We all need a little smile or a pick-me-up every so often.  Smiles come from different places and happen for many reasons.  A smile may come from somebody smiling at you - and you smiling back at them, receiving good news or even a lovely gift.  Whatever the reason, a smile is a good tonic and if a smile was a colour it would be yellow.

So, why yellow?

Yellow is the (perceived) colour of the Sun, provider of life to Earth and general picker-upper.  Without the lovely sun, Earth would be a lifeless lump of ice and let’s face it, when it’s out there are lots of people smiling!  So, it’s no surprise that the colour yellow symbolises warmth, happiness, optimism, inspiration and creativity.  As an added bonus, it can even stimulates the nervous system.

Yellow is also a colour often associated with bumble bees and it’s no surprise, not only because of their stripes, but the job they do (which is actually quite remarkable).  Why?  Like the sun, these guys are also important to life on Earth.  To be more specific, according to the WWF, a whopping 75% of leading global crops and 90% of wild plants are dependent on the pollination that bees provide.  Also, did you know that our lovely pollinators are responsible for providing one out of every three mouthfuls of food too?  So basically heroes, then.

A true creature of optimism, bees are often associated with messages of cheer and it’s not unusual to send a bee happy gift box as a gift to a friend in need of a smile!  Here at Ooh Box, we’re always looking for ways to make people smile, otherwise, what’s gifting for?  We’re hoping we can give a gift which reaches out in two ways, with the introduction of our bee gift box, “For my Bee-loved”.

Sure to give a warm buzz, this thoughtful bumble bee gift box contains a Needle Felt Bee Hive from Crafty Kit Co, a much needed distraction from life’s challenges and perfect for those moments of mindfulness.  What’s more, once made, this delightful little hive can be proudly displayed homes.  For refreshments along the creative journey included is a cheerful (and very tasty) salted caramel chocolate bar and a rather cheerful drinking vessel!

And for our pollinators?  Setting the Bee Hotel up in a garden or on a balcony provides shelter and much needed rest for solitary bees bumbling along on their travels.  It also provides an area of interest (and comes in a lovely, cheery shade of yellow, of course!). To attract those bees, we have included a tin of Bee Mix by Seedball.  A mixture of native wildflowers, each seed ball includes seeds from a mix of Birdsfoot Trefoil, Foxglove, Red Clover, Viper’s Bugloss and Wild Marjoram – all recommended as bee-friendly plants by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  A tasty treat for bees indeed.

With food and shelter provided for the bees, there’s one more thing more to take care of - their wellbeing.  At times, bees need a pick-me-up too.  The Beevive Bee Revival Kit, included, will take care of that!  The idea for this inspirational little life-saver came from no less than a chance encounter with a tired bee by the founders, who carried him to the nearest cafe, where they fed him sugared water from a teaspoon…setting him off on his journey once more!

This tiny device is on a keychain, which can be fixed easily to a backpack or existing keychain when on your travels.  Inside a strong aluminium chamber sits a glass, corked bottle containing a magical mixture of ambrosia bee food syrup mixed to the perfect formula for your rescues!

Now you see how easy it is to pass on that smile…

July 31, 2021 — Julie Selby