Crafty What Nots Subscription Box

Apologies for the break in blogging – definitely much longer than intended! Anyway, I am back with something very exciting that I know you will love!

It is no secret that I love post. And crafts. So something that combines the two…what could be better? Introducing Crafty What Nots!

A little while ago I received an email from Jenny of jennysis.com telling me about her new venture into creating monthly subscription boxes crammed full of craft supplies. She very kindly offered me her first box to review…how could I possibly say no!

Rather foolishly, I gave Jen my home address to post my parcel to; little did I know how huge the box was going to be! The size of the box was a rather pleasant surprise in itself! Although it did result in a red card of doom and a two day wait before I could collect it from the post office. However, it was well worth the wait!

When I opened my box (which we all know was in the car on the way home from the post office…) I was completely amazed by the volume of goodies she had crammed in there! The welcome sheet was a great introduction to the box otherwise i just wouldn’t have known where to start!

I was really bowled over by the presentation inside the box. Having received and reviewed several subscription boxes before, I know how important it is to nail that first impression and Crafty What Nots didn’t let me down! You would never know that this beautiful box of goodies had been battered and bruised by Royal Mail! I loved the segmented layout of the box which held everything in place and the individual sections tied up with twine or ribbon made it feel like a whole host of mini parcels in one!

The first  thing that I examined when I opened the box was the paperwork, not my usual starting place I have to be honest but there was so much in here it seemed like my best bet! As well as the welcome sheet there was a pricing structure and order sheet, as well as an inspiration sheet. When purchasing your boxes, you can select a one month subscription for £12.50 (+£2.50 postage) a three month subscription for £35 (+£7.50 postage) or a six month subscription for £63 (+£15 postage) but I’ll talk more about the price after we have taken a look inside! The most valuable thing in the box for me however, was the inspiration sheet! This sheet had  whole range of pictures on it of possible projects you can make with the contents of your box. I found this such a wealth of information, particularly as I don’t do a lot of papercrafts usually, and it really compelled me to get stuck in and make a whole range of things!

Before we have a look at what I made though, I will give you a run down of what was inside. The first section of the box contained all of these beautifully presented packets with a variety of items in them. I received a clear flower stamp; a magnet set for the project of the box; 3 wooden cut butterflies, a pack of pink and blue buttons in a variety of shapes and sizes; some die cut flowers in the patterns of the paper in the box; some pastel coloured paper dots and two Colour Box chalk ink pads in Dark Peony and French Blue.

The other small section within the box contained 5 mini square cards and envelopes; 3 medium square cards and envelopes; and a clear acrylic mounting block for the stamp.

The final larger section of the box contained 16 8″ square card sheets in assorted patterns, some of which were double sided; one pack of 361 mini mounting foam pads; the project instruction sheets; a personalised notebook and a length of bakers twine.

I could only just squeeze everything into one photo! The theme of the first box was ‘Floral Pavilion’ and I think the papers and designs in it are absolutely stunning! Just what I needed to brighten up a chilly Autumn weekend! There is certainly a Cath Kidston-esque feel to the designs in here and the contents are all great quality.

One of my favourite items in the box was this personalised notebook! I wasn’t expecting to receive a personalised item in the box but it was a really nice touch and I was completely thrilled with it. Made using one of the designs from the box, it complements the collection perfectly and will come in very handy for jotting down my crafty ideas!

The minute I opened the box and started rummaging through it I couldn’t wait to get started making things! I thoroughly enjoyed spending my Saturday and Sunday afternoon crafting away! There were loads of amazing ideas on the inspiration sheet which were really straight forward but looked really impressive so I picked out a few of my favourites to make.

My absolute favourite on the inspiration sheet was a version of this simple but effective card. The inspiration sheet just had photos of projects and no written instructions but it was really easy to see what Jen had done to create the projects. I think the idea of using the ink pad to bleed into the paper gives it a great finish and I swapped out the ‘Birthday Wishes’ message that was in the centre square on the example with one of the die cut flowers that I shaped slightly with a pencil to give a 3D effect and finished it off with a button in the centre.

I also put one of the mini cards to use as an excuse to try out my new stamp and ink pads. I just used the head of the flower and both colours to create a pretty card with a matching envelope.

The box contained an instruction sheet with the supplies to make this adorable paper handbag. As papercraft isn’t my area of expertise, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but all of the instructions are really clear and there are some great photographs for each step to help you out…even a novice like me was able to complete the project in about half an hour! I’m really pleased with the outcome and I opted for the more ‘Christmassy’ of the papers so that I can use it as a mini gift box for someone.

All of the equipment needed to make the handbag were included in the box, including the white card which I cut from the box dividers! The only addition that I added from my own stash was the bakers twine, as I had some red and white twine to hand that had been waiting for its moment to shine!

The kit did come with some twine though and I used mine to make this cute button garland, another idea from the inspiration sheet! Again, the blue twine was from my stash but the pink twine that the buttons are tied on with and all of the buttons were from the box. I thought this was a really cute idea although I did cut my pink twine shorter than I meant to! Never mind, I’ll remember for the future!

And what did I do with my button garland? I used it to decorate my new craft corner! I think it is a really cute addition to my selves and I think I may also use the paper from the box to make some mini bunting to go with it!

Any problems with the box? Only one…I can’t stop making things from it! The reason this blog post has been delayed a week longer than expected is because I keep wanting to make the projects on the inspiration sheet or on the webpage with the box details! I made this card which was inspired by a similar one Jen made, and there are at least two more that I am dying to try! Plus the mini bunting too… I certainly wasn’t expecting to be hooked on it like I am as papercrafts generally tend to frustrate me rather than inspire me, but that is what makes the inspiration sheet so invaluable!

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the box; everything from the quality and quantity to the additional inspiration sheet was spot on and has really encouraged me to do more papercrafting! That isn’t all that Crafty What Nots has to offer though, Jen has plans in store that include a whole range of crafts such as sewing and jewellery making just to name a few! I was so impressed with Crafty What Nots that I have cancelled another of my subscriptions (not one ever featured on my blog) so that I can treat myself to her next few boxes! I think I will be starting off with a 3 month subscription in the run up to Christmas (wouldn’t a Christmas box be wonderful!) but maybe Santa can offer me a further 6 months…we will have to wait and see! I think the value of the box is amazing, not only for the quantity and quality of the items that you are receiving but for the additional resources such as instruction and inspiration sheets. And as someone who begrudges paying postage fees I’m even willing to let it slide for this one…bring on the next Crafty What Nots box!

Buy your box here!

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