Owlcrate May 2021 Unboxing | Expect the Unexpected

 

 

I hadn't been particularly interested in the first four themes Owlcrate had done in 2021 but when I figured out what this months book was there was no question that I would be renewing my subscription. (Another thing I love about Owlcrate is that it allows you to skip months without losing your subsciption place!) This is a little late going up cause I've been swamped at work but I finally found some time to get it done.

May's theme was Expect the Unexpected and this box was definitely one of my favourites so far!

First up we have a book tin, part of an ongoing series by Owlcrate that will eventually have book tins to represent the different London's in V. E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series. As I only tend to get Owlcrate when I really want the book, I don't know how many of these I'll be getting and seeing as I missed the first one I won't have the complete collection. I'm not sure I mind too much as it's still lovely and will look great on my bookshelves on it's own. This tin is inspired by Grey London and has a gorgeous design created by Forensics and Flowers. 

I was very intrigued to discover what this item was when I pulled it out and it turned out to be a lovely corduroy tote bag inspired by Obsidio, the second book in the Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. I love the material used, it feels well made and it's a good size too so it would work well as a day bag. The lettering is wonderful too and the quote sounds so beautiful, hand-lettered by Studio Kyra Calligraphy. Makes me want to pick up this series even more now!

Next up we have an officially licensed Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo inspired scarf from Out of Print, obviously to tie in with all the hype surrounding the Netflix adaptation of Shadow & Bone! It's a really gorgeous design but I'm not too keen on the material used as it feels a bit stiff and scratchy and I also have never worn this type of scarf before so it may be an item I don't get much use out of unfortunately.      

We also got this little vinyl sticker designed by Lion in the Trees featuring a quote from The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. I really love this design and again, it's a great quote for a bookish product. I'm planning on buying myself a new laptop soon so maybe I'll save this to stick on there. 

Possibly my favourite item in this month's box is this absolutely stunning metal bookmark featuring quotes from Scythe by Neal Shusterman and The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and designed by Pixel & Ink Creative. Honestly, I just love bookmarks and I'm always looking to add to my collection! This looks and feels so well made and I can see myself using this a lot cause it's too beautiful to leave in a mug with my other bookmarks!

We also have this month's pin too which is obviously inspired by the featured book. I adore that quote and the design by Icey Designs is one of my favourites to come out of an Owlcrate box.   

This month's book is The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He!! This book is describes as We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli and to me that sounds like the perfect book! We've also got a complicated sisterly relationship and an abandoned island so plenty to look forward too! I completely adore this cover so so much, I love the changes Owlcrate have made, switching from blue and green tones to lilac and pink. Whilst the original cover was definitely more moody in tone, I just think these colours work so well together and it's physically stunning. 

 I don't think these end pages are exclusive but I thought they were just too pretty not to share along with the exlusive foil design on the hardcover case which is beautifull designed and works well with the overall theming of the book itself. So glad I made the decision to get this box cause honestly it has one of the prettiest front covers I own!

Wrapping things up we have the spoiler card for next month's theme which will be Go Your Own Way and will feature an enamel item from Pineapple Sundays! I won't be getting this box but hopefully you enjoy it if you do! If you're interested in buying a box for yourself you can find all the information at the Owlcrate website. Until then, Happy Reading!

Owlcrate December 2020 Unboxing | Love Is A Battlefield

This might be my last Owlcrate unboxing for a while as I decided to skip my renewals for January and February as the books just didn't interest me enough to justify the cost. We shall see what March's theme is and then I'll make a final decision about whether to cancel it completely or not. Anyway, this is super late going up as it took almost two months for the box to get to me because of the whole UK borders closing debacle. It eventually arrived and even though most people will have already seen what's in it, I still wanted to get my post up. 

December's theme was Love Is A Battlefield and the book included this month was super highly anticipated by just about everybody. I've been so excited for this box so let's dive in to what we got...  

