Swar-Yay! is a monthly home decor subscription filled with handcrafted, seasonally-themed decor made by independent artists and small businesses.
This box is being reviewed thanks to an MSA reader request!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Swar-Yay!
The Subscription Box: Swar-Yay!
The Cost: $64.95 per month with free shipping
The Products: Seasonally-themed holiday decor created by independent artists and small businesses.
Ships to: The US for free
Swar-Yay! "Mingle and Jingle" December 2019 Review
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This month's theme is "Mingle and Jingle" and this flyer shows all six of the items we received this month along with a note about the importance of tradition at this time of year, which is something I certainly value as well!
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Novel Adornment Ornament - Retail Value $10.00 (I believe this is a medium-sized ornament, as long as my measurements are correct!)
Our first item is this ornament, which is seemingly ordinary, but what makes it so special is that inside are hand-cut and curled strips from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. While it may seem a waste of a book, these are upcycled from damaged or discarded books. This is such a cute idea and becomes a very simple design with more meaning once you take a closer look! Love that it comes from a small shop, too!
I was able to find a spot on our tree and I think this glass ornament should fit in with anyone's tree decor, whether it be an eclectic mix of colors and styles like ours or a tree with a more sophisticated, polished look.
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The Uptown Heritage Co. Felt Christmas Pennant - Retail Value $27.00
This Christmas pennant is another design that is very simple and should be fairly easy to place within any decor, although the vertical layout makes it kind of tricky. I am not sure how to style this one at all. It features the loops at the top to tie it to something, but I don't have anything in my home that I could see working to hang this on. I like the deeper red color and the quality is nice with a double layer of felt. The stiffened felt letters are also hand-lettered, which is something that always impresses me. I was a little surprised at the high price tag, but I know that is typical for handmade felt items; especially one this large at 28" long X 10" wide.
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I had a different Christmas sign hanging here in this cozy corner and just hung this in its place. I think it works, but this definitely won't stay there. I'm open to suggestions on how to style and hang this one!
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The Thrifty Gifter Christmas Burlap Sign - Retail Value $18.50
This sign is one of those cute and simple decor pieces that I always admire, but have never purchased. I love that it does not look like a Christmas item at all, but of course, the print says it all! I plan on upping the Christmas factor and finding a red frame to keep this in the way they styled it in their shop photos. While it would have been awesome to receive a frame to go with it, I know it should be pretty easy to find one that isn't too expensive.
Luckily I was able to swap it out for one of the pictures I already had in this 8 X 10 frame on our family gallery wall. I think it will be really cute with a red frame and will stand out just enough to add a little holiday cheer to our family photos!
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Rustic Jingle Bells
This set of three bells isn't branded, but I love the rustic look and the plaid ribbon that give them a handmade feel. The stars and snowflakes are great little design elements and these could easily be hung on a tree as ornaments. Since they are small, they really can go anywhere!
I decided to add them to our pot rack in the kitchen for another simple bit of holiday festiveness.
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Dell Cove Spice Company Christmas Cocktail Rimming Sugar, 2.5 oz bag - Retail Value $6.95
This next item is a bit different and I thought it added some fun to our box! These organic sugar crystals are a mix of red, white, and green and are made by a family-owned company in Chicago. There should be enough sugar in here to rim 50 glasses! They also included a recipe for a Christmas cocktail that sounds pretty yummy with chocolate and tequila. I thought it was sweet that they included a recipe, and if you don't want to use them for drinks, you could easily sprinkle these on top of some Christmas cookies.
We had some bananas that were browning so I let the kids try these out on the rim of a banana milkshake (with green food coloring). They loved the sugar of course. I liked that they were decent sized crystals, which make them especially great for cocktail rims. I'll be using mine for a Mommy drink at some point, although I'm not a big tequila fan outside of margaritas so I may just use my own recipe for something yummy!
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Book Snowman Decor - Estimated Value $20
I love this little snowman! It is such a cute, unique item that will look great on any shelf all winter long. He is 6 inches tall and about 4 inches wide and I love that it is mostly neutral with just a few tiny pops of color. It is made from a book (I would assume upcycled from a damaged or discarded one like our ornament) and it definitely has the feel of a handmade item, most likely from a small shop. Since it isn't branded, I can't confirm any of those details and I estimated the value as somewhere in the middle of what similar items cost on Etsy (ranging from $12 to $30). This one seems like it might even be better quality than the ones I found considering the clean edges and the nice details such as the cute scarf and hat, the buttons and the stick arms which some of the other listings didn't have. I think this might be my favorite item from this collection!
Verdict: This was my first time receiving Swar-Yay! and overall, I was pretty impressed with the quality and uniqueness of these handcrafted items. I love that the decor was understated which makes it easy to fit into most home decor styles and I especially loved that they came from small shops. At first, it didn't feel like much, but as I began to place the items around my home, I realized there was just enough to spread a little bit of holiday cheer throughout the space. It was actually nice that there were just a few smaller pieces and nothing bulky that would take up a ton of space or require any real effort to find a spot for it. Instead, it simply mixed in with the decor I already had, which is what a great home decor box really should do, in my opinion! Especially since decor can be incredibly subjective and personal. As for the value, the known retail values come to $62.45, and if we add in my estimate for the snowman our total is $82.45 which doesn't include the set of bells. For a $69.95 subscription, I think the value is there and I am pleased with the items I received and how easily I was able to place them in my home (although, I am still working on that pennant)!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes! As of publication, this box is still available!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $69.95 bringing the average cost per each of the 6 items to $11.66.
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