Papergang is a monthly stationery subscription box from quirky UK design team, Ohh Deer. Each month they partner with a different artist and have a theme to bring you paper goods and desk accessories.
The packaging always gets an A++ in my book! It's designed by the featured artist each month and offers an exciting intro to what's inside. August's artist is cartoonist and illustrator Gemma Correll, who is known for her black-and-red drawings of pugs and other cute things.
The flip side of the box features a little well-being chart that you can cut out and track three weeks of being kind to yourself. That's something we could all stand to do more often—I love that this is a tangible way of measuring your success.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Papergang
The Subscription Box: Papergang
The Cost: About $12.83 USD (10.95 GBP) + shipping.
Coupons: Buy a 3-month subscription and save 50% off your first box, no code required, just link here! You can also get a free box with a 6-month subscription or 2 free boxes with a 12-month subscription!
The Products: Each month you'll receive a box full of papery goodness. The product selection will vary, however, it will include the likes of greeting cards, notebooks, desk accessories, and art prints.
Ships to: the US and Canada for $5.80 USD (£4.95), UK for $3.86 USD, Australia for $7.79 USD, and Worldwide (shipping costs vary).
Good to know: Papergang partners with Tree Aid to make sure that for every four boxes they sell, one tree gets planted in the African Drylands, which helps with vital food and income.
Papergang September 2018 Review
Papergang includes a fun little info booklet each month that matches the box and theme of the contents! Shall we take a look?
Open the booklet and you’ll find the contents of this box (Box #30). As an intro to the interview that lies in the pages ahead is a #relatable quote from Gemma Correll.
Gemma's interview is so personality-filled, which is fitting given that her illustrations are overflowing with character and a gentle dose of humor. She tells us of her beginnings making and selling comics as a kid and where her signature black and red colors come from.
The interview continues with some rapid-fire questions, and on the opposite page are DIY awards that you can write in and cut out.
On the back cover is an ad that might look familiar to Papergang subscribers! Find out more info about their referral program at papergang.ohhdeer.com/faq.
A4ish Notebook - Listed Value About $5.77 USD (£4.95)
The cover of this notebook is exactly what a high-energy cat person like me needs in her life: a little calming encouragement and an amazing cat illustration. Look at that face! So chill, yet so standoffish! Perfection!
Open the soft cover and you'll find light blue, lined pages. Simple and to the point!
Here's a close-up of the upper right-hand corner. I obviously love that each page is infused with a hint of zest because I'm me.
This is precisely what I had hoped the back cover would be. Sooo so good! TBH I'm not super feelin' the color combos in this month's box—they're sort of pastel-y but also have a brightness to them, and I'm more of a rich, deep tone type of person—so it's little details like this thoughtfully quirky back cover that totally make the box for me.
A5 Notepad - Listed Value About $6.94 USD (£5.95)
While notebooks are something you kinda gotta commit to, notepads are so the opposite. I keep a tiny notepad on my kitchen counter and a slightly larger one on my desk so that I can jot down whatever I need to, whenever, and scratch things off a list, and be scatterbrained in writing, and rip the top page off and start fresh without ruining the binding of the thing. It's occurring to me that I would definitely welcome more notepads in my Papergang boxes and that this one, in particular, is so, so great. Such a simple reminder with a friendly li'l face to make me smile.
A4 Riso Print - Retail Value About $10.44 USD (£8.95)
This little poster would make a sweet gift! I considered perhaps framing it and hanging it in my daughter's nursery, but the color scheme struck again—the muted hues just wouldn't go too well with the bolder theme I have goin' on. If I had a bulletin board near my desk at work, I would definitely hang it there, but alas I do not, so off to a friend it shall go!
Academic Wall Planner - Estimated Value $5.77 (£4.95)
As I often do, I unpacked this month's box before opening the booklet because I have a ravenous appetite for stationery, and I was so intrigued by this folded-up piece of paper. I opened it up to find a big ol' poster, on the flip side of which is a monthly academic wall planner. Fun!
How insanely inviting are those little boxes to write in? Since nobody in my family is in school, we don't have much of a use for an academic planner, so it's cool that this offering can also serve as a straight-up poster.
Here it is with my husband's Sasquatch arm for scale. While I like the blue-and-peach color combo better than the pink-and-peach one, I found myself left kinda wishin' for a fresh design since this little smiley dude already appeared on the notepad and the print. Some of the badges shown on this month's box would've been great candidates for a poster, in my mind!
Sticker Pack - Estimated Value $4.61 (£3.95)
Those of you who have checked out some of my other reviews may know that I'm a total sticker fanatic! I have been ever since childhood. They are the world's great cheer-er-uppers. I was pretty excited to find that every little star on these three sheets are actual stickers—sometimes there are non-sticker drawings on sheets, which I think is just cruel. Not the case here! The badges included here are adorable, but then become kind of hi-lar-ious when put to use. See below.
Here is my husband, Guy, looking so proud to not be the worst!
Here is my daughter, Lorelai, doing an "OK" job of being a baby. Haha! We strongly considered badging up our dog but thought we'd spare him. 🙂
Bonus: November Calendar Card
The November riso calendar is simple, but still goin' strong with the theme of positivity. Papergang typically includes these little calendar cards for several months in advance, which I love for planning ahead!
Bonus: Teapigs Tea Sample & Discount
I've never seen any sort of coupons or non-themed free things in my Papergang box, so this was a fun surprise! It's a single sample of chocolate-mint tea from Teapigs. I've never heard of chocolate-mint tea-like, whaaat?—but I can't wait to give it a try! It's super hot and muggy where I live today, so I think I'll save it for the next rainy day.
Verdict: This was a fun Papergang box to explore! While the colors weren't my favorite and the theme could've stood to have a little more variety, I am still lovin' this month's box and will remain a diehard fan & advocate of Papergang 'til the day I die. Papergang 4 life. I received a soft cover notebook, a notepad, a riso print, an academic wall planner/poster, a 3-sheet sticker pack, and a bonus calendar card, which added up to about $33.52 USD. And that's not including the free tea bag! For an approximately $17.84 (including shipping fee to the USA) box, that's a great deal.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, the September deadline just ended. You'll receive the October box! Check this helpful ship date guide to see the order-by date to receive the next few months' boxes.
Coupon - Buy a 3-month subscription and save 50% off your first box, no code required, just link here! You can also get a free box with a 6-month subscription or 2 free boxes with a 12-month subscription!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $14.40 + $3.44 shipping, which means that each of the 6 items in the box (counting the bonus calendar but not the tea bag) has an average cost of $2.97.
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Did you like September's Papergang theme as much as I did?
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