Darby Smart To DIY For Box Review + Coupon – November 2016
Darby Smart is a monthly subscription box made by the Darby Smart site. Every month, they send along supplies for a fun new craft.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Darby Smart
The Cost: $19.00 per box, or choose from two other subscription levels (6 months for $57.00, or one year for $95.00)
Deal – For a limited time, use coupon code YAY to get your first Darby Smart box for only $9!
FLASH SALE: Use this link to get your first box for FREE!
The Products: Each box has supplies for a cute craft, plus inspiring photos of the finished product and a link to the instructions.
Ships to: U.S. only, with free shipping
Check out all of our Darby Smart reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
On the back of the info card, there’s a URL you can follow for instructions on how to do this craft, and find more crafty inspiration. This month, there’s also a bit of info around Darby Smart’s partnership with Foodstirs, a natural baking brand headed up by Sarah Michelle Gellar (a.k.a. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, what whaaat!).
Foodstirs Organic Sweet Tooth Sugar Cookie Mix – Value $5.99
Foodstirs Organic Chocolate Chippy Cookie Mix – Value $5.99
I was not able to find these exact cookie mixes on Foodstir’s website, so the value is based on similar mixes.
Like mainstream mixes, these only require some butter and eggs to turn them into batter. I like that the ingredients are high quality and organic. I’m excited to see how they taste!
Ann Clark Snowflake Cookie Cutter – Value $2.99
Ann Clark Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter – Value $2.99
These are really cute classic metal cookie cutters. I like that they’re generic enough to use for a whole bunch of winter holidays. And they’re small enough to make the perfect two-bite cookies.
Treat Tins – Value $1.59?
This pack of tins comes with three foil tins and three cardstock lids in different patterns.
These little tins make a great cookie-delivery system, especially if you’re looking to give your cookies as a gift. I could see wrapping one of these assembled tins with a bright red bow to make them even more festive.
So far, I’ve whipped up the Chocolate Chippy Cookies. I was going to try out the sugar cookies, but the recipe on the back requires a hand mixer in order to whip everything together until smooth. I’m not avid enough a baker to have a hand mixer in my kitchen, so until I can pick one up, I’ve got to wait on that mix! But I’m not complaining since chocolate chip cookies are my fave!
The mix was really easy to use and made about 15 cookies. I kept my dough balls pretty small but should’ve spaced them out a bit more. These cookies really spread out. While my batch isn’t the prettiest, they definitely taste great. The chocolate chips seem richer in flavor than the ones in more mainstream mixes. The cookies came out chewy and delicious in the time listed on the box.
I fit about six cookies in a tin. Two stacks, three cookies deep. Had I made them slightly smaller, I think it would’ve looked nicer to put them in standing on their sides, like how pre-packaged cookies sit in their containers. But the tins aren’t very deep, so be prepared to have to shimmy your cookies in however they fit. A tin of cookies is a tin of cookies, after all. Presentation is great, but what really matters is that these cookies taste great!
Verdict: I liked this Darby Smart craft, though it differed from other boxes I’ve received in that there were other tools needed to complete the craft successfully. Not having a hand mixer held me back from being able to enjoy everything in the box, though I’ll likely be able to borrow one from a more culinary friend. The mix I did try, though, was very tasty and worked out great. And it’s a timely DIY for the holiday season. The value of the items is $19.55, which breaks even with the $19.00 price tag of the subscription. If you are an avid crafter, this could be a box for you. If you like only a certain type of craft, and might not be prepared for something like this cooking one, then you might find yourself only enjoying some months of the subscription, but not all.
What do you think of this Darby Smart craft?
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Written by Anna Reilly
This was my first box. I was very disappointed. I ordered these for my daughter and she is an already very capable in the kitchen. I was hoping to get her to try some crafts as she is not one who loves to do arts. This was a complete let down for us. I also agreed these were not worth $19. I decided to let it go and try another month but was even more disappointed in December’s box so I canceled our subscription!
This box made me cancel. The last 2 months have really been misses.
I already have a monthly subscription but would love to save money by signing up for the 6 or 12 month subscription. I went to my account but don’t see this as an option. How do I change it?
This was probably the biggest miss for me that I’ve ever had with Darby Smart. Recently, I’ve noticed the value decreasing and this one certainly is not worth the $19. On top of that, one of the mixes in my box was open and the entire box was crawling with bugs when I received it. I do have to say that I’ve always found Darby Smart’s customer service to be excellent and this instance was no different – they refunded the whole amount to my credit card since they didn’t have any more to send out.
On the fence and will give it a month or two more before deciding whether it’s time to cancel.
I’m glad I unsubscribed before getting this one. I like the idea of a box focused on arts and crafts, but this doesn’t feel like it fits the theme to me. I used to be a baker, and I’ve never subbed to the baking boxes because I have no interest in prepackaged mixes. To receive baking mixes in an arts and crafts sub would’ve been a big letdown for me.
This is all Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc items. Definitely overpriced to me.
Good catch Kay. The value not being $19 is why I was considering signing up for 12 months, then each box is just under $8 each/month.
The link does not give the option of first box free and I can’t find where to sign up for a year subscription. Any ideas?
Sorry – we just updated the post. There’s now the link to get your first box free. Hope that helps!
The two mixes are both in 3 packs that cost $16.50 on the site (one is in one set, one in a different one) – makes each one $5.50, not $17.99… The $17.99 ones come with sprinkles, frosting, etc.
For me the value wasn’t there – I had last month’s hand lettering (two brush tip pens, paper, and a pouch) – I could’ve bought a much larger set of markers for the price. This month I wouldn’t spend $20 on 2 cookie cutters and 2 mixes, so again, value just isn’t there for me. Cute stuff, but not $20 cute.
I completely agree, I love that there is a sub out there like this but it’s over priced for sure.
Sorry – we’re updating the prices on the cookie mixes – that was a mistake on our part!