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Accessory Inspiration from Around the World: Ensemble Box

August 30, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

When it comes to fashion, I am pretty much the worst at accessorizing. I just don’t have an eye for how to pull things together on my own and if I want to achieve a certain “look” I have to just copy it from my source of inspiration to not get it horribly wrong. I actually really love looking at accessories, and wish I had the confidence to know what to buy that would work with my wardrobe. But I get so confused so easily, and more often than not, I just don’t buy anything and then find myself wearing outfits that fall short of looking polished.

So when Ensemble Box reached out about their company and what it offers, I was very excited. This is a monthly subscription service that will send you a few fun accessories each month, and every box is inspired by a particular country.

The August box I was sent, for example, contained items inspired by Spain. Three accessories were included, as well as a bonus treat (in this case, some tea that is traditional to Spain).

The pashmina silk wrap is absolutely gorgeous and felt like the “big” item in the box. The colors are perfect for the fall, too.

I also really love the hollow out round drop earrings. This is something I would never have the guts to buy from a store but now that I own them I love them! They are so flashy and fun, and yet, if I wear my hair down then they can blend in a bit and not be overly loud.

I also think the aviator metal sunglasses are quite fun. I’m not sure that they are the best style for my face frame, but I’ll keep playing around with them.

The Ensemble Box seems to be very thoughtfully curated box at a reasonable price point of $37.95 monthly. This is a new subscription service and there are few things I’d love to see them include as they continue to grow. First, I’d like to see retail price points for the items included. When I purchase a subscription box I like to feel as though I am getting a lot of bang for my buck, so show me what I might have spent if I’d picked up each item at full retail cost! Second, I’d like to see more information on the website about the country of the month and some ideas for how to weave the accessories into your wardrobe. Show me some folks wearing the scarf or the earrings to give me ideas (because I promise I’ll struggle to come up with it on my own!). And finally I’d love to see the option of subscribing for a longer period of time (month-to-month is the only option for now) and a little price break for committing to more boxes.

Are you an accessory maven or are you like me and riding the struggle bus in this department? Would Ensemble Box be something that could help you get out of a fashion rut?

Mail Order Lobster From Maine for the New England Experience: Meet LobstahBox

August 27, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I’ve always dreamed of having an awesome date night at home with lobster. It sounds so divine! But I have no clue how to even pick a good lobster, let alone cook one! That’s where my friend Annemarie Menelli’s company, LobstahBox, comes in to save the day and make this dream totally possible by shipping you the New England experience, complete with mail order lobster from Maine. Enjoy her guest post and be sure to check out this awesome woman-owned business!

For me it isn’t a fun family gathering unless we’re surrounded by great food. My fondest memories growing up were big backyard feasts with my big — and very loud — New England family. The food often was New England classics and most memorable was fresh Maine lobster. These are some of the best memories of my life, the kind I’ll never forget. And that’s the reason I co-founded LobstahBox with my business partner, Jessica.

We started LobstahBox to give people the opportunity to create their own memories with their friends and family around an outstanding and authentic New England meal they’ll never forget.

LobstahBox brings to your kitchen table great times in a way that only authentic Maine lobster can! From the fun and laughter of cooking it to the cracking and picking of the meat with your entire family wearing lobster bibs, you’ll have a picture to treasure and share for years to come.

We know that for some the joy of eating lobster can be cut short by a fear of cooking it. That’s why we make it so incredibly easy for you with our step-by-step instructions that come with every order. If you can bring water to a boil, you can cook lobster. Our goal is to make the LobstahBox experience as fun and easy for you to enjoy with the ones you love.

Every classic LobstahBox comes with lobster crackers and lobster picks, lobster bibs & placemats showing you how to eat lobster, wet naps for cleaning your hands when the feast is over and cooking sheets that easily show you how to cook the lobster.

It’s the perfect gift to get your kids, young and old, around your kitchen table and make memories that will last a lifetime. Or, enjoy it for a romantic date night in with your partner. We’re confident you’ll find LobstahBox is the gift that won’t disappoint!

You can feel good knowing that the Maine lobster you’re eating is actually coming from Maine! Our commitment to sustainability is the center of everything we do. Our 100% Maine lobster is wild-caught and harvested, one trap at a time, off the coast of Maine.

