Unboxing: Brutus Monroe Stamp Club - November 2017

Welcome to my new series...

🎁 Unboxing 🎁

I am still a struggling college student trying to make ends meet, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun too! The Unboxing Series is my way to help others who are on a budget know what is worthwhile and how to get the most out of their subscription items. In this series I will be reviewing the subscriptions on the following elements - Value, Quality, Creativity, Usefulness, and Overall Satisfaction.

Starting this series off with...

Unboxing: Brutus Monroe Stamp Club

If you haven't heard of Brutus Monroe, don't worry, I just recently discovered them too! They are an awesome craft company with funky and innovative designs. Honestly their style, ambition, and innovation reminds me a lot of Tim Holtz! So who knows, they may be the next big thing in crafting very soon! Anyways, you should definitely check them out here because there is only so much I can say! They are definitely worth checking out yourself.

They have a Stamp of the Month Club that is just $5 a month! That INCLUDES Shipping (clearly I am excited about that)! At that price it is cheaper than a coffee! Clearly a sacrifice I am capable of making so I had to try this one out! According to their website, the Stamp Club stamps are exclusively designed by Brutus Monroe and shipped by the 15th of each month. You also get the stamps before they are available for purchase on the website. They also give subscribers a 10% off coupon to anything else on the website that is automatically applied to your account! No crazy codes needed here!

**Note: This review is not sponsored in any part by Brutus Monroe. The subscription was purchased by me and opinions are my own.**

Signing up, I was a little confused about when I was going to get my first stamp set. So I thought I would clarify here in case you were confused as well. All orders ship by the 15th according to their website. So I thought If I ordered before that dat I would get that month's stamp. However, regardless of when in the month that you order, you get the following month's stamp as your first order. So for me, I ordered October. 13th and my first stamp set arrived November 6th. The actual date you receive your stamp will vary based on where you live and when they ship them out, however I thought this would give you a better idea when to expect your stamp.

Month - November 2017

 

November's Stamp set is so cute! This 3x2 inch stamp set includes 6 images! I have to say I really like this stamp set. The main stamp is a beautiful vintage style ornament reminds me of my grandma's old Christmas ornaments. It's classy and intricate. The remaining stamps in the set are 5 smaller images that can be used as accents or making backgrounds.

What's in the package?
     My stamp arrived in a standard envelope with just the stamp set inside. Nothing fancy, which probably helps save on shipping costs. I have no problem with that! :)

CB Breakdown

• Cost -
• $5 a month which includes shipping and handling!

• Value -
• On Brutus Monroe's website their 2x3 stamps typically retail for $3.99 but shipping can be steep! When I went to add a stamp to my cart it estimated my shipping to be over $4.00 just for one 2x3 stamp. So with that in mind, the subscription is a great deal!
• You also get 6 stamps in the set which I feel makes it very versatile and allows you to mix and match with other stamps sets you may have in your collection.
• Taking the shipping out of consideration, $5 is more than I would typically spend on a stamp set this size. Looking around the internet most stamp sets of this size retail for $3 to $4 which is consistent with their standard pricing on the Brutus Monroe website. So for the stamp it self, you pay a little more to get it ahead or everyone else and shipped, which isn't terrible.

• Quality -
• The quality of these stamps is amazing! Typically when I get a new stamp set the images don't stamp clearly at first and I have to ink them several times. This was not the case here! I was really nervous because of the amount of detail in the stamps Below is my first stamped image using the main stamp in the set, as well as a comparison between the packaging and the stamped images.

 

• All of the images stamped beautifully! I am incredibly impressed with the quality of these stamps!

• Creativity - 
• I really enjoy the style of this stamp set! It's vintage holiday theme is very different than the cutesy Christmas stamps that are really popular right now. I like that it is a unique take on Christmas stamps.

• Usefulness -
• This stamp set arrived just in time for the holiday season which makes it perfect to use for making Christmas cards.
• My complaint here is that the ornament does say Merry Christmas, so if you don't celebrate Christmas it is not going to be as useful for you. The small images are pretty holiday generic so those can still be used but the main image of this set is very specific to only Christmas. But being a Christmas/Holiday set you are still limited with the amount of use the stamp can receive. However, the two small present images could be used year round with other stamp sets so that is a plus.

• Overall Satisfaction -  
• I am glad that I received this set. I think I will be able to get a lot of use out of these stamps.

Overall Rating: 17/20

Value Rating: 4/5

Quality Rating: 5/5

Creativity Rating: 5/5

Usefulness Rating: 3/5

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for some fun projects coming up using this stamp set! :)

💋 Besos,
        ~Becca