The Crafter's Box is an artisan craft subscription box that features a different, unique craft each month that is designed with the crafty adult in mind. The boxes are thoughtfully curated with high-end materials so that your finished products are modern and luxe. There's also an accompanying video workshop led by the featured artist that introduces you to the craft and provides you with detailed instructions to complete the project.
Subscribers get first access to new workshops for $65 per month, and the remaining workshops are later available to purchase in The Crafter's Box marketplace for $75. So, members save $10 and are guaranteed to receive the newest workshop.
This review is of the Crafter’s Box Painted Leather workshop.
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 U.S. shipping (save with longer subscriptions)
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 U.S. for free and internationally for varying rates
Good to Know: The month's featured project is announced on the 1st and subscribers have until the 8th to pause, skip, or swap that month. Projects are designed to be for ages 18+.
The Crafter's Box "Painted Leather" Review
Let's take a look inside this box curated for June -- the craft featured is painting a leather clutch!
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We received a folded info card this month detailing information on what's included in the box, as well as a short bio on the featured maker this month, artist Kel Cadet-Lyons of R-KI-TEKT. For this workshop, Kel shows us how to paint our own vibrant design on a leather clutch.
Now, onto the items!
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6.75" x 4.75" Chrome Tanned Leather Clutch in White – Retail Value $25.00
We're going to be painting a design onto this white leather clutch! On its own, this white clutch, with its tiny brass clasp and unfinished edges kind of screams "raw materials for a craft project." Turning this into something I'd actually use will be a challenge, so I hope painting it will make it look more like the kind of luxe product The Crafters Box is known for.
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Set of 4 Angelus Leather Acrylic Paints – Estimated Retail Value $20.00 (Purchase a set of six additional colors for $30.00)
I love the mix of pastels and neutrals included in this set of paints for our project. Mixing and matching these colors to create different designs will be fun, and I'm hopeful I will be able to use them to create something unique and beautiful. I especially love the Gift Box Blue shade!
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Round Brush, size 16
This is a thick, sturdy paintbrush with a nice pointed tip with a plastic handle. It feels like it will hold up for several painting projects.
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1" Flat Brush
The flat brush appears to be of the same high quality as the round brush, and I'll be excited to have both of these brushes in my craft cart after I finish this project.
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Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Marker in Black – Retail Value $6.73
This is another really cool item that will earn a permanent spot in my craft cart following this project. Getting the paint to flow was a tiny bit of a pain at first, but I loved getting that painted look with a tool that writes just like a marker.
Mini Painter's Palette – Estimated Retail Value $0.25 (Purchase a pack of 20 for $4.99)
We already have a collection of these in our home because they tend to come with the kids' craft kits my daughter enjoys. Now I have one of my own so we can paint together.
In addition to the tools and materials in this kit, our workshop also includes a digital workshop from Kel with instructions on how to complete the project and tips on where to find inspiration for your design.
Now, let's get to painting!
The first step is to practice drawing your design on a piece of paper or index card. I thought florals would look cute on the white clutch, but it turns out I am not great at drawing flowers! So then I picked up the round brush and tried my hand at my all-time favorite pattern, polka dots!
Once I'd settled on polka dots for my design, I drew them onto the clutch using a pencil. Trying to trace a perfect circle onto the textured leather obviously wouldn't work, so I knew right away that my dots were going to have a more rustic look.
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Then, using one color at a time, I filled in the dots with paint, using the round brush in a circular motion. I immediately loved the sophistication of the color palette. I'm not sure I would have ever thought on my own to put these four colors together, but they are a perfect mix and looked really vibrant on the white leather. This will be a perfect clutch for summer.
Even though I was painting on an incredibly humid day, the paint dried fairly quickly on its own (you can use a hairdryer if you want it to dry even faster) and I was able to flip the clutch over to finish painting the front.
Finally, it was time to outline my design with my new favorite craft supply, the paint pen! Once I got the paint flowing (I suggest practicing on an index card before moving on to your clutch), I outlined my rustic polka dots in black, which gave them more of a leopard print look. When I have more time, I may go back and add more dots to complete the leopard look, but for right now I like having white space on the bag.
My clutch is ready to use! It's not the most practical bag to carry out on the town due to the small size, but it will come in handy for storing little items (probably craft supplies) around my apartment.
Verdict: This project from The Crafter's Box was a relaxing, easy craft that provided a chance to flex some creative muscle since the design is entirely up to you. While I don't think Ipsy will be calling me to design their next Glam Bag after this project, I like how my little clutch turned out and can totally see myself breaking out these beautiful paints again.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive July's box but you can purchase this workshop individually for $75.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first box!
CODE: GETCREATIVE
Value Breakdown: This month, the value of the supplies probably comes close to equal to the price of the box, although I can't say for sure since paint brushes vary greatly in price and I couldn't find these exact brushes to compare. As always, you get extra value from the video tutorial that walks you through the project.
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What did you think of The Crafter's Box "Painted Leather" workshop? Have you finished your project? Let us know in the comments!
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