Postmark’d Studio's PostBox delivers a monthly subscription box to your door featuring a curated collection of greeting cards, postcards, artful doodads, and beautiful paper products, and always includes the postage to mail everything. By the way, our readers voted this box as one of the Best Stationery Subscriptions of 2020!
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 Postmark'd Studio PostBox
The Subscription Box: PostBox by Postmark'd Studio
The Cost: $25/month + shipping. Save with 3-, 6-, and 12-month subscriptions!
ACTIVE DEAL: Get free shipping on your first box (MSAFS) or save $10 off your first box with a 3-month subscription (MSA404ME)
CODE: MSAFS or MSA404ME
The Products: PostBox comes with greeting cards, postcards, postage, and a fun artsy doodad such as a pen, pencil, or knick-knack gadget based on a theme.
Ships to: The U.S. for $5, Canada for $11, and 41 international countries for $17
Good to Know: You can also purchase "Special Delivery" boxes without a subscription for various prices.
Postmark'd Studio PostBox "Fun & Games" Review
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Anyone else out there get a giddy feeling in their stomach just seeing this bundle of greeting cards and things? I love the way Anne, the owner and curator of this box, puts so much care into each theme and its presentation.
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This handwritten greeting from Anne is such a nice personal touch. And, what a fun idea to make an envelope collage with tickets! Since this month's delivery was adorably encircled with an "arm's length" (a short arm) of tickets, I have what I need to make my own version of this idea. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I'm pretty excited to be able to try it.
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The Fun & Games theme this month has such a vintage feel to it, and that's no accident! On the included info card, Anne shares her wish to invoke the cozy togetherness of game nights, something I definitely have dynamic memories of not only with my parents and brother, but with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, too. Each item included this month is perfectly on-theme, and as per usual, a description is included for each one—not only giving a shout out to the maker of the item but also sometimes offering suggestions of various reasons you might use the card to write to someone. I love that. The opposite side takes that concept to the next level with snail mail bingo. Each square gives an idea for who or what to write in a piece of mail, and as you complete the tasks you'll mark them off. Once you get a BINGO, you can take a photo to post on social media to be entered to win a 3-month PostBox subscription. This is so my jam!
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Barrel of Monkeys Greeting Card by Appalachia Press - Estimated Retail Value $5.50
This first card features a primary color trio of Barrel-of-Monkeys monkeys. It was made with old-school printmaking techniques, and I love the tactile feel of it: the handmade paper, the imprint of the design. It's a blank card, but I decided to use it as a birthday card for my brother—it just so happened to fit the theme of the Godzilla wrapping paper I had saved from an old Papergang box. Our two-year-old daughter loved using all the white space to add her own monkey illustrations to the mix.
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Retro Pinball Birthday Card by a. favorite design - Retail Value $5.00
Oh my gosh! Any fans of The Who's Tommy out there? That's immediately what both my husband and I thought of when we saw this retro birthday card. We agreed we'd tuck this one away in our drawerful of cards until August, to save it for the birthday of another Tommy-loving friend. This letterpress-printed card has the most satisfyingly stamped pinball graphic on the front, with some natural inconsistencies in the ink. It's details like this that make me feel connected with the person whose hands crafted an item, and part of why I love handmade goods so much.
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Vintage Snoopy Playing Card Greeting Card by Vintage Playing Cards - Estimated Retail Value Approx. $5.99 (£4.95)
Ahh, this is so cute! Anne had mentioned to me in an email correspondence that she'd had her eye on Vintage Playing Cards for four years, and was awaiting the right moment to include one of their authentic vintage playing card greeting cards in a PostBox. It comes all the way from the UK, where the makers create all sorts of cool home items and things using vintage playing cards. The one on this card is a tiny Snoopy playing card from 1958—I couldn't find Peanuts cards on their site, but here are others they currently offer. I've already decided I'm going to save this one for the next card-giving occasion for my father-in-law (does anyone else save cards for specific people like I do?)—not because he's specifically a big Peanuts fan, but because he has a razor-sharp memory of his family's history and we'll all have fun hearing what was going on in 1958 when this card was printed. He would've only been 2, but I just know he'll have a bank of knowledge about what happened that year anyway!
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Snail Mail Postcard Puzzle by Micro Puzzles & LouPaper - Estimated Retail Value $7.99
I just can't get over the sheer volume of clever inclusions in this month's PostBox. Postmark'd Studio collaborated with Micro Puzzles and illustrator Louise Neumann (whose handiworks can be found under LouPaper) to create this snail-mail-themed puzzle measuring 4"x6". The info card suggests making the puzzle, flipping it over to write a note on it, then deconstructing it and putting it back in the tube to mail it to a friend (we are also provided with the handy info that it should cost between $3.75-$4.50 to ship to a friend who lives in the U.S.). The tube it comes in is made from recyclable plastic, so you won't have to worry about it breaking in transit. Now, to decide who my lucky recipient will be...
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Word Search Postcard by ANCORA Letterpress - Estimated Retail Value $3 (buy a pack of 6 here for $18)
This letterpress postcard is from the same small business that made November's succulent postcard. This time it's an interactive postcard, with a mail-themed word search printed with embossing on the front. This month's info card suggests either circling the words you want to communicate a message to your recipient, or letting them do the activity on their own when the postcard arrives.
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Gelly Roll Moonlight Pen by Sakura, blue, fine — Retail Value $1.49
Gel pens are a blast from the past for me, and about a year ago I encountered a 20-pack of them that I justified nostalgia-buying by telling myself they were for my then-one-year-old. Ha! Not exactly a baby-friendly art supply. I've used them a good deal (for envelope art especially!), but this single blue gel pen from Sakura has opened my eyes to how cheap that 20-pack really is. This one glides on so smooth and thick, and with such a satisfying matte hue. If you scroll through the images above, you'll see that I used it to write on the yellow envelope for my brother's birthday card. I might have to find a new home for that impulse purchase and stock up on Sakura pens!
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Vintage Postage
Last but in no way least, our regular delivery of vintage postage stamps. This month's four sets are all U.S. Olympic-themed from various years ranging back to 1976. Such cool little glimpses of history! I can totally understand why vintage stamp collectors wouldn't want to let go of something like this, but, alas, I am already a notebook hoarder (among other office supplies) and need not start a new collection. Instead, I'll make sure to use them for mail going to friends who I know will notice and appreciate them! Anne gives us a little cheat sheet that tells us if you use one stamp from each set, that adds up to 56 cents, which is about equivalent to a forever stamp right now.
Verdict: I had so. much. fun. with the January Postmark'd Studio box. I got the immediate gratification of using the monkey card right away, and another part of me is gratified by knowing exactly who I'll save some of the other special cards for. Another part of me still is pleased to have a postcard and the micro puzzle (the most innovative type of letter ever!) to keep in my drawer to use when a spontaneous occasion arises. Plus, a new baller pen is always welcome here. I'm definitely going to mail my way through the Snail Mail Bingo card as a New Year's resolution.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your subscription will likely begin with the March "Stamps & Stationery" box. For those already subscribed to PostBox, the February "Hugs & Kisses" PostBox will begin shipping on March 5, 2021.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get free shipping on your first box (MSAFS) or save $10 off your first box with a 3-month subscription (MSA404ME)
CODE: MSAFS or MSA404ME
Value Breakdown: This box costs $25 + $5 shipping, which means that each of the 6 items in the box (not including the stamps) has an average cost of $5.
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What's your favorite item from this month's Postmark'd Studio Postbox?
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