I do enjoy the chance to craft and I also love the surprise offered by a subscription box. Not knowing what you’ll get, the fun of unwrapping it, then a little project to complete. So exciting. That is exactly what you get with Makerly.

When December’s box arrived I could tell it was special, for starters it was super sized! Inside was a Marble and Gold Dresser Set, eek, how exciting. Not only that but they had also included a cute little bracelet to make and a perpetual calendar. As there were a few bits to make and a range of different materials being used I had to plan my time a bit.

Inside the box was:

• Plaster of Paris
• Colours for the plaster x 2
• Moulds in various shapes (and spares)
• Gold leaf
• Gold size (adhesive)
• Brush
• Sandpaper in three grades
• Thread with attached charm
• Pre-printed card templates
• Instructions x 3

You do not need any more than basic equipment for this project, scissors, a ruler and glue or double sided tape for the calendar and a jug is helpful for the plaster though hardly essential.

The first thing I made was the bracelet, it’s a five minute job, a couple of knots and that’s it. Super quick and really effective I love my little bracelet and have been wearing it a lot. Plus now I could confidently recreate it with any other cute charms I find.

Next up was the calendar, I cut all the parts one evening when I had some spare time. Using a ruler and open scissors scored them ready for folding the next evening but thanks to some bedtime hijinks from the kid I didn’t get to finish them off until the next morning. Simply using double sided tape to form the various boxes. Voila, calendar.

It’s super cute and I’ve got it on display in our sitting room as that is where I do most my work and it’s actually really handy to have the date on display. Plus it looks beautiful under my little tree and helps cover the boring base a little.

For the Marble and Gold Dresser Set I needed a few things, daylight, time and no child! I will do most crafts with him and haven’t shied away from candle making, simple scissor skills, paint or beads. However, the thought of him, plus plaster, plus my home filled me with dread so I actually spent my birthday morning crafting whilst husb occupied the kid.

The instructions are brilliant, as always, take the time to read them before you start so you have everything you need prepared. This is one craft that once you start you cannot stop, you need to have the time to see it through!

Mixing the plaster and adding the colours was straight forward, adding it to the moulds and creating the marble effect was a little trickier but good fun. I was really pleased with how mine turned out and I like that you just can’t tell until after they have dried and you peel away the moulds. I would say the mixing and and getting the plaster into the moulds for the three items took me around an hour, I was taking my time as much as is possible. The plaster sets quite fast after you have mixed it, but I found you had a workable amount of time.

I then left them to dry, you only need to leave them an hour which is great. I left them just over an hour before getting them out of the moulds, you could still feel the warmth from the chemical reaction of the plaster drying so I left them longer before sanding them down and getting them ready for the gold leaf.

Adding the gold is so much fun! It’s so simple and very satisfying. There is something a bit special about working with gold leaf and I love how it finishes the pieces off. Now I just need to clear some space om my dresser to be able to use them!

If you fancy subscribing to Makerly, and quite honestly if you love to craft why wouldn’t you, just pop over to their website where they have several gift and personal subscription offers starting at £13.33 a month. A bargain considering everything you get!

Previous Makerly Boxes:

• July – Punch Needle
• August – Felt Flowers
• September – Cupcake Candles
• October – Sugar Skull Quilling
• November – Needle Felt Robin

Disclosure – I was gifted my box in return for an honest review, all opinions, thoughts and images are my own.