And now for a reveal on the Ellada Lane Vol 1 box, "Dreaming of Santorini and the Cyclades". It took a very, very slow boat getting to me, but I am so very pleased that it finally arrived. I was out when it arrived and my husband reports that he had to sign for it. (No clue if this is a function of the shipping method used for my box or if all recipients have to sign, as they do for Luxe Provence boxes.) I won't bother putting the photos behind a spoiler tag, as I believe you've seen the items before.
The entire contents were, literally, packed in a BOX. A hand-made wood-and-leather BOX. It's like a treasure chest, which I guess is what it felt like opening this package! The lid fastens with a metal clasp; what a really fun touch this box is! The box itself was well padded in foam peanuts inside the outer shipping box.
Inside everything was either padded with bubble wrap or wrapped in (Greek) blue tissue paper.
Here are the contents arrayed inside the box. The detailed map of Santorini, with sites of interest noted, and day trips and visiting tips on the back, is one of the gifts from the Atlantis book store there.
The hand-carved olivewood citrus reamer is something I will immediately put to use as lemons and limes feature prominently in my cooking. The scarf is pure silk and beautifully detailed, in a gorgeous blue and gold.
The swirly gold bookmark with hanging charms is amazing, I have never had anything like this and will put it to regular use as I am constantly reading. And there are almost no words I can use to describe this absolutely stunning handmade bracelet by Krinaki. It is delicate yet strong, if that makes any sense. I love it. It looked small coming out of the case, but it is easily adjustable.
Another handmade olivewood kitchen aide was this small mortar and pestle. It will be perfect for blending spices. (I have a metal mortar and pestle now, but they're really too big for small jobs like spices, so this is well received.) Under it is a HUGE (460 grams!) glass container of honey from The Family Beez. Mine is Wildflower, I don't know if there are different varieties. The honey came packed in a wooden box made to look like a beehive box, again with a metal clasp. I think this will be reusable.
Finally, as with all boxes, there is a booklet included, with information about the items. This one is magazine-sized and includes the history of the islands, travel information, 4 recipes, instructions for caring for the olivewood kitchen items, and write-ups about the businesses that provided the contents. It is not a typical "this item and what its RV is" kind of insert, it is a magazine to read and save. There were also 2 postcards from the Atlantis bookstore.
I am so totally thrilled that my box finally arrived and I am very happy with the contents. I have heard from Stavros that they will not be using this shipping method for future boxes (thank goodness!!), so I am going to give them another chance. Next up: "Hidden Treasures of Athens". If it's as good as this box, and if they fix their shipping problems, I will be very happy to receive it.
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