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Blueberry Cove Beads Subscription Box Review – December 2017

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyJan 6, 2018 | 4 comments
Blueberry Cove Beads
4.8 overall rating
4 Ratings | 2 Reviews

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 Box closed

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!

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 black pouch

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 Review

About Blueberry Cove Beads

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!)

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 “Venice” Review

Blueberry Cove Beads shipments always center around a theme. As it happens, I have been obsessed with Venetian glass lately, so this was right up my alley:

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 Booklet front

Blueberry Cove Beads December 2017 Booklet back

There isn’t a traditional information card with this box. This month’s theme was “Venice.”

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!)

Blue Accent Beads

Blue Accent Beads

You’ll usually get a couple of strands of accent beads with this subscription. These are simple glass rounds (definitely glass based on the weight and feel). I find them to be of higher quality than some of the coated beads from earlier shipments this year, so I’m definitely happy about that. I actually think these will go with some different Venetian beads from my stash so I’m saving them for the future.

Clear Accent Beads

Clear Accent Beads

These are also glass rounds. They were a good size to use with the bead caps from this shipment (see below) but I have a lot of them left. They are versatile and will match a lot of other beads, though!

Millefiori Beads

Millefiori Beads

You really can’t have a Venetian-themed bead box without at least some millefiori beads! I went to Venice about 17 years ago and it was really fun watching the glass artists work. I didn’t have a way at the time to buy a bunch of fragile items and ship them home and I always wish I had purchased more while I was there. Getting this strand takes me back, though!

White/Clear Foiled Beads

White/Clear Foiled Beads

I am collecting pairs of beads with foil for a project I have in mind for down the road, and these will match nicely with the other items I’ve already saved for this project. I’m not sure of the diameter of these because I didn’t measure, but I’d estimate around 10-12 mm (*maybe* up to 14). Most of the rounds and foil beads that were not accent beads this month were of a similar size.

Golden Foiled Rounds

Golden Foiled Rounds

I used most of these in a necklace this month. They would also have been good in a simple, strung bracelet, and it was a toss-up until the last minute which sort of project I was going to do with them!

White Foiled Rounds

White Foiled Rounds

If you were so inclined, these would’ve looked good with the golden rounds and the white/clear rounds pictured above. I think they will probably end up in a bracelet as I have been wanting to do some simple stringing lately.

Red Foiled Rounds

Red Foiled Rounds

I like these a lot. I thought they would look good with some of the golden rounds so I used them in a necklace with those (see a picture below).

Red and White Rounds

Red and White Rounds

Sorry about the item names here, there’s no identification key supplied with this subscription (I gather a materials list is provided on Facebook at some time after the shipment is received, but I can’t access that since I don’t have a Facebook account), I have to make up the descriptions as I go. Anyway, I like the black details on these and I may look for some similar beads online to use in a piece with these. Or if I’m lucky, I’ll have something perfect in my stash.

Millefiori Donuts

Millefiori Donuts

I struggle with figuring out the best way to use donuts, though I did recently buy a bunch of glue-on bails that could work with these. I think they’d be great as simple pendants on a bit of satin cord.

Multicolor Foil Discs

Multicolor Foil Discs

I am definitely going to use these in a bracelet. Even though the colors are different (and not all paired up), I think the finish is such that they go together pretty nicely. They are a little flatter so the bracelet would hug my wrist better than one made with rounds (though I’m sure some of the rounds will end up in bracelets, too!).

Yellow Metal Bead Caps

Yellow Metal Bead Caps

These are a goldtone finish but not the most expensive bead caps out there (really, some of them could use some filing down because there are projections where the filigree pattern was not completely punched out). In a necklace, though, they provide a nice bit of shine and the projections don’t cause much of an issue. They fit the clear accent beads very well.

Red and Clear Hollow Beads

Red and Clear Hollow Beads

These are cool. I am trying to decide on a good stringing material that won’t take the focus away from the beads since they are clear and hollow. I think they are pretty delicate so they’ll probably go into an item like a necklace where they won’t get scratched up (as opposed to a bracelet, where they will hit all sorts of surfaces as I use my hands throughout the day).

Here is a necklace I made. It is really simple, but that is usually my strategy with Venetian glass – I don’t want a lot of distractions because the glass beads are meant for a starring role! I did manage to use four different items from the box in this one piece, which is pretty good.

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). I suppose this month, you could pretty much guess the materials, though. There were 12 items so you are paying about $2.25 an item once you factor in the cost of shipping. I feel that the quality of the accent beads was high this month (definitely appreciate getting glass) and I loved the variety of smaller rounds and discs. Also, I feel the per-item value is reasonable, having just shopped for a bunch of beads in similar styles.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first box would be January’s. From Blueberry Cove Beads:

Members are billed on the 3rd of each month and boxes are mailed out around the 9th of the month.

Sometimes leftover monthly boxes show up in the Blueberry Cove Beads shop and they occasionally have sales, too!

Value Breakdown: This box cost me $22 + $5 shipping, which means that each of the 12 items in the box has an average cost of $2.25.

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!

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

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Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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4 comments

Anna

The necklace is gorgeous! It would look great on a plain black dress.

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C.J.

I love browsing the bead reviews that you do Ragan; but I really wish that you would take photos of everything in an area with better lighting, so that the colours and details of everything stand a lot out more.

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Jessica

I always enjoy seeing the work you do with the beads you get, Ragan!

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Garfield

Pretty beads and a pretty necklace

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