Sweet, delicious lobster starts at the ecosystem where the lobster lives. In Maine, we ensure this ecosystem is protected by only harvesting by trap, ensuring this ecosystem is pristine and not overfished. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the lobster industry and it’s good for you!

LobstahBox is excited to share our email campaign going on now, in anticipation of our launch on August 30th. If you sign-up now, you will have a chance to win free lobsters and also ways to earn additional product by spreading the good news for us. Please check out our website at www.lobstahbox.com and join us! Anyone can bring it to a boil. It’s lobstah time.

Hate Germs? Meet The Subscription Box of Your Dreams

March 7, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Squix for passing along sample products. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I always love getting to show you fun new subscription boxes. This one caught my attention because the focus is on a topic other than beauty, fashion or kids. This one is all about keeping yourself and your home nice and clean.

That’s right, it’s the subscription box that all the clean freaks out there have been dreaming about! 😉

This is Squix, and it’s a website that offers a la carte shopping of the latest and greatest in cleaning products, as well as a subscription box opportunity that is customizeable based on your particular cleaning needs.

In my case, I’m all about planet-friendly cleaning products, so Squix sent me some samples of some of their offerings. I’m definitely not a clean freak by any stretch, but I have to admit that it was pretty darn fun to get a box of new-to-me products to use in my home.

I was able to immediatley put the wood floor cleaner to use in my shark. I love that the formula was concentrated so that excess water and weight wasn’t being shipped all over the country. I just added my own to the mix. I also like concentrated formulas because they take up less space in my small home.

The Babyganics sanitizing wipes will come in handy for me in the car, even though I’m passed the baby season of my life. I’m still deep in the “messy kid” season, though, so these will be in our console for unforseen messes. There are 20 in the package; I predict they will be used up within 3 months. 🙂

I also especially liked the e-cloth, which is designed to use with stainless steel and with only water. I need to research how to use this one a bit more, as my first once over with my dishwasher resulted in only “sort of” clean results. I’m intrigued by the product, though, so I’m not ready to give up, yet!

A QBox, which is the Squix subscription box, is $21.98/month and could be a really fun way to get your cleaning product needs met without having to buy the items at the store. This is especially true in my case, where I probably wouldn’t be able to find some of these products at mass retailers, even with the increasing popularity of planet-friendly cleaning products. This is a great way to bring all the cool new stuff out there straight to my front door.

Take the short quiz from Squix to determine your QBox style and then give it a try (the first box is 50% off!). You’ll get 3 Squix products plus a surprise gift, and you can cancel at any time.

A Subscription Service for the Tea Aficianado: Just Add Honey

September 18, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Just Add Honey for providng a box for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links may be included.

I am a huge fan of the afternoon ritual of tea time.

Well, let me clarify: in my world, that looks like afternoon coffee time, but that particular ritul that is totally a part of the cultural fabric of England is spot on (pardon the pun). I have tried many times over to fall in love with tea so that I could do a proper tea time each afternoon. Alas, it’s just not in the cards for me. But I know many of you out there adore a delicious cup of tea, and if that’s you, then you need look no further than Just Add Honey.

This monthly subscription service offers its members exclusive blends of tea that come from small growers all over the world. The ingredients are organic and I can tell from first-hand experience, they smell AMAZING and they are beautiful, too.

This is petal pusher, which I sampled due to its medium caffeine content, which I needed mid-morning! It’s a blend of black tea and rose petals and the smell is intoxicating!

The directions for how much to use and how long to steep are on the package. You’ll get several cups from each package.

And let’s not forget that gorgeous honey!

Subscribers get a different yummy honey with each box (for the honey subscription or for the tea and honey subscription). This one is from Walker Honey Farm in Rogers, TX. It’s dark and YUMMY! I added a teaspoon to my tea after it steeped and thought it was delicious! Every box features a new jar of raw American harvest honey from small batched beekeepers. So cool!

If honey isn’t really your thing, you can also go for the tea subscription box. Pricing is as follows for the 3 types of boxes:

honey subscription box: $12.95
tea subscription box: $19.95
tea and honey subscription box: $29.95

If you or someone you know LOVES tea, then I think Just Add Honey offers something really special that you can’t just run to the store and replicate.

