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 challenge is to make a necklace with some of the charms in the box; the theme was “beautiful birds.” I rarely do what is suggested in the challenge since I am not into social media. But it is there if you are interested.
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.
Bronze/Brass Metal Bird Beads (three different types)
I like these and will definitely use them in the future. I like that you get a variety of styles to choose from – stylized, simple, and more realistic looking. There’s something for everyone here.
Bronze/Brass Nest Charm
Bronze/Brass Bird Links (two different types)
These are all really my style. But I figured you wanted to see something other than headpins and chain in my finished piece, since I do that so often, so I haven’t used these yet.
White Ceramic Birds
These are very cute and seem like they might work well in a design for children. I have some nieces who are just the right ages to appreciate them. Maybe I can get organized enough to make them holiday gifts instead of (or in addition to) sending gift cards again this year…
Ceramic Owls
I have really been into owls lately and these are different from anything else I have.
Peach and Turquoise Ceramic Birds
I ended up using the turquoise colored ones in my final design for the month. (At first I thought I would use the bronze/brass charms but I realized all my cord ends were silver-toned, so that would’ve clashed, and I needed a non-metallic bead to work with.)
Bronze Bird Charms
More bird charms. I like that these have a different way to attach than the others. The variety keeps it interesting.
Silver-Tone Bird Clasps
These are fun clasps. I like it when clasps are decorative instead of only being functional. And with two, you can make a matching bracelet and necklace.
Strand of Ceramic Beads with Glass Beads
Strand of Faux Green Pearls
You always get some colored accent beads with this subscription. I like that the colors here are blue (reminds me of sky) and green (reminds me of trees), so both will work well in bird-themed pieces.
Painted (Shell?) Focal Pieces
I love these. I am still trying to figure out how to use them both in the same necklace. Maybe something kind of like dog tags? I have some nice gold-toned figaro chain I’ve been waiting to use.
Ceramic Ovals
These are pretty basic but they ended up being just what I needed to complement the ceramic birds (see below).
So this month’s challenge was to use some of the bronze bird charms in a necklace. And I do love making things with chain and charms. But it seems like that’s what I do with every bead box and I am really trying to branch out. The bird theme made me think of feathers, so I went looking for ideas of what to do with feathers. Above is what I came up with. The metal rings I ordered ended up being a little larger than expected, but I think it works.
Here is a close-up so you can see I used a couple of the ceramic ovals and ceramic birds from the box. This necklace actually turned out about like I expected, and that’s a rare occurrence for something I have only a general idea for when I start working. (Plus, I only superglued my fingers together twice and I only superglued my hair to my face once in the process of making this!)
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the August Blueberry Cove Beads, for reasons discussed above. However, each item works out to around $1.50 if you include the cost of the box plus shipping. I know that quality bronze charms aren’t super cheap, and I suspect the strand of ceramic beads plus glass beads is worth a lot more than $1.50, so I feel like I am getting a pretty good deal here. Also, I thought the bird theme was fun and of course I am really into charms and metal lately, so this was a win for me!
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 Blueberry Cove Beads? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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