I’m not going to tell you how to spend your own personal money, but I HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR SPENDING YOUR OWN PERSONAL MONEY. One recent evening, after let’s say ONE extra vodka-and-Ginger-Lime-diet-Coke, I joined the Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Club. My October subscription packet arrived today:
It has been awhile since I’ve been so pleased with a purchase. I’d thought I might regret it when I saw the stickers, since of course there would be ones I would not have chosen for myself, but instead I am DELIGHTED with the ones I would not have chosen for myself. It reminds me a little of long ago when I ordered a whole bunch of return address labels, and the company accidentally sent me a set with dogs on them. I don’t have a dog, I didn’t have any reason to order labels with dogs, but it was surprisingly refreshing to use something so outside my usual style. (The company re-sent the right ones and let me keep the wrong ones for free.)
I feel like I am not telling this story in the right order. To START with, I should have said what I was doing on the Mrs. Grossman’s site at all. Generally I have to STOP myself from buying stickers, because I buy them at a faster rate than I can use them. HOWEVER: with the fundraiser, I have quite a few greeting cards to send. And what is my FAVORITE use for stickers, but PUTTING THEM ON ENVELOPES. So I have been going through my stickers at an invigorating rate, and I went on the Mrs. Grossman’s site with that in mind—NOT planning to place an order per se, but just in the mood to window-shop for stickers on a Friday night with a vodka-and-diet-Coke, as we party people like to do.
That is when I noticed…The Sticker Club.
Obviously I was not going to JOIN. No. A grown woman like me. No. I was just going to maybe look at some of the past month’s selections for the fun of it. I sipped a little more of my drink. I went to look at the sale stickers and put some in my cart. I looked at the holiday stickers. I went back and looked at the sticker club some more.
I have mentioned before that Paul and I each have a monthly allowance to be used for things that the other person would not want to spend money on. Like, he can save his up to spend a ton of money on a workshop tool I’d consider too expensive for the minimal usage he’ll get out of it. Or I can use mine for an order of See’s chocolates. Or whatever. But my allowance tends to build up, because I don’t generally have big things to spend mine on, so I have what we could call a little STASH, and it makes Paul envious and so he is always urging me to spend it. Which is what he was doing as I sipped my drink.
I continued to browse stickers just in general. I wasn’t going to have enough for free shipping—except WAIT: the discontinued BEE STICKERS are back in stock!!! And for less than I paid for them in the store!! Okay. Okay okay okay. Now I started adding things to the cart in earnest: sale twinkle heart stickers, sale exotic bird stickers, sale horse stickers, sale ornament stickers; limited edition heart stickers, cute little sparkle heart stickers, small sparkly rainbow stickers, flamingos-and-rainbows stickers hecc yes, and so on.
It was in the midst of this adrenaline frenzy that Elizabeth wandered in, and I showed her the sticker club, and she was enthusiastic and saying “Girl. GIRL” as she does when enthusiastic, and almost before I knew it I had decided to subscribe, and then I DID subscribe.
I wondered if I’d have regrets the next morning. It is classic for things to seem like a very good idea in the evening with the drink, and much less of a good idea the next morning with the coffee. BUT NO. I woke up the next day, turned off the alarm, began the usual mental start-up (“Edward’s antibiotic, it’s Saturday, I don’t have to work, my hair needs washing, I need to have the child gather up the trash…”) and almost immediately REMEMBERED THE STICKER CLUB and felt HUGE JOY AND ANTICIPATION.
Each day since then I have thought of it and been happy, but have wondered if the arrival of the stickers themselves would change my mind. And NO! I am still happy! I will put the photo here a second time, so you don’t have to keep scrolling to admire it:
(I did not put these in the exact order I want to discuss them, but I will go ROUGHLY left-to-right and top-to-bottom.) It came with a sheet of flower stickers and a sheet of animal stickers in fall colors but not autumn-only; then three sheets of distinctly Halloween/skeleton/pumpkin stickers, which is IDEAL because I have a Halloween card to send! Then, thrillingly, there was a little gold envelope containing what the letter explained was one of three possible ARCHIVED stickers found in the sticker vault. THE STICKER VAULT!! I got a jack-o-lantern. Then a Mrs. Grossman’s postcard to send to a friend; it has a discount code on it.
Next row! A sheet of deluxe metallic-rimmed unicorn/candy/rainbow/heart/bow stickers, which I have seen in the store and admired but didn’t want to spend the extra money for, so that was very pleasing to get. Some metallic-edged grapes, which are exactly the kind of thing I would not have chosen but am delighted to receive and find a reason to use. Some Yosemite park stickers and some inspirational-quote stickers, which I will enjoy putting into someone’s fundraiser care package. The letter that came along with the stickers says that the grapes and the Yosemite stickers are “designs you just can’t find these days.” Last in that row is the envelope the subscription came in, which was so cheerful to see in the mailbox.
Last row! Allllllll shimmery/sparkly, alllll Limited Edition, and I love/want all of them except maybe the bears. Yes, I think the bears will go into someone’s care package.
