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In case you're wondering...
Subscription boxes are specially curated boxes that are sent out regularly, usually once a month but sometimes less often like quarterly. They are designed to make your life easier and / or more interesting by sending things that you want or need directly to your door so you don't have to remember to arrange something, and so that checking your mail becomes fun again. There is often an element of curiosity and surprise as you don't know exactly what you're going to get in each box. When you sign up for a subscription box, you are agreeing to pay for and receive a box regularly unless you cancel.
The Creative Challenge Box by And Make Things ships out every month sending art and creativity materials direct to your door. To receive the box, you need to subscribe, either paying month by month, or pre-paying either 3, 6 , or 12 months in advance. As long as your subscription is active, we will mail you a box on the 10th of each month and you'll get a cool surprise and creative things to explore and make until the next box arrives. Happy unboxing!
If you value creativity and have decided to make sure that it is intentionally part of your life, but you need a little push to get the momentum going, then the Creative Challenge Box is for you. If you're in need of something else in your life to focus on for even a little while, then the Creative Challenge Box is for you. Whether you are an artist, someone who likes to tinker, or someone who always wanted to be creative but were told that you "couldn't draw" so you stopped doing anything with your hands, the monthly box is perfect to bring creativity into your life and prompt you to consistently make things.
We intentionally design the contents of every subscription box so that it is accessible for everyone, regardless of experience or "talent". Everyone who subscribes can get completely different results, all of which are valid and cause for celebration.
The Creative Challenge Box is designed and curated to allow you to easily embrace creativity and make sure that it is a part of your life and not just something that never gets ticked off your to-do list. It makes it simple for you to actually explore and make things, by shipping the materials and prompts you need, direct to your door every month. All you need to do is make time for art, and bring your enthusiasm and curiosity.
In the current pandemic, the Creative Challenge Box is something to look forward to, a monthly delivery giving you a break in the monotony of the days, with a reason to focus entirely on something else for a while.
If you like to make things only by following instructions and do not like to investigate and experiment yourself under any circumstances, the box may not be the best fit for you. However, you should try it at least once to see what happens when you do let go of your preconceptions and just see what happens - the results may blow your mind.
If you're creating then you're an artist. You don't need to have had an art education or to have exhibited your work anywhere, although it's absolutely fine and most definitely awesome if you have. People who consider themselves to be artists can use the monthly challenge to push themselves into thinking and exploring in new ways; stepping out of your own comfort zone creatively is never a bad thing. People who want to be artists can use the box to practice creative thinking and genuine creativity, rather than learning by copying someone else.
This box is designed to get you thinking creatively outside the traditional boundaries of what art is or can be. Anyone can subscribe to this box, you just need to bring enthusiasm and curiosity, make some time to commit, and you're ready to go.
There are no specific skills that you need to have to subscribe to the Creative Challenge Box. You don't need to be able to paint or draw or make pots. You just need to turn up ready to think and experiment and make. The single important thing that you need to be able to do is approach the box with an open mind and a feeling of possibility. As there is no one correct end result that you are working towards, you have to be ok with not knowing where you will end up when you start the creative journey. For some people this is incredibly liberating, and for others it is terrifying. You know yourself best and you know if you're up for a challenge. However, even if you normally love to follow instructions, take a chance and give it a go - this more free-form approach is incredibly liberating and can result in some epic artistic and creative discoveries that you would never usually make.
Every month the Creative Challenge Box is curated around a theme. Peeps who follow us on our mailing list and social media accounts will get sneak peeks of some of the contents, but the whole box is designed to be a surprise every month. You will receive materials to work with, prompts with inspiration, education and open-ended activities, and some source materials. The box itself is 7" x 5" x 1.5" and is packed with things to spark your curiosity, inspire your creativity, and prompt you to start exploring and make things!
Every month the box has a different theme, which can be project based or material based. Within each box you will always receive source materials to work with, inspiration from other artists, and suggestions for what to do and where to start, as well as some cool bonuses added every now and then. An example might be a theme like maps + mapping - moving from 2D into 3D where you will be encouraged to make maps (either based in fact, fiction or memory), cut up maps, create new maps from parts, build sculptures in the air from map fragments and thread, etc. In a box like the maps + mapping theme you will get a mixture of source materials (blank maps, existing map fragments), inspiration (a card detailing the projects by other artists who have worked with maps) and suggestions for approaches to take if you are not sure where to start. You can follow the suggestions or make your own thing, it is entirely up to you. You can interpret the theme closely or widely, using some, all, or none of the suggestions, it's entirely up to you.
