Featured Blogger: Brandy O'Grady

The Featured Blogger Series is a weekly thank you to one of our blogger members that provide great spoilers and reviews to our Sub Box Spoiler community.  Each week we get to know one of our bloggers and encourage you to visit their blog!
Name: Brandy O’GradyA little bit about me: I’m a mom of 2 (a 5 year old girl and a 3 year old boy) and my husband works in Vermont. We live in DC. I’m a part-time grad student and done with school in one month.
Blog Title: MommySplurgeBlog Link: http://mommysplurge.comBlog Description: I review primarily subscription boxes but I also review household & other beauty items when someone approaches me and I’d like to try it. Mostly I am addicted to new things.

How did you get started on subscription boxes? 

Birchbox! I should also add that we live in the DC suburbs, and it takes me about 15 minutes to get to the subway tracks, and about 15 minutes to push a stroller to Costco, Target, or Safeway. My husband has the car and despite me being able to walk everywhere, I have a lot of stuff delivered. I always have!

How did you get started blogging? 

I started my blog because after a few months of my husband being away, I got ridiculously bored.

What boxes do you currently receive? 

All of them? Ok, I get Julep, Sample Society, Birchbox, Mugler Addict, LMDB, Ipsy, Glossybox, Citrus Lane, Kiwi Crate, Bluum, Stork Stack, Darby Girl, Darby Smart, Popsugar, Socialbliss Style Box, Wantable, Fabletics, Rocks Box, Tyler Florence Fancy Box, Love With Food, Taste Trunk, Plated, Hello Fresh, MunchPak, and more! Sometimes I get Crafters Crate, Golden Tote, Loot Crate or Nerd Block, and I get many more for review - Bestowed & Appleseed Lane are definite faves.

What is your favorite item you have ever received in a subscription box? 

The Popsugar Must Have Box May 2013 Kooringal hat.

Would you consider yourself a casual, intense, or obsessed sub boxer? 

Really?

Spoilers or no spoilers? Do you prefer to know what’s coming in your packages before you open them? 

Um, if I wasn’t blogging, I wouldn’t look (or I would look if I came across them but I wouldn’t specifically seek them out). Oh I lie, I’m totally obsessed I would.

What would be in your dream sub box? 

Something that smells great, something new that I’ve never seen before, something chocolate, something to occupy my kids from the stuff I want to keep, I don’t look for anything specific or set, I just love being surprised!

Do you have any fun reuses of packaging from your boxes? 

No, I really don’t. I try to recycle them as fast as they come in. I have started saving squiggles for Easter.

What advice do you have for someone just getting started with subscription boxes?

Subscribe to what YOU like, not what everyone else likes. Don’t get a long subscription unless you are sure you will love it.

Any news or updates about your blog that you’d like to share? Anything else? 

I’m pregnant and expecting my third child - a boy! - in September. No, the baby does not belong to the letter carrier. I think he hates me.

Featured Blogger: Marina Thelen

The Featured Blogger Series is a weekly thank you to one of our blogger members that provide great spoilers and reviews to our Sub Box Spoiler community.  Each week we get to know one of our bloggers and encourage you to visit their blog!

Marina Thelen

A little bit about me: I was adopted when I was very young from South America and was raised in Southern Minnesota. Currently I'm a SAHM of an adorable son...he's our only child so far (hope to have one more down the road). I'm married to an amazing veteran (recently he just got medically discharged). We enjoy fishing, camping, sports (especially hockey & college football), and traveling.  

Blog: The Little Oak Tree Blog

Blog Description: Blogging about some of our favorite products, cloth diapering, recipes, family, and more...oh and having giveaways!!

Any news or updates about your blog that you’d like to share? I recently just got offered the contract with PetBox for a full year so I'm very excited to work with them. There is also a giveaway that will be starting 3/20 for all those Washi lovers out there...it'll also have something else with it too


How did you get started on subscription boxes? I actually got started on box subscriptions from a great friend (Kristina Espley) I've met originally in the aden+anais b/s/t group but kept in touch with her almost daily and eventually she introduced me to some box subscriptions she had for her son. I never realized how many box subscriptions are out there haha.

How did you get started blogging? I started the blog to originally give me something to do when our son naps while staying at home and to share our journey of our 1st kid. One of my friends from high school had a blog for her journey with raising her little peanuts so one day I asked her how to get started with my own blog and went from there

What boxes do you currently receive? Currently I subscribe to Citrus Lane, Stork Stack, Love with Food, occasionally Silly Rhino, got 1 Austin Lloyd box on the way, and have a contract with PetBox for a year. Now that my blog is mainly focused on box subscriptions (used to be a blog mainly focusing on cloth diapering) I try to buy a box from each of the companies that is a competition to the ones we subscribe to so I can bring my supporters a review of the boxes that are similar to each other.

