The Little Black Box Arrives

Have you heard of The Little Black Box? It's a service that helps connect indie businesses with consumers who might never hear of them otherwise. Businesses send in their sample- or full-size items and/or promos, which are then available for sale as a little black box of surprises. You don't know exactly what you're going to get, but that's part of the fun. I saw it mentioned in the Etsy forums and immediately googled it. And the following week, my little black box arrived. (It's actually a bag now, in order to fit items of all sizes.)

Kimberlee Keane, who runs The Little Black Box, is very helpful and friendly. I contacted her before I made my purchase, because I have environmental allergies and I was concerned about scented products possibly being included. This is both bad for me (achoo!) and bad for the businesses, since their items would be wasted on me. Kimberlee came up with a solution and I got a scent-free box. (Hooray!) So even though I ordered a July box, a few items that were meant for the August box may appear in my pictures. July boxes are already sold out, but August boxes go on sale August 22nd.

Hmm, what's in the bag?

13 goodies in the bag; here they are spread out on my kitchen table.


1. Hand-dyed silk scarf by Made With Loving Hands.

2. Fabric covered mirror by Promos in a Snap.

3. Stone earrings by jaC Jewelry. (My photo doesn't do them justice - very lovely in person.)

4. Pretzel earrings by Amazon Creations.

5. A small jar of "Fray" eye shadow by Mixology.

6. Glass pendant by Designs by Tami. This pendant was hard to photograph and is very pretty in person.

7. Car hair pin by Always Amy. That's the reverse side of her business card next to the pin - isn't it awesome?

8. Print by 3 Lambs Design. I've already found the perfect spot to hang this.

9. Earrings by Starrlight Jewelry. Once again, lovely pair of earrings, but I obviously don't have a career in jewelry photography.

10. Fabric tissue pouch (with tissue inside) by Midnight Creations. This is the perfect item for me - I have allergies and I love shoes!

11. Bookmark by A Muted Pallette - Diana Crites Gallery.

12. "Bite Me" recipe card (LOL) by Terri Taylor Design. I particularly like the "That's not PMS. I'm just evil" greeting cards in her shop.

13. Two linen greeting cards by five dot design. Very generous to include two cards! What you can't tell from the photo is the wonderful texture and weight to the cards.

All in all, a really good haul! Goodies for me, a few Christmas presents, and a lot of cool shops to check out. And I've already signed up to contribute to The Little Black Box in September and November. More on that later...