Handmade Happy Mail is a new subscription box company that sends out unique handmade greeting cards created by founder Deena Hopkins. The cards may be hand stamped, colored, die cut, etc. and are all created with attention to detail and tons of love. Boxes are shipped from PA on the 15th of every month. Subscribers will receive five handmade greeting cards; two birthday cards, two themed cards (Ex., Thank You, Thinking of You, Congratulations) and one special holiday card (Ex. Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day). Also included in the box are five envelopes and five first class stamps. Subscriptions begin at $24.99 per month and include shipping.

The Homespun Chics received this box for review. All opinions are 100% our own.

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September 2016 Handmade Happy Mail

I am SO excited about this subscription box company! Handmade Happy Mail is owned and operated by Deena Hopkins and her husband, Ray. Deena imagines all of the card designs and meticulously crafts each and every card! Boxes are shipped out on the 15th of every month. My September box was shipped on August 15th, and the October box will ship on September 15th. This ensures subscribers have ample time to use the seasonal-themed cards before the month is up!

The Costs

Month-to-Month: $24.99 per month
3 Month Prepay:  $69.99 every 3 months ($23.33 per month)
12 Month Prepay:  $257.99 every 12 months ($21.67 per month)

Coupon Goodness!

Use code SPUNFUN to save 10% off your first monthly box! 🙂

My box arrived with a wonderful information sheet describing the theme for September, which is all about beginning the new school year and celebrating fall! Subscribers are also encouraged to share the smiles that are being sent out via Facebook and Instagram, tagging Handmade Happy Mail: @handmadehappymail!

First peek! All of the cards arrived carefully packaged in a clear baggie inside a small, white mailing box and were shipped via USPS.

I love the back-to-school theme and gorgeous font used on this September birthday card! I am saving this card until Little G goes off to elementary school in a couple years. I’m sure he will make plenty of new friends, some of which will have birthdays in September! 🙂

There is so much detail that went into making this card. Holy cow! I love the different techniques used and adore the design!

The inside of the cards are left blank so you can write your own sentiments. This is my preference for greeting cards. Sometimes I feel Hallmark tries too hard…. I find myself writing around the message inside or spending hours reading greeting card sentiments until I find one that is “close enough” to suit my needs. So frustrating! I much prefer being able to write my own thoughts out.

 I love this “Happy New Year” card for September! This would be perfect to give a teacher friend at the start of the new school year. I have a couple friends in mind that could really benefit from receiving this sweet card right about now.

Here’s a look at this one up close. My favorite part of this has to be the details on the type writer and pencil cup. I love the 3D effects on all of the cards!

All of the cards are hand stamped on the back with the company logo and web address. So cute!

Oh man, this is one of my FAVORITE cards!! I am a huge nerd, so naturally I have a ton of dorky friends! I’m having a really hard time deciding who gets to receive this gem on their birthday.

Up close, you can see the glasses are actually a puffy sticker! I also really love the stitch-like edging on the white paper. This card totally rocks. Love it.

Update:  Deena just let me know in the comments below that the eyeglasses were actually made from three cardstock die cuts that were glued together by hand and then topped with a layer of gloss. I am stunned!!

Now this is a card that would be great for lifting someone up when they’re feeling down! Encouragement cards are my favorite to have on hand and work perfectly for the “random acts of kindness” that I try to maintain. The warm color palette is getting me so excited for fall! I’m ready for apple pickin’!

The die cut ‘Hello’ pieces are layered to create a nice 3D effect. I’m also really happy to see more of the stitched trim. This card looks so polished and professional. I would have easily spent $6 or $7 on a similar card purchased at a store like Target. I’m such a sucker for interesting cards and inevitably wind up going over budget on gifts because of it!

 

Oh my gosh, an encouragement card dedicated to COFFEE! How can you not love this?!

This card was created in honor of the ridiculously popular drink that defines fall:  the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I finally tried it last year and decided I would rather stick to my usual cuppa… 12 oz Dynamite Roasting Co. Sumatra blend medium roast coffee – add four shots of espresso, cream, and two Splendas. Mmmmm… So good. The Pumpkin Spice Latte was far too sweet for me. I’ll save my pumpkin spice for my pies!

Again, the details are incredible. The coffee cup appears to be hand stamped, beautifully colored in with markers, and then layered to create a 3D effect. I love the sparkly paper too. This is my favorite card of the bunch and it will be extremely hard to part with it. I love coffee and I love this card!

Also included in the package were a set of forever stamps and five white envelopes that fit the cards perfectly. This makes sending cards out via snail mail convenient and simple. I literally have no excuse to not send happiness out in the mail this month.

I love the attention to detail with this subscription box. Sticking with the back-to-school theme, I received five commemorative stamps honoring Jaime Escalante, the outstanding Bolivian educator who worked tirelessly for 17 years at Garfield High School in California. He challenged his math students to work extremely hard in order to achieve their dreams of attending college. He gained national attention in 1982 when 18 of his students passed the AP Calculus exam. By the time he left Garfield in 1991, 570 of his students were taking AP exams in math and other subjects.

My Thoughts

I LOVE Handmade Happy Mail! I cannot believe it took me so long to discover this subscription box. The cards are gorgeous and assembled with the utmost attention to detail. The fall color scheme is getting me so excited for cooler weather, hikes in the woods, apple picking, and pumpkin pies. I will be sending out all but one card this month and am happy to have forever stamps to keep with the cards for ease of mailing. I love Deena’s artwork and consider these the most highly coveted cards I own.

What do you think of my September 2016 Handmade Happy Mail package?

xo
Sarah

Save 10% off your first month of Handmade Happy Mail by using code SPUNFUN at checkout! 🙂