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Hey there, Ladies & Gents!
I wanted to reach out quickly to send a note about the tea (especially the loose leaf varieties) that we include in our monthly Attic Box and Basics shipments. We recently received a review that mentioned that the tea samples were "lacking" and would usually only yield one cup. Before tossing out that tea, consider steeping it more than once. Yes, you can use the same bit of tea for steeping more than one cup of tea. Sometimes, depending on the type of tea, the flavor is actually at its peak after multiple steeps. So, here's a hint-- stash that tea bag or infuser full of leaves in an airtight container and use it again for the afternoon tea time. With the individually bagged varieties, oftentimes you can read on their website to find the brewing recommendations. Discover and learn from the samples you receive. Not only do you get to find flavors that you may have never tried before, but you get to experiment with various brewing methods. Give it a whirl and let us know how your tea fares after its second (or third) steeping. [Be sure to check out geekyteas.com for more marvelous tea blends like the one found in October's L. Frank Baum Attic Boxes. Donna, the tea blending aficionado at Geeky Teas, recommends getting multiple uses from the 2 oz sample we included.] Have a wonderful Monday! Candice bluespiderbooks.com
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This gift box is perfect for lovers of horror, B-movies, and horror ephemera. These limited-time-only boxes are one-time purchases that ship out within days. No waiting for the subscription shipping date to roll around! These make great birthday gifts, Halloween gifts, date night gifts, or "just because I'm awesome and love low-budget horror" gifts!
These boxes are packed and ready to go! No customization or preferences are available. What you'll find inside is a curated surprise that is guaranteed to delight the gore-lover nearest and dearest to your heart. Here's what you'll find inside:
We have a limited supply of these boxes and when they're gone, they're gone! Order yours today to ensure delivery by Halloween! Shipping and applicable taxes are additional charges added at checkout. US delivery only. No refunds or exchanges. Hey, guys and gals! I hope this day is treating you well. I come to you today with tips on how to fashion your own teabag in a pinch. I know that we frequently send out loose leaf teas and, while these teas are hearty and delicious, we may not always have empty tea bags or a tea infuser at our disposal. Speaking of tea infusers, if you're unfamiliar with what these are, do yourself a favor and go read up on them. The link is for a Wiki article that will give you the basics. These handy gadgets come in all shapes and sizes, and you can find them to fit any fandom or style you desire. If you are a regular tea drinker, I would recommend purchasing one of these to make life simpler and more enjoyable. *smile* You can find them on Etsy and many other places across the inter-webs. (I'm also happy to customize one for you. Check out our Instagram post to see what I mean.) Now, if you can't wait until your tea infuser comes in the mail to try that deliciously smelling tea from a previous Attic Box or Basics package, then read on for a few simple remedies: 1. Use a coffee filter This is probably the easiest DIY way to fashion a makeshift teabag. Simply lay the coffee filter flat (if using the standard round variety), place desired amount of tea in the center, draw up the sides to make a pouch, and tie with string (or use a bread tie). If using the cone variety, simply place the tea inside the cone and tie closed. Coffee filters are designed to get wet, so there's little danger of the pouch coming apart this way. Just like a regular tea bag, this bag will float until saturated enough to sink below the surface. 2. Use aluminum foil I recently saw this as a suggested "in a pinch" method, and I guess it could work well enough. Making an aluminum foil ball follows the basic instructions as the coffee filter method. Place desired amount of tea in the center of a square of aluminum foil, carefully fold the sides up and crimp toward the top to keep the tea from spilling out. Here's where the instructions vary: CAREFULLY poke several holes in the rounded "ball" part of the foil infuser you've just made. Do not make the holes too big or you will defeat the purpose. Using a toothpick or something smaller is probably best for this. It may be a bit difficult to get this ball to stay submerged. You may have to hold it or dunk it until your tea has steeped to your desired flavor/strength. There is also a chance that any smaller bits in the tea blend will escape, needing to be fished from the cup when steeping has completed. This next method isn't really a DIY so much as a saving grace... 3. Use a reusable K-cup Many of us have a Keurig or other brand of single cup machine and many of us also have the reusable cups that can be filled with any preferred coffee and used over and over again. Why not also use it for your tea? Place your tea inside and float the cup in your tea cup until your tea is just right. You may have to fish the cup out with a spoon to keep your fingers from getting scorched, but it will work wonderfully to brew a cup of tea without the added stress of having to fabricate anything. Okay, there you have it. Three different ideas (four, really) on what to do with that yummy loose leaf tea we've been sending to you. Do you have other methods of DIY-ing your tea? Please let us know in the comments below. Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful day! Cheers! ~Candice~ _____ **Remember to follow us on Instagram & Facebook to make sure you have the latest information on what's going on with the box and the business in general. Also make sure you add admin@bluespiderpress.com to your email address book so that our email don't end up in your spam folder.  Custom beaded tea infuser balls are available. Email questions to admin@bluespiderpress.com or message @bluespiderbooks on FB and IG.  I haven’t spoken directly to very many of you, but I feel like I know all of you in some ways. I’m Jeremy, co-owner of Blue Spider Books, co-founder of the Attic Box, and the member of the team who curates many of the book groupings you receive from us each month.