Anyway. I’m so pleased. Also, this checks off one person on my Christmas-shopping list: I am going to get a several-month subscription for my niece who likes stickers. (I ordered her a few packs of stickers, too, so I’ll have something to wrap and put under the tree.) Notice that there is some sort of countdown on the sticker club page for how long you have to sign up before it’s too late to be included in the next month’s packet. It makes it sound as if it’s a countdown for when it’s too late to subscribe AT ALL, but no: just to get in on the next month. Considering my October subscription arrived on September 30th, that’s a good thing to know if signing up: one wouldn’t want the stickers arriving too EARLY.
While I’m not a massive sticker fan (though I do buy some every now and then), i totally, totally get your excitement…
About 4 months ago, I saw an ad on Facebook for a stationery subscription. It seemed extravagant, and mostly unnecessary (how many A5 notebooks can I really justify owning?). And yet. Every month, when I receive the beautifully packaged box, my heart lifts. And the things inside are the kind that make me want to take them out every now and then and just… touch them. AND – it’s not exclusively stationery per se – the first month’s theme (I think it was June) was summer, and the package contained a dolphin pin brooch, 3 metal straws, a notebook, a greetings card and a couple of other things. I initially just did the 3-month subscription and carefully noted down the date for cancelling. But when that date came round, I just couldn’t do it. I love this “special present just for me” too much! I’m not sure if the subscription’ available in the US (it’s a British company, but I’m in France, so it may be possible), but just in case anyone’s interested, here’s the link: https://papergang.ohhdeer.com/
:-D
I absolutely just ordered a subscription! The boxes look SO fun on IG!
You are the second person in my circle to mention this recently so I went and subscribed and I am VERY EXCITED
Me too! I can’t wait to get the box :)
I am not a fan of stickers, per se, however, your delight is delightful and has delighted me!
Also not a fan of stickers, but having bought an random thing I inexplicably coveted (a rubber band ball), I totally get the enthusiasm for life’s small but sweeping pleasures.
Ooooooohhhhh this is so neat! I “collected” stickers as a child and had SUCH fun admiring them and never sticking them to anything. What a fun present to yourself!
This has delighted me to no end. And those bear stickers! I totally remember those from when I was a kid!
This is absolutely going to be my go-to gift for several kids in my life!
I don’t want to brag (yes, I do), but I used to work at a scrapbook store and once met Mrs. Grossman in the flesh. She was very nice. Alas, I still have about 7 billion unused stickers from my time working there, but I always endorse more stickers in the world.
!!!!!!
So when you next find yourself in Northern California (college tour perhaps?) you should know there is (was? I went some time ago) a very fun Mrs Grossman’s factory tour. With freebies. Also there is a sees candy factory but sadly no tour there.
I’ve had this sticker club subscription on my wishlist since summer 2016: https://www.pipsticks.com/ Though it’s not really in my budget to join. Super fun that you joined a sticker club. :)
I’ve put that one on my wish list! My extended family uses wish lists for Christmas/birthday, and I never have enough to put on it!
My absolute, all time favorite line in this post “…NOT planning to place an order per se, but just in the mood to window-shop for stickers on a Friday night with a vodka-and-diet-Coke, as we party people like to do.”
And your utter delight made my day.
This is totally delightful. Also I got my swistle package this past week and have been eating all my goodies and loving it (I let my husband have one brownie and THATS IT) and I just wanted to say THANK YOU! It was really fun and satisfying and my sister was super jealous I got mail from swistle. (And my husband was like…a blogger…sent you…cookies….what)
<3!!!!
Also, long ago I sent a blog-friend a box of brownies, and her husband was like "You are going to eat....something a stranger....from the internet....mailed you."
That was sort of the point of Crappy Day Presents, wasn’t it? Eat food from strangers! Slather oneself in unguents from strangers!
This is so fun. I can see my youngest getting excited to get stickers in her stocking. I get this excited about finding high end, orthopedic shoes on clearance – in my size. I think that statement screams: I am an old lady.
Although getting something in my mailbox would be super fun.
It absolutely warms my heart that Mrs. Grossman and her stickers still exist in the world. I was an absolutely rabid sticker collector from around 1984-87 and I feel like o maybe recognize some of those stickers? Wonderful!!
Those teddy bears! I remember them!!! My sister had a purple acrylic box with her name and that teddy bear on it, to keep her hair ties or whatever. I was muy muy jealous. How fun that the company is still around. Awesome!
This post just made me happy. And I needed a little happiness today. So thank you.
(Also: Mrs Grossman is REAL?! Who knew!)
Swistle, have you stumbled upon the paper planner “community” while doing your sticker shopping? There are lots of companies that make beautiful planners (Happy Planner, Erin Condren, Emily Ley, Plum Paper, etc), and then many more companies and also individual people that make stickers specifically to be used with those planners. Lots of people sell on etsy, for example. I wonder if it would appeal to you given your love of calendars AND stickers :)
I’ve been a member for 1 year and love it so much. I just renewed for another year (my birthday present).
I heart finding vintage Mrs Grossman at gsales and thrift stores. I use them for letter writing too.
I legit had a sticker scrapbook as a kid. As in, any time a relative sent me a card with stickers on the envelope, I saved them and re-stuck them to paper in my sticker scrapbook. Why are stickers so magical!?!?
This post was delightful!
I loved stickers as a child but now, as an adult don’t use them. But, swistle, I loved the stickers you sent in my card- plus the excitement of Getting- Mail – To My – House- From Swistle! And at the perfect time to start the school year! I saved all of the stickers of course. Now, how to use them…