Other months, the box may be object based, for example you might get a box which focuses on the artist book. You can choose to interpret that theme very literally (by making an actual book) or very loosely, taking the essence of a book and making a series of images, or text, or both.
A third kind of theme is more like the unconventional materials challenge if you ever watch Project Runway, or it's like a cooking challenge where chefs are given a bunch of random ingredients and have to make a meal. You will receive source materials to make something in the box, and the challenge will be how will you transform the raw materials into an artwork. This one is super fun, you can literally do anything using the contents of the box.
We don't show you exactly what to do with your box, but we will show you examples of what can be done. Included in each box is a starting points card which includes inspiration and prompts if you're not sure where to start. If you follow us on social media we will post images of some of the things that can be done once the boxes have been mailed.
There are many courses, memberships and subscription boxes that are designed to teach you a specific skill by showing you what to do. This is not one of them. We believe that you learn most by doing, by experimenting, taking risks and by taking action, by seeing what works and what doesn't.
The Creative Challenge Box is not designed to teach you to paint, or draw, or sew, or sculpt, though you may well do a little of each. This box is designed to guide you into exploring and experimenting and making things which are created by you. We're not interested in showing you how to copy a project, we're interested in what you choose to do, what you choose to explore - because ultimately that is how you cultivate creativity and creative thinking.
Each Creative Challenge Box is carefully curated around a theme, packaged up and sent to all our subscribers on the same day. The box is designed to be a monthly surprise, so unfortunately you can't choose the contents.
However if you are having a special event and want to commission us to design a box just for you and your guests, we'd love to hear from you. You can start the conversation by contacting us here.
The nature of the Creative Challenge means that you do not know ahead of time what will ship in your box. Because the Creative Challenge is supposed to challenge you to think and make creatively, liking the contents is not as important as if we were sending you snacks or home decor items. Some months you may find yourself initially less enthusiastic about the contents of the box than in other months, that is human nature. However we strongly urge you to put your preconceptions to one side and start experimenting. Sometimes the things that start out seeming the most difficult actually turn out to be the most rewarding.
If you really, truly can't get in to the challenge, you could save it for another day when you're feeling more inspired, or pass the box on to a friend.
The Creative Challenge Box is not specifically designed to be used by children. However, kids who are competent at using their hands and who are ok with things turning out differently from their expectations may really enjoy working with the box.
If your kids are being homeschooled or are home from school due to Covid-19, or just don't have any good art instruction or programs in their life right now, this could be a perfect addition to your routine. The boxes can be a brilliant activity for older kids (13+) but are not suitable for the youngest ones without some level of supervision.
We use the contents of the Creative Challenge Box with our eight year old under vague supervision, helping when necessary and being nearby. Our two teens and their friends are fine with no supervision. You know your kids and their capabilities the best. Please do not give the Creative Challenge Box to an unsupervised child under 13.
If you're used to thinking of a project as materials and instructions to make a set end result (like, here's the yarn, needles and knitting pattern - make this blanket), then the answer is no. We don't include one project that everyone who receives the box will complete in exactly the same way, that's not how we roll.
What we do include is a bunch of starting points to make various projects, which are all focused around a theme. You can work on one thing or you can make a bunch of things, that's up to you. Everyone who receives the box and experiments with the materials to make some artwork will get a different result, which to us, is exactly how art-making should be. Think of the experience as less paint-by-numbers, and more art college workshop in a box.
The Creative Challenge Box is not your typical art materials subscription box. We are sending you projects and source materials and inspiration and ideas, rather than a box full of art materials. With that being said, we do occasionally include art materials with your box, when it makes sense for them to be included.
Inside each subscription box is a printed insert which includes inspiration around the theme (including relevant artworks by other artists) and a set of suggested open-ended activities which you can use as starting points. There's not a set of directions in the traditional sense, but if you are feeling stuck and are not sure where to start, the starting points will function as instructions to get you going. On the other hand if you're not into instructions at all, feel free to ignore them and go your own way.
We have partnered with an awesome organization, One Tree Planted to make sure that for every box shipped, one tree is planted. One Tree Planted is reforesting the world by planting trees in North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Each month, once the subscription boxes are shipped, we donate a dollar for each box to One Tree Planted and they use those funds to plant the same number of trees as boxes sent.
We all need to do our bit to help give back to the planet. Just think, if you subscribe to the Creative Challenge Box for one year, you are responsible for planting twelve trees. Every single tree helps; let's plant a forest.
Every month, we run a creative challenge to find the most innovative, creative or amusing projects made with the contents of the Creative Challenge Box.
