The Crafter's Box is a monthly maker subscription box:
As a member of The Crafter's Box, we'll send a lovingly kitted box of tools and materials to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Each month we feature a new expert maker and that maker has built for us a unique, grown-up, on-trend project that reflects their artistic style. In addition to the monthly box, our featured maker has created an educational, digital workshop to teach their crafting medium and to offer their tips and tricks.
The best part of this model is the ability to revisit workshops in the future to create again and again. Happy making!
The Crafter's Box offers three different subscription models:
- Individual Membership: $65.00 per month for a kit of curated tools and materials + a new digital workshop by the featured maker
- Crafter's Night: $60.00 per person (minimum of 3 people necessary) per month for a group kit of the curated tools and materials sent to one host + individual video access for each person
- Video-Only Access: $20.00 per month for access to the digital workshop created by the featured maker (no tools or materials included)
This review is of the Individual Membership for $65.00 per month.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About The Crafter's Box
The Subscription Box: The Crafter's Box
The Cost: $65.00 per month + free US shipping (other plans available from $20.00 per month)
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
The Products: A shipped kit of curated tools and materials + a new digital workshop by the featured maker of the month
Ships to: The US for free and internationally for varying rates
Good to Know: Membership enrollment is open between the 10th - 20th of each month. Subscriptions automatically renew on the 15th. Projects are designed to be for ages 18+.
The Crafter's Box November 2019 Review
The Crafter's Box seems to be what my crafting subscription box dreams are made of! Each month they feature a different, unique craft that is designed for the crafty adult in mind. The items you get to create are thoughtfully curated and created with high-end materials, so that your finished products are modern and luxe.
Let's take a look inside November's box - the craft this month is wood burning!
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The kit contained several information cards about this craft and the featured maker this month, Rachel Strauss. You get information on what's included in the kit, as well as background on the wood burning tool that is included in the box. There is also a card detailing Rachel's safety tips - very important when you are working with very high temperatures!
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Walnut Hollow Versa-Tool - Retail Value $34.99
The jewel of this box is the Versa-Tool, which is a multi-functional wood burning tool. It has an adjustable temperature gauge and comes with a set of 6 burning tips and 3 stamp tips. The tool is designed to burn into wood, cork, and leather. It also has a hot knife attachment for paper and stencil cutting, and it comes with its own stand. I really appreciated the storage case - it has different cubbies for the different accessories and neatly contains everything.
The grip is easy to hold and I liked the thicker diameter of the tool - it made it feel secure to hold. My one complaint with the tool was that the cord did not swivel easily at the base of the tool. This was only an issue for me when I was screwing the different tips on and off, and I feel like the stiffness will soften up over time and use.
Basswood Cheese Board - Retail Value $18.00
According to Rachel, basswood is the best type of wood to burn into. It's non-toxic and soft enough to carve neat designs into. We received a cheese or charcuterie board that measures approximately 6" x 12". A neat thing about The Crafter's Box subscription is that you have the ability to order "add-on" materials that ship with your box, and you had the option to order additional cheese boards that would come with your box - I think these would make amazing presents!
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Printed Designs and Graphite Paper - Retail Value $2.49
We received three sheets of printed designs to get us started in our wood burning - a set of herbs, large sage leaves, and large rosemary sprigs. We also got a sheet of graphite paper to use for transfering the designs. I really like these designs - I think they are simple and classy!
Transfer Tool
The kit also contained an unmarked transfer tool. It has a wooden handle and is double ended - one end has a smaller ball point and the other end has a larger ball point. This is used to trace designs into the graphite paper so that the image transfers onto the wood.
Transfer Point - Retail Value $3.99
We also got an extra attachment for the Versa-Tool - a transfer point. This is an alternate way to transfer an image to your wood for burning, and it's used to transfer laser-printed images from paper onto the wood.
Tombow MONO Sand Eraser - Retail Value $2.99
This ink eraser is great for removing mistakes or stray marks from your transfer!
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Sanding Sponge - Estimated Value $2.24 (Buy a two pack for $4.48)
I love that this box truly thinks of everything you need to make your project! This sanding sponge is used at the end to give your cheese board a professional finish.
Mineral Oil, 2 oz - Estimated Value $1.82 (Buy 12 oz for $10.95)
Again, they truly thought of everything we need! This mineral oil is great for conditioning any wooden cutting boards or cheese boards that you may have.
