Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

My first Wee Box, a Scottish cultural themed subscription service, arrived in January. When I received notice my next box is en route, I realized that I had not blogged about it! I learned about WeeBox through the podcast Stories of Scotland.

A WeeBox contains five gifts  worth more than the cost of the box, often exclusive and can’t be bought outside of Scotland! That’s according to the website. A subscription is about $40 a month so it’s definitely an indulgence. But it is fun to see what’s inside, to read the materials, and look up the companies.

I was advised to make an unboxing video, but I’m sticking with a blog post.

The contents are quite sweet

First, a stuffed Highland cow named Harris. He’s freaking adorable so I put him on the mantle near my workspot in the living room. When I’m able to reassemble my altar, he will likely join it. I will excited enough about this cute fellow that I bought a spring garden flag with a Highland Cow wearing bunny ears. Silly, but fun. I refuse to put it out until March though.

Welcome your very own Harris, the Highland cow! He comes with a wee story…Silver Stag of Scotland is a social enterprise, which means they exist to make a positive difference to society. They help give hope and opportunity to disadvantaged individuals and communities in Scotland and abroad.

Second, a box of Afternoon tea from a company called Brodies. Afternoon tea is a mellow black tea. I like it quite a bit and assumed it had a bit less caffeine. It doesn’t keep me up at night. One downside is that while the WeeBox says you can’t get these items outside of Scotland and I found this tea on Amazon and Wal-Mart in the United States. So whoops …

A mellow blend of fine teas from India, Ceylon and Kenya. A light, bright tea that is soothing and refreshing to the palate, a tea that can be drunk throughout the day.

Third, a tartan plaid tote bag (made in Vietnam?)

This is cute, a blue and green pattern with sturdy handles and a lot of room for sturdy purchases like groceries. Since our local grocer is switching away from plastic bags soon, this will be prove handy.

Fourth, a tea towel with Scottish facts. This was the “secret” additional gift and I love it. I’m loathe to get it dirty, but pretty sure it will be in rotation with the regular day tea towels.

It is literally right there for me to distract myself while I wait for the kettle to boil. Win/win

Did you know that Edinburgh was the first city in the entire world to have its own fire brigade? That’s such an odd bit of information, but enough to send me down a rabbit hole of research.

Also, the towel is available online, too. I suspect it is secondary sales.

Fifth, a wee spoon that is the first of a set of four small cutlery for a cheese board

I was pretty excited about this. Cutlery to go with cheese! They all feature a Highland cow on the handle and the full set (if you subscribe for four months) includes the spoon, a form, a cheese knife, and a cheese spreader. I am currently using the spoon to stir my morning tea/coffee. I’m rogue that way. These are a limited edition set from The Slate Company, based in Scotland. Why would you use a spoon with a cheese tray? Jellies? Soft cheese crumbles? Who cares! It is quite cute.

A gift I bought for Laura for Christmas was a giant Wisconsin cheese basket! So a cheeseboard would be in order. I just have to find one that I like.

The box is 100% recycled cardboard and the bag is compostable – I’ll add mine to the compost pile and let you know what happens. The items were wrapped in bits of Scottish newspaper so that was fun. It was the business subscription.

I flipped through the previous boxes to see what other items I might expect – shortbread, toffee, mince pies, plaid tablerunner, ornaments, calendar, tea tidies, charms, jewelry, soap, and lip balm among other things.

The box takes 15-20 days to travel from Scotland to Pittsburgh. They send me lots of updates so I’m aware of what to expect and when to expect it. February should be here soon in the next few days.

Overall, I’m pleased with the first WeeBox. I like the balance of usefulness against cuteness. We did get off to a rocky start because Paypal told me my payment had cleared, but on their end – that was not the case. I understood, but I wanted my first collectible spoon so luckily they were still able to send the box since it wasn’t my error. The box was damaged a bit in shipping. These items were fine, but I’d be concerned about food items that might be damaged. The newspaper wrapping is a nice touch and the Spotify songs each month is fun.

I like to think I’m supporting small businesses. I cringe to think of the ecological footprint of this indulgence being shipped to the US. The company doesn’t have an option to purchase individual items from previous boxes which is a shame – perhaps providing links to the original vendors would be nice? I’d buy a few of the tea towels as gifts. It might also be nice if the vendors had a WeeBox code to encourage direct sales.

I first learned about WeeBox from the podcast ‘Stories of Scotland’ but it was an old episode and they are no longer an advertiser. Given the popularity of the Spotify bit, perhaps folding in some collaboration with cultural history would be a smart idea – an exclusive tale from Jenny and Annie? I am buying this box because I want to know more about Scotland, not for nostalgic reasons.

Finally, I do think the Weebox website could do better when it comes to folx outside of Scotland. A currency converter widget, specific details on Paypal and other forms of payment, even suggestions on how to track your package (I use the Shop app) could make it a smoother experience.

I am looking forward to my next box and my next cup of tea.