Owlcrate November 2020 Unboxing | Growing Wild

I knew as soon as the theme for November was announced I knew that I was going to love this box. I love everything floral and fairytale-esque so I was very impatient waiting for this box to arrive! I swear, these artwork cards get more and more beautiful every month, the illustrations are just gorgeous. This month's theme was Growing Wild which perfectly describes the collection of items we received this month, everything is wonderfully presented and fits the theme so well. Let's get into the items...

The first thing in the box was of course, another item with incredible packaging (I hate throwing them away every month cause they're just so pretty!) which contained a little flower press kit designed by Peppermint Lines and is inspired by A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab. I've never tried my hand at flower pressing so I don't know how much use I'll get out of it but it would be fun to give it a go at some point. I do really love the design as well, it's beautifully drawn. 

I am obsessed with that box, it's designed by Studio Kyra and features a quote from Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore! It's so cute and the gold lettering is stunning. I'm definitely going to have to keep it if only as a little trinket box.  I was so suprised by what was inside though, we have a lovely dandelion pendant necklace that I can actually see myself wearing a lot. I don't wear jewelry often but when I do I like it to be slightly quirky.  

Next, we have some beautifully illustrated botanical postcards created by Rheannon Ormond and inspired by the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. I actually really like these and I think I'm either going to stick them on my wall or properly display them in frames cause they have a gorgeous vintage feel to them. 

I've got so many things to display this month as I think i'm going to stick this print up there as well. Everything in Owlcrate is always so stunning to look at and even things like this that aren't technically made for displaying are just too beautiful to hide away in a drawer. This is just a little sneak preview at the Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert which is releasing in January and i'm definitely highly anticipating it. I love anything fairytale inspired so I can see myself loving this collection of original tales a lot.  

My favourite item this month is definitely the wonderful reading planner that's included every year in an Owlcrate box. This was designed by Blue Star Press and is such a useful item. I usually just plan everything out on my phone and on a spreadsheet but I'm so looking forward to using this next year. There's something a little extra special about having a planner dedicated to my reading and it's really going to help with keeping track of everything I need to do in terms of blogging too. It's got lots of different sections for all your reading needs such as spaces for TBR's, wishlists, book reviews, quotes, wrap ups and more. I love the style of it as well, it's well set out and has plenty of space so I don't have to worry about running out if I read a lot of books one month. 

Our last main item this month is these stunning stickers created by Pipsticks that are perfect for this month's theme and again, are just gorgeously drawn and printed. I'm looking forward to using these in my planner next year. I especially love those little bees!

 

We also have have the montly enamel pin which this month was designed by Morgane Brret Shop and is a little bear (a character from the book) in a beautiful floral and pastel pink design. This might just be my favourite pin yet, it's so cute!   

Finally, we have this month's book which is Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston! I couldn't contain my excitement when I found out what book it was this month, I have been eyeing up this book for so long and I finally have a beautiful edition of it. Owlcrate have switched the white background for black, enhanced the purple, blue and pink shades and added some extra gold detailing. I actually prefer this edition to the original a lot, I feel like the colours are a lot more vibrant and it gives it a more fantastical feel.    

We also have the splendid artwork on the reversible dust jacket as well as gorgeous deep pink sprayed edges. The artwork was designed by Cathrin Peterslund and I can't describe how stunning it is, it's so much better in person rather then my shoddy camera work! It's truly something else and possibly my favourite out of the three reversible dust jackets we've got over the last three months.

 

Lastly, we have the little sneak peek at what's in store for December's box. Next month's theme is Love is a Battlefield and I have a pretty good idea of what the book is, it's been hyped so much so I'm excited to get my hands on a copy. It's also revealed that the box will include an item from Fiction Bath Company, a company that was featured in September's box, so I'm looking forward to another beauty item. 

 

That's everything for this month! Look out for my December unboxing to find out everything included in that box. Happy Reading!    