I wanted to take a few minutes to speak to all of you today about who we are and what we believe, from my side of things. The Attic Box is, foremost, our experiment in running a small business, and we genuinely thank you all for your patronage. But it is also our experiment in curating an experience we would enjoy ourselves, and it is something we wish to share with like-minded customers. At Blue Spider Books, we enjoy giving homes to books that come in all conditions. You may receive a science fiction classic from the 1960s with a worn cover and yellowed pages, smelling of vanilla and age. You may receive a like new, barely touched example of literary fiction fresh from a book shop shelf. You may receive any number of books that fall between these two benchmarks. I, for one, love very old paperbacks that have survived out there for decades, passed from reader to reader. Further, for the sake of keeping a healthy stock, we not only offer a broad assortment of genres, but we also try to be as open as possible to what those genres contain. Again, we are not specialized in any particular genre, though many, many other book boxes are. And to build from a previous example, should you list science fiction as one of your genre preferences with us, you may receive a classic 1970s space opera, a 1980s military sci-fi adventure, a 1990s Japanese-themed cyberpunk kick, a 2000s thought experiment on human identity, or any other sort of book that falls under the broad umbrella of science fiction, from Kurt Vonnegut to Ray Bradbury, from Octavia Butler to Dan Simmons, or from William Gibson to Nnedi Okorafor. There is thought and planning that goes into the book curation process for our boxes, and we make it painless to choose and alter your genre preferences when you decide to subscribe—as it should be. You are all the reason we do this, and again, we thank you for being a part of our community. Thank you all for giving us a shot, and never hesitate to reach out to us at admin@bluespiderpress.com. We love hearing well-reasoned feedback, and we are more than happy to make right any complaints that may arise, so long as they are brought to our attention in a cordial and timely manner. That said, enjoy the rest of your weekend, have a cup of coffee, and open up a used book or three. Cheers, Jeremy Happy day to you all!
I don't know about you guys, but I'm beginning to feel a bit better since the rain that plagued us for so long has eased up a bit. (Yes, I know it'll be back soon, but let me have this moment.) But, yes, rain is a necessary evil for me. Regardless of whether you're a rain lover or a shunner of rainy days (like me!), I wanted to let you all know about the Attic Box reviews I'm collecting. Trying to get them all in one place is hard, y'all, so when I do find them, I try to put them in "safe" places. So accept my apologies if you're a Facebook follower and you've seen me inundate the feed with reviews and such. I'm just trying to round them up. YouTube: There's a playlist HERE of all the vids I've located so far. If you know of others (or plan to make your own soon), please let me know by commenting below or by emailing me so I can add it to the list. Blogs: There's an incomplete (but growing) list HERE of blog post that have either reviewed a box, the books, or both. Again, if you know of one that I haven't listed, please let me know. Okay, I hope that was a fairly painless request. If you guys have any questions, just let us know. Also, if ever you have vendor suggestions for coffee roasters and tea blenders, please let me know via any of the social media avenues or email. Happy Reading, Candice
Be sure to enter the giveaway we're hosting over on Instagram! We've paired up with some amazing makers and subscription boxes for this giveaway and you certainly don't want to miss out! We've surpassed 1K followers (totally flabbergasted, we are!) and we want to celebrate with you by giving away some awesome gifts!