Details of how to submit your work are posted on our social media channels, via our weekly email and on an insert in your monthly box.
The monthly challenge is entirely optional and free to join with no obligation.
If you want to participate, you will need to take a photograph of your creation(s) and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #andmakethingschallenge
We look at all entries and select five winners each month to receive a prize in their next box. We may also feature your work on our website and social media.
The deadline for submitting images for the monthly challenge is midnight PST on the last day of each month. Winners are announced 5 days later on the 5th of each month, and prizes are mailed on the 10th of the month in your next Creative Challenge Box. Good luck!
No worries! There's no obligation at all, the main thing is that you make things with your monthly box.
Unfortunately we are not able to process submissions by email or regular mail, only via tagged posts on social media. If you do not have any social media accounts and you really want to join in with the monthly challenge, you could create an Instagram account just for this - your social media accounts can show a fictitious name to the world so that you can stay anonymous if you'd prefer.
It's totally fine, think of the monthly challenge as more of an accountability thing - you can use it as a self-imposed deadline to make sure that you spend some quality time making things from your Creative Challenge Box before the first day of the following month after your box arrives.
Ha, we get it, being crazy competitive is a real thing. The thing is, the monthly challenge is an incentive for you to make work from the box and get it out there. You're not going to win the internet even if you do the most incredible work ever. You might however win a cool prize and get your work featured on our social media feeds and even our website. So try hard, but don't stay up every night this month so you can win. Remember that there's a challenge every month so pace yourself.
Currently prizes are awarded to current subscribers only as they are mailed out with the next subscription box. You are more than welcome to make things alongside subscribers, but unfortunately only subscribers can officially be part of the challenge.
Winners will be announced via social media, and we will contact you via email. If you're not a winner don't get despondent, taking part is what matters, and there's always next month.
Usually we send out prizes from our shop, and sometimes we add some art materials or a secret bonus. Occasionally we may partner with others to offer a larger prize. Prize winners will also be featured on our social media feeds and possibly also on our website.
Physical prizes will be mailed with the next subscription box.
We do not currently offer individual feedback on your work but we love having conversations on social media when we have the chance. The best way to connect with us is usually via Instagram where we are @andmakethings. We do our best to connect as time permits but we cannot always get to all conversations, sorry.
Each Creative Challenge Box costs $20 with no sales tax added unless you are a resident of beautiful Maine. Shipping is $5 anywhere within the US. Unfortunately we do not currently ship outside of the US but we are hoping to add this option soon. Join our mailing list to be the first to know when this option is available.
(Shipping costs for items in the shop that are not subscription boxes are calculated separately.)
You will be billed for the subscription cycle that you choose immediately upon checkout. Your account will be set up so that your subscription renews on the same terms (either monthly, or every 3, 6 or 12 months), with re-billing occurring on the 16th of the month.
You subscribe to the monthly Creative Challenge Box on the website here.
You will be able to choose the term of your subscription, either month to month, 3 months at a time, 6 months at a time, or annually. Longer subscriptions offer more perks and less admin.
When you subscribe to the Creative Challenge Box, you choose whether you want to pay monthly, or prepay for a number of boxes in advance (either 3, 6 or 12 months at a time). As long as your subscription is active you will have a box sent to you on the 10th of the month, regardless of which plan you are on. Once your prepay subscription cycle is over and all the boxes that you paid for have been delivered, you will be re-billed on the 16th of the month unless you switch to a different plan or cancel your subscription.
The cut-off date to sign up for an upcoming box is the last day of the month before. So, for example, the last day of August is the cut-off date for the September box. If you place your order any time in September, you will receive the October box as your first delivery.
If you are already on a subscription plan, you do not need to do anything to receive your next box, provided that your subscription is active and ongoing.
All boxes are packed and shipped at the same time and mailed to you on the 10th. That means that you may have to wait a wee while for your first box to arrive. Have patience, it's worth it!
Occasionally we do have past boxes available for immediate delivery, you can see if any are available by looking in the shop.
The Creative Challenge Box ships out monthly, on the 10th of each month. Boxes ship via USPS and should arrive within 2-5 business days within the US, and 10-15 business days to the rest of the world. As soon as your box is in the mail, you will receive a tracking number so you can keep an eye on progress as it wings its way to your door.
Please note that due to Covid-19 there are delays with mail delivery, which is unfortunately out of our control. Please be patient as you wait for your box to arrive.
