Adults and Crafts is a monthly DIY subscription that encourages subscribers to “learn new crafting techniques to help create useful, beautiful products you will be proud to have made."
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About this Monthly DIY Subscription
The Subscription Box: Adults & Crafts
The Cost: $33 + $6.95 shipping per month, with discounts for 3-, 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: The U.S. for $6.95 and worldwide for $20
Adults & Crafts "Mosaic Tray" Review November 2020
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In this fun Adults & Crafts project, they have provided all of the necessary items to create a 16 X 11-inch mosaic wood serving tray. The included instructions are well written, detailed, and allow for customization. I do suggest reading through them thoroughly before starting your project as you don't want to be caught off guard with wait times.
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16" X 11" Wooden Tray
The base of our project this month is this large wooden tray. It seems to be a bit on the thin side compared to some of the higher-quality trays I found online but worked really well for our project.
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Mosaic Accessories
Packaged together neatly in a separate bag, we received a foam paintbrush, craft stick, grout knife, white tiles, colored tiles, and a pair of gloves. I appreciate that they send everything you need to complete the month's project. Foam brushes always come in handy around our house, and because I don't own a grout knife, I was glad I received one! I have to admit, I wasn't feeling the shaped tiles this month. I don't know if it was the vast arrangement of colors or the shapes, but the finished project pictured on the instructions just wasn't something that coordinates with my home aesthetic. I really wish they would have sent some shimmery, more natural-colored tiles to contrast with the white tiles, but I made what I received work.
Craft Smart Acrylic Paint - Retail Value $0.79
Hooray for full-sized craft supplies! We received this 2 fl. oz. bottle of white acrylic paint for the outside and bottom of our tray. I usually use Apple Barrel-brand paint, but found this brand to be non-toxic, cover well, and dry fast.
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Elmer's Glue-All - Retail Value $2.45
To adhere our tiles to the wooden serving tray we received a bottle of Elmer's glue. This brand is my fave, and the extra strong formula really kept the tiles in place and dried to the tiles surprisingly fast! I was impressed at how "rough" I could be without the tiles loosening when I was putting my grout on.
Grout
Speaking of grout, we also received a plastic container with our grouting powder. While the bowl was packaged well, mine ended up cracking and causing a bit of a mess in the box. Another gripe I have about the grout is that I barely had enough to finish this project, but more on that below!
Sponge
Check out this nice sponge! To wipe the excess grout off of our tiles, they generously included a nice sponge to aid in the grout removal process. This worked really well, and I was happy to have another sponge to use in the kitchen when I was finished with this project!
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Before I began my tiling adventure, I went ahead and read the instructions thoroughly so I could be adequately prepared. I laid out the brown packing paper to protect my countertop and used that to paint the tray on. Because the bottom of the tray would be tiled, I did not waste paint on that area. I did, however, paint the sides, rails, and bottom of the tray. Once I applied two layers of paint, I let my tray sit and dry for about an hour. After the paint was dry, I started around the outside edges and glued on my tiles. Once I had my outline done, I decided it was time to create my pattern. Like I mentioned above, the included tiles and the example tray just didn't jive with my decorating style, so I went for a more simple approach and only used 7 colored tiles. I do wish they would have included mirrored tiles or other natural-colored tiles for a more inclusive look, but made what we received work. Once I created my pattern in the middle of the tray, I glued down the tiles and adhered the remaining white tiles throughout the tray until it was covered.
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Once my tray was covered in tiles, I let it sit for about two hours to make sure the glue had time to dry. Once the glue was firmly dried, I mixed up my grout. The instructions say to save about 2 oz. of the grout just in case, so I set a little off to the side and added just enough water to the remaining grout to create a paste. Using the grout knife, I added the grout to the tiles and spread it out. I have to admit, my husband tiled our bathroom about 10 years ago and because I was at work, I missed the whole process, so this was a new technique for me! Did it go well? Actually, I was freaking out quite a bit because I ran out of grout! I had to use the little bit I put off to the side, and even with that I actually had to use a spatula and try and swipe grout from in between the tiles to fill in the sides of the tray. (I should have maybe put my tiles closer together, but I felt my spacing was similar to the directions.) This process took forever because there was just barely enough, but I made it work. Once I smoothed out the corners, I let it sit for about 30 minutes to dry before I started wiping off the tiles. I did the process a few more times until the tiles were shiny and clean. By the next day, the grout was dry and my project was ready to debut!
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Check out my finished tray! It holds a TON of products and adds some fun to my bathroom vanity. The teal circles match my shower curtain and I think it looks pretty cute.
Verdict: Adults & Crafts is always a surprise. Almost every box I have received has given me the opportunity to try a crafting technique that I'm not familiar with and has taken me out of my comfort zone more than once, which I appreciate. Like I said above, I missed the chance to learn how to tile (possibly on purpose) when my husband remodeled our bathroom but I had a really fun time doing it on a smaller scale with this project. An aspect of this subscription I like is that they send all of the items needed for the project, and many of them can be reused, such as the paint, glue, sponge, and paintbrush. While I do wish they would have offered more neutral-colored tiles (to offset the white ones) and a bit more grout to work with, I am happy with the way my project turned out and I was pleased with this curation.
To Wrap Up:
Can I get this box if I sign up today? This was the November box, so your subscription will likely begin with the December box.
Value Breakdown: The cost of this box is $39.95 ($33 + $6.95 shipping) and it gives you the supplies to make an 11" X 16"-inch mosaic wooden tray.
Check out all of our Adults and Crafts reviews and the DIY + Crafting Subscription Box Directory for more crafting options!
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