MinnyWicks Review & Giveaway!

 

When you are on the search for products that have your favorite fandom characters on them, small handmade sellers are a fantastic place to look for cute & unique products to purchase. Today I will be sharing a wonderful small business called MinnyWicks with you. Shop owner Mindy creates candles, wax melts, enamel pins, stickers and keychains that are inspired by Anime & other fandoms. I am lucky enough to be working with MinnyWicks on not only a review for her shop, but I will be hosting a giveaway as well so be sure to enter to win! 

I recently received a box from MinnyWicks that showcased a selection of the products she creates & I am very excited to share all of the products with you. For my review I received two full sized candles, an enamel pin and three stickers plus she threw in some wax melt samples and a surprise sticker pack. She did a wonderful job packing everything to ensure that not only was it protected during shipping, but it looked nice to open as well. I appreciate the personal touches she included like the handwritten note, a care sheet for the candles and little freebie pack.  Ready to see what I received? Let's dive into it. 

Robin (One Piece) inspired candle. This is a 6oz soy wax candle that smells like creamy sandalwood and rich ambers with hints of lemon zest and yellow dahlia petals. I like the soft purple wax that was used for this candle & when it heats up it really sparkles from the lavender mica powder that was added to the wax during the creation process. So not only does this candle smell wonderful, but it looks pretty as well due to the glitter mixed into the wax. It has a clean burn when lit & the jar looks very clean where the wax has melted down. So far, I've burned this on two different days for 4+ hours and I still have a little more than half of the candle left. Just an FYI the figure in the photo belongs to my daughter, it did not come with the candle. This candle can be purchased on her website for $7. 

 

Haku (Studio Ghibli) inspired candle. This candle is slightly larger than the Robin inspired candle, it is 8oz & comes in a jar with a pop-off lid instead of a twist off top. It is a dupe of the BBW Japanese Cherry Blossom, which is the perfect combo for me because Haku is one of my favorite characters and I love the scent of cherry blossoms. This soy wax candle has a beautiful light blue color to it. I only had this lit for a little while as I like only using one candle at a time until it is gone, but it smelled just as good as the Robin candle. This candle can be purchased on her website for $8. I really like that the labels she makes for the candles go with the vibe of the fandom & character themselves. 

Chopper hard enamel pin. There are literally hundreds of different One Piece characters, but out of them all Chopper is my favorite, I've even done a gender swapped version of him for a cosplay convention. This pin is just adorable as the character himself & features him chowing down on some cotton candy. This enamel pin is well made & I love that the backing for it is a heart shape instead of the normal backings enamel pins tend to have, it really added an extra little touch to the pin. Chopper is going to fit in just right with the rest of my pin collection. Chopper along with all of her other pins can be purchased for $7 each. 

Stickers! I received three stickers of different One Piece characters, she included Soul King (Brooke), Fire-Fist (Ace) and Franky. All three are well made, I like the type of material she choose for the stickers and the fact that they are waterproof. They are the perfect size to be used just about anywhere! I really enjoy her style of drawing & how she chooses to draw each of the characters. All of her stickers range from $1-$2 each. 

I have not used the wax samples yet, I need to pick up a new wax melter before I am able to use them. I think I may also include a few of them in next month's Beauty & The Book giveaway so one of you can try out her wax melts as well and each one is shaped like a small heart so it will be perfect for Valentines day. 

Most of the products I received are related to the Anime One Piece, which not everyone may be a fan of, but don't worry! She also has products inspired by Attack On Titan, Sailor Moon, My Hero Academia, Pokemon, and more. I highly recommend checking out her shop if you are an anime lover or if you have someone in your life you are looking for gifts for. The shop owner is really sweet & I am sure if you had any questions, she would be more than happy to answer them for you. If you are in Arizona, you can stop by her booth at some of the local markets and conventions otherwise she ships all over the United States so you can shop her store even if you aren't local. On a finishing note, how pretty is the packaging she picked out for the wax melt samples? 

💜 GIVEAWAY 💜

One lucky winner is going to a win a candle & enamel pin of their choice from MinnyWicks.

This is open to US Residents Only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 02/06/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment letting me know which product is your favorite from the various products MinnyWicks offers. On a secondary note, feel free to leave a suggestion of another Anime, Video game or show you'd love to see her create a candle/sticker/enamel for. 

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Disclaimer-  MinnyWicks provided the products mentioned above for this review & for the giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The Everyman Armory Giveaway & Review!

