Out of the Box Sampler - January 2015

Out of the Box Sampler isn't exactly a subscription box, because you decide each month if you want to order based on the theme and vendors. However, each month, boxes are made available in the first few days of the month (the theme is revealed the month before and spoilers go out to get you ready). These sell out fast - and you will quickly see why!

This is also an amazing opportunity for crafters. For information on donating to a future box, you can visit this page and get more information. They even tell you themes for the year, shipping dates, etc. so you can plan. It appears they're pretty open to anything, too, as long as it's related to the theme and it's a great way to get your name in front of lots of people as a crafter.

January's sampler was themed "Baby It's Cold Outside" and you can see the giant list of vendors on the paper below.

First of all, this box was GIANT and it was PACKED with stuff!! It was like a whole holiday gift just going through it all. I also need to mention how great the packing was. There were food items, household items, and a pet item (they asked before sending if we had cats). The food items were in a small plastic bag, and the cat item was in its own bag as well. All the household items were wrapped in a box with a pretty snowflake. It's a small thing, but I love that my food and candles/soap, for example, were separated, even though they were all individually wrapped, too.

There were so many candles and warming tarts in this box! I don't have a tart warmer (although Little Miss Crafty says she may have an extra) so either the tarts will be gifted or put in a giveaway, or I will wait and get one! I didn't unwrap any of them in case I have to give them to someone. There was a great variety in scents, too.

For the beauty products, there was a heavy percentage of soaps, which makes me so happy. I love soap so much! That probably sounds weird, but especially handmade and natural soaps - and these all smell so good. I also received an exfoliating scrub, which has patchouli and vanilla, and I can't wait to use it. Also in the beauty products selection were a lip balm (peppermint), foot scrub (so excited to try this), and hair ties, which are adorable.

The cat present was a catnip toy - and the cats went for it right away, of course. I also received gift tags, a coupon for jewelry/art classes, an awesome mixed media scrapbooking kit, and an Elmo necklace (I'm sure I know kids who will love this). I love the fat snowman magnet and he's already up on my fridge.

There were a few snacks, too! As you can see from the bag, one was cotton candy. That was gone almost immediately and it was excellent. I also received a hard caramel heart pop, some loose leaf tea, and rosemary seasoning salt. We are saving that for the next time we eat fries or potatoes - something salted, because it sounds wonderful!

February's theme is Queen of Hearts (Valentine Sampler), and boxes go on sale February 2. I'm definitely looking forward to it!