Subscription: Illumicrate Box, May Edition

Subscription boxes are a really great concept. I used to be a member of Glossybox and used to be thrilled when I got home from work to find my monthly treat sitting at home waiting for me. Glossybox was brilliant but I just found there were too many products that I wasn’t using and was either throwing away or giving away but, let’s face it, you can NEVER have too many books and so that’s why I have signed up for a few book subscriptions starting with Illumicrate.

Illumicrate is a British company set up by an avid book blogger, Daphne, who wanted to give us book lovers the ideal gift every quarter that include a book or two (sometimes including ARCs), beautiful bookish gifts and treats such as bookmarks, pins, artwork, posters, jewellery and so much more. For £29.99 every 3 months, you receive the Illumicrate straight to your door but is the price tag worth it?

Well, the short answer is HELL YES! This box was a little late this month but it only heightened my excitement and expectations and I was not disappointed. As soon as the door rang, I ran to retrieve my parcel, kicked my partner and dog out of the living room to have some alone time with my Illumicrate, to savour the moment.

From this point there will be pictures of the box itself and items enclosed so, if you don’t want any spoilers, thank you for reading up until this point but you may not want to see what’s coming next.

For those who want to have a nose, read on:

 

So after I kicked everyone out and squealed with excitement, I opened the box to find: 

My first thoughts were 1. “Love the yellow, it makes me happy” and 2. “I have a 5 year old, this stuff is going to be the new decor of my house.”

Next was the unveiling, I’m sure I stopped breathing at this point:

I genuinely couldn’t believe how much was in this box. I thought there would be a few bits and pieces but it was completely full! Naturally I felt like a kid in a sweet shop and my first instinct was to simply pull everything out but I restrained, became the sensible 29 year old I can be and proceeded with care.

These were the first things I pulled out of the box and they made my heart sing! I am a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast, I love handmade pieces and obviously, as a complete bookworm, I fell in love with the quote on the little poster. They’re absolutely beautiful and, even though I don’t know the name of the person/company who produced these, I intend to find out because I think they would make such wonderful gifts.

The next thing was this mug which, as a drinker of copious amounts of tea, I really appreciated. The design on the mug is very pretty although I don’t know who she is or what or even if she is from a book. If anyone can enlighten me, please tell me in the comments below.

With this book came a lovely little note from the author explaining the process that led her to writing Truth or Dare. It sounds very interesting but the thing I love most about the book is that it is told from two different perspectives so, when you have finished reading the one side, you flip the book and start the other. It is such a cool concept and I can’t wait to see how well it works.

This is a candle made by a company called Flickerink who create candles based on Fairytales and books that they are inspired by. This one is based on Peter Pan and it smells di-vine! It’s scent is strong and fresh and it’s a perfect candle for the summer. I can see these becoming gift ideas for many friends.

As a feminist, this badge made me very happy and will be gracing my work lanyard. I think I will be looking into this book as well so all in all the advertising for this book was successful. Now, I thought the paper gift was very pretty but I could not work out for the life of me what it was! I genuinely thought it was a hat but then realised it was too small and I was so ashamed of myself when my boyfriend, who barely reads, pointed out its actually a bookmark that sits on the corner of the page!! *hangs head in pure shame* I love bookmarks and so when this was revealed to be one it instantly jumped up to one of my favourites in this box. This one was created by The Penguin Co and can be found on Etsy.

This is the second book from the box and what a beautiful cover! It came with a little note from the author who wrote a lovely excerpt about her inspiration for this book and I can’t wait to read it! I really fell in love with the cover and, of course, the matching bookmark.

This poster was probably my least favourite thing simply because I know I won’t use it at all. I do love the colour scheme though.

Last but by no means least is this keyring. Look at it! It’s so cute! I’m a massive Harry Potter fan so squealed with sheer delight when this came out of its packaging. It was created by a company called Nutmeg and Arlo and it is so glittery and shiny that I’m completely in love.

And that’s it for May’s Illumicrate box. As said before, it was jam-packed full of things and each one was different and unique. For my first box I was incredibly impressed and I’m already looking forward to August’s edition!

My favourites from this box were: The Beauty and the Beast artwork pieces, the keyring, the corner bookmark and the candle.

If you want to sign up for the August box, simply head to the Illumicrate website and subscribe!