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Dollar Bead Box Subscription Box Review – March 2016

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyApr 22, 2016 | 15 comments

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Dollar Bead Box is a monthly delivery of beads and beading products.  During a given month, reorder your favorite items from the Dollar Bead Box shop for just $1.  (This deal is only available to subscribers.) 

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

The Subscription Box: Dollar Bead Box

The Products: Beads and beading-related items including but not limited to stringing materials, Swarovski crystals, vintage glass, freshwater pearls, buttons, and more

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The Cost: $19.50 + $4.50 shipping for the Dollar Bead Box or $8 for the Dollar Bead Bag (4 strands of 3 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads and 4 strands of 4 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads in every bag); free shipping with 3- and 6-month subscriptions (plus get an additional discount on 6-month subscriptions)

Ships to: US ($4.50 on a month-to-month subscription, free with longer subscriptions)

Visit the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes. Also, make sure to add Dollar Bead Box to your subscription list or wishlist!

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The box included a letter inviting subscribers to share their projects online.  The back of the letter included a list of items in the box.

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.  I couldn’t find a lot of these exact beads from common sources (e.g., Fire Mountain Gems) and it’s of questionable value to pick something similar because a slight difference in grading or size or material and you are looking at half or double the price (or an even greater difference).  Even different colors of the same size and shape of glass beads are priced differently due to materials needed to make the colors!

And, this is the March box.  It took me a long time to finish the necklace I came up with (like three weeks).  My fault entirely.

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3 mm Fire Polish Matte Purple Iris

I like getting fire polished beads in smaller packages.  Usually they come in massive quantities and I never know what to do with them all.

5 mm Fire Polish Beige Travertine

These are a little earthy feeling so I’m going to save them for something with more greens and browns.

5 mm Fire Polish Peach AB

A nice spring color here and I like the AB finish.

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Aqua Silver Luster Drop

These really need to dangle so I am still thinking about how best to use them.  I should really buy some titanium or niobium earring findings because these would be perfect in earrings.

Transparent Pink Drop

Another great spring color.  These would also be good in earrings.

Dragonfly Bead: Black with Travertine

I like how small this is.  I tend to wear more delicate necklaces and fewer statement items, so this is a good size for a centerpiece.  Or a bracelet.  I’m having a lot of ideas for this one.

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Pewter Spiral Charm (2)

Pewter these days is usually lead free although there was no statement about materials on the information card.  At any rate, these are shiny and I have a couple of ideas for them.

Pewter Corrugated Spacer (20)

More spacers are always welcome.  They’re a good way to add variety or to extend the length of a gemstone strand if you’re low on gemstones.

Pewter Drop Bead (16)

These will be nice accents.  I’m still thinking about how to use them.

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6 mm 2 Hole Square: Matte Peridot

I was seriously excited to see these.  I have this thing for flat squares and discs.  And they have two holes!  How fun.

6 mm 2 Hole Square: Northern Lights Finish

More squares.  These made me happy.

3 mm Fire Polish Pink Opal AB

Another good spring color but a bit bolder than some of the others.

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3 x 5 mm Pinch Bead: Orange Red

Here is another odd-shaped bead but I love them.  And I love the variegated finish.

Aqua Dagger with Gold Wash

These are cool.  They are sort of vintage looking and I think they will look awesome with some gold chain.

Vintage Look White and Blue Leaf Bead

I used to spend far too much money on real vintage beads back in the day, when eBay was new.  Now there are so many vintage look beads at a fraction of the price, it’s great.  I wear a lot of aqua/turquoise so these will fit into my wardrobe well.

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Here is a necklace I made from some of the beads in the box and some clear seed beads I had on hand.  I need to stop envisioning these multi-strand necklaces because they take me forever to finish.  I think I worked on this one for close to three weeks!

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the March 2016 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above.  However, I thought there was a great variety of beads and I was especially enamored of the flat square beads.  I like the idea of getting a little bit of a lot of different items rather than a ton of the same item.

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 Dollar Bead Box?  Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?

Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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15 comments

Leslie

Ragan, you have many talents. I love the necklace; it is stunning. And I also admire how you scientifically analyze beauty serums and moisturizers, mask, etc, so that we, the readers, can have a better sense if these ingredients will actually do what they promise. So many beauty claims are B.S. and I love reading your reviews of skin care items because they carry authority.

But back to your necklace. Have you thought of starting your own jewelry business? I bet you already have, but let me stress that if you do, keep in mind you already have fans of your creations here on this website. Thanks for your thoughtful reviews.

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Ragan

Thanks for the compliment. If I didn’t have a full-time job on top of writing for MSA, taking care of a couple of chronically-ill pets, plus working out for like 2 hours a day (trying to lose weight), I would definitely consider making and selling jewelry. I certainly have a big enough bead stash that it wouldn’t require much up-front cost. But, there is only so much time in a day…

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Amy

That necklace is amazing!

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Marion

Wow, beautiful necklace! And what a smart idea to use clear seed beads to accentuate all the pretty colors & shapes of the other beads!

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Marie-Claire

Ragan-what a beautiful necklace! You are very talented.

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Wendy

like Randi said, I read these to see what you created! Amazing, AGAIN.

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nana

Wow, you rock! I LOVE your necklace.

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nursermk

Gosh Ragan you are hella talented! Envious since it just looks like a box of beads to me but you made something wonderful out of it… Thanks for the review and sharing your results.

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Heather

Your necklace is seriously gorgeous, Ragan! I love those Northern Lights square beads too. I’m a sucker for anything iridescent.

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Ragan

Thanks everyone. And so much pressure now! =) (I have three bead boxes at home waiting for reviews to be written…)

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Randi

your necklaces are seriously gorgeous Ragan! I love reading these bead reviews just to see your finished product bc I’m amazed every single time.

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Amber P

I echo what everyone else has said in that the necklace you created is gorgeous! I used to bead a lot in high school and I know beading can be a very costly hobby, this is kind of a neat idea because you can guarantee yourself a box of beads every month but having a set amount of money spent (that is if you stick to just buying the monthly box).

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Cindy

I absolutely love your necklace. Just beautiful! Wish I had that skill!

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Keri S.

So GORGEOUS Liz!!! I love the colors because they can be worn with a variety of clothing. You did a great job in about half the time it would have taken me. (That’s why I stick to crafts that mostly involve paper!)

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Keri S.

Duh, sorry Ragan. Your name was in my head and I still typed Liz instead.

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