Blueberry Cove Beads Subscription Box Review – September 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 can 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: $22 per month plus $3.50 shipping to Canada, $5 shipping to the US, or $8.50 shipping internationally

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 “Art Nouveau.”

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. Also note that you will receive this towards the end of the month or the beginning of the next month if you live in the US 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!)

Silvertone Bird Links

These are a shape and type of charm I don’t work with often so I am still trying to come up with a good idea for using them. But I definitely appreciate getting something new and different; it forces me out of my comfort zone and sometimes my favorite pieces are the ones where I challenged myself a bit with an item like this.

Frosted Brown Glass Rounds

There are usually a couple of strands of accent beads in Blueberry Cove Beads. This is one of the strands, this month. I am pretty sure these are glass. They are a good color for fall-themed items in general, when I tend to want to use a lot of earth tones.

Cut Glass/Crystal Drops

I am not sure what these are made of. I will note that I did not scratch or break them when manipulating wire through and around the holes. I used them in a pair of earrings (see below).

Antique Brass (?) Chandelier Findings

I also used these in a pair of earrings. I have been working with this metal finish a lot lately so I have a lot in my stash (chain, jump rings, etc.) that matches. I opted to put three dangles but you could get by with one from the center loop. Or you could use them upside down for a different look.

Silvertone Dragonfly Beads

I decided to work with brass as my metal finish this time, so I haven’t used these yet. I think they might be fun in a charm bracelet with colored seed bead heads. That is probably what I will be doing with them.

Turquoise Colored Stone (?) Center-Drilled Drops

I am not sure what these are made of. They are a little heavy. I like the really dark color and think these would go well with pretty much any metal finish I could come up with.

Glass Beads with Foil

Yay, two more glass beads with foil for my collection. (I am hoarding pairs of beads of this style for a long-term project I have in mind. I am probably getting close to having enough at this point and need to start looking for stringing material.)

Matte Glass Beads with Swirl Pattern

These guys are too big for earrings, I think, but would be great in a wire bracelet if I could find a nice focal to put between them. I will be on the lookout.

Multicolored Stone Round Beads

I think these are some type of semiprecious stone, maybe an agate or a quartz, based on the coloration. I am hoarding beads in this shape and size (I think 4mm) for use in patterns with the shaped glass beads that are popular now so these will be right at home in my stash.

Mustard Yellow Plastic (?) Rounds

This is another strand of accent beads. I used them in a necklace this month. I have to say, these felt a bit cheap to me. They were lightweight (like plastic) and had been dipped in some coating that made some of them stick together. You can see a lot of the white base at the ends (around the holes) of each bead. But, they don’t look too bad from farther away.

Off White Plastic (?) Rounds

I used a lot of these in my necklace, too. These have a look of painted wood but I think they are also plastic. Many more of these were stuck together than the yellow ones. I did find enough that were loose to complete my piece, though.

Flat Stone Teardrops

These were, unfortunately, awfully close to the color of my background. I used them in some earrings with the pair of cut glass/crystal teal colored teardrops from a few photos back. These were kind of unevenly drilled (i.e., not exactly from tip to bottom, but off center a bit) but it doesn’t really show in the final product.

Here is a necklace I made using some of the beads. When I was done, I decided it needed something else, so I added the feather charms (which came from some other bead box).

And here are some earrings I made with some of the teardrop beads, the brass chandelier findings, and some chain and niobium hooks (hence the slightly non-matching color) I already had. These would go with the necklace without being too matchy.

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). There were 12 items so you are paying about $2.25 an item once you factor in the cost of shipping. I was a little displeased with the quality of a few of the accent beads this month (as noted above), but overall, I did like the mix of items and the challenge of coming up with something in a color palette that is not one I typically use.

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