Dollar Bead Box Subscription Box Review – August 2016

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 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)

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

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

Check out all of our Dollar Bead Box reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory! 

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

The box included a letter reminding us that subscribers can buy more of the box items for $1 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!

Czech Glass Peacock Triangles (2 pieces)

These are beautiful. I think we got some kind of similar beads with a different color scheme last month.

Magnesite Fish (3 pieces)

I am thinking I need to incorporate these into some macramé. I bought some books to brush up my skills.  And I have an ever growing stash of cord. So hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

Electroplated Crystal Point

Subscribers could have received varying colors. Mine is a beautiful blue that looks much better in person.

Pewter Keys in Antique Brass (2 pieces)

It is hard to tell scale here but these are too big for earrings. They would be good for dainty matching necklaces or something of that nature.

Floral Ring in Antique Silver

There are places here where you could set tiny rhinestones if you wanted. I am thinking of incorporating this into a hair decoration, I just need to find the right cabochon to put in the center and I am all set.

Porcelain Flower Pendant

Colors could vary for this item, as well. I have a lot of coordinating beads in pink and blue tones but I need to get my hands on more green and then use this as a centerpiece to tie all the colors together.

9 x 6 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelles in Light Topaz (28 pieces)

I was looking at buying some beads in this very shape recently and didn’t pull the trigger. So I am definitely happy to receive these in a box.

4 x 6 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelles in Amethyst AB (48 pieces)

This is a good color and will go with a lot in my collection. I used a few of these in my projects (see below).

5 mm Czech Firepolish in Light Green AB (25 pieces)

I like how this looks with the purple. Sometimes I get ideas just from grouping things to take photos!

2-Hole Shell Spacer Bar

This is made from an actual shell, it is not resin or anything like that. I have collected a variety of beachy-themed beads lately and now I need to put them all together somehow!

Pewter Butterflies in Antique Brass Finish (4 pieces)

I’ve been collecting a lot of charms and drops lately and have several other items in this metal finish, so these will probably get used sooner rather than later.

4 mm Czech Glass Druks in Light Topaz (50 pieces)

These match a whole lot of beads I’ve received in this box and others lately. (Most are still in the baggie because they wanted to roll everywhere.) So these will definitely be put to good use.

Chandelier Earring Findings in Antique Copper (2 pieces)

I wonder if I can find some anodized titanium or niobium earring findings in this color (or even one that’s kind of close). Because these are pretty and I definitely want to make something with them soon.

6 mm 2-Hole Square in Citrine AB (25 pieces)

6 mm 2-Hole Square in Pink Opal Rainbow Iris (25 pieces)

My favorite 2-hole square beads have made a comeback. I’ve accumulated quite a stash of these from recent Dollar Bead Boxes. But they are one of my top couple of shapes so I’m just fine with that.

Turquoise Corrugated Dagger (25 pieces)

I want to use these with some red beads (maybe glass, maybe bamboo coral, we’ll see what I can dig up) and silver.

I decided to try to be a little different this time and put some of the beads on bobby pins. (And totally stabbed myself with 34 gauge wire repeatedly. Ouch.)

Here are some bonus earrings I made. The silver beads came from my stash. Sorry they are a little blurry. They would NOT STOP MOVING. As soon as I thought they were still, a cat would walk by or something and set them off again.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the August 2016 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. I was happy with the variety of items in the box, though, and feel like it was a pretty good value. I like that it is so easy to buy more of the items from the box if you want (I tried this one month and the shipping was fast; Dollar Bead Box also has great customer service). Sometimes the items included seem a little bit random, but I keep them in organizers so as soon as the perfect accompaniment arrives (or I unearth something compatible from the craft closet upstairs), I can get right to work. And if you see something you like, chances are, you’ll get it in an additional color or two in a future month.

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 August 2016 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?