Blueberry Cove Beads Subscription Box Review – March 2016

Blueberry Cove Beads is a beading subscription from Canada.  Every month they ship beads and supplies and post a challenge incorporating one or more items from the box.  If you choose to enter the challenge, you share photos of your project and may win your next month’s box free!

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Blueberry Cove Beads

The Cost: $27 ($22 for the subscription + $5 shipping)

The Products: A curated selection of beads and findings centered on a theme.

Ships to: US and Canada

Check out all of our Blueberry Cove Bead reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great craft supply and DIY project boxes!

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There isn’t a traditional information card with this box.  This month the theme is nautical and the challenge is to make a necklace with the shell beads (see a photo of those below).

A note on prices: Items like this can come from a variety of different suppliers at many price points depending on how many you buy, etc.  Even different colors of the same size and shape of glass beads are priced differently due to materials needed to make the colors!  So I have opted not to provide prices in this review.

Please note: This is a review of the MARCH box.  I had this for a long time.  But once again, I am kind of behind with things.  I chose a project for a different bead box that was too ambitious and I haven’t finished it yet.  But seeing as April is close to halfway over, I thought I’d go ahead and write this without the project included.

Wood Seagull Charms (2 count)

If I can find some anodized titanium or niobium earring findings in the right color (I have a nickel allergy), I think I am going to use these and the rounded edge squares behind them to make some earrings.

Wood Sailboat Charms (6 count)

I can’t decide how I want to use these yet.  I think they would go really well with some twine.  Maybe I can make a macramé piece and then sew them to it?

Compass Charm

I like that this is fairly dainty.  It can be a centerpiece in a necklace without making a huge statement.

Anchor Charms (5 count)

I think these would be fun to hang from a toggle clasp as a bit of additional detail in the back of a necklace.

Rope Findings (3 count)

I haven’t decided how to incorporate these into a design yet.  I think they would have a nice contrast with seed beads (which I could string through the loops).  I appreciate that all the metal charms and findings here are the same tone so they can be used together.

Rounded Edge Square Metal Findings (2 count)

I like these a lot.  I would buy more of these in different colors and make a necklace featuring them.

Strand of Blue (Dyed) Shells

The challenge this month was to incorporate these into a necklace.  Did I ever have grand designs, involving fake pearls, mother of pearl, and silk thread.  I will still get to it someday.  A few of these arrived smashed but there were so many, it didn’t really matter.

Brown Leather Cord

This has me thinking about wrap bracelets.  Not quite sure how to incorporate it into something yet, but I have some ideas percolating.

White Braided Cord

This has too big of a diameter for stringing the beads from this box, but if you construct a nautical pendant or centerpiece, this could be used for the back portion of the necklace.

Large Blue Glass Rounds

I think the size of these works with the scale of some of the thicker cords provided this month, and the relative plainness of them would let the charms and more decorative beads stand out.

Small Multi/Brown Disks

I love disk-shaped beads so these are a hit.  The colors remind me of sand.

Blue and White Striped Glass Beads (10 count)

The stripes here are definitely nautical and these could be used to good effect with the large blue rounds from up above.

Metal Buoy (?) Charms (10 count)

I *think* these are supposed to be buoys.  (But I might be completely wrong.)  They do match the tone of the other metal charms and findings.  Because their identity isn’t obvious, I think they could work as metal drops in non-nautical designs as well.

Verdict:  I did not calculate a value for this box, as explained above in my note about prices.   I am sure that if you are buying wholesale, you could get prices better than $2.08 an item (the total amount of the box plus shipping divided by the number of items).  But this box gave me a chance to play with some combinations of beads and materials I might not have chosen on my own, and everything seemed carefully selected to fit the theme.  I should be able to make some good, casual summer pieces out of these materials.

Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, and findings.

What did you think of the March 2016 Blueberry Cove Beads?  Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?