Owlcrate September 2020 Unboxing

  

This is my very first Owlcrate box (and book box actually) and I ordered it because I absolutely adored the theme of September which is A GLORIOUS HAUNTING and I may have also managed to work out what book was going to be included which basically sealed the deal and had me impatiently waiting for the waitlist emails to go out! It is a bit on the pricey side considering I'm in the UK so the shipping is ridiculous but I decided to give myself an early birthday treat. I really loved the theming of this box, all the items are things that I will use and they're all really well made and perfect for the autumn months. Read on to find out what items were included in this months box!

 

 

The first thing that I pulled out of the box was the softest blanket I've ever felt! This artwork is based on Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, features the full text of the poem and was designed by Michelle Gray. I genuinely gasped when I spotted this as I was sure fate was playing a part as only about an hour before I had added the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe onto my birthday wishlist, so obviously this was meant to be! I will for sure be using this blanket as it's suddenly become very chilly here in England and i'm already in my hot chocolate and hot water bottle stage of the year!

Next, we have this lovely candle made by Novelly Yours. This is of course Hocus Pocus themed with the candle being named The Black Flame Candle which I just adore. I love the packaging but unfortunately I'm not a massive fan of the scent. It's vanilla and bourbon and for some reason I just don't find it very pleasing, maybe it's because I don't particularly like alcoholic scents. I haven't made up my mind about whether or not I'll be lighting this or just keeping it for decoration.

Next, we have this little lip balm from Fiction Bath Co. It's called Sleepy Hollow and is Pumpkin Spice Latte scented. I'm normally not a fan of pumpkin spice flavoured/scented things but I don't actually mind this one, it's not overpowering at all. I'll be adding this to my neverending collection of lip balms but I might pop it into my everyday bag seeing as it is autumn and what's more representative of autumn than pumpkin spice?!  

I then picked out this super cute box which contained these even cuter skull shaped coffee spoons. I'm not sure who made these as it's not mentioned on the spoiler card but I really love the design. I don't actually drink coffee but i'll definitely get some use out of these as hot chocolate spoons instead!

We then have the montly pin that is always included with Owlcrate (I really need to get myself a pin banner because I have acquired a lot of pins lately!) and this was inspired by this months box and designed and made by The Pickety Witch! My photo is really bad, apologies for the bad lighting, but this pin is super gorgeous, I love the design and it will take pride of place in my pin collection.

The last item included in this box is by far my favourite. It's the cutest bookmark I've ever seen and was designed and made by Lapels and Spells. I just adore the design and in particular the phrase 'death before DNF' which I think is really clever! I will say that the chain is a little short for a bookmark so this may only work with shorter books instead of massive hardbacks but I'm going to try and use it as much as possible this month.

Lastly, we have the book! This month's book is Horrid by Katrina Leno and honestly this book is so so beautiful. I was a little worried about the cover redesign because I do really like the original but seeing it in person, I think the red really makes it stand out and makes it pop against the more pale colours. This cover is exclusive and the book is also signed which I was also thrilled about! I really can't wait to dive into this book unfortunately I'm going to have wait until November because my October TBR is already packed to bursting. I know I'm going to love it and it's going to be perfect for the spooky season.

This month we also have a reversible dust jacket with the most stunning art by Rena Illustration, which again my photos do not do justice at all! This is apparently inspired by a scene in the book and gah, it really is just incredible to look at. Rena's art style is beautiful and really suited this month's theming.

Finally we have the little preview card for next month's box. October's theme is LEGENDS & LORE and I think i'm going to carry on my monthly subscription because again I worked out what the book is going to be and it's one I've been anticipating. There's also a little preview of what's to come from a fabric designer who will be designing an item for the box and honestly, I love their art style already!

So that's everything included in the September box. I was a little worried I wouldn't get my money's worth because of how expensive it was but honestly I'm really impressed. I loved the theming of all the items and they're also items which I will genuinely get use out of! I can't wait to find out what's included in Octobers box! Happy Reading!