Coupon Code!

Want to give Just Add Honey a try? Use promo code YOYAL-I-TEA and you’ll get 20% off anything on the site!

Teaching Financial Literacy from a Young Age: Financial Adventure Subscription Review

September 15, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Thanks to Financial Adventure for providing review materials. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links included.

A cousin of mine who is a financial planner recently introduced me to a totally new kind of subscription service for kids. We LOVE getting subscription boxes because it’s an easy way to do crafts and to try fun new products. This subscription service, though, is teaching a critial life skill to kids: money management!

The Financial Adventure subscription comes with a monthly packet of materials, and you can also get the starter packet, which has some extras like a calculator, a mock check book or a piggy bank.

I received samples from two of the three levels. What you will see below comes from piggy’s financial adventure (geared toward kids ages 5-7) and from the kids & teens packets (ages 8-18). There is also an advanced financial adventure packet for kids 13-18.

You get a worksheet for the month which includes a starting balance and various things that happen throughout the month (getting small financial gifts from family members, buying treats, etc.). You get play money to deposit into your piggy bank, and to take out when those transactions take place, and you get to do some addition and subtraction to keep up with your balance along the way. My 6-year-old hasn’t yet learned how to count money, so even though she’s in the age range for this set, she’s not ready for it. And that’s ok! She’ll be learning about this concept this year in school, and when that happens, we’ll use our financial adventure kit to do some real world practice!

In the set for kids & teens, you aren’t keeping your money in a piggy bank anymore, but instead in a checking account. You are also having to pay for things like your cell phone bill and gas. I think this might get a bit lost on the 8-year-olds, but this is SO perfect for teenagers who might be getting their first jobs, and who might be wishing for more expensive items, like the ability to drive a car or have their own phones. When kids grasp early on just how expensive it is to have all these luxuries, they are better equipped to take better care of them and to appreciate them more. They can also make better decisions about which ones might be worth it, and which items they should pass on, or at least wait for a sale! 🙂

I think this is a really great concept; by teaching kids some financial literacy early on, like managing expenses or applying for scholarships, you are equipping them to make fewer money mistakes and paving the way for a more secure financial future! I would recommend selecting the kit that sounds like the best fit for your child and staring with that level’s starter kit and a one month subscription to the financial adventure packet. After that point you can decide if it’s a great fit, and if so, go for the year subscription, because it’s the best deal at $10.95/month (vs. $14.95/month if you go month-by-month). I think this is an excellent investment to make in your kids’ future! 🙂

The Happy Trunk: Subscription Box for Simple, Kid-Friendly Projects

September 9, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Special thanks to The Happy Trunk for providing a sample for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In my house, we have fallen hard for subscription boxes. In particular, we are drawn to boxes that offer ready made activities and crafts for young kids. My girls love to do cool projects, and I love for them to get to do cool projects, but if you leave it up to me to plan those projects, I’ll be overwhelmed and on the verge of tears within about 10 minutes.

Y’all, I just don’t craft. But why should my lack of skills in this area come at a cost to my kids, especially if awesome options like The Happy Trunk exist?

When my oldest opened up The Happy Trunk, she immediately wanted to start doing projects, and I was so excited for her that I completely forgot to take a picture of the items in the box in their original state. Oops!

But let me show you some of the completed work we have done with the August box, which was focused on Hot and Cold. The Happy Trunk projects are STEAM focused, meaning that they combine elements of science, technology and math, expressed through engineering and art.

The first project was really an experiment to conduct with a spoon that is sensitive to heat. This was the most basic project in the kit (I mean…it’s just a spoon) but it was actually the most popular with my girls. They have played with it daily. It came with a card for experiment ideas. I would have liked to have seen the science of why the spoon changes colored explained, though.

The second project was also a big hit: making chalkboard coasters. The kit came with the paint, a paint brush, a paint cup, chalk and 2 cardboard circles to paint. This was VERY fun for my kids and they felt great making something that they would actually use. This is also a great chance to talk about condensation, though again, I think this is an area that could have been a bit more fleshed out in the materials.