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by The Everyman Armory for the review & giveaway free of charge.****

* Note; This seller doesn't currently have a shop logo so in place of where I normally put the store logo I will use an icon from the video game I will be talking about in this post.

One of my favorite things about cosplay is that you can cosplay no matter what age you are all that matters is that you love what you do and you have fun. While cosplaying is a lot of fun it can also be a lot of work to create outfits, accessories and weapons that look like what you are wanting to portray and not everyone has that kind of time to invest into a cosplay piece so that is where sellers like The Everyman Armory comes in because they make the gear for you to make cosplaying easier. The Everyman Armory mainly specializes in weaponry from various video games. The weapon I received to review is a piece from a game called Borderlands 2, I have included an image of how the weapon looks in game so you can see how close the replica is to the real (well virtual) thing.

 This specific Jakobs gun has a variety of different looks in the game but the most prominent feature of it is the bayonet which is also the key piece to this cosplay replica piece. As you can see Capt'n J the shop owner puts a lot of thought into each replica and I think he has managed to capture the essence of the in gun game beautifully, it has the same type of barrel and gun size and it has the bayonet as well. This gun is actually a modded and painted nerf bullet gun, and yes it does still work although the shooting speed may be lowered from an average nerf gun to to the fact this one has been altered. Looking over the piece I can't find any spots that were visible and unpainted, he even took the slide off and painted under it so when you pull it back it matches the rest of the gun. He also made small custom "Jakobs" labels to place on both sides of the gun which show the specific gun maker brand from the game.

 

I am actually pretty impressed with how Capt'n J carved out the underside of the gun to make the bayonet fit in snuggly, and the extra nice thing is the bayonet is removable so you don't have to lug it around as a large piece. The top part of the gun was also cut away to make room for the sight/scope addition piece. The gun is light weight and there is a lot of attention to detail he even included lining to make it appear as if it is in a video game and he took the gun apart to paint some of the inner pieces as well so everything flowed together. Looking for something specific? Send him a message I am sure he would be able to help work out something for you. He responds quickly and is always friendly and helpful when questions are asked, shipping was lightning fast and everything was packaged nicely to make sure everything was delivered in one piece, and he even included a Borderlands themed postcard of him dresses as Kreig and it even has postage on it so it is ready to be sent out.

Prize Alert:
One lucky cosplyer or video game art collector is going to win a Borderlands 2 Contraband Sky Rocket grenade mod valued at $50 and shown above.

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email!

Giveaway winners are announced on FACEBOOK, If you would like to see who won my latest giveaways please visit and like my facebook page.

 Giveaway entry question: Please visit  The Everyman Armory and leave me a blog comment letting me know another product you like from his shop. 

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Sweet Emii Creations Giveaway & Review!

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Sweet Emii Creations for the review & giveaway free of charge.****

Two of my favorite things is collecting things that reflect my interest and handmade items so when both of those combine it makes that item that much better. I recently came upon a charming etsy shop called Sweet Emii Creations that sells a variety of small plushes, prints, and more that are all equally cute and will make you say "Awww" out loud when you start looking through the shop. Emily the shop owner is a self-taught sculpture and craft lover who is currently going to school for animation and her unique designs and creative ideas really show in her work. Emily makes and sells earrings, charms, prints, tiny plush figures, cards, magnets, string artwork and more with many fun fandoms in mind such as MLP, Pokemon and Studio Ghibli.

Emily offers a variety of fun kawaii type products all of which are adorable in their own way, some I wanted myself, other products I thought my daughter would love so it was hard to choose which I would want to review. In the end I narrowed it down to the MLP Princess Luna tiny plush and the Toothless tiny plush and had Emily surprise me! As you can see from the photos above I was sent Princess Luna who is my favorite My Little Pony character (of course! Who else would it be?).

Each of the mini plushes sold by Sweet Emii Creations measure from 3 1/2- 5 1/2 inches in length, small enough to be a purse or pocket pal. Princess Luna is made from a very soft silky material with a tulle type material with the eyes and cutie mark embroidered on. There is a little stuffing in the belly of the plush and the head so there is a slight bit of weight to this to keep it from falling off a shelf or desk. The head doesn't move a whole lot but it will lift up slightly, you can't see it too well but she is wearing a moon cowl around her neck. Mini plushes start at $26 each one is handmade some of it is hand sewn and some is done by machine, over all this is a wonderful piece to add to any collection. Due to it's price I wouldn't suggest this as a toy for a young child instead it is more of a collectors piece and a very well made one. Shipping was quick and Princess Luna came neatly packaged with a business card and thank you note included. If you are looking for a specific character you would like made into a plush Emily welcomes custom creations all you need to do is message her via her etsy shop or her website.





