Monthly Stationery Kit Update!

Dear Fellow Snail Mail Lovers,

Every month for the past three and a half years, subscribers have received a kit of stationery via snail mail - these kits were planned, designed, and assembled entirely by me and I have had such joy in creating them. From drawing new artwork for greeting cards, to hand carving rubber blocks to stamp little extras like notebooks, notecards, and gift tags - I have poured so much time and energy into these monthly bundles. I also spent an inordinate amount of time selecting and packaging little gifts to keep or pass along to a friend - like bookmarks, herbal teas, sun prisms, and beautiful pens. I loved including these little extras.

Lately, I’ve realized that there are SO many things that have worked beautifully in this subscription over the years. But, after sending out 41 kits to dozens and dozens of subscribers each month and getting feedback along the way, I realize that there are some changes I need to make to keep these kits useful and affordable for you, and sustainable for me. I believe these changes reflect the input I’ve received, and it also makes creating these kits something that I and my business will be able to support for years to come.

The “too long, didn’t read” quick version of this update is: Kits will still be mailed monthly, but starting in October they will be simplified – and less expensive at $19. 

If you’re curious about how I reached this conclusion and want ALL the deets, here was my process:

I take feedback from subscribers very seriously, and last month I polled current and past subscribers to understand how people use the materials in the kits. I used that feedback plus countless emails from subscribers over the years to find some common themes, notably this: 

• Many people can’t keep up with the volume

• The extra gift was a fun addition, but not necessary

First, I took a look at the volume of the stationery and cards. Some people LOVE the writing pages and want more. Some people never use the writing pages. What a trick to figure out what to do, knowing I can’t please everyone! I do have a catalog of downloadable writing pages that current subscribers get for free – so I decided to keep one set in the kit each month, and those who want more can print their own.

The cards are the bread and butter of the kits, and each kit will have two cards and a notecard, or three cards. Everyone agreed that the stamps are important! I’m keeping 4 forever stamps in the new kits. The stickers are staying and will be included every month, as well as my typed newsletter.

Next, I decided to do a little exercise - if I eliminate the gift each month, what would that do to my shipping costs, and would there be a savings I could pass along to subscribers? The special monthly gift varies in size and weight, and makes each package cost more to ship (never mind the cost of the gift itself).

I discovered that if I eliminate the gift, which many of you thought was unnecessary anyway, I also can reduce the shipping cost of each kit significantly. I know that the shipping cost was a large portion of the monthly costs for being a subscriber, and no one likes paying for shipping!

After all that – I laid out two kits side by side, the “old” version and the “new” version, and worked out all of the pricing in a spreadsheet. I’m tickled that I will be able to provide a beautiful monthly kit, with a similar amount of gorgeous cards and stationery, but at a much lower monthly cost of $19, including shipping. I think it’s a win!

To recap, here’s what will be in the kits each month, starting in October:

• 2 lined writing pages + 1 envelope

• 3 greeting cards, or 2 greeting cards + 1 notecard

• 4 forever stamps

• stickers

• typed newsletter

• access to free downloadable stationery

• … all wrapped up cute in twine and mailed to you each month

• Here's a link to sign up

Essentially, the kits are very similar to previous kits. The difference is there will not be a gift, and there will be one fewer piece of stationery. If you were to purchase all of the pieces of this kit separately, the cost would be about $25 - but subscribers will get this kit for $19 a month, and that INCLUDES shipping (yay!).

Up until now, the kits have been $25 + $4.99 shipping (so, $29.99). With these changes, starting in October kits will be $19 and FREE shipping.

I truly hope that these upcoming changes reflect what my subscribers are looking for - I’m seeking to improve with the feedback that I’ve been given, and I hope I’m hitting the mark. Thank you to everyone who is a current subscriber, a past subscriber, or observing from the sidelines - it is truly a gift to be able to design and curate these kits each month for you and I don’t take it for granted.

If you would like to try out a kit, I would love to have you! Click here to sign up.

Jen

PS -

Current subscribers, you will automatically be migrated to this new version of the subscription and you will be billed $19 (plus tax if applicable) on October 1st.

If you are a current subscriber (or a potential subscriber!) and have questions, please reach out! The best way to contact me is by email - hello@jenfoxstudio.com

If you need to make any changes to your subscription you can log into your customer account here, or you can email me.