Unboxing time! October’s OwlCrate theme was Find Me In The Forest, and I was so, so excited when they announced it because a.) I love the forest and b.) I love books that take place in the forest. So I knew this one was probably going to be a home run. On top of excitement over the theme, OwlCrate announced early on that in the month of October that they were going to be including a mug for the first time ever in this box, and as an avid coffee drinker who is constantly running out of room in the kitchen cabinets for all the new mugs I collect, I was pretty much over the moon…especially when they added that it would be perfect for fans of Harry Potter, which, obviously, I am.
And then my complete elation over how just completely dope this box was going to be came to a screeching halt when someone on Instagram totally spoiled it with no warning whatsoever before my box had even shipped.
*Cue mini rant* Look, I get it—you’re excited! Your OwlCrate just arrived and it’s awesome! There are so many cute things in it and you were so surprised! But let’s not forget that other people want to be surprised, too! Half of the fun of OwlCrate is getting a new book and super cute bookish goodies…but the other half of the fun is the element of surprise. It’s the fact that you know you’re getting awesome stuff but you don’t actually know what it’s going to be. It’s like opening awesome bookish-themed Christmas presents every month! But when you post the entirety of the crate in a picture that other people will definitely see, you basically just unwrapped all their Christmas presents for them and stuck them back under the tree.
By all means, people should totally share their OwlCrate unboxings and the cool items they get on social media—I would never say that they shouldn’t. I’m all about that life. Social media is an incredible place to connect, show people your cool bookish goodies, and find out about great new companies that other bookworms love! But I think we also have to do that in a way that’s polite to others and doesn’t ruin things for them. I mean, we all know OwlCrate boxes ship between the 15th-20th, so if you get your crate on the 16th, it’s fair to assume a lot of people haven’t gotten theirs yet—heck, they may not have even shipped yet, like the situation I was in. Everyone gets them at different times! It’s a safe bet to wait until the end of the month or beginning of the next month to post your unboxing and start spoiling the heck out of the items, but if you absolutely must show it right now because your thumbs are just itching to post that picture and it’s impossible to hold it in, dear Lord, at least spare our eyeballs by giving us a spoiler warning! One of my favorite things I’ve seen on Instagram is when people post the OwlCrate items or unboxing on the second picture of a slider of multiple images, with the first one containing no spoilers. Whenever I see that, I think, thank you!!! And then, as tempted as I might be, I scroll right past and don’t check out the unboxing behind that first image. I just want to be surprised by all my amazing bookish Christmas OwlCrate goodies! That’s not a crazy thing to want, right? *end mini rant*
So, when I finally got my box (definitely at the tail end of the shipping period—possibly the last person ever…at least it felt like it lol), I was pretty sad to realize that I knew most of what was going to be in there—and the main thing that had been spoiled for me was the MUG, which had been front and center in the spoiler-riffic picture I’d run across in my Instagram feed. So my unboxing was less of a ripping-through-the-wrappings-in-Christmas-morning-excitement type experience and more of a quietly-removing-items-and-getting-to-see-how-cool-they-are-up-close experience.
Which is fine, I guess.
I know, I know, by this point you’re like DEAR GOD SAM NO ONE CARES JUST TELL US WHAT WAS IN THE BOX!!!!
I’m sorry! I’m long-winded when I get a chance to talk, okay?!
Okay, here’s what was in the box!
Forbidden Forest Mug
OMG this mug is so cute. I can absolutely see why people were freaking out over it. I was freaking out over it. It’s so adorable! It features a wraparound scene of the Forbidden Forest from the Harry Potter series and some of the creatures that reside there, including Buckbeak, Aragog, and the Weasleys’ infamous flying Ford Anglia itself. It also features Hagrid’s hut and some cute little pumpkins!
This could not have possibly fit better with the theme and is one of two items in the box that I think went absolutely best with the forest theme. Definitely one of my new favorite mugs…except that now and then the coffee goes cold because I am so busy looking at how pretty it is.
This was designed by Cara Kozik exclusively for OwlCrate, so it’s truly one of a kind!
Sherwood Forest Tea from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe
The other item that I think fit so amazingly with the forest theme, this package of loose leaf tea from Riddle’s Tea Shoppe is Earl Grey (one of my favorites) with blueberry! Yum. I haven’t tried it out yet, but this package states it will make about four cups—and of course it will be perfect to drink out my new mug! The combo of the tea and the mug definitely makes for a very cozy experience from this particular box.