The third project was to make a koozie. I had to first explain what a koozie was, truth be told! I sort of think koozies are pointless, but if you are going to have one, have one of the cute fabric ones. Darah thought it was awesome to be able to accessorize your drink, so she got right to work.

Unfortunately, the koozie kit we got had faulty velcro (two of the same side). I contacted Happy Trunk and they put a replacement project in the mail for me immediately, which I thought was great customer service.

We haven’t yet completed the final project, which is all about making ice creations with color. I thought this project had the most extensive list of possibilities. When we are ready to take the project on, we have several different things we can do, so that makes this particular craft more than a “one and done” which I really love.

Was the kit perfect? No, but I thought the flaw in our kit was handled really well. And I think the price point for the Happy Trunk is a positive, with the boxes running $17.95 each if you subscribe for a year ($19.95 each if you go month to month…shipping is free).

I also like that Happy Trunk has two age ranges, and therefore recognize that a an 9-year-old is going to need something different than a 3-year-old. You can select boxes for 3-7 or for 8-11. I thought this box, which is in the 3-7 range, was spot on for my kids.

I’d love to hear if you have tried Happy Trunk and what you thought of it. If you haven’t tried it yet and you’d love to have some craft projects that also throw in some math and science, give Happy Trunk a try!

Homespun Fun, Delivered Monthly: Blossom Box Review

May 30, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Boxes provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

The subscription box market seems to be getting just a little crowded, especially when it comes to kid-friendly offerings. That means that buyers, like me, can be a bit ore choosy about what they select when looking for something fun for the kiddos.

I want to give a very strong recommendation for Blossom Box! While I don’t think it is the right subscription box for every single kid out there (and frankly, what subscription box would be?), I DO think it is a really great fit for kids ages 6-10 who love to use their imaginations, and who are intrigued by nature.

Blossom Box has a vibe to it that is different from any other subscription box I have yet encountered. It feels very homespun, and I mean that in a good way! Let’s take a closer look.

Here’s a look at the contents of April’s box, which was all about birds. Notice the natural materials included, such as bird feathers and bird seed. Even the individual projects come in these brown paper bags that give the entire box a natural feel.

May’s box is all about storytelling, with wooden figures and blocks as part of the offerings. Side note: I also noticed that the color pencils included were Crayola, which I definitely appreciated, because that’s one area where you get what you pay for with art supplies, so go for Crayola! 🙂

I found the May box to be too difficult for my youngest to get to play with as it involved some intricate cutting and sewing (to be fair, she just turned 3 a few weeks ago) and I even found it to be a bit of a stretch for my 5-year-old. So I’m tucking these activities away and will pull them out again next year when I think she’ll be more ready for them.

But the birds box was a huge hit with both of my kids! They loved making edible art for the birds with the birdseed.

We even took a few of the crafts with us on vacation, and made our own bird sculpture while we were there. It may not be the more realistic looking bird I’ve ever seen, but Layah sure was proud of her creation! She molded the clay just the way she wanted, and applied each and every feather herself.

And we also enjoyed trying out painting with feathers as our paintbrushes. The girls used both sides of the feathers and made some really cool paintings. We even had plenty of the tempera paint powder left over to save for future art projects, which was awesome!

I was very impressed with the art projects offered in the Blossom boxes. I can tell that a great deal of thought has gone into them, and the projects tend to use materials that are a bit different from what I’ve seen in other craft boxes. I do think they are a bit too advanced for your average preschooler, but that’s just my own opinion. I think this is a GREAT choice for an elementary school kid who loves art and nature. They come together beautifully in this monthly box.

Blossom Box is available for $19.95/month plus shipping (which is $4.95 per box). You can sign up month by month and cancel at any time, or you can purchase 3 month, 6 month and 12 month subscriptions for a discount, though with every plan, the shipping charge is added (my opinion? just wrap the shipping charge into the price of the kit and be done with it!).

Best believe this will be on our Christmas wish list this year! We loved it! 🙂

Coupon!

I’ve got a coupon code for anyone who wants to sign up for an ongoing subscription with Blossom Box. Use BLOOM at checkout and you’ll save 50% on your first box. Yay!