What is your favorite item you have ever received in a subscription box? I would have to say our favorite thing so far has been Green Toys...we never owned any until Citrus Lane sent us one and since then they have become one of our favorite brands of toys to get our son.

Would you consider yourself a casual, intense, or obsessed sub boxer? I would say I'm a casual box subscriber. I only get one box for myself...otherwise all of the other boxes are either for our son or the pooch.

Spoilers or no spoilers? Definitely spoilers...I'm very impatient so I always want to know what we will be receiving.

What would be in your dream sub box? I love to paint in my free time with acrylics, oils, chalk, charcoal, etc...so a box pertaining to that would be very neat.

What advice do you have for someone just getting started with subscription boxes? Do you research before just subscribing to one of them...there are so many out there for children, and I wished I would of looked into all of them more before deciding to go with certain ones. :)

Anything else? I just want to thank all of my supporters and fans I have out there. It means a lot to me that people follow, like, and read my blog. I love hearing my supporters feedback and experiences with similar products that I've tried. I am so grateful for meeting so many new people via my blog and getting a ton of new opportunities through it too.

Featured Blogger: Erin Hamm

The Featured Blogger Series is a weekly thank you to one of our blogger members that provide great spoilers and reviews to our Sub Box Spoiler community.  Each week we get to know one of our bloggers and encourage you to visit their blog!

Name: Erin Hamm A little bit about me: I am married to my college sweetheart and am a mom to two amazing boys: L age 4, and T almost 2 years old. Blog Title: Subscription Box Mom http://www.subscriptionboxmom.com/ Blog Description: I love subscription boxes. I post reviews and giveaways for all kinds of subscription boxes. I also post the latest news and deals for all kinds of subscription boxes. How did you get started on subscription boxes? Our family's first subscription box was Kiwi Crate. I saw a blurb in a parenting magazine about subscription boxes for children. My son L loved doing crafts and I thought it would be a great box. I loved Kiwi Crate so much I started looking for other subscription boxes. My addiction to subscription boxes was born! How did you get started blogging? I have writing a person blog for years, but I had kept it private for family and close friends. I loved blogging and I wanted to share my love with subscription boxes with others. What boxes do you currently receive? I currently subscribe to Kiwi Crate, Citrus Lane, Bluum, Ipsy, Popsugar, Darby Smart, Taste Trunk, Love with Food, Glossybox, Beauty Box 5, Austin Lloyd, Wantable, and Silly Rhino. I also get lots of boxes for review. My mail carrier walks to my door frequently with boxes.

What is your favorite item you have ever received in a subscription box? The November Popsugar Michael Stars Wrap. I love it! Would you consider yourself a casual, intense, or obsessed sub boxer? Obsessed! Subscription boxes have taken over my life. I have subscription boxes all over my house and I spend many hours a day on my blog. I love finding new subscription boxes! Spoilers or no spoilers? Spoilers. I am not a patient person and I don't have enough restraint to not look. What would be in your dream sub box? My dream subscription box would be a Disney subscription box. I love all things Disney, it's my other obsession. I box of memorabilia about Walt Disney would be awesome! If I had to pick 4-5 specific itemes, I would pick, a new video camera, a Pixar item signed by John Lasseter, a coloring book and new crayola crayons (I find coloring calming and I love the smell of a new box of crayons). Do you have any fun reuses of packaging from your boxes? My son L and I created a fun fort with my subscription boxes. My kids love playing with my empty boxes. They make towers, roads, bridges and just have fun. What advice do you have for someone just getting started with subscription boxes? Stay organized. Make sure you write down what boxes you get, when you are billed and the cost. They can add up fast and it helps to stay organized.  

Any news or updates about your blog that you’d like to share? I will be posting a fun contest in the next few days. I am also working on some improvements to my website that I think people will love.

Featured Blogger: Amanda

The Featured Blogger Series is a weekly thank you to one of our blogger members that provide great spoilers and reviews to our Sub Box Spoiler community.  Each week we get to know one of our bloggers and encourage you to visit their blog!



Name: Amanda
A little bit about me: I am a wife, business owner, and most importantly a mother to a busy little girl.  My blog is something I do for fun and I hope people have fun reading it.

Blog: Small Town Mama
http://www.asmalltownmama.blogspot.com



How did you get started on subscription boxes? 
I live in a small town and I was searching for fun new products for my daughter when I first learned of subscription boxes.  I started with one box for her and quickly got hooked ;)


How did you get started blogging?  
I started blogging when I was on maternity leave with my darling daughter.  I started with a goal of writing about our lives with a few reviews and how to's.  It has blossomed into a space where I am learning photography and reviewing subscription boxes (my guilty pleasure).  It is a small blog but I am having fun with it!

