Blueberry Cove Beads Subscription Box Review – April 2017

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: U.S. and Canada

Good to know: You will receive this towards the end of the month or the beginning of the next month if you live in the U.S. since it is shipping from Canada. (Blueberry Cove Beads did recently start using a new shipping service so now you can track your packages, though!)

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

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

There isn’t a traditional information card with this box. This month’s theme was “The Wizard of Oz” and the challenge is to make something using the yellow “brick” beads (see 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 that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, and findings.

Opaque Green Faceted Glass Rondelles

You’ll always get a few strands of accent beads and I really liked the ones we got this month. (Due to my personal style, the accent beads are often my favorite ones in the whole box…) I am sure these and the other beads in this photo are references to “The Emerald City.” I used quite a few of these but I still have a few left over.

Transparent Green Cut Glass Beads

These are pretty cool, they have about the same size as a lot of firepolished rounds, but the faceting and shape are slightly different than what I am used to seeing. I also used quite a few of these.

Yellow “Brick” Beads

These were the challenge bead this month. I am actually not sure what they are made of. They are too lightweight to be stone. They could be plastic or (thickly) painted wood. I am not sure how I am going to use them yet but I am mulling the possibilities. These may end up as part of a gift for my mom (whose favorite color is yellow and who looks a lot better in yellow than I do).

Plastic Rainbow Rounds

And here is the reference to “Somewhere over the Rainbow!” These are fun and very lightweight. I used a few but I still have some left if I want to make a coordinating piece.

Plastic Flowers

I don’t know if I am supposed to connect these to something in the Wizard of Oz or not. It has been at least 30 years since I saw the movie. But, these were nice and spring-y and added a pop of color to the necklace I made.

Millefiori Glass Teardrops

I love millefiori glass. I am not sure how to use these yet but it will probably be in combination with some similar beads I have in a different shape.

Bow Charms

I assume these were included as a nod to the bows in Dorothy’s hair? Anyway, you’ll usually get a few charms in Blueberry Cove Beads. This month there were rather a lot of charms. These are small enough to use on a bracelet or in earrings.

Heart Charms

Here are a few charms in a coordinating color. (Not all the metal finishes matched this month. They often don’t with this subscription.) These are also light enough to use in earrings (as long as there is not too much else going on with the earrings).

Ruby Slippers Charm

Magic Wand Charm

Toto Charm

Here are a few more charms in a different finish. These would be fun on a charm bracelet. Except the Toto one. Because Toto is seriously heavy for a charm. I think that one would be good in a simple necklace, though.

Green “Pavé” Style Beads

These aren’t real pavé beads (I think the stones are glued on), but close enough. These are delicate and I think they are pretty with just the right amount of sparkle. I am thinking of including these in a simple necklace.

Metal Cylinder Beads

Here is another good overall accent bead. I don’t think these are specific to the Wizard of Oz (please correct me if I am wrong), but they color-coordinate with some of the other charms, so they are useful from that perspective.

Here is a necklace I made with some of this month’s beads. I didn’t end up using the challenge beads because I haven’t had a good idea for them yet. (It may be because I have almost no yellow in my wardrobe – that color just doesn’t look right on me.) What I do have are two green dresses in slightly different shades, both of which are pretty plain on top and that I could wear with this. So I made something that was also mostly green but with just a pop of some other colors to add visual interest.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value here because it is hard to find similar items when you don’t know the precise materials the beads are made from (I do wish there was more information on the card that comes with the box, in case I find something I’d like to order more of). But there were a lot of charms this month, including some heavy/substantial ones, and I think the quality of the green accent beads (both types) was nice. As usual, the beads overall did a great job of sticking to the month’s theme, and I found a way to use a lot of them even though I am not a huge Wizard of Oz fan.

What did you think of the April 2017 Blueberry Cove Beads? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?