Adults and Crafts is a monthly DIY subscription that helps subscribers "learn new crafting techniques to help you create useful, beautiful products you will be proud to have made."
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About Adults & Crafts
The Subscription Box: Adults & Crafts
The Cost: $33 + $6.95 shipping per month, with discounts for 6 and 12-month prepaid subscriptions
The Products: A kit with printed instructions for an adult-level project to use or display in your home.
Ships to: US
Adults & Crafts Mosaic Resin Tray August 2018 Review
The project for August is a mosaic resin tray. The print-out listed all the materials included, materials needed and step by step instructions with pictures to complete the project.
The materials in the box included:
- ArtResin Resin, 2 oz – Retail Value $7 (Buy an 8oz bottle for $28)
- Color Splash! Watercolor – Retail Value $0.69 (Buy a pack of $36 for $24.82)
- Darice Wood Wall Panel – Unfinished, 8 x 8 x 1 In – Retail Value $6.99
- Elmer's No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement, 4 oz – Retail Value $4.49
- Darice Crafter's Toolbox™ Purple Glue Sticks, .32 oz – Retail Value $1.25 (Buy a pack of 4 for $4.99)
- Darice Crafter's Toolbox™ Comfort Grip Scissors - Stainless Steel, 6.75 inches – Retail Value $4.39
- Darice Satin Acrylic Paint: White, 2 oz – Retail Value $1.00
- Cup
- Foam Brush
- Watercolor Paper
- Craft Stick
- Straw
- Toothpick
MSA Reviewer Note: Darice does not list its pricing on the site without an account. I contacted them to get the MSRP for the items included in this box.
The materials needed include a workspace and something to cover the tray. I used my kitchen table as my workspace and used the printed materials included in the box to cover up my tray. I also used a paper plate to hold the white paint while painting the wood tray, a paper cup to hold the water for the watercolor paint and the resin instructions suggest that you use rubber gloves when handling the product. These 3 additional items were not included in the box.
The first step was to paint the tray, at least two coats and set it aside to dry. I'm so impatient with painting! I would have gotten more even coverage had I painted 1 coat, waited until that coat dried and painted a second coat. However, in the final product, there was barely any evidence of my flawed painting technique.
The next step was to apply rubber cement to the watercolor paper. The glue, once dried and removed, is what gives the mosaic design the graffiti look. I wasn’t sure initially if the glue would remove from the paper. The key is to make sure the glue is completely dry and once dry, it came off very easily.
Next, I painted the watercolor paper using the blue, green and purple paint colors. I loved the texture of the paper and the pattern was very pretty. While painting, I got a little frustrated with the brush which was stiff and didn’t pick up much paint. So, I used my hands which I found was way more fun!
After the paint was completely dry, I was finally able to rub off the rubber cement which added a little more character to my painting.
The instructions say to cut the watercolor paper into tiles of different shapes and sizes. I chose mostly triangles and rectangular shapes for my design.
The next step was to arrange all the pieces of paper in the desired design. But, I skipped that step! I wanted the piece to come together organically so I jumped right into gluing the tiles in place on the tray. I really loved how my design came together but later realized that I didn’t leave any space in between my tiles like the instructions illustrated. Oh well, it was still cute!
The final step is to mix the resin, pour it into the tray to set the design, and cure for 24 hours. I’ll admit the resin part scared me a bit. The instructions contained warnings to use gloves, handle with care and make sure the space was well ventilated. I was extra careful with the product and made sure not to get it on my skin. The mixing part was easy, and I didn’t have to use the straw or toothpick to remove bubbles in the resin. It went on very smoothly.
So, here’s the final product! Isn’t it cute? I think I’ll use the tray on my desk to hold paper clips and push pins. Or, I might hang it on my wall for display.
Verdict: The project was easy to do, fun and allowed for some creativity! The steps didn’t take much time to complete but with all the drying and curing time, it took a few days to finish. The final product is very pretty and something I will happily keep and use for myself although these would make nice gifts as well.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? If you order now you won't receive this box however, you can order the Mosaic Resin Tray project from their shop for $34.
Coupon - Use code CRAFTADDICTION to get free shipping on your first box!
Value Breakdown: The cost of this box is $39.95 ($33 + $6.95 shipping) and creates one Mosaic Resin Tray, plus the scissors and plenty of leftover materials that can be used for future projects. The retail value of the materials, not including the smaller items (cup, foam brush, watercolor paper, craft stick, straw, and toothpick), is $24.81. That leaves $15.14 for the smaller materials and the tray itself which I think is a good value.
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