun - before this review experience, I had never seen anything like it! I am personally squeamish when it comes to touching anything aquatic, so holding a mollusk in my hand was a first for me (my fiancé was very surprised to see me opening the mollusk with excitement instead of terror). I loved the surprise of not knowing what colour pearl I would receive until I successfully opened the mollusk.

The pendant and chain that comes with the set is lovely! It is simple but could easily be worn for a variety of occasions - from everyday use to bridal jewelry.

All in all, I am very impressed with The Wish Pearl pendant sets. They are beautiful, unique, and hold special meaning. I will be considering these sets as gifts in the future. If you are looking for a gift for a friend, a family member, a spouse, your bridesmaids, or even yourself, this would make a great option!  The Wish Pearl pendant sets are reasonably priced at only $19.95.

 *GIVEAWAY*

What can you win?  One winner will receive a Love Pearl pendant set from The Wish Pearl (ARV $19.95).

To enter, visit The Wish Pearl.  Then, come back here and leave a comment stating the name of your favorite item. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- *NEW* For each $1 you donate to my Wedding Fund (through ChipIn at the top right hand corner of this page), you will receive two (2) bonus entries for this giveaway.  Please make such to leave two extra comments along with your PayPal email so that I can verify your entry.

- Telling me the pendant shape you'd choose for your Love Pearl pendant set if you won.
- Leaving a comment on the Wish Pearl blog. The comment must having meaning and be more than just a few words or one line.  Please tell me in your comment what your comment name shows as.
- Signing up for the Wish Pearl's Newsletter (left hand sidebar) and telling me which email you used to sign up with (for verification purposes).
- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my 'Everything Up Close Bridal Shower' event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- Friending Everything Up Close on Facebook. Please leave your name that is shown on Facebook for verification.

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, July 17th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to everyone WORLDWIDE.

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, I was sent a Love Pearl Pendant Set from The Wish Pearl.  Receiving this clutch did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

BonitaJ Review & Giveaway!

If there is one category of products I've gone gaga over since I started reviewing products on Everything Up Close, it has to be jewelry! I've gone from not even owning a jewelry box to owning a large one that is almost full! So, when I was given the opportunity to review some pieces from the BonitaJ line, I couldn't pass up the offer.

BonitaJ is an online shop that specializes in handmade bridal jewelry. At BonitaJ you will find Bridal Jewelry, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Flower Girl Jewelry, Jewelry Sets, Pearl Jewelry, and Swarovski Crystal Jewelry. All of the jewelry at BonitaJ is extremely well priced, especially when you compare them to what you'd pay in a specialty bridal shop. On top of the great prices, you will also receive FREE standard shipping on all orders! As you look through BonitaJ's website, I am sure you will quickly noticed that not only are the pieces great for weddings but many of them could be used for day or evening-wear as well.

Are you planning a wedding or do you know someone who is? Head over to BonitaJ for a list of great wedding resources!

Review
BonitaJ sent me a Customized Bridal Pearl & Crystal Illusion Jewelry Set to review. This set includes a matching necklace, bracelet and earrings. These are the options I chose for my set:
-sterling silver
-clip-on earrings
-18" necklace
-7" bracelet
-white pearls
-crystal clear crystals


The first thing I loved about this set was the level of customization was available for it. I really enjoyed picking out all my favorite aspects and having BonitaJ make it into a lovely set of jewelry for me. This left me feeling like the pieces were one of a kind and made only for me.

When I received the jewelry set, I was extremely happy with the finished product. It looked just like I imagined it would...so elegant and just my style! The weight of each piece was ideal because it was heavy enough that I knew it was good quality but light enough that it didn't feel like the pieces were weighing me down. Overall, each piece seemed to be made of good quality parts. Since the Bridal Pearl & Crystal Illusion Jewelry Set sells for only $80 on BonitaJ, I am beyond impressed with the quality you get for such a well-priced customizable product.

Although I loved all the pieces of jewelry in this set, there are a few things I'd like added as options in the future. First of all, I'd like to see a few more beads and crystals on both the necklace and the bracelet, just to make it feel a bit fuller. Secondly, I would love if BonitaJ offered different options for clip-on earrings. Even though the ones I received are beautiful, the clip-on portion is a tad bit more prominent than I'd like it to be. In the future, offering a magnetic option or a slimmer clip-on portion would be a nice choice.


Overall, I am very happy with the Bridal Pearl & Crystal Illusion Jewelry Set that BonitaJ sent me to review. Although there are a couple little things I'd like to see added in the future, I was very impressed with the quality and price of the set. I will definitely be suggesting them to friends and family in the future and considering them for myself.

What can you win? One winner will receive a Customized Bridal Pearl & Crystal Illusion Jewelry Set. A second place winner will win a set of Customized Bridal Pearl & Crystal Illusion earrings.

To enter, Look around BonitaJ's store. Then, come back here and tell me the name of one other item you'd love to own! This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
-Subscribing to BonitaJ's newsletter. Sign up now and save 20% off your first order! Once you've signed up, come back here and tell me what email address you signed up with.
-Following @BonitaJ on twitter. Please leave your Twitter name in your comment.
-Becoming a fan of BonitaJ on Facebook. Please leave the name that appears on your Facebook account.
-Tell me something you learned about Bonita Bucks after reading through this page.
-Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS (please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).
-Adding my button to your blog sidebar.
-Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.
-Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
-Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page) on Twitter. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day. 2 ENTRIES PER TWEET PER DAY.

#giveaway on Everything Up Close. Enter to win a jewelry set from @BonitaJ - handmade bridal jewelry. http://tinyurl.com/yb2c5mb

-Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 3 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.
-Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your username and a link to the post. 3 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Monday, October 12th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US only!

Good Luck!


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