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Do you love crafting? Are you incorporating handmade items into your holiday gift giving? Consider Darby Smart, a new resource for creating fun, fashionable and affordable DIY gifts. Darby Smart offers complete craft kits with all the materials you need to create a variety of cool projects from jewelry to purses and home goods to decor. Each kit is developed by a team of designers and inspired by the latest fashion and design trends, popular Pinterest projects and more. Get ready to get creative with Darby Smart!
I received the Block Printing Starter Set ($39) which included everything I needed to create a really cute holiday tea towel. I’d never done block printing before but the set came with really easy to follow instructions.
All of the supplies seemed high quality and can be used over again. In fact, I’m considering buying some more plain towels to make more Christmas gifts! I might even buy another rubber block so I can make another pattern since I had so much fun!
I chose to make a Christmas tree design and a Chevron Pattern. First I drew on my design then carved out the pattern with the included tool. It had different tips for detail work and larger areas. I ended up cutting the two patterns apart so I could use them more easily with two different colors. This part is completely left up to your own imagination and the ideas are endless!
I used green and white paint to try to make ombre trees. You use the roller to blend and thin the paint on a piece of acrylic before rolling it onto your pattern. As you can see in this picture I could have done a bit more carving as the paint was hitting some of the wrong areas. I think it adds a little bit of character though so I left it 🙂
Whether you give a DIY kit or craft one yourself, Darby Smart kits make great holiday gifts. Check all the available kits at www.darbysmart.com.
MEET DARBY SMART
Launched in June 2013, Darby Smart was created by former finance gal Nicole Farb, who despite multiple attempts, often had trouble duplicating projects on Pinterest. It wasn’t due to a lack of vision, but rather she wasn’t armed with the right tools and materials to recreate these projects. She was not alone, and the idea for Darby Smart began.
Upon leaving her job at Goldman Sachs as Head of Emerging Private Companies, Farb started Darby Smart, an online DIY destination populated with complete crafting kits based on popular Pinterest posts. In addition to turning Pinterest posts into real-life projects, Darby Smart helps leading influencers (across fashion, décor and DIY) launch their design ideas. Darby Smart began with 10 designers and now has a yearlong designer waiting list. Darby designers create project kits for all levels of crafting ability – from novice to advanced – giving everyone the chance to craft fun and creative projects with polished results.
KIT N KABOODLE
From jewelry to purses and home goods to décor, Darby Smart features a range of DIY kits that foster the creative side in everyone. Darby Smart Designers dream up the latest DIY projects inspired by current fashion, design and home trends. Projects are then deconstructed into kits that include a complete set of pre-tested materials in the right quantities, so you can create the project at home. With a click of a button, Darby Smart delivers the curated supplies and simple instructions directly to the customer. Darby Smart rotates a selection of more than 50 kits at a time, and new kits are unveiled every three days. Kits start around $20 (including Fast & Free shipping) and are available up to 60 days or until supplies last.
CREATIVE CONNECTIONS
Darby Smart not only enables DIYers to create projects, but it also builds community and fosters creativity. Community members are invited to vote on top trends, and winning trends are turned into DIY projects. Its showroom celebrates its community’s great work by displaying photos of finished craft projects shared by members. Plus, anyone can apply to become a featured Darby Smart designer by submitting DIY designs, which are voted on by the Darby Smart community. Selected designs are turned into DIY kits, and chosen designers receive a percent of sales for their kits.
Disclaimer: I received the Darby Smart products mentioned in this post from Darby Smart in order to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own. I have not been compensated for this post in any other way.