We make and ship new boxes every month. The upcoming box for sale will be promoted on this website with sneak peeks of contents being shown on social media. The box will be available for purchase until the last day of the month, unless it sells out sooner which can happen occasionally. To make sure you don't miss a box, we recommend that you subscribe early in the month to make sure that you can get the currently promoted box. If you subscribe after the cut-off date (the last day of the month) or when we are sold out, you will receive the next box released. Signing up for our mailing list and following us on social media is a great way to find out if a box is likely to sell out before the cut-off date.
If you have an active and ongoing subscription, you will automatically receive each box as it is released, there's no need to worry or do anything other than looking forward to the arrival of your box.
Of course! Choose the month to month subscription and order your box. You will be charged for one box which will ship to you on the 10th of the following month. If you don't want to receive any additional boxes, log into your account and cancel the subscription before the 16th of the month when your order will renew and your card will be charged again.
Shipping is $5 within the US. We ship using USPS which allows you to track your parcel from the time it leaves us to the time it gets to you.
Unfortunately we do not currently ship internationally. If you would like to be informed when we offer international shipping, please sign up for the newsletter.
Unfortunately we do not currently ship internationally. If you would like to be informed when we offer international shipping, please sign up for the newsletter.
The Creative Challenge Box ships out monthly, on the 10th of each month. Boxes ship via USPS and should arrive within 2-5 business days within the US. As soon as your box is in the mail, you will receive a tracking number so you can keep an eye on progress as it wings its way to your door.
Please note, whilst we ship with an extremely reliable shipping service, occasionally parcels do get delayed due to factors outside our control. We cannot guarantee any shipping times, the stated times are guidelines only. We do not give any refunds for boxes which take longer to arrive than expected, as postal delivery is out of our control.
Due to Covid-19, the mail system is experiencing delays, please be patient while you wait for your order to arrive.
Yes! When your box is mailed, you will receive an email containing a tracking number. All packages are sent via the United States Post Office (USPS) so you will be able to track the progress of your box by following the link in your email to the USPS website.
Please note, due to Covid-19 delays, there are some issues with tracking not showing the location of your order as accurately as it should. Please be patient while waiting for your box to arrive.
Unfortunately we are not able to offer this service at this time.
In extremely rare cases, parcels do go missing, but usually they do turn up. If your tracking number says that the box has been delivered but you cannot find it, please do not panic. Ask all the members of your household if they have moved it, and ask your neighbors if they have accidentally had the box delivered to them. Often the box will show up at your door 2-3 days after the post office have said that it was delivered. If however it has been 3 or more days since the box was tracked as delivered, please email us (hello@andmakethings.com) and we can help you file a lost package report with the USPS.
If your tracking number link is showing that your box is "undeliverable" or has been "returned to sender", please email us so we can look into it.
Oh no, that's not good! We carefully package everything by hand here in our studio in Portland, and double check to make sure that all is as it should be. However occasionally mistakes happen, either as an oversight by us, or as a result of rough shipping as your box travels to your door. Apologies!
Please send us an email (hello@andmakethings.com) with an image of your box and the missing or broken item and we will do our very best to send you a replacement item as soon as possible.
Yes you can. Gift subscriptions do not renew, they are a one time purchase. You may send a one-time subscription for 3, 6 or 12 months to a lucky person of your choice. Unfortunately we do not offer single box gift subscriptions at this time.
Yes! You can write a short message to your recipient and we will print out your message on a cute gift tag and include it in the first box sent to the recipient.
When you purchase a gift subscription, included in your receipt will be a link to a gorgeous PDF telling your recipient that you have sent them a gift subscription to the Creative Challenge Box. You can easily email the PDF to the recipient, and bask in the glory of being a brilliant gift giver!
When you purchase a gift subscription for a lucky person, your card will only be charged when you checkout. When the gift subscription ends, re-billing will not occur.
You can log in to your account here on the And Make Things website, by following the link to sign in ("Login") on the menu at the very top of the site or the menu in the footer ("My Account"), or by following this link here.
Log in to your account to easily update your mailing address. Please be sure to update your address in time for your next box to ship to the correct destination (we print all mailing labels on the first of the month).
Log in to your account page and select billing information. Click to edit your card details.
Because of the way that subscription products work, we must curate / order a specific number of items in advance to put in the boxes. Therefore we cannot offer refunds or returns on boxes which have already been ordered, including prepaid boxes. Cancellations affect future orders only - If you cancel your subscription, any prepaid boxes will continue to ship to you, but your subscription will not renew at the end of the cycle.
To cancel your subscription, log in to your account page and click on your subscription. From there you can click on cancel subscription and you're done. Please note, any boxes that you have paid for will continue to ship, but you will not be billed for any future boxes. Of course if you change your mind and want to come back, we'd love to have you back anytime!