What boxes do you currently receive?  
It changes a little from month to month as I try out new boxes but this March I will be receiving A Little Bundle, Citrus Lane, Silly Rhino, Petit Vour, Untoxicating Beauty, Fab Fit Fun, Fabletics, Naturebox, Orange Glad, and The Homegrown Collective Greenbox, and Honest Company Diapers Bundle.  I love trying out children's boxes for my daughter, Eco friendly boxes, and food boxes.  I am especially excited to try out the Eco friendly makeup and skincare boxes!

Darling Daughter with Ella the Toad

What is your favorite item you have ever received in a subscription box?
It is hard to pick one item but I would say Ella the Toad stuffed animal by Hazel Village from A Little Bundle.

Would you consider yourself a casual, intense, or obsessed sub boxer?
I started out causal but looking at the list of how many boxes I have coming next month I have probably moved up the list to intense (I am not calling myself obsessed yet but the potential is there!).

Spoilers or no spoilers?  Do you prefer to know what’s coming in your packages before you open them?
I cannot resist a spoiler.  I even have to see the spoilers for boxes I am not getting! I get a few boxes that I don't get spoilers  for though, which is super fun!

What advice do you have for someone just getting started with subscription boxes? 
I would say reading reviews is a good place to start.  I read many reviews and looked at what was in their past boxes before I picked a box to try.  It is so much fun to get a surprise in the mail, so be careful you might get hooked!

Any news or updates about your blog that you’d like to share?  
I am working on getting some giveaways set up on my blog, so stay tuned!

New Albums - January Edition

We've added several new boxes to our directory this month!  Thanks to our members for providing their spoilers and reviews.

Here are the new albums added to our directory.  Check out the spoilers index to view the spoiler and review photos!

Untoxicating Beauty  - This extraordinary box arrives monthly with special deliveries of delicious, hand-curated and good-for-you organic and eco-skincare makeup, and beauty samples from boutique brands from all over this gorgeous U. S. of A.!

Kate Quinn Organics Monthly Outlet Grab Bag- 3-6 pieces of Organic Children's clothing matched to your profile.

Sunshine Box - It’s a subscription box for toddlers (geared toward ages 2 to 5) that includes lots of fun activities centered around a different theme for every week of the month. Everything that you need to complete each activity is included in the box.

Chapman Hill Diaper of the Month - Receive a new feature diaper every month.

Hatchery - Gourmet food ingredients and condiments

Girl B*Tween - Girl B*Tween is a subscription box especially for Tweens and is curated by a tween.

SiNAP - Monthly hand-curated boxes with gluten free snacks, sensory relief and therapeutic toys, hands on activities, interventions and a bunch of goodies for children and youth who march to their own beat.

SubBoxSpoiler Launch!

SubBoxSpoilers is a unique collaboration of bloggers and box lovers sharing spoilers, reviews, deals and insider tips related to our obsession: subscription boxes!  The great thing about this group is with our wide user base, we tend to get the best spoilers FIRST.  We also subscribe to a wide variety of boxes including all age ranges for kid boxes.  If you're researching which box you'd like to sign up for or you just can't wait to see what's coming in the mail this month, you've come to right place!

The highlights of our new improvements include:

• An alphabetized index of all the spoiler photo albums.  Just click on the album to view or upload.  You also have the option to select desktop or mobile depending on the type of device you're using.  Get started viewing and uploading spoilers!
• SubBoxSpoiler Blog - The blog will be used to provide updates on new site features, news in the subscription box world, sub box related posts, guest bloggers, and some fun interactive topics for the group!  Our first planned activity is the First Annual "Subbys". You will vote on your favorite subscription boxes in various categories and those voted the best will be crowned with a Subby Award!
• Member Blog Links - This database of spoilers and reviews is built by YOU!  We want to give you every opportunity to get your name out there.  Be sure to sign up to get your blog included on our list.  Also be sure to check out the list and find some new blogs to follow!

Upcoming plans: This is just the initial launch of our new site.  Plan to see some added features, improvements, tweaks, and some more eye catching graphics.  An improvement at the top of the priority list is to break the list of boxes into category so it is easier to browse for the type of box you're interested in.

We're very excited about the new features and hope you are too!  

Spoilers Index

The "Spoilers" Facebook group has moved!

You must be a member of the Subscription Box Previews & Reviews group in order to be able to view or upload photos.  Not a member?  

Join now!

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