Have you ever wondered what it’s really like in the Holy Land? What it’s like to walk where Jesus walked, what the food tastes like, what the air smells like, what traditions and culture rule? What it looks like geographically?
Artzabox will answer of these questions for you in fun, beautiful, informative ways!
Artzabox is a quarterly subscription service that culls products from small business owners and artisans around Israel. In the two boxes that I’ve received, most are handmade! Each box is curated with items from a particular city, so that over time you’re essentially touring the country. There are two types of boxes to choose from – the basic and the premium – so you have the option of a simpler box or one that includes a few more items.
The curators are really thoughtful as they put each box together. Each one includes something:
- to inspire
- to learn
- to taste
- to share
- to cook
- to cherish
- for the body
- for the soul.
Opening these well-packed boxes is like opening a gift from a treasured friend! The pieces are fragrant and thoughtful and beautiful and inspiring – it makes the whole experience such fun but it’s also so much more than that. It’s truly an experience in a way that no other subscription service could be.
The box now shipping – and my most recent box – is from Galilee. I have loved reading the large card with information about this city and the smaller ones about the artisans whose work is included.
I love the small aqua bowl – my daughter’s favorite color! – that reminds me of clear, clean water. It’s the perfect size for holding the mosaic tiles, which are truly hidden gems. While we haven’t yet sealed the stones as suggested, we have washed them and were amazed at how much the water brings out the natural, brilliant color. My son and I love rocks, and we’ve enjoyed reading about where these particular stones were mined – and how they are the same size as those used in ancient mosiacs. Since we tried our hands at that in a church group after learning about some a few years ago, this was an eye-opening product. We keep the bowl of tiles and the cards on the kitchen table for when someone wants a peaceful stone-arranging break. Another great option? Use it to share some of the olive oil also enclosed in this box with herbs for dipping bread – yum! Perfect for this loaves-and-fishes inspired bowl.
If that bowl puts me in mind of water, the candles transport me to the ocean – or, maybe, the Sea of Galilee? The colors in them are amazing, and I love how long they last! We love to dinner by candlelight, so I’m not letting them burn out just yet – I want to save some of their burn time for something special.
I absolutely couldn’t save any of the hazelnut spread, though, and I’m not sharing it, either. It’s remarkably similar to that sugar-laden German version that’s immensely popular these days, but this one is much healthier – and tastier! I’ve recently had to change the way that I eat, and I was most excited to see that this spread works for me. Can I say that it’s just awesome on pretzel sticks? That it would be easier for dipping said sticks right into the jar if the jar were shorter and wider instead of being so beautifully tall and skinny? Regardless of jar shape, it’s amazing stuff, and I want more of it.
This wasn’t the only foodie thing in this box, either. It also came with a container of hummus seasoning and a beautiful bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Galilee is alive with flavor!
Galilee smells pretty good, too – which brings us to another product I’m hoarding. I really should be sharing some of these things, right? I recognize that fact – but my family is having so much fun with them that nothing has made it outside of our house as of yet! I love soaps, and the handmade lemon and lime peeling scrub is fantastic. It smells so good that I’ve claimed this one – and lest you think I’m completely selfish to the rest of my family, they happily let me take this one since they are aware of my soap obsession. It couldn’t be more fragrant and fun, and all that citrus makes for a super happy bathing experience. Bliss!
The most fun item in the box is definitely the most versatile. The Jesus’ Footsteps Card Game is a large, colorful set of cards in sets of four. Each set has a theme, then each card a specific item within that theme, so that no two cards are ever the same. All of the cards are full of information, both about the object and theme. The cards can then be used in lots of ways. You could simply read them, or read one over breakfast, say, or play simple guessing games with them. You could also use the information to play a quiz game, and the enclosed pamphlet suggests many more. Our favorite, though, was listed inside the box – Go Fish. We haven’t played in years, so it took a few minutes for My Little Man and I to remember how, but it was great fun to ask for a Miracle card or a Fisherman card and then to continue play. He ended up beating me, which he thought was wonderful. I love how much we learned about Israel from a simple game!
After reading more about the region of Galilee on the card inside my box, and learning that there’s actually a Jesus Trail just like the Blue Ridge near me has a Civil War Trail and the VA mountains have a bluegrass trail, I so want to go. I love the descriptions of the places on this route that Jesus visited, and how amazing would that be? It’s hard for my American mind to imagine the scene, but with my Artzabox, it comes to life.
So who would benefit from an Artzabox? Who would enjoy these products?
- people who love to travel
- people who want to visit the Holy Land
- people who love to support small businesses via fair-trade shopping
- families of faith who are teaching their children the scriptures
- youth groups
- church communities
- homeschooling families or co-ops who have studied the Holy Land
Want to experience the Holy Land for yourself? Click here to place an order for your own Artzabox. The Galilee boxes are still shipping, so order now to snag one of those – and the Judaean desert is coming up this fall!
PS – Artzabox posts beautiful photos and videos, complete with descriptive captions, on their Facebook page – and they run great discounts and giveaways there, too! Click here to visit their page to see it for yourself.
Complimentary product received courtesy of Artzabox. All opinions are my own.