Right now, like many people across the world, we're not really going anywhere further than the grocery store, and we're certainly not turning up to busy events. However, in more normal times, as working artists and teachers, we do run occasional activities and workshops at museums, galleries and special events. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to know when we have an upcoming workshops or event.
Art clubs are the new book clubs, which are the new cool. If you have a group of people who regularly meet to create stuff, the bundle of boxes might be perfect for you. We offer bundles in multiples of 5 (so you can order 5, 10, 15, 20 etc).
Boxes can be ordered as a recurring monthly delivery, or as a one-off. Send us a message using the contact form on the bundles of boxes page with your requirements, and we will get back to you with a shipping quote so that we can make a plan!
Yes! You can get a special bundle of boxes delivered to you to make your party or event planning incredibly easy. The boxes can be both activity and gift, or you can gift them to people knowing you send them home with something which boosts their creativity. Party boxes are a one-off order sent in multiples of 5 (so you can order 5, 10, 15, 20 etc). Send us a message using the contact form on the bundles of boxes page and we will get back to you with a shipping quote so that we can make a plan!
Why yes we do! Head on over to the contact page, send us a message with your thoughts, and let's start the conversation!
Sometimes we do, but not always. Check out the Shop page to see what we have right now, and be sure to join our mailing list to hear about any upcoming boxes which will be available for sale individually.
Occasionally we will add items from a past box to the Shop, but generally the answer is no - once they're gone, they're gone!
Yes! We love to make things too and think the world would be a better place if more people use their hands and brains creatively. We have a range of merchandise urging other people to make things, check out our new products in the Shop.
Many of the items sold in the shop are print-on-demand products, which means that they are printed then packaged and shipped once an order comes in. We partner with a company based in the US to print our merchandise. Processing times for your order can vary from 2-7 days, with most orders shipping within 3 business days.
However, due to the impact of COVID-19, our printing partners are running a reduced operation, in order to operate safely. As a result there are may be slight delays in production.
Please be patient while awaiting your shop orders so your merchandise can be created in the safest possible environment.
Please note, subscription boxes are packed and shipped directly from our studio on the 10th of each month and are not currently experiencing any delays in production.
You will be notified by email once your order has shipped, and will receive a tracking number for you package. Orders within the US will arrive approximately 2-5 days after they are shipped, and are sent with either FedEx, USPS or DHL.
We partner with a few select brick and mortar shops to sell one-off boxes and select merchandise from our shop. If you would like to stock our products, please send us a message via the contact page, with a link to your store website. We do not sell our boxes and gifts in exclusively online stores at this time.
Great! We're always looking for new things. Please send us a message using the form on the contact page and we will get back to you. Please be aware that we plan our boxes many months in advance and each is based on a theme so your thing may be a good fit but not at this time.
Yes we can! Head on over to the contact page, send us a message with your thoughts, and let's start the conversation!
Thanks so much for asking. Due to limited availability we only send out boxes for review to people with a similar audience and a strong social media presence. Please send a message via the contact page with your details and we will reach out if it's a good fit.
Occasionally we partner with other businesses to offer a bigger prize for the monthly challenge. If you think our audiences would both benefit from the partnership, please send us a message via the contact page.
Occasionally we partner with others to run a giveaway or contest. If you feel that you may be a good fit, please contact us via our contact page.
Like many of you, we are hunkered down at home, trying to work entirely via the internet while also having to adjust to having the kids home from school - and in need of some sort of education - for the forseeable future. While we're trying to make the best of the situation, after all we're the lucky ones who get to stay home, it's been far from easy. There have been lots of tears and uncertainty and 4/5 of us pretty much only ever wear pajamas. When we're not trying to figure out how on earth math now works or who has a Zoom call next and what were they supposed to have done to prepare for it, we're baking lots of cake, doing plenty of crafts, hanging with the pets, watching an insane amount of movies, and doing whatever it takes to get through each day relatively intact.
As a family business, and a socially distancing family, we are continuing to create and ship the And Make Things subscription boxes, and we are not currently anticipating any delays in production.
We ship subscription boxes with USPS who are experiencing delays. It is expected that boxes which would normally arrive within 2-3 business days will now take 4-6 business days. Merchandise from the shop is currently being printed and packaged by a partner printing company in the US. In order to operate safely, they are reducing their operations, and there are some delays. Production times for shop orders are currently 3-7 business days, before the orders are sent out to ship. Please be patient when ordering from the shop.
