Pop Shop America is a Houston, Texas shop and website that sells indie clothing and handmade jewelry. They offer seven different monthly subscription options:
- Monthly Pop Box, which combines a sampling of all of their subscription box goodies in one.
- Craft In Style Box, which provides supplies and inspiration for various creative projects.
- Handmade Beauty Box, which features 3 different handmade body care items from different makers and featured artists each month.
- Monthly Print Box, which thoughtfully curates 2 high-quality art prints and a complimentary goodie each month.
- Handmade Jewelry Box, which sends 2-3 new pieces of handmade jewelry each month.
This is a review of the $29.00 a month, Monthly Craft In Style Box.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Pop Shop America
The Subscription Box: Pop Shop America Monthly DIY Box
The Cost: $29.00 per month + shipping
The Products: 3 different handmade body care items from different makers and featured artists each month.
Ships to: Worldwide (shipping costs vary depending on country)
Pop Shop America Craft In Style Box "DIY Candle Kit" Review
This card holds the instructions for my DIY kit this month: a DIY candle kit!!
Just an FYI, all of the contents in this box were non-branded, generic items that didn’t have any sizes listed on them. Pop Shop America does not sell this kit on their site, but Amazon sells similar items to what they sent in bulk if someone would be interested in recreating this experience on a wider scale.
Glass Votive Holders - Buy a pack of twelve here for $16.99
This kit came with three empty votive holders. I was a little disappointed that they chose these containers for the candles. They are just blah, and I thought since they are notorious for handmade items that maybe a ceramic item would be featured.
Soy Wax Flakes - Buy a 2lb bag here for $8.85
These flakes seem pretty average to me. They have a very faint, soft fragrance to them, but I could only smell it when I emptied the flakes into the double boiler.
Candle Wicks - Buy a pack 60 here for $6.65
Three wicks came taped to one popsicle stick to keep them from getting wonky from shipping. I could have used more popsicle sticks, but I’ll get to that later.
Essential Oils - Buy a multipack of 10 5ml vials here for $10.99
German chamomile, lemon, lavender, Ylang Ylang, and Sandalwood were all included in those adorably tiny vials. They came packaged in a box, and lavender’s lid was not on tightly, so it made a little bit of a mess of the other oils.
Dried Lavender Buds - Buy 1oz bag here for $4.95
I just recently started to appreciate very subtle lavender scented products, and these are lovely!
Gemstones - Buy a bag of 100 pieces here for $9.90
There are three gemstones included in this kit: amethyst, turquoise, and kunzite. I love the idea of adding a crystal or two to decorate a candle!
Let’s get this candle cookin’!
To begin, I filled a clean, empty can with the soy wax flakes and sat it inside a pot filled with about an inch of water to act as a double boiler.
After the flakes started melting, it occurred to me that there is no way I’d be able to successfully pour the melted wax into the votive holder without spilling everywhere, so I squeezed the can to make a more productive spout.
Pop Shop America only sent me one popsicle stick, and I decided that that would serve better as a stirrer. Because I am not a house that has popsicle sticks just lying around, I had to find three sturdy, thin items to wrap the candle wick around to hold it in place as I poured the hot wax into the glass; I found three pens that seemed like they should work. The wicks weren’t wrapping very tightly around the pen, so I placed a very thin piece of tape over the coiled wick to keep it from unraveling.
The wax became very liquidy, and my votives were ready to be poured!
I filled each glass, leaving about a quarter of an inch at the top free. Even though I was pouring very slowly and carefully, I still held on to the pen as I poured because these wicks did not want to stay centered.
According to the instructions, you’re supposed to wait until the wax cools and starts to harden before you start to add in the essential oils. As you can see, the bottom is starting to solidify. I wasn’t sure if I waited too long, so I hurriedly dumped in the essential oils I chose.
Here are the add-ins included in the candle kit for after your wax is poured. I only used one vial of oil in each candle (German Chamomile, lemon, and lavender), and I wish I would have added more looking back. It doesn’t specify how much to use, but these candles ended up being only mildly fragrant.
Also, I was trying to be crafty and I added two drops of purple food coloring to one of the candles. It just broke apart in the wax forming tiny little specks and didn’t want to disperse any color. I stirred the food coloring in like crazy, but I probably should have mixed that with the oil, shaken that up then mixed it in; however, I kind of like the speckled look I was left with.
After the candles sat for about 20 minutes, I put the final touches on my three different candles. The gems and lavender buds gave a nice stylish twist to what would have been some very plain Jane candles.
I let the cooling candles sit for about an hour before I removed the pens. I trimmed the wicks and tada! Three very homemade candles!
For as messy as I usually am for projects like these, I am pretty impressed with my work. Each candle had a relatively centered wick and all of the wax landed in the glass votive holder and not on my counter or stove! I realize now that maybe I should have cleaned up the inner rim of the glass, but these are supposed to look homemade, right? I am just going to burn them anyway!
As promised, here are my fully-functional, DIY candles! FYI I removed the gems and the excess lavender buds before I lit the wicks.
Verdict: Pop Shop America mixes it up every month, and I love that! As far as crafting goes, I am pretty much a noob. I like being creative in different aspects of my life (hopefully nobody has to ever witness any of my dance moves), but Monthly DIY Kit is a fun way to brush the surface of different artistry without committing to a tedious project that I’d probably never finish. Although I enjoyed this little project, I wish that Pop Shop America would have included more interesting vessels for the candles. The votive holders included did the trick, but I think that replacing them with a funkier, handmade item would have been a fun way to make this particular kit more unique to them. Just a thought! Also, they usually include a fun little extra, but alas, no bonus this month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You will receive a different assortment of products if ordered today. No two boxes are alike, and each box ships within two days of purchase!
Coupon - Use code MYSUBADDICTION to save 10% off!
Check out all of our Pop Shop America reviews and the Craft Box Directory for more boxes!
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What was your favorite item in this month's Pop Shop America box?
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