Prize Alert:
One lucky winner is going to win their choice of prize from Sweet Emii Creations up to a $20 Value.

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email!

Giveaway winners are announced on FACEBOOK, If you would like to see who won my latest giveaways please visit and like my facebook page.

 Giveaway entry question: Please visit
Sweet Emii Creations and leave me a blog comment letting me know what you might select as a prize if you win.

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Cast Shadow Studio Review & Giveaway

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Cast Shadow Studio for the review & giveaway free of charge.****

My house is much like my blog in being out of the Ordinary, My home is filled with dragons, gargoyles, fairies and more. Recently while I was searching around online I found a wonderful shop called Cast Shadow Studio, that creates and sells a number of Gargoyles and other assorted statues. Cast Shadow is ran by a Artist named Richard Chalifour who is both quite friendly and professional. I have the pleasure of working with Richard on a review and giveaway of one of his Gargoyle statues named Irving.





When I received my package not only did I find a Irving Gargoyle statue but I also received a Vined Dragon Tile. Irving measures approximately 3.5" tall by 1.5" wide with the base being 1.5" Dia. He is the perfect size to sit on your desk, in a planter, or really anywhere you want him displayed. I will be keeping mine on a small ledge above my computer desk. Irving was inspired by one of the many terracotta reliefs that decorate a prewar building, 81 Irving Place, NY. The street is named in honor of the famous author of "Sleepy Hollow" & "Rip Van" Winkle...Washington Irving. "Small Irving", from Cast Shadows Studio, sits at three and a half inches tall upon a one and a half inch diameter base. Each sculpture is individually hand cast and finished so is unique in color and feel. A lot of hard work goes into each and every piece sold by Cast Shadow Studio, you can tell just by looking at his work. Some of the gargoyle statues I have come across do not offer a lot of details since it makes it more difficult to get out of the mold, but the statues and other assorted pieces by Cast Shadow Studio offer a wide variety of details in each piece.





Each piece is light weight but sturdy, I would have no issue putting these on display in my garden because they are high quality and I feel they will withstand the weather. The pieces are smooth and well made, I didn't see a single thing on either piece I didn't like. Above you can find a show case of other items offered by Cast Shadow that I enjoy. The shipping was speedy and it was well packaged, each item was wrapped in foam and set in the center of a stand directly in the center of the box to prevent them from bouncing around or becoming smashed. Another small detail I noticed is that his last name is on each piece which is wonderful for those wanting to know where it came from, and when it was made. I am very happy with both products I received from Cast Shadow and I think you should head over and check them out as well! Their products would make a great new addition to any garden.

PRIZE ALERT:
One lucky reader is going to win a Irving Gargoyle statue of their own!

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The Haunted Knoll Review

****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by The Haunted Knoll for the review free of charge.****

     

My fiance & I are huge fans of the video game Borderlands, We have been playing it for almost two years now and still find entertainment in it which is easy to do when they are still releasing new content for it. We also enjoy Comicon so it isn't a surprise that I am always on the look out for makers of Cosplay materials that are both high quality, easy on the wallet and look good. If you have been a reader of my blog for at least the last two to three months you will have seen past reviews from a company called The Haunted Knoll. I am happy to announce that the owner Will has come out with a new Borderlands mask for your cosplaying needs.



I would like to introduce you to the new Borderlands Psycho Bandit Mask that comes with real leather stitching. The first thing I always notice about the masks Will makes is how clean they are, I have never had an issue with there being extra plaster material, sharp or rough edges everything has always been perfect. He really goes the extra mile to keep his customers happy, my favorite thing aside from the great designs is that he puts a liner on the inside of the mask which is smooth and already finished for you. The mask kit comes with 1 Unpainted mask,9 lengths of 1mm Leather Cord lacing,1 mouth fan accessory piece (optional install),Black Tulle for covering the eyes sockets and
Foam padding for inside the mask all for just $55 plus shipping that is a steal.



