BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Hobbyist” for $7.99 a month, “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month, or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of The Enthusiast, $15.99 a month, box.
The Subscription Box: BeadCrate
The Cost: “The Hobbyist” for $7.99 a month, “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month or "The Collector" for $35 a month. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: A selection of beads curated around a monthly theme (or beads that are just cool and random).
Ships to: U.S. (free for “The Collector,” $5 for “The Enthusiast,” and $4 for “The Hobbyist”)
Check out all my BeadCrate reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month was “Now and Zen.”
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!
Toho 8/0 Milky Kiwi Seed Beads (Japanese glass, 16 grams)
I used to not be very into size 8 seed beads but I am gaining an appreciation of them and I thought of a way to incorporate them into a bracelet for a small pop of color this month.
8 x 11 mm Hematite Buddha Heads (2)
The detail on these is a bit difficult to make out. I am trying to decide between putting them in earrings and using them on a slide knot bracelet (something I just taught myself how to make) with some other hematite beads.
7 mm Czechmates Matte Jet Cabochon (25)
Ooh, 2-hole cabochon beads. I’ve been wanting to work with these after seeing them used in lots of neat bracelets in beading magazines and on blogs. Actually, I had previously ordered these in about 8 colors (they arrived several days after this box, and black was not one of the colors I’d ordered, so no duplication here). I incorporated a few of them into a bracelet but I still have plenty left to try a few other things.
4 mm Firepolish in Light Prairie Green (Czech glass, 50)
You will get quite a lot of firepolished glass with BeadCrate. These are a nice green color that will go well with spring-themed designs.
3 mm and 4 mm Zen Mix (Czech glass, 50)
I like the way these little beads look all together in a pile so I am thinking about how to incorporate them into some kind of cluster so I can replicate that effect. They are pretty lightweight so maybe some kind of dangly earrings?
6 mm Firepolish in Renaissance Crystal (Czech glass, 25)
This is another good standby. This color will go with pretty much anything, although I particularly like crystal (e.g., clear) beads in anything winter-related or as an accent in water-inspired designs.
Toho 11/0 Opaque Gray Seed Beads (Japanese glass, 16 grams)
I really do love working with seed beads but don’t often get to for bead subscription reviews because seed bead work takes so long. I did manage to use these in a piece this month. Size 11/0 is probably my favorite to work with – small and delicate, but not too tiny to see.
6 mm Firepolish in Black Diamond (Czech glass, 25)
I really like the smoky color here. I think it would look really nice with black and white beads, but I also kind of want to try it in something with copper wire.
12 x 17 mm Tierracast Antique Silver Plate Lotus Charm (1)
Tierracast makes a lot of neat charms. This seems like it belongs on a stretch bracelet or possibly and adjustable slide knot bracelet. (I think the Yogi Surprise jewelry subscription I used to have has forever influenced the way I see lotus charms…)
3 mm Firepolish in Luster Iris Montana Blue (Czech glass, 50)
I am amassing quite the collection of firepolished beads from here and Dollar Bead Bag. But I am also constantly seeking out new ways to use them and I now have a couple of great ideas (now if I only had some spare time for beading…).
9 mm Matte Crystal AB Moon Faces (Czech glass, 10)
You’ll often see pressed glass shapes in BeadCrate. These are fun in that they have the face as surface detail. I think these would look great with purples and blues.
7 x 5 mm Light Sapphire Gemstone Donut (Czech glass, 25)
Another wonderful faceted Czech glass bead. This would look good in water-inspired spring and summer designs or could also work with a winter ice theme. Very pretty!
14 x 12 mm Matte Iris/Brown Large Pebble (Czech glass, 4)
I thought I’d seen about every Czech glass shape out there (been bead shopping a lot lately) but these are new to me. Even though they’re manmade, I think they would go nicely with beads made from natural materials.
Here is a bracelet I made with the 2-hole cabochon beads and the gray and green seed beads. The flower petals are Pip beads I had on hand already. I’ve been itching to use Pip beads for something and this was the perfect opportunity.
I don’t know if there is much “zen” about what I made although I do like the little bit of color contrast provided by the green seed beads against the black, white, silver, and gray of the flowers.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for BeadCrate, as explained above in my note about prices. If you divide the cost of the box plus shipping by the number of items, you get about $1.61 per item, which I think is good. I know you would easily pay more than that for the 2-hole cabochons having bought them in some other colors recently) and most of the firepolished glass. I had fun making the bracelet I made this month (still trying to not repeat projects in these reviews too often) and got lots of other great beads for my stash.
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 2017 BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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