REVIEW - Hunkydory Luxury Topper collections

Hi everyone! I'm delighted to say I've been asked to do another blog review for Hunkydory. This time, I had no idea what I was going to get.

I was totally surprised to find I was the happy recipient of two Hunkdory Christmas topper kits and a topper pad.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

To be honest, I was slightly in shock, as this style is completely out of my comfort zone. The toppers were all die cut, which is great, but I did find the gilding very bright. The actual card is a lovely heavyweight, although it has a semi gloss finish (I'm used to totally matt, so again, this was something different). This card is Hunkydory's famous Adorable Scorable, so it doesn't crack when you score it to make fancy card folds.

You can see here that I have layered torn edges

It's quite a heavyweight cardstock, and feels very nice in the hand: substantial but not heavy. It has a special coated finish, which I think is the secret ingredient that stops card cracking when folded. I know it was pretty difficult to tear!

WINTER WARMERS KIT

The first kit was the Hunkdory Winter Warmers Luxury Topper Collection - this one is very much traditional images like angels and robins .

I used a small twig, some pearl strands, tiny fir cones and paper roses (all from my stash).

I used hot glue to layer the first frame, and glue gel for the outer frame, to get the maximum height.

I also used loads of glitter and snowballs etc.

Next, I decorated a little pillow box (Kraft card) in my usual mixed media style: stamping with gesso, a bit of torn dictionary paper, lace etc.

The front, with a raffia ribbon

The back

The front, without the raffia ribbon. The strip of striped card at the top is in the kit.

The back

Of course, there are copius amounts of glitter, little snowballs etc. More is more!

The stamp is Hunkydory's 'For the Love of Stamps' Sketch Background. I used the textured hessian stamp, sponging gesso directly onto the stamp. Clean the stamp straight away, if using acrylics or gesso (don't allow it to dry on the stamp). I washed mine under the tap and used a nailbrush to get into all the nooks and crannies. For more information, read my review about the stamps here.

FESTIVE FRIENDS KIT

This image is from the A4 Adorable Scorable card, where I tore around the edges.

The second kit was the Hunkydory Festive Friends Luxury Topper Collection, which is more towards the cute, modern, whimsical style (fairies, teddies, elephants etc) and I'd say is perfect for anyone who isn't keen on a very traditional Christmas image.

I've layered lace at the side and bottom, and mounted the card on top using foam tape.

The background card is that Adorable Scorable again, and the stars are all gilded, slightly indented into the card, which is a really nice texture.

Details include paper snowflakes (using a punch and paper from the Little Book)

I also added fir cones, tons of glitter, little snowballs etc (all from my stash).

The card has a really nice heft and layers nicely. I like to use glue gel or a hot glue gun for embellishments, and wet glue for card. This card behaved beautifully, no wrinkling or sagging.

'LITTLE BOOK' TOPPER SHEETS

Tag (on left) from the Luxury Kit, and the main image from the Little Book of Christmas.

This time I used a topper page from the Little Book of Christmas. I was intending to layer this with a frame from the Luxury Topper Kit, and the first try failed miserably. This paper has an expensive glossy magazine feel, and you need to use a tape runner or double-sided tape. It does not like wet glue!

Several pieces of card, torn then layered up to give dimension. 

However, no panic as there are four sheets of each design in the Little Book. I removed the wrinkly one and replaced it with a new sheet, pulling the frame off (from the Festive Friends kit). I used double-sided tape to replace the frame onto the second sheet. 

Embellishments include lace, buttons, crystal sprays, lots of snowballs and glitter.

Next, I added fake snow (gesso and a palette knife) and lots of glitter, and added foam tape at the back to layer onto the base card.

Paper flowers, sequins, and glitter on top of the gesso 'snow' which I applied with a palette knife.

This was all from the same piece of A4 Adorable Scorable cardstock I used for the first card, so no wastage!

SUMMARY

Both kits have Adorable Scorable card, themed to match the topper sheets, making it easy to create a completed card just using these, without any extras apart from adhesive.

Hunkdory have also included a sheet with photos of completed samples to give a 'serving suggestion' idea for anyone who might be unsure where to start.

I loved the quality of the papers and card, and liked virtually all the images (some were a little too cute for me). I was also impressed at the sheer amount of items in each kit.

I personally would have liked a matte finish, (but that's just me, as I like to do faux antique effects on card with Distress inks etc).

It's been a fun experience, and I can definitely see myself using these kits again!

NOTE: I have not received any financial recompense for this review, and all the opinions expressed here are my own.