Blueberry Cove Beads Subscription Box Review – May 2018

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

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 May 2018 Review

Blueberry Cove Beads shipments always center around a theme. This month was citrus-themed:

There isn’t a traditional information card with this box. This month’s challenge was to make a necklace using at least two citrus colors. (I don’t always do the challenges although my project this month happens to fall into this category.)

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!)

Crackle Glass Rounds

These are sort of a yellowish color in person. I am assuming they are glass based on the crackle appearance, weight, and feel. (You don’t get much information about materials with this subscription, so I often have to guess.) There were a lot of basic rounds this month, but I kind of like that because it opens up bead weaving possibilities. You could use a lot of rounds to make something in right-angle-weave. I used a few of these in a necklace this month (see below).

Green Ceramic Beads

I don’t know what to call these shapes. There were rather a lot of ceramic beads this month and these were medium on the size scale, I would say. These have rather large holes and could be strung on leather or thicker satin cord, or could be used in macramé designs with hemp.

Green Glass Rounds

I think these have dye externally applied so if you make something from them, test them for colorfastness or keep them from getting wet. I like this color, which is kind of reminiscent both of limes (on the outside, anyway) as well as citrus tree foliage. I used a few of these in a necklace this month.

Orange-Yellow Glass Rounds

As you can see, there is white at the ends of these, so they are clearly color-dipped. A few were actually stuck together. They will work as accent beads in casual pieces but I feel the quality of these is not as high as with some of the other items this month. (In general, I’m not a huge fan of this white, color-dipped type of bead.)

Orange Ceramic Rounds

These are medium-sized ceramic rounds that kind of look like actual oranges. I haven’t used them yet because I am still working through some practical issues in terms of hole size for the idea I have for them. Basically, the holes are too large for what I want to use them for, but I think I am going to use these in some dangly earrings.

Orange Ceramic Teardrops

These are quite large and, I think, a little heavy for earring use. I’m still trying to figure out the best project for them (although I do have a lot of coordinating beads in my stash as I went on an orange/yellow/pink binge recently). They also have large holes, like the other ceramic beads.

Pink Rounds

I think these are also glass and probably also dyed. They are a little smaller than some of the other glass rounds for this month. I used a handful of them in a necklace, which you can see below, but the quantity was pretty generous so I have enough left to make some coordinating items.

Shell Drops

I received some beads like this in a past Blueberry Cove Beads and liked them a lot and went on a binge and bought a whole bunch. So I was happy to see these. One or two of these aren’t drilled properly but most of them are functional. I used some of these in a necklace. They look nice with the green glass rounds.

Yellow Ceramic Ovals

So the orange round beads reminded me of oranges, and these remind me of lemons. I actually want to take advantage of that and use both bead types together. Which I will do eventually when I decide how to hang these on headpins (right now the hole is too large for that).

Yellow Crystal Drops

These have a color and faceting pattern suggestive of Chinese crystal, but that is just a guess. I haven’t used them yet, but they have me thinking I could use some more opaque yellow in my collection. I’ve been window-shopping at Etsy since receiving these.

Yellow and Green Glass Teardrops

I have it in my mind that these need to be made in to leaf drops somehow. Perhaps to go with the orange ceramic rounds and yellow ovals. They are light enough to work as earring components.

I try not to make the same thing for every bead box every month, but sometimes it is hard to come up with ideas. I saw something vaguely like this using Google image search for a very generic term like “necklace with round beads” and decided I could make something similar using beads from this box. I am pleased with how it turned out and I have plenty of beads left for making coordinating pieces.

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 11 items (if I counted right) so you are paying about $2.45 an item once you factor in the cost of shipping. I think that is reasonable, especially since there were quite a few long glass strands and large ceramic beads this month.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first box would be June'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: At $27 for this box, including shipping, you are paying about $2.45 per item.

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 May 2018 Blueberry Cove Beads? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?