You MUST be active followers of bluespiderpress as well as the other donation companies to be considered. Find the original 1K Giveaway post to be sure you're following everyone!  Mother's Day is a day to celebrate those strong women who have loved unconditionally the children under their wing. Biological or not, the mother-children bond is a powerful one, so why not give Mom a gift she's bound to love-- BOOKS!
And, boy, are you ever in luck! Blue Spider's Attic is offering 15% OFF of Surprise boxes and Hardcover boxes using code BOOKSFORMOM at checkout. Since these boxes are separate from the subscription box, they ship within 72 hours of purchase (except on weekends and/or holidays). No weeks of waiting with these fun boxes! Coupon is valid 5\1\17 - 5/10/2017. Here's what Mom will get in a Surprise Box: • THREE secondhand paperbacks of varying genre (SURPRISE!) • ONE whole-pot sample of coffee or an assortment of teas (SURPRISE!) • TWO-THREE fun, bookish items that are sure to delight Surprise boxes are wonderful gifts! These boxes provide an assortment of fun and relaxing items by way of surprise books, randomly chosen from our stock. Here's what Mom will get in a Hardcover Box: • ONE secondhand hardcover novel chosen based on chosen genre at time of purchase • ONE full-pot sample of coffee • TWO-THREE fun, bookish items Additional goodies are sometimes included as well. Grab your gift items today! Shop bluespidersattic.com or bluespiderpress.com Use code BOOKSFORMOM to save 15% on Surprise boxes and Hardcover boxes. Coupon code is valid 5/1/17-5/10/2017. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Void where prohibited. Happy reading and Happy Mother's Day! Candice & Jeremy
Hi, all!
We hope today finds you in wonderful spirits! The weather is sunny and bright today, so it's the perfect day to take a book (or two or three) outside! Lay in the soft grass or prop up in a favorite chair and soak up those rays! Is it a sunny let's-go-read-outside kind of day for you, too? Today we're sharing with you a video unboxing of the April Books, Bubbles, & Brews #atticbox from a new subscriber. Watch it, like it, share it. Show Nels some love as he moves toward doing more video unboxings. If you can't view the video below, go here: https://youtu.be/jUOf0wL0jog This video is also posted on our Reviews page. Hey there! We hope your week has been going well. The work week after a holiday can be increasingly difficult as the days wear on. Stay strong. We've got this! Need a distraction from the humdrum weekday? Check out our REVIEWS page to see what subscribers have to say about their subscriptions from Blue Spider Press, LLC (that's us!) Cheers!  “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?” ― Oscar Wilde AuthorCandice is a rampant organism that has been sent to destroy... someone or something she can't remember. She also has amnesia and may suffer from the touch of every other literary trope known to writer-kind. Send help. And coffee--lots of coffee. Since I've become a part of the #bookstagram community on Instagram, I've noticed all of these profiles putting out these photo challenges. They look so fun, so I thought we'd play along, too. Attic Box subscribers, we invite you to play along with us on Instagram! Here's how it will work: • Attic Box arrives: You scream with sheer joy! It's exciting! You want to rip open the box, I know...BUT WAIT! Take unboxing photos as you unpack the items from your Books, Bubbles, & Brew box. • Check the challenge list below. Each challenge corresponds with an item from your April Attic Box. Incorporate the items from your box into your photos to complete the challenge. • Photos can be taken and posted at any time after you receive your Attic Box. The deadline for posting is April 30th. The dates below are suggestions only. You do not have to adhere to them. However, you MUST TAG the photos correctly. @bluespiderpress AND #aprilatticboxchallenge must be a part of your description for the photo to be an eligible entry. • Entry, you say?-- Yes, entry! The Attic Box Challenge will yield an overall winner. This winner will be the person who not only completes all tags correctly and creatively, but also produces clear, fun, and lively images. • There are no right or wrong ways to interpret these tags. Just have fun with it, incorporate your items into the photo so that it makes sense with the prompts, and tag it properly. For example: The April 12th prompt is Bookmark & Fairy Lights. You would probably want to use a bookmark that came in the box to do this one. Don't have fairy lights or don't know what they are? Use Christmas lights. Use flameless candles. Get creative. Mention in the photo's caption when you post that you're subbing some things out. Easy peasy. Really, we just want you all to have fun with this! I can't wait to see what you all come up with! The individual challenges are listed below:  |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from mikecogh, symphony of love, susivinh, the_black_room, greger.ravik