It’s Monday, that means it’s time for a quick roundup of what i found in my mailbox over the last week…

Book Mail

Two days this week found a total of 3 shiny new ARCs in the incoming mail.

• Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach is a mystery/crime thriller centred around twin sisters, Ava and Zelda, and Ava’s return to their disfunctional family home on a dilapidated vineyard following the supposed death of Zelda in a fire. A series of notes, letters and emails leads Ava on a journey looking for the truth about her twin’s disappearance whilst uncovering a few truths about herself. (Published by Corvus and due for release on 4 May 2017)

• Nomad by James Swallow is a Spy Thriller full of suspense and likened to books and TV dramas such as I Am Pilgrim, The Bourne series, Homeland, and 24. (Published by Zaffre on 29 December 2016)

• The Women of the Castle by Jessica Shattuck is a historical novel, set in the aftermath of WWII, exploring how three women deal with life after war and how they come to terms with both the choices they made and their outcomes.  (Published by Zaffre and due for release on 18 May 2017)

Keep an eye out for my reviews of them if you are interested to know what i thought of them!

Subscription Surprises

I do enjoy coming home from work to discover a box or envelope of goodies to explore. 

I try to avoid seeing spoilers so the contents are a complete surprise!
So, without further ado, on with the unboxing!

Nature-themed goodies from Boxcitement

Each month’s Boxcitement contains a collection of stationery, jewellery, honeware, gifts and little crafts; all curated around a central theme, April’s being ‘Lost in the Woods‘.

When you open the box, everything is hidden beneath sticker sealed tissue, and the double sided contents card is sealed inside the lid so there can be no inadvertent spoilers as to the actual contents.

Although the boxes are themed, the contents are varied, both in type and style. There’s usually a good mix and this box is no exception.

So in this month’s box, inspired by The Great Outdoors, I found:

• A chunky twig pen 
• An A6 notepad with a flower print cover. (Actually, the paper feels more sketchbooky and on closer inspection of the contents card, this is indeed what it is) 

• A card kit to make a mini cute birdhouse
• A set of gift wrap, featuring a lovely quality sheet of double sided paper and two coordinating tags

• A stylish ribbon wrap bracelet with attached tassle and cute flower catch
• A sweet little test tube vase, complete with rope hanging string and a cute little doodah (that’s the incredibly technical term for the leaf embellishment attached to it 😉 )
• A funky wall-mountable honeycomb keyholder

My favourite item in the box has to be the keyholder. I love the ingenious fit & click idea, i mean who needs hooks when you have honeycomb holes??

According to the contents blurb, there should have been a card & envelope in there too but that seems to be missing. I wonder what it looked like?

So what do you think of Boxcitement?

I really like the variety included in each box.

You can find out more about Boxcitement subscriptions here, they start at £18/month buy paying for 3,6 or 12 months discounts the cost to as low as £15. They also offer mini boxes and one-off gifts around Valentine’s, Mother’s Day etc. 

Obviously I have a code for you if you want to try out a box for yourself (I know, I’m lovely!!) so use code ” FIRST BOX ” to get 10% off a monthly subscription.

Citrus-themed Stationery from Paperhaul

Saturday morning brought my monthly Paperhaul subscription package. They have recently changed their ‘look’ and have swapped their brown cardboard boxelopes for these white card envelopes. 

The sticker on the outside matches the design theme of the contents, as does the inserted business card.
This month’s theme is citrus, and the collection is entitled ‘Lemon Love‘.         The citrus-y colourscheme is bright & juicy and the fun graphic print is delightful.

Stationery items included in April’s set are:

• Large square card with an allover print, with matching envelope.

• 3 postcards, all in variations of the theme.

• 3 Mini flatcards with matching envelopes, in matching lemon slice repeating print with 3 different coloured backgrounds.

• A6 dot grid paper notepad, with a cover featuring a lemon slice print. The front bears the slogan “When life gives you lemons …” which is completed “… make lemonade!” inside.

I like the revamped look to the Paperhaul boxes, I had been considering cancelling this subscription but I’m keen to see the next few now!

If you are interested in a Paperhaul Subscription, you can find out more here. 

Subscriptions are £10/month, with p&p extra (£2 UK, £5 Europe, £6 Rest of World). Although I will also tell you that using code ” 25OFF ” will snag you a 25% discount on your first #Paperhaul (because I’m nice that way).

Did you find anything fun in your mailbox last week?

Until next time,

Hugs,

Crafty xx