Amy Adele has got to have the cutest children's stationery in the world. Because of the enchanting designs, and the fact that the company is eco-conscious, and because it's run by a husband-and-wife team, I eagerly signed up to be an affiliate when I started my blog Hobo Mama.

Also, I lurve their ads, because they feature the same adorable drawings as the stationery, so that was a plus!

But Mikko was so young that I hadn't yet had an opportunity to try out any of the cute cards, invitations, or labels. I thought of it both as the type of stationery I'd have died for when I was a little girl and as the type of stationery I'd buy when Mikko was a little older.



Well! The affiliate manager contacted me, and I had the opportunity to review two items in Amy Adele's vast product line. The hard part was narrowing it down, of course!

I was really intrigued by the pre-printed thank-you cards with fill-in blanks, because we had a birthday coming up, Mikko's third. I love the idea of making thank-yous doable for kids, easy on parents, and still charming for the gift-giver (i.e., Grandma).



I also wanted to give the photo cards a try, both because I wanted to put Amy Adele's quality standards to the highest test I could devise (printing photos on cardstock can be very tricky, in terms of making sure the image is still sharp and vibrant), and because I just love my baby's cute face!



So here's a little picture diary of my order, my thoughts on the items, and how we put them to good use:




Could you die for the cuteness of how the notes come packaged? The bags are reusable, and the packing peanuts are cornstarch that will dissolve in water — completely biodegradable.
The turnaround and shipping took, like, no time, and looking at the FAQ, I see they expect to get your custom cards printed within ONE business day. Then they ship out either Priority Mail or FedEx. Speedy delivery!



Of course, Mikko must inspect his "presents," which he says more like "peasants," which makes me think he has a lordship complex.



Oh, the cute! Couldn't you die for those drawings of Amy's (yes, she's a real person and a mama of three little ones!)? We chose these mostly blank flat cards and used the site's brilliant suggestion of making a fill-in-the-blanks thank-you note. Don't you think that's ideal for beginning writers and antsy little gift recipients? You can completely customize:

• the message
• the font style
• the font color

So it's really up to you! The fonts they offer are charming and let you set the tone of the card. There are flowery ones and more neutral ones, and they all mesh well with Amy's childlike drawings.



Well, of course, I like the photo cards with my little guy's cute face on the front! But I was super impressed with the quality here. I intentionally ordered a photo card to make sure the photo printing was up to snuff, and it really was. It's hard to tell in a photo of a photo card, but the colors are deep and vibrant, and there was no bleeding into the cardstock. The cardstock itself has a quality feel and thickness.

Speaking of the cardstock, it's 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Seriously! Amy Adele is all about environmental responsibility. The paper is also acid free, chlorine free, made with 100% renewable energy, and procured through renewable forests. This is for all their stationery. Only the waterproof labels are made with polyester. Clothing is 100% cotton and made sweatshop-free in the USA.



Mikko checks out his likeness. It passes muster.

The photo cards are standard folded notecards, with a blank interior to write messages. These would be ideal for older children to write their own thank-yous or just use for everyday correspondence.



Then it was time to decorate. Mikko took this part seriously! He dictated what he wanted to say, and we did the writing, since he's a little young yet.



Here's what we ended up with.



Don't forget to address the envelope!


Bottom line: I was expecting to like Amy Adele products, because the designs were so super cute and innovative. What I wasn't expecting was to love them so dang much. (Hey, don't say it, or I just might marry them!)

I'm beyond impressed with the quality (the cardstock, the printing), the fast turnaround (for personalized stationery, for crying out loud!), the environmentally friendly details (100% post-consumer recycled cardstock, biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts), and how happy everyone has been to receive these cutie-patootie cards!

BUY IT!

I have great news: Amy Adele is offering my readers a special discount till the end of the month (June 30, 2010). Just type in hobomama and receive 15% off your order. How cool is that!



So go to AmyAdele.com, and find the styles and products you like.

Amy Adele carries a wide and uniformly adorable selection of products for boys, girls, babies, and teens and adults, too:

• notecards
• flat cards
• thank-you notes
• birth announcements

• baby shower or birthday party invitations
• baptism cards
• moving announcements
• waterproof labels
• address labels

• calling cards (how chic for your little one!)
• graduation announcements and thank-yous
• recipe cards
• even t-shirts and onesies

The prices start at around $18.95 for 10 flat cards ($16.11 with the "hobomama" discount), which is approximately $1.90 ($1.61) per card, but once you start increasing the quantity, the per-card price keeps dropping. For instance, 50 cards is $49.95 (or $42.46 with the 15% off), which is down to under $1.00 per card ($0.85 with the coupon code).

So it's nice, because you can choose a smaller quantity (10 or 15) if you want a variety of designs (such as for an assortment of calling cards or notecards), or you could save money by getting a larger quantity of one design in particular (such as for party invitations, announcements, or baby-gift thank-yous).



All mailing card prices include envelopes, and you can have your envelopes personalized with your return address for a small fee.

Amy Adele has regular sales, so you can always catch a bargain there, too. Just check the sale section for the current deals. And don't forget to use the "hobomama" discount if you order this month for 15% off any order!



You can receive FREE Priority Mail shipping if your order totals $50 or more; otherwise, it is a flat rate of $7.49. You can also choose FedEx 2-day service.

I can vouch that the turnaround and shipping are incredibly speedy. Not even joking, but they strive to get orders printed within ONE business day of your order, and then send it Priority Mail or FedEx, which takes only another 2-3 days. This means, if you're a procrastinator like me, you actually can wait till the last second (OK, week) to order personalized cards!

For items like birth announcements, they have the useful service of letting you pre-order envelopes so you can get the addressing done before the baby's born (when you have time and free hands!). Then you can go back and update the announcements with the birth stats, name, and photo as desired. Smart, huh?

You can submit special requests for an additional fee, such as color changes (e.g., hair or skin), additional lines of type, or custom artwork specially drawn for you and your child. What you request might even end up in the Amy Adele rotation!

Amy Adele offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so there's no risk to trying them out.

So there you have it. Amy Adele's designs are delightful, the prices are reasonable, the website's easy to navigate and use, the shipping is super fast, and the quality is remarkable.

And your children will charm the socks off all their correspondents!



P.S. See my companion piece on writing thank-you notes with babies, toddlers, and beginning writers at Hobo Mama.