Oops, I Did it Again…

Did I just totally date myself? LOL. I’m sort of crazy for craft kits these days and I just ordered another one.

For a year or so, I researched craft kits – sampling past kits here and there. After a lot of research, I took the plunge and subscribed to the Tonic Studios Kit. A year later, I’m still a subscriber and loving it! For the past year, I ignored other kits but all of a sudden they are popping up on my radar. Some have changed since my research and have become more my style and greater value for my money. I say it that way because everything is subjective. Aesthetics are always in the eye of the beholder. However, I see value as subjective too. I think of value in terms of how much use I will get out of it and how well it plays with what I already have. I also tend to prefer dies over stamps, so I value them more than I do stamps.

New Craft Kits I’m Loving at the Moment

I’m still a Tonic Studios Kit subscriber, and I love it, so I won’t cover that below. I also by the Crafter’s Companion kits directly from their website when they go on sale. So I have a fair number of those too!

However, There are a few kits that I’ve either started subscribing to or I’ve purchased a couple months in a row now and here’s why:

1. The Stamps of Life Die Hard Club – I wrote an entire blog post on why I signed up for this kit, so I won’t dive too deep here. I don’t know if I’ll stay subscribed past the promotion period with all the extra freebies, but I think I’ll at least stay on for 6 months to collect all the free goodies. 🙂
   
2. Sizzix Craft Box – I almost exclusively shop the Clearance section when I shop Sizzix. I like their products a lot, but I don’t “LOVE” them enough to buy at full price. So I’m willing to wait for sales. What’s cool is the monthly craft box seems to include at least some die and stamp sets from the most current release. One die set (regular price) can nearly cover the cost of the entire kit. But you get much more than that. It seems you get 2-3 die and sets, cardstock, embellishments (e.g. glitter, embossing powders, sequins, etc.). It’s a fantastic stash builder kit. And I love that you don’t have to subscribe to anything. You can just choose whether or not to buy it each month.
   
3. Pink & Main Crafty Courtyard Kit – The May 2021 kit was so beautiful, I had to subscribe because I had a feeling it would sell out (and it did). This kit is one that seems to have changed a little since last I checked them out. The dies are more substantial nowadays. And on top of that, you often get an embossing folder or stencil and even sometimes both! It’s become incredible value for money in my eyes.

June Kits Coming My Way

So, for this coming month, I have the following kits coming my way:

Tonic Studios Craft Kit #44 – Santa’s Sentiments
(yay! Time to start Christmas Crafting!)

Sizzix June 2021 – Summer Treats
(I got this because the “You’re The Best” die set was one I mentally earmarked to buy when it goes on sale. Considering everything else coming along in this kit, I basically consider this a big sale.)

Pink & Main June 2021 – Vitamin Sea
(This month there’s a stencil and an embossing folder also! I don’t have a lot of water-themed things in my craft stash and blue is my fav color, so the color theme is really speaking to me.)

The Stamps of Life Die Hard Club Set
(I can’t wait to see what freebie comes this month!)

My Crafty Plans for June

Here’s my current thinking/plan for what I’ll be creating with each kit. This might change, so check out my YouTube channel throughout the month if you want to see what I end up making!

Tonic Studios Craft Kit #44 – Santa’s Sentiments – I’ve been thinking about Christmas gifts already. I like to give an advent calendar that can be opened before Dec 1. Along with it, I like giving things they can use that very Christmas season. It just means I get tomake even more Christmas-themed crafts. 🙂 A lot of people like to shop for Christmas goodies, so my goal isn’t to provide for all their needs but just give them something they can put to good use. This year, I’m thinking of the following:

• Cards (set of 5)
• Tags (set of 5) — Tonic Kit #44
• Gift bags (set of 5)
• Gift card holder (set of 2) — Tonic Kit #38 (My initial makes using this kit.)

Sizzix June 2021 – Summer Treats – My thought is that I’ll use the “You’re the Best” die set to create notecard sets but leave the bottom part empty. Then I’ll include die cuts with the various options to complete the sentiment. In the die set you get “Mother”, “Father”, “Brother”, “Sister”, “Friend”. Then they can just peel & stick to finish off their card!

Pink & Main June 2021 – Vitamin Sea – I’m going to make a notecard / stationery set for someone who I know loves flamingos and spends a lot of time on the water. I think she’ll really enjoy these blank notecards that she can use for anything.

The Stamps of Life Die Hard Club Set – I think to brainstorm more on this one. They are so good at shipping that this kit may be the first one to arrive. Perhaps the freebies will unlock some ideas. I have a suspicion that the freebies are along the lines of maybe a sentiment word. I can only hope because I do love die-cutting my sentiments. 🙂

What’s Coming in July?

Only time will tell. I do evaluate each kit when the company releases their unboxing/reveal videos. At a minimum, I’ll be getting the Stamps of Life kit because there’s a minimum 3-month obligation and I’m still within that time period. Everything else will just depend on what the theme is for that month!

I know one thing is for sure – this is not sustainable for me long term because I don’t craft for a living. My affiliate links don’t earn me much (thanks if you’ve ever shopped my links). That’s not modesty. I think to date, I’ve earned under $200 in affiliate money – total. I don’t get any of these items as free products for review… this is all out of my wallet. I’d love for both of those statements to change. LOL. But as of now, it’s just more than I personally need and more than I want to spend on a regular bases. Regardless of what kits I get, I’m sure I’ll be be crafting up a storm! 🙂