Celebrating 18 Years of Taylored Expressions: 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit & Class Review

1 minute ago

7 min read

Happy 18th Birthday, Taylored Expressions! 🎉🎂

Taylored Expressions recently celebrated 18 years with a special 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit and live crafting party, and I joined in on the celebration!

I always enjoy seeing how companies turn special milestones into creative experiences for their customers, and this one caught my attention because it wasn't simply a collection of products. The kit was designed around an actual craft-along experience, complete with prepared card supplies, exclusive products and even a few fun birthday-party extras.

The 18th Birthday Craft-Along Party took place on September 8, with Taylor leading participants through the projects included in the kit.

What's Included in the 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit?

The kit was priced at $39 and included the supplies needed to create two birthday cards during the celebration.

Inside the kit were:

Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil
Celebrating You Rubber Stamp
Tiny Diamonds Storage Jar with Bits & Pieces – Sparkle Party
Prepped supplies for two complete birthday cards
Birthday Insider Panels
A2 Sugar Cube Envelopes
Birthday Bonfire Envelope Seals
Snack Recipe Card
Celebrating 18 Years Commemorative Sticker
Swedish Fish
Party blower
Two invitations to the Craft-Along Party—one for you and one for a crafty friend

A few additional basic crafting supplies were needed to complete the projects, and Taylored Expressions provided a supply list ahead of the event so participants could have everything ready before class.

The two projects featured the Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil and Celebrating You Rubber Stamp. Taylor used featured Taylored Expressions colors during the class, while participants could either follow along with those colors or choose combinations from their own stash.

More Than Just a Cardmaking Kit

One of the things that initially made this kit interesting to me was the way Taylored Expressions turned it into a little birthday party in a box.

Things like the Swedish Fish, party blower, commemorative sticker and invitations weren't necessary for making the cards, of course, but they helped create the feeling that this was more than simply purchasing a couple of new crafting products.

So, did the coordinated kit and live event make the experience feel more special?

Here's what I thought!

My First Impressions of the Kit

I was excited when I first opened the kit, especially when I saw all of the little birthday-themed extras tucked inside. I was even wondering if there might be a prize hidden in the party blower! It definitely made opening the package a little more fun.

At $39, I felt the kit was fairly priced compared with what Taylored Expressions normally charges for their products. Between the crafting supplies, prepared card pieces and all of the extras included for the celebration, I felt like the price made sense for what was included.

Of the main crafting products, the Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil stood out to me the most. I thought the design was unique, and I don't already have anything quite like it in my stash, which is always a plus. The Celebrating You Rubber Stamp wasn't anything particularly special to me, but it was still a useful birthday sentiment that coordinated well with the projects. A coordinating die for it would also have been useful.

I also really enjoyed the birthday-party extras. The candy, party blower and invitations made the kit feel different from a typical product release and helped reinforce the idea that we weren't just buying supplies—we were getting ready to participate in an actual birthday celebration.

Everything arrived nicely packaged and well prepared for the event. Overall, my first impression was positive, and I was excited to see how everything would come together during the craft-along.

Crafting Along With the Class

The class itself moved at a good pace and was easy to follow. Having the card pieces already prepared definitely made the process easier because I could focus more on following along and creating the projects rather than spending time prepping everything first.

I will admit that I got a little impatient at times and worked ahead of Taylor—which came back to bite me! At one point, I ended up doing something differently from her instructions because I had gotten ahead of the class. So, lesson learned: sometimes it really does pay to wait and see what the instructor is going to do next!

I also learned a very practical lesson with the Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil: check the numbers on your stencil before you start! I accidentally used my first stencil upside down. Thankfully, it wasn't a disaster. I was able to continue using the remaining stencil layers upside down as well, and it still worked. It was definitely one of those little crafting moments that I'll remember the next time I pull out a layering stencil.

What really made this event stand out, though, was that it actually felt like a birthday party rather than simply an online cardmaking class. There were games, prizes, conversation, party blowers and even confetti! Those little touches tied in perfectly with the extras included in the kit and made the whole experience feel much more celebratory.

