Jenny to the rescue! She posted about It's Paper Dear, a cute little paper store run by super-sweet Zie. One of the items Zie sells in her shop are paper goods subscription boxes. Score!! Exactly my type of box. I signed up for the three-month subscription, and my first box arrived yesterday!
My Review - September 2012 It's Paper Dear Box
Check out these goodies in all of their glory! The background for the pictures is actually the pretty tissue paper that everything in the box was wrapped in. The yellow polka-dotted bag is hiding more inside. There were tons of cute things in the box, so I grouped them into general categories and took detailed shots so you can really see everything I got.
Sticky Notes & Pen & To-Do List
The little kraft folder holding a mini-pen and colorful sticky notes was super cute. I actually have a lot of sticky notes in various colors already, so this wasn't the most exciting thing in the box for me. But it definitely gets points for cuteness and I'll add it to my collection or give it to a friend. I adore the mini patterned sticky notes (white with orange & blue). Even though I do have tons of post-its, I really like collecting unique/patterned ones. The pen is pretty standard but the mint green color is just gorgeous! Plus the shop's name is so cute that the branding actually makes me like the pen more. Love the design of the To-Do List printout, although it might be one of those things that's so cute I don't want to use it! At least not for every day stuff... but maybe for a "life to-do list" type art/scrapbook project. Possibilities!!
Pretty Papers & Cutouts
I am a total sucker for pretty papers. Of any kind, really. I probably wouldn't choose these designs for myself at the store, but that's kinda what I love about a subscription box. Honestly, when it comes to paper patterns, I will find a use for everything - and sometimes interesting papers are what inspire my cards or art journaling pieces. So in summary, I like it! Also love cute cutouts - they are double-sided, making them more versatile. I'm not really sure what to do with the S, so I guess I'll have to be creative on that one.
Notecards & Tag & Postcard
Never hurts to have more pretty notecards! I love the striped mini-notecard. Gotta love anything with that many colors! It's the perfect gift tag size, but I'll probably be selfish instead and use it for an art journal spread. The papaya pink tag is pretty, but I was more excited about the chevron wax paper bag it came in! The paws print postcard (from one of the September It's Paper Dear sponsors) is not exactly my thing (although I really like some of the other postcards in her shop), but I can always send it to a friend I think would like it more.
Stickers
Apparently I never grew up, because I LOVE stickers! The sheet of label-like stickers will be perfect for all sorts of things. So pretty! I am a huge fan of stickers with some depth, so the pretty patterned "n" (which could also be a "u") will get used somehow. The kraft sticker has a cute silhouette but wasn't anything special. Bird? Very pretty! But my favorite is that bear... it's hard to beat red + black + predator for me!
Embellishments & Business Cards
The fun minty green lace doily gets points for being my current favorite color! Loving the gold sequins and the detailed think pink plastic heart. Flower button was cute too. And the pretty, delicate ribbons will definitely get some use - I love those colors! Yeah, yeah, I know... business cards aren't "supposed" to be part of the gift. But they totally are for me... I collect them. The cards were from this month's featured vendors, who contributed items to the box. The Little Pink Studio contributed the pretty ribbons, while Nature's My Friend contributed the postcard and bear sticker.
Pricing / Options
One month - $20 + $6.20 US shipping
Three months - $54 + $18.60 US shipping total ($2 savings per box)
Zie makes a set number of boxes each month. You purchase ahead of time for the following month (or three months). If you're interested, just be sure to purchase a listing early as it could run out. She also ships internationally - if your country isn't listed, you can contact her. Box ships the second week of each month.
You should always check the It's Paper Dear shop for most updated pricing & info. Zie also posts updates on her blog.
Overall
I am very happy with my September box! Unfortunately, the sticky note booklet was probably what you'd consider one of the larger items for the month (I think it counted as this month's journal?), and as I mentioned, I have a lot of those. Not the box's fault, I just have too many. I appreciated that everything was packaged very nicely, and I'll certainly re-use the wax paper bags. Overall presentation was great, with a consistent color scheme while still providing a wide variety of products. I was very happy with the sheer number of products included, and liked or loved almost everything in the box. Based on the number of products and careful selection, I think the pricing is reasonable.
Bottom Line
I would definitely recommend this box. Looking forward to the October box and to using everything in I got this month! I'm hoping for a washi tape next month! =D
