SALE ALERT – Papercraft Society boxes are 50% off using code SALE50 at Craftstash until Jan 2, 2022.
I’m posting unboxing videos of the kits I picked up the last time they offered this sale.
It’s been over a year and a half since I first explored monthly craft kits. After I sampled some and took a closer look, I made a little chart trying to categorize these kits as either “Stash Builders” or “Project Kits”. It’s not terribly surprising that many of the kits have changed since I first discovered them and I’m not so sure those categories make sense anymore. I’ve also discovered new kits along the way so I think about these kits a little differently now. I thought it might be nice to recap what I’ve learned and share my new perspective on these kits.
At the end of this post, you’ll find a comparison chart so you can see how the kits differ. Most kits change month-to-month in some way so I’ve marked when I’ve occasionally seen items so you know that you *may* see that item.
After my initial research, I decided to subscribe to the Tonic Studios Kit. Keep in mind at this point, I feel the Tonic craft kit is the benchmark by which I measure all other craft kits because I’ve been a subscriber for over a year now. I also buy a lot of Crafter’s Companion boxes even though I don’t subscribe. That’s not to say these are the best kits out there — just the ones I’m most familiar with and thus what I often compare other kits to.
Kit Changes Over the Years
What I’ve noticed is that these days kits are making dies more and more standard. Two kits that I originally passed on have recently popped up on my radar are Spellbinders, Pink & Main and Brutus Monroe. These kits now consistently include coordinating dies to cut all your stamped images. And I don’t believe the price of the kits have increased, so that’s really amazing.
Each of these brands has also expanding their kit range too. So in addition to their card kits, which have a great variety of products, they also have smaller, more focused monthly subscription offers at lower price points. I think that’s pretty darn fantastic because you can really find the right kit for you instead of the larger, one size fits all card kits.
I have to take a moment to revisit Spellbinders club kits. They’ve either changed a lot since I first discovered their card kits many years ago or I just didn’t notice. They probably have the most broad range of kits for every style of crafter:
I also want to call out Pink & Main kits because I think they have really become one of my favorite stash building monthly kit. It’s the only kit I know of that fairly consistently offers 4 stash building items – stamp, coordinating die, stencil and embossing folder! And all in large 6×6 size as well! Really fantastic value for money.
New (to me) Kits
I’ve since discovered a some new kits — Paper Sweeties, Papercraft Society, Sizzix, and Magazine Kits. I believe the Sizzix kits are relatively new (in the last year or so?). There are a couple neat things about all of these kits.
The Sizzix craft box is pretty unique in that the dies & stamps in the kit are not exclusive — meaning you can purchase them outside of the kit. Often, these items are from recent releases too! The cool thing is that if you love a newly released product but don’t like paying full price, if it’s in a kit, you can get it at a nice discount when you consider the value of everything else you get in the kit. Conversely, if you see a kit where you only like one of the items, you can always just buy that one item outside of the kit rather than buy an entire kit for just one thing.
Paper Sweeties kits release quarterly as opposed to monthly so it’s not a big spend when you break down that cost over 3 months. What’s really different about these kits is they are inclusive of a lot of 3rd party goodies. So you are getting a really nice combination of papers, embellishments, etc. along with stamp sets from Paper Sweeties. Also, the stamp/die sets in the kit are only exclusive until the kit sells out. Then it’s available for sale to the general public. I love that because you don’t completely miss out if you couldn’t get the kit originally.
The Papercraft Society kits are also unique in the sense that every month the kit is designed/curated by different crafters. Most if not all of the designers release products under their own brand, so they are notable, well-known designers. It’s quite nice to get different aesthetics and styles (e.g. kinetic cards, mixed media, albums, etc.) so you can try something new. So you always get something a little different.
Craftstash offers a lot of magazine kits curated by different craft brands like Hunkydory. These are rather fantastic. They are a low price point and often include a LOT… we’re talking A4 stamp sets, dies, embossing folders and stencils. Most kits include at least 3 out of the 4 above. Plus, you get pattern paper. Now, this really is paper in most cases and not cardstock or even lightweight cardstock. The notable exception is Hunkydory, which is all about gorgeous card stock. While you won’t get embellishments like sequins and ribbon or any media but you’re getting great stash builders! And the publishing company that puts these magazines out partner with a variety of brands and designers and they are always the same price, so it’s truly fantastic to have that variety to pick & choose from.
It's also nice to have kits curated by different designers so you get a different style each month.
How To Choose The Right Kit
If you have the money to spend on a monthly craft kit, I don’t think you can go wrong with any kit that appeals to you in some way and you feel you can put to great use. I like to have an idea for how I value any particular item. Companies can put whatever price they want on a product but that doesn’t mean you have to value it in the same way. I recommend you come up with your own value system that fits your style of crafting and how you like to invest your money. When you evaluate a kit, you can look at it through the lens of your own value system.
I personally value stash builders over consumables because you can use them over and over again. Consumables will eventually get used up and then you’re done with them. However, if you prefer not store a bunch of stuff and buy a lot of equipment, maybe you prefer to have more consumables that don’t hang around your craft room forever. For my value system, here’s a list of things I typically see in a kit and the order in which I value it.
- Dies – I enjoy die-cutting, paper piecing, inlaying, etc. So when I see dies that can be used in more than one way (e.g. boxes, albums and cards), those are high-value to me.
- Stamps w/ Coordinating Dies – I love stamped images and coloring but I’m not a fan of fussy cutting or masking, so when a stamp set comes with coordinating dies, I’m all in!
- Embossing Folders – I am using embossing folders more and more and I definitely value them more now than I used to
- Versatility – with each of the above, I always consider how many ways I can use the product and/or how many occasions I can use it for. If it’s something I can get multiple uses out of, I’m more likely to use it and get my money’s worth so to speak.
- Media – I don’t think I would have put this high on my list a year ago, but even though media (e.g. inks, drops, etc.) is a consumable, it does last a really long time.
- Specialty Card – I do love a bit of specialty paper. I don’t typically buy these in packs because it’s just too much to ever use up completely. One sheet here and there is plenty for me.
- Aesthetic – This is important to me but sometimes even if I’m personally not a fan of the aesthetic, I’ll still get it if I know someone who will enjoy it. Afterall, most of what I make I give to family, friends, etc.
To be honest, anything else is just icing on cake for me.
Whatever your value system is, hopefully the chart below can help you find a kit that meets your criteria. I definitely recommend looking at product listings or video/blog inspiration of previous kits so you have an idea for what comes in each month’s kit but hopefully this is a nice starting point.
Craft Kit Comparison Chart
Below is a table that hopefully helps you if you compare kits and what they offer. I’ve only listed ones that I’ve purchased at least 3 boxes. There are a LOT more on the market but I want to represent what I know first hand. Also, as you can see from my thoughts above, kits change a lot. So this table might be accurate as I’m writing this, but by the time you read this, it may be different.