Overall, the class was easy to follow, the prepared supplies made crafting along convenient, and the party atmosphere made it feel like a special event rather than just another virtual class.

The Finished Cards

For the finished projects, I followed the suggested color combinations using the inks I already had in my stash. I liked being able to follow the overall look of the class without feeling like I needed to own every exact ink color that was being used.

One of my favorite little details was using my Quickie Glue Pen to add loose gold glitter to the candles. I also really enjoyed adding the confetti pieces to the cake icing. Those extra touches added some sparkle, texture and dimension to the finished cards and made them feel even more festive.

I would definitely recreate these designs, although next time I'd probably change things up by incorporating some of the coordinating add-ons I've since purchased. After seeing the additional examples during the class, I'm excited to experiment with the stencil and see how many different looks I can get from it.

I can also see myself using both the Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil and Celebrating You Rubber Stamp outside of the class projects. My one wish for the stamp would be a coordinating die for the sentiment. I think having the option to die cut the sentiment rather than always stamping it directly onto a card would make it much more versatile and help me get even more use out of it.

Overall, I came away from the projects feeling like the supplies weren't limited to recreating the two class cards. I already have ideas—and a few new add-ons!—for putting my own spin on them in future birthday projects.

My Favorite Part of the Celebration

My favorite part of the celebration was seeing all of the additional card examples created with the stencil and some of the coordinating add-on products. Seeing so many different ways to use the Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil really showed me just how versatile it could be beyond the projects we made during the class.

In fact, I liked some of the add-on products and examples so much that I've since ordered a few of them for myself! Seeing those additional possibilities made me even more excited to pull the stencil out again and create more cards with it.

For me, that's always a sign of a good product—when I finish the original projects and immediately start thinking about what else I can make with it.

Was the 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit Worth It?

After opening the kit, completing the projects and participating in the class, I can say that I really enjoyed the overall experience. For $39, I felt like I got more than just a few new crafting supplies. The prepared projects, live class and birthday-themed extras all worked together to make it feel like an actual event.

The Birthday Bonfire Layering Stencil was definitely the standout product for me. After seeing all of the additional examples during the class, I'm even more excited about its versatility and the possibilities for using it beyond the two projects included in the kit.

What I Loved

I loved the stencil and seeing all of the coordinating add-on products and examples during the class. I've since ordered some of the add-ons, so I'm looking forward to trying them with the stencil and seeing what other birthday cards I can create.

I also appreciated that the kit wasn't limited to simply receiving products in the mail. The class, games, prizes and birthday extras made the whole experience more memorable.

What I Would Change

If I could change one thing, I would have loved to see more of the kit designed around the idea of celebrating with a crafty friend.

The kit included two invitations to the Craft-Along Party, which was such a cute idea, but I think it would have been even more fun if there had been two of some of the other party elements as well—even something as simple as two Swedish Fish treats or two party blowers.

Taking that idea even further, having two stencils or a second set of the main project supplies would have made it possible to send part of the kit to a friend and truly craft along together. I think that would have made the two-invitation concept feel even more complete.

Who I Think Would Enjoy This Kit

I think this kit would especially appeal to anyone who enjoys layering stencils or loves making birthday cards. The stencil can be used well beyond the projects from the class, so it doesn't feel like something that only works for this particular celebration.

It would also be a fun experience for crafters who enjoy live virtual classes and like the social side of crafting along with other people.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I loved both the 18th Birthday Craft-Along Kit and the class experience. The kit felt special, the class was easy to follow, and I came away excited to continue creating with the products rather than feeling like I was finished with them once the event ended.

Most importantly, I would purchase another Taylored Expressions Craft-Along kit and participate in another class like this again. For me, that's probably the best indication that the experience was worth it.

Happy 18th Birthday, Taylored Expressions! 🎂🎉

I'd love to know—did you participate in the 18th Birthday Craft-Along? And do you enjoy crafting along with live virtual classes, or do you prefer working through projects at your own pace?

Thanks for stopping by! Happy crafting :)