Busy Bee Stationery is a monthly subscription box that offers stationary items that are normally themed.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.
About Busy Bee Stationery
The Subscription Box: Busy Bee Stationery
The Cost: $39.90 a month + free US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code VDAY19 to save 15% off your first box!
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% off your first box!
CODE: MSA20
The Products: The contents of the box vary each month, but always include 5-10 items that help with journaling, letter writing, and planning.
Ships to: the US for free, Canada for $7.50 and Worldwide for $12.50
Good to Know: There is no style profile, all boxes are the same and tie into each the month’s unique theme
Busy Bee Stationery January 2019 Review
Each month we are presented with a card that introduces the month's theme. January’s Busy Bee theme is "New Start, New Journal!"
Dear Lizzy Fine and Dandy 52-Week Journal – Retail Value $3.55
I like the idea of guided journals, but not for my almost-30-year-old self. I think they are a great tool for a teen or pre-teen to help map out goals and dreams while also working on writing skills. Personal preference set aside, this is a beautifully crafted guided journal. I especially love the turquoise and gold polka-dot design.
Heidi Swapp Memorydex Desktop Tray – Retail Value $15.00 (found here for $13.12)
At first, I didn’t know what this was until I got to the next item. This Memorydex tray is super cute. I am loving the gold stripes and turquoise liner on the inside. It is about 7 ½ inches long by 4 ½ inches wide with two gold bars on the inside for Memorydex tabs.
Heidi Swapp Memorydex File Cards – Retail Value $5.39 (Found here for $4.99)
I love the way these came in coordinating designs! The set included 12 divider tabs and 88 cards, each one measuring at 4 x 3 inches.
The set also came with 10 labels for the divider tabs, making this a recipe set for the Memorydex.
Each of the cards has 8 lines which I can't help but think is pretty small for a lot of recipes, but each card is two-sided in case I need (will probably need!) more room for the whole recipe.
When I put the cards in the Memorydex and pushed them altogether, I was left with a lot of room to add more cards.
But when I laid them down, I was able to fan them out to fill the box. This is good in case I need to stuff it in a small drawer in the kitchen or something.
One thing I really appreciated with this, though, was when I held it upside down and shook it side to side, the cards didn’t fall out. I love this because I have a tendency of dropping things by mistake. It's nice to know that if my Memorydex were to take a fall, cards won't go everywhere.
Project Life Rub-On Transfer Sheet – Estimated Retail Value $5.00
This was a cute inclusion in this month’s Busy Bee. Gold rub on decals in fun designs. It also came with a popsicle stick to transfer the decals. These are great for card marking or even scrapbooking.
Gold Bowtie Paper Clips – Estimated Retail Value $2.99
Busy Bee sends a lot of American Crafts items in their boxes, and nine times out of ten they are discontinued items. This item is no different. I received a set of 9 golden paper clips that are pretty appear pretty strong.
But when I clipped it they seemed more decretive than functional in an office setting. Most times, I need to clip at least 10 documents together, a lot of times a lot more. Just clipping it on the inclusion card was a tight fit. They are great for scrapbooking though.
Puffy Stickers – Retail Value $3.99 (Found here for $2.99)
The next item I got this month were these puffy stickers. They remind me of camping with the raccoon and crossing arrows. There are 30 altogether of different designs, each one genuinely a little puffy. I am not a fan of stickers and don’t really have much of a purpose for them, and if I pass them on to my oldest daughter, I find them in unlikeable places. Like the car window. My neighborhood has a scrapbooking group, I may see if I can trade it off for something I can use.
Inspiration Magnet Clips – Estimated Retail Value $4.99
I love, love these! I received my first set of magnet bookmark clips in my Flair & Paper July subscription and seriously was so awed as I have never seen them before.
They are little clips that are magnetic on both sides; perfect as a bookmark for a novel, a calendar or a planner. Not surprisingly, though, this specific set is discontinued and is therefore harder (and more expensive) to find (if found).
Cactus Pen – Buy a set of 3 for $2.99
At first glance, I was not crazy about this pen. It didn’t go with anything in the box and I felt it was just thrown in there. When I opened it, I was even more disappointed at how thin it is as sometimes they tend to write a little differently. But the moment I put pen to paper, all my negative feelings disappeared. It has black gel ink and writes so smoothly. I still think it is out of place in this month’s box, but really appreciated its inclusion nonetheless.
Verdict: I genuinely do like Busy Bee, and this month’s box was exciting as it included a little more than just scrapbooking materials, even though it is a scrapbooking sub. I do not like that a lot of the items are discontinued, making it hard to look for more items we received if I love them.
I received eight items this month. I was able to locate the value of five items (I wasn’t able to locate the magnet clips, rub on transfer-sheet or the gold bow tie paperclips) that totaled $30.92 ($40.91 with my estimates for the other three items). Considering the other items cost at or around $3 a piece, I do feel like the value of the box is met.
The Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will get the February box.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code VDAY19 to save 15% off your first box!
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% off your first box!
CODE: MSA20
Value Breakdown: This box costs $39.90 + free shipping, which means that each of the 8 items in the box has an average cost of $4.99.
Check out all of our Busy Bee Stationery reviews and more stationery subscription boxes in the Paper Subscription Box List!
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What do you think of this month’s Busy Bee Stationery?
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