6 Stationery Subscription Boxes for Old-School Paper Lovers

I’m a known pen-snob, but what you all may not know is that I am actually particular about all kinds of stationery and office supplies. Notebooks, planners, sticky notes, journals, pencils, highlighters, cards—you name it, I have an opinion.

I have my trusty standbys, but I love trying new things. When all you have nearby is the same old craft store chain that never gets anything new, it can be hard to get your hands on some of the truly great stationery out there. Luckily, there are subscription boxes for everything, even stationery.

Idea Chic, $19.95

What:

Idea Chic Stationery Box Subscription is a themed monthly box of products from Idea Chic. The stationery might be letterpress, flat-printed, or sewn, but it’s all made by hand and it’s all hella cute. They don’t mail a set number of products each month, but they do guarantee that the value will total more than $19.95 and on top of that they throw in a bonus set of surprise stickers. They also have a quarterly box, Parcel Post, that features stationery and related gift items.

Who:

If you’re a card person (and there are card people and non-card people), then you should definitely sign up for Idea Chic. These handmade cards beat Hallmark cards by leaps and bounds. Win. On the flip side, if you’re not a card person, a card subscription box gets you out of card shopping for what basically amounts to forever. Also a win.

Use discount code ESL at checkout for 10% off! 

SCRIBEdelivery, $29

Image via scribedelivery

What:

SCRIBEdelivery is a monthly pen and stationery subscription box. Each box is guaranteed to have at least one pen and at least one notebook, but the rest of the box could be filled with anything writing-related. They send items that they’ve tested, so you can be sure it’s all worth geeking out over.

Who:

SCRIBEdelivery is perfect for people who say things like “You can never have enough pens!” or people who think that they’re out of notebooks when they’re down to their last two. Alternately, SCRIBEdelivery would be perfect for people who are switching to using old-school pen and paper and don’t have much of a collection to speak of.

Something Mighty, $25 (+ $7 shipping)

Image via radandhungry

What:

Rad and Hungry describes The Something Mighty Collection as “a combo office-supply and travel subscription box.” Basically, each month is a different set of items sourced locally, from different locales around the world. The boxes have a very curated feel — the products they send have a distinctly cool, lo-fi style.

Who:

The office supplies are all guaranteed to be something you would never find at your local Staples so if you like your products to be more small-batch than big-box, go to Rad and Hungry right now. Also any and all stationery addicts will love it (or at least I would. Feel free to buy one for me.)

Planner Addict Box, $15 (+3.75 shipping)

Image via ThePlannerAddictBox

What:

The Planner Addict Box ships a curated collection of planner supplies — stickers, paper, pens, washi, you name it. You’ll never know what you’ll get, but you can be certain it’ll be pretty (their tagline is “planning made pretty”) and fun. If you’re a hardcore planner decorator (you do you), you can get The Planner Addict Sticker Box for $10 more.

Who:

People with a strong bond to their planner will love this box. If you love decorating your planner on the reg, you’ll love it even more. If you love the color pink and all things floral, you’ll love it most. If you’re really into Halloween and not so much into flowers and dots, you may love it less.

Chroma.club, $8

Image via chromaclub

What:

Chroma.club is a subscription box for adult coloring pages. If you don’t know what those are, 1) you’ve been living under a rock and 2) adult coloring pages are fun and 3) coloring is good for your mental health (no, really). Apparently carefully coloring in the ornate designs can encourage mindfulness akin to meditation. Each monthly book from Chroma.club features new artist-drawn designs and is printed on eco-friendly, recycled paper.

Who:

If your favorite days of class in school involved coloring sheets (holidays were the best), then just know that this is the grown-up version of that. You could, obviously, just go buy a coloring book, but if you don’t want to color an entire book full of mandalas or buy 15 different types of coloring books, Chroma.club is an easy way to add variety to your “me time.”

Penspiration Box, $18 (+4.95 shipping)

Image via ClothandPaperco

What:

Cloth & Paper’s monthly Penspiration box features an assortment of 4-6 pens (no pencils here!). It’s a subscription box, so you don’t know what you’ll get, but Cloth & Paper says you can expect to see brands like Pilot and Pentel make an appearance, as well as different types of pens, ranging from gel to rollerball to brush pens. Cloth & Paper also offers limited edition boxes, like August 2016’s collaboration with Jonathan Faust (a Danish hand-lettering artist).

Who:

Fellow pen snobs, this is for you. Even though the collectors among you aren’t going to find your holy grail pen in a subscription box, you’ll certainly find some diamonds in the rough that far surpass your Target options.

Follow Meleah on Twitter: @meleahbowles