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Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review – Oct 2014

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanOct 30, 2014 | 12 comments

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Box

Darby Smart  To DIY For Box is a new monthly craft subscription box.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Items

The Subscription Box: Darby Smart To DIY For Box

The Cost: $19

The Products: Each box will include: all the craft supplies you need, step-by-step instructions and inspirational project photos.

Ships to: US only.

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Info

Each box comes with a link and code to get your instructions for the project.

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Pieces

This month the project is making a Haunted Ginger Bread Mansion!

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Icing

I'm pretty sure I'm allergic/intolerant to every food item in this box. (They didn't include ingredients for any of the items though).

In addition to the very vibrants icing, they also included candy for decorating:

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Candy

And the icing tubes:

Darby Smart To DIY For Subscription Box Review - Oct 2014 Decorating

Verdict: I decided to sign up for a Darby Smart subscription after the Whimsey Box self-destruction. I paid a little less than $13 for this box (using the 3 months for $38 deal). I'm happy with the value and quality of the project materials. I'm a bit of a unique case though since I didn't want to make a ginger bread house I couldn't eat, so I passed this along to my cousin. On the plus side, I love that they did a Halloween themed box for October. Here's hoping November's box isn't food based!

Here is what the finished project looks like from Darby Smart:

Haunted Mansion

 

Have you tried Darby Smart yet?

Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

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12 comments

Lisa

I received a different version from this one. It’s 4 small houses and the cookies aren’t ginger. I was a little disappointed with the instructions provided and that they only included 2 icing bags for the 3 different colors of icing. Also, I only received 2 bags of candy.

I figured it out and started working on it last night. Received it late as well, would have liked to have been able to work on it over last weekend and brought it into work.

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Erin

I think this is cute and looks like a lot of fun! (My family does gingerbread houses every Christmas so I’m partial to them 🙂

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PA Anna

I can understand the frustration of having a more childish craft. As soon as I saw what was in the box I knew my 6 year old would be involved. He enjoys crafts; I enjoy doing them with him. I also enjoy doing my own adult crafts. Darby Smart did a cupcake box before so it isn’t unusual for them to have a food box.

Still my 6 year old had great fun with daddy. It was fun watching my husband trying to figure out how to construct the gingerbread house.

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PA Anna

I looked at the picture and realized it looks different than what we received. Our house is black. We received one bag of white frosting. No bag, no cake tips. Strange. This is the first time I saw a difference in boxes. I was a little frustrated that there were no tips or bags because usually everything is included. I have them, but remember thinking what about the people who don’t have them. I could had thrown them out by accident, but I learn to check over the shredded paper in my boxes before tossing them. Candy bags are different too.

Either way it was a craft my little guy enjoyed with his daddy so no big deal to me. I will be watching to see what is in the next craft because I do not want to get burned on a sub.

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Helen

My son is all grown up too, but I see this gingerbread house as an opportunity to flex my cake decorating muscles. Currently, I don’t possess any, btw, so I doubt my finished house will look remotely edible.

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Brittany

I subbed to Darby Box at the beginning of the year for a couple of months (basically until I ran out of time to do crafts otherwise I’d still be subbed!) and I always loved them. I think they do a nice job picking a variety of DIY projects. In the time I subbed, I made coasters, cupcakes with fondant toppers, a wood burning kit to make an cutting board, and a DIY marquee sign that lights up. About every other box was a high value box with tools that I could use again later, but I still enjoyed the other boxes too. Now I wanna resub!

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Brooke

I also did the 3 month special, which I am happy about.

I LOVED last month (tie-dyed scarves). Loved. Wanted to buy more supplies of same (but they have the world’s most jacked up website – you can’t search!- and I never could find it).

But, SUPER unhappy with a gingerbread house. I feel that this is really age specific. I have HS and college sons. They have no interest in a GIngerbread House, and neither do I.

I feel that if you are sending one project – it needs to work for most people. The tie-dye for example… you could use it on scarves, tees, anything. Anyone could make use of it.

I hope November isn’t some preschool turkey craft.

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Tara B

Are you kidding me! I wish I had gotten this one. My kids from 7 to 18 would have loved putting this together. I would have been right there with them. you are never to old for a gingerbread house! 🙂

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Sue

I agree, I wish they had picked a more broad spectrum craft. And I wished I’d received my box earlier in the month as I’d already bought a kit. Probably will turn this into a Christmas house.

Sure hoping they don’t do a Turkey for November. With my late delivery schedule, not sure how I can turn the Turkey into a Santa.

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Jenn

I have to laugh about your turkey craft idea! I was able to use code WELCOME20 with the first month free so $28 for 3 months. For that price I guess I can handle a turkey craft but here’s hoping it’s not 😉

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PA Anna

I enjoy doing Darby Smart mystery boxes. My 6 year old son did this box with daddy. They made it the day it came. It was fun watching them making it. We all enjoyed eating a little piece of it that night. I don’t think there is anything left of the house 🙂

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Brooke

See, this is perfect for a 6 year old!!! How fun! 🙂

But this isn’t marketed as a mommy or a kid-friendly craft box, so I didn’t like that there was a project for wee ones.

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