Cabeswater Candle from In the Wick of Time
I was pretty excited to get a candle from In the Wick of Time, as I have heard so many good things about their company and am constantly seeing their products online! This mini candle is called “Cabeswater”, which is apparently a magical forest from The Raven Cycle series—which unfortunately I haven’t read yet. (I know, I know. I’ll get on it. There’s just so many books in the world lol). Even though I’m not super familiar with The Raven Cycle books, I’m still dying over how good this candle smells. The scent is moss and mint and I just adore anything minty. The combo of that scent with the mossy scent is amazing—kind of woodsy but also kind of minty. So basically perfect.
Woodland Themed Coaster from Kristin Askland
How cute is this?! This coaster designed exclusively by Kristin Askland has adorable little woodland animals and brings super cozy woodsy vibes. I don’t know what this coaster makes me want to do more—curl up with a cup of coffee and a woodsy book or go for a hike and try to spot some real life woodland creatures! If you haven’t checked out the rest of her work yet, just a heads up: it’s all SUPER adorable.
The only drawback to this coaster is that the top portion of it seems to just be paper, so I’m terrified to actually use it as I don’t want to mess it up and then have it not be cute! So this is going to be an exclusively decorative coaster that I can prop up on my shelves and just admire how adorable it is without ruining it.
Where the Wild Things Are Magnetic Bookmarks
These cute little magnetic bookmarks from craftedvan and inspired by Where the Wild Things Are are super cute (wow, that was a weird sentence), but you know what one of the best parts is?
They have butts! Haha. I love when magnetic bookmarks carry the detail over to the backside of the bookmark rather than putting an image only on the front. Those are my favorite kinds!
Princess Mononoke Art Print
I know literally nothing about Princess Mononoke. Like at all. But I don’t really have to know much to know that this print by Audra Auclair is really pretty and the art is incredibly well done. And it seems to fit very well with the forest theme!
And the book for the month of October was….
Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
Wild Beauty follows the Nomeolvides family, who tends to a garden estate called La Pradera. In this magical realism novel, the women of the family have a gift and a curse. Their gift is that they can grow amazing, beautiful flowers anywhere they want. But their curse is that they can never leave the grounds of La Pradera, and anyone they fall too in love with will vanish.
Wow, right? Like, yikes. That does not seem to balance out.
One day at La Pradera a mysterious boy appears from the soil itself and turns everything they know on its heads. OwlCrate promises this is a novel dealing with loss and love—both relationship love and familial love.
Book Extras
As always, OwlCrate totally brings it home with the amazing extras they include with their chosen books, including, once again, a letter from the author herself, and a beautiful signed bookplate. In addition to those items, though, they also included a cute little extra in the form of a packet of seeds so you can try your own hand at growing some beautiful flowers—but not at the price of having your lover vanish into thin air. I thought this was super cute thematic edition, and I always appreciate tiny little extras like that. It really shows their commitment to going the extra mile.
OwlCrate Specific Items
As always, OwlCrate included their spoiler card, explaining everything contained within the box, and an exclusive pin with matching artwork. I adore the artwork for this one (who am I kidding? I love the artwork for ALL of their boxes!), and I especially love the detail with the deer skull with vines growing on in it in the corner. So beautiful.
Though not pictured here, they again included a little magazine this month, as well, with interviews from suppliers and the author, additional info, and details on the upcoming photo challenge (#ocforest) for this box (which I believe begins November 5th). Again, I just love this little magazine. It’s a cute little extra and really makes you feel like you’re getting a look behind the scenes, and is another demonstration of OwlCrate’s commitment to making your unboxing a total experience.
Overall Impressions/Favorites & Next Month’s Theme
So, if you can’t tell, my overall impressions of this box are pretty good. My absolute favorite item is definitely without a doubt the mug, but I also really love the tea and the coaster, and the candle smells amazing!
Next month’s theme is Castles, Courts, & Kingdoms!
Sooo that sounds like it will be amazing. It promises to deliver goodies for fans of A Court of Mist and Fury, Lord of the Rings (yes), Harry Potter (hell yes), and Game of Thrones, as well as The Grisha Trilogy. They’ve already teased an exclusive Grisha inspired item from Juniper and Ivy Designs and a lip balm from Geek Fire Labs that definitely seems like it will be Game of Thrones inspired! I am, of course, probably most excited for the LOTR and HP items, but I’m super excited to try out a lip balm from Geek Fire Labs.
And I just hope I don’t get spoiled this time!
What did everyone else think of the October OwlCrate? Have you read Wild Beauty yet? Are you stoked for November? Let me know in the comments! You know I’d love to talk. <3
Sorry the box was spoiled to you like that. Honestly, people should use the feature to post pics in one go for it. You can post the first pic (that everyone can see) of just the box and then of the actual unboxing people can swipe. If they really can’t wait to post it right away.
That coaster is so cute!
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was saying, too! Then if I see the box, I know I better not swipe to see the spoilers–if I do, that’s on me. But to put it right out there in the open?! Urrrgh!