Clear Tape - Estimated Value $2.99 (similar found here)
When I pulled this tape dispenser out of the box, I was cracking up! I feel like I'm being so repetitive, but yet again The Crafter's Box honestly thought of everything you need to complete this craft. I really appreciate all the thought that went into putting this box together - you really can just open up the box and go!
Scrap Wood
A small scrap of wood was included so that we could practice our wood burning before attempting the design for the cheese board.
Now, let's get burning!
I opened the video tutorial to get started burning and the first segment was all about safety. I really appreciated these tips, as no one needs to get hurt in the name of crafting! We used our ever-handy tape to secure the Versa-Tool's stand to the table so that it would not slip.
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I have never done any wood burning before, and after watching the tutorial videos I thought it looked fairly easy and straightforward. Boy, was I wrong! As you can see from my practice above, it's difficult to achieve an even burn line, especially on your first go around! I also had trouble with pressing too hard into the wood - I was creating gouges in the wood on my first few practice rounds. I found that you really don't want to press hard at all, which was harder to do than it looked!
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After covering the backside of the scrap wood with practice lines, I thought I was ready to attempt a practice design. I used the graphite paper and the transfer tool to trace the design, which worked really well.
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There was one smudge from the graphite paper, so I used it as an excuse to try out the sand eraser. It worked decently well, but you can still see a shadow of where my mistake used to be.
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I was so nervous to start burning the design! I was going really slow, which was a bad move - I learned from the video instruction that if your lines aren't smooth like my first leaf here, or if you see a yellow-orange halo, it means you were going too slow or your temperature was turned up too high.
I wanted to try out the different tips that were included in the Versa-Tool, so I did each leaf with a different tip. I found that the two rounded ones (the last two photos above) were the easiest to use - I didn't get caught on any edges when turning the tip. Which is your favorite finish?
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After my experience with the practice block, I still didn't feel completely confident enough to take on the main project. I searched around my kitchen for items I could practice on, and found these two cork trivets. (Note: these did NOT come in the box, these were from my own kitchen). The video tutorials went into details on how to burn on cork, so I also wanted to try those techniques. I found the cork easier to glide the Versa Tool on than the basswood, but it wasn't as easy to get crisp definition. I really liked the stamp tip effect on the cork!
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Finally I felt brave enough to take on the main project! I tried to glide smoothly and quickly, and I was proud that I didn't end up with too many over-burned or scorched areas. Still, I was disappointed that my lines weren't as crisp and smooth as I was hoping they would be!
I used the sanding sponge all over the front of the cheese board. Sanding the piece made the excess graphite lines go away, and it also made the burn lines look softer and less stark on the wood.
The final step was to use the mineral oil to condition the board. I love the warm golden tones the wood takes on after you oil it! I feel like my board definitely looks handmade because my burn lines aren't super steady, but it's still something I'll be proud to use in my house!
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Here's my finished board in action - it's the perfect size for a small snack!
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One thing I wanted to talk about in this review is that my first Versa-Tool broke when I was first starting to use it - while I was trying to unscrew the universal tip (which came installed in the tool), it broke halfway down the screw threads, rendering the tool unusable. You can see in the photo above that the universal tip's screw threads are much shorter than the other tip pictured next to it. We reached out to The Crafter's Box about the issue, and they immediately issued me a replacement Versa-Tool. I really appreciated their wonderful customer service!
Verdict: I thought this was a wonderful box! The presentation is lovely, and I thought it was great how the box includes absolutely everything you need to do the project. I like that The Crafter's Box showcases more unique types of crafts than a lot of other craft subscription boxes, and I love that I was able to make an item that is so useful in my house. I also really appreciate the modern, upscale vibe that I get from this box - it feels like I'm making and creating for a purpose, rather than just crafting to craft.
For about $65.00, we received materials and supplies to create a wood-burned cheese board. The supplies in this box have a combined retail value of around $70.00, and that doesn't take into account the careful curation or the extremely well-made video tutorial content. I think this is a very fair price for what we received. Overall, the experience of creating from this box was fantastic and I highly recommend it!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the January 2020 box (if you sign up between December 10th - 20th).
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
Value Breakdown: At approximately $65 for the box plus free shipping, we received all the supplies needed as well as tutorials for a wood-burned cheese board. The supplies themselves have a combined retail value of around $70.00. All of the tools included can be re-used multiple times for future projects, and the high quality of the video tutorial only add to the value!
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What did you think of The Crafter's Box for November 2019? Let us know in the comments!
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