You can purchase the mask in either white or black depending on your painting needs. Will suggests painting the mask before adding the stitching which I agree with you don't want to end up ruining the leather by painting it a color you didn't want on it. Keep in mind this mask is stylized as a more "real-life" version of the mask, and not intended as an exact replication of the game artwork I add this because I know some cosplyers like things 100% like the actual character but to me these makes are cutting it really close to the real thing which is wonderful. Want to see more Borderlands cosplay items? Head over and check out The Haunted Knoll they have a great selection and professional grade products this is in my opinion the best shop to get your Borderlands needs from.

Borsa Bella Design Co. Giveaway & Review

I have been on the hunt for a new camera case that suits my needs & I am very happy to have found the perfect little bag to hold my camera,extra memory card,battery & charger. A sweet little company called Borsa Bella Design Co. sells some of the cutest bags I have seen for quite some time. For a recent review I received the Black London Gadget Roo Bag which is black with white & grey swirls.The company is ran by a young woman named Melissa who began sewing at the age of six & her amazing skills show true with how well put together and thought out her bags are,The Gadget Roo I received became an instant favorite of mine and will always be kept in my purse or on me at all times.

"If you prefer to carry only the necessities while maintaining your sense of style, then the Gadget Roo Wristlet is for you. This petite bag serves as the perfect multi-function accessory. Unhook the swivel and attach it to the other side where a D-ring has been artfully added so it can attach to a stroller, belt loop, Golf Bag or Borsa Bella® handbag. Borsa Bella® Wristlets are made with a little extra padding and a soft quilted cotton fabric interior ensuring its durability is on par with its sense of style." I personally love this wristlet my two favorite features are the Second pocket & the extra padding it makes me feel that my camera will stay safe. The main inner pocket is large enough that my camera fits safely along with my credit cards,cash or other small items when I don't feel like carrying a large purse around the Zoo,Store,Park,ect the smaller pocket is perfect for my Extra memory card,Charger & lip balm. Taking a look through their website I also love their Black Beauty Borsetta,Argyle Perfection eReader Travel Bag & Elegant Black and White Catch All Bag. The shipping was fast,Customer service is friendly & their products are well made,built to last and have everything I want in a bag.

Prize Alert:
One lucky reader will win a $30 Gift card to Borsa Bella Design Co.

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My Memories GIVEAWAY & Review

I consider myself a very crafty person I love to create jewelry,mini top hats,home decor,Scrapbooking & more but one of the things I wish I had more time for is Scrapbooking I just never seem to have enough time to sit down long enough to place everything,glue,ect so I have thought about using a Digital scrapbook software program. I didn't know which of the many digital kits to try until I was introduced to a company called My Memories when offered to do a review & giveaway I couldn't refuse. I received a download of their My Memories Suite Version 3 - Full.

Buying & downloading the My Memories digital scrapbooking software is simple & easy you simply head to their website www.MyMemories.com follow the check out instructions & then hit 'Download' you will be asked a small number of questions then your download will begin. I found the software to be very easy & simple to use everything is laid out for you all you have to do is decide where to place everything. I wanted to do a simple test page to show you how everything is set up below you can see an example page I made using photos of my daughter,the page took me about two minutes to throw together. Want more backgrounds,embellishments,imprints,ect? My Memories offers FREE downloads on their website which contain more pages & items for you to play with,Their free kits are quite impressive just like their software. This can help take the time out of scrapbooking,create your page online print it out & add it to your scrapbook. But wait you don't have to make just Scrapbook pages using this software program you can use the edited photos & pages you create to make Mugs,Calenders,Greeting cards,Invited,shirts,Mouse pads & more that are uniquely your own. I think that this software kit from My Memories is worth owning it gives you a fantastic variety of items to use,it is easy to use even for scrapbook,digital software,photo editing & crafting beginners plus it is affordable.****This was not a paid post and my honest opinion was used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.Products were Provided by My Memories for the Review & Giveaway free of charge****

As an added BONUS My Memories has decided to share a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!). Use the Code "STMMMS66821" To get your Discount.

PRIZE ALERT:
One lucky winner will receive their Own My Memories Suite Version 3 - Full software download [A $50 Value]

HOW TO WIN:
RULES : To be eligible for this giveaway contest you MUST do the MANDATORY entry below. You only need 1 Mandatory entry to enter, but you could also have Additional entries to maximize your chances.Please remember to leave your email in your mandatory entry so that I am able to contact you if you win.You do not have to be a blog follower to enter this giveaway but I would love if you would become one it will help you keep updated on All of my giveaways.

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