Dollar Bead Bag is a smaller box from Dollar Bead Box, which delivers Czech fire-polished beads every month. During a given month, you can reorder your favorite items from the Dollar Bead shop for just $1. (This deal is only available to subscribers.)
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 Dollar Bead Bag, which is $8.00 a month.
About Dollar Bead Bag
The Subscription Box: Dollar Bead Bag
The Cost: $19.50 + $4.50 shipping for the Dollar Bead Box or $8 for the Dollar Bead Bag (4 strands of 3 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads and 4 strands of 4 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads in every bag); free shipping with 3- and 6-month subscriptions (plus get an additional discount on 6-month subscriptions)
The Products: Beads and beading-related items including but not limited to stringing materials, Swarovski crystals, vintage glass, freshwater pearls, buttons, and more.
Ships to: US
Dollar Bead Bag January 2018 Review
This is a subscription where you know what to expect every month, only the actual colors of the beads are unknown. The information card lists the color names for reordering purposes:
The bag included a list of items in the bag.
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!
3 mm Czech Firepolished Beads in (from top to bottom): Metallic Rhubarb, Matte Siam, Ocean Green Opal, and Matte Victorian Bronze
Although I can definitely see using some of these colors together, for me, they really stand out for separate reasons. I recently bought a bunch of hot pink vintage lucite beads and the metallic rhubarb looks like a great accent for those. I love red, so matte siam makes me happy. Ocean green opal goes with a lot of stuff I’ve been buying lately, and matte Victorian bronze is just a good, all-around accent color.
4 mm Czech Firepolished Beads in (from top to bottom): Matte Victorian Bronze, Blue Turquoise Nebulous Luster, Chartreuse Nebulous Luster, and Vitrail Vintage Metallic
These colors will definitely match a lot in my collection. It is nice when you get matching 3mm and 4mm beads, which we did this month with the matte Victorian bronze. Nebulous luster is a finish that I don’t have a lot of, but I’m really liking in both blue and chartreuse. And the vitrail vintage metallic beads have flashes of a ton of colors. I used some of these last ones in earrings this month.
Here are some earrings I made this month. I got the idea on this webpage. I didn’t make mine exactly the same as any of the examples, but I think they turned out well, nonetheless.
The main wire is 22 gauge niobium wire in peach, which you can find here. It doesn’t match the copper headpins, jump rings, and 28 gauge wire I wrapped the beads with exactly, but it is about the closest you can get. (I chose niobium because it is hypoallergenic and readily available in a lot of colors, and a bit cheaper than titanium.)
I should probably work harden these with a nylon mallet a little; as you can see, the back part is a little bent out of shape. I will probably also go back and use a wire burr rounder to make the cut ends a little smoother. But honestly, these turned out better than I expected because I just don’t work with wire all that often.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the January 2018 Dollar Bead Bag, for reasons explained above. This is one of those subscriptions where you know in advance what you are going to get each month (only the color is a surprise). It works out to $1 per strand, and I think that is reasonable. These strands are a little shorter than what you’d get at Fire Mountain Gems, for example, but the prices are also lower. This is a good subscription if you are looking to build your stash.
Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, and findings.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but if there is a color that appeals to you, if you become a Dollar Bead Bag member, you can order items from the past two Dollar Bead Bags from the Dollar Bead Box shop for $1 each (plus shipping).
Value Breakdown: At $8.00 for this subscription, you are paying $1 per strand.
Check out all of our Dollar Bead Box reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the January 2018 Dollar Bead Bag? Do you subscribe to any DIY beading or craft boxes?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.