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BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – October 2018

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyOct 16, 2018 | 1 comment

Bead Crate October 2018 - Box Review Top

BeadCrate
5 overall rating
2 Ratings | 0 Reviews

BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Enthusiast” for $18.99 a month or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.

This review is of The Enthusiast, $18.99 a month, box.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Organza Top

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

Bead Crate October 2018 - All Products Top

About BeadCrate

The Subscription Box: BeadCrate

The Cost: $18.99 a month + $5 shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: A selection of beads curated around a monthly theme (or beads that are just cool and random)

Ships to: U.S. (free for “The Collector” and $5 for “The Enthusiast”)

BeadCrate October 2018 “Frida” Review

BeadCrate is great for stash-building if you are into seed beads and Czech glass, and you’ll also usually get some useful supplies:

Bead Crate October 2018 - Booklet Top

This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month was inspired by Frida Kahlo and relates to Day of the Dead.

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!

Bead Crate October 2018 - Siam Ruby AB Daisy Disks Front

9 mm Siam Ruby AB Daisy Disks (Czech Glass, 25)

I don’t have any beads like this in my collection already, though I do have a lot of red. Always happy to learn about a new shape and to get a color that will work well with other items in my stash.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Hyacinth Round Beads Orange Top

2 mm Hyacinth Round Beads (Czech Glass, 100)

These are so tiny. But I am starting to see patterns calling for 2 mm rounds, or these can be substituted for certain seed beads in patterns to achieve a slightly different look. I have a lot of orange in my stash so these will fit right in.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Firepolished Rounds in Light Amethyst Purple Top

6mm Firepolished Rounds in Light Amethyst (Czech Glass, 25)

Continuing on with this month’s riot of color (not a bad thing at all, I am NOT a fan of neutrals) are some light amethyst firepolished rounds. These do fit in with my standard color palette (basically “things that will look good with copper findings”) but are a little more versatile than that as I can see them working with silver and gold tones as well.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Gauge Assorted Colors of Copper Wire Top

24 or 26 Gauge Assorted Colors of Copper Wire (5 Yards)

26 gauge is pretty thin so I am thinking I got 24 gauge (still thin, but not as much). At any rate, I have a collection of these little spools in various colors. I am not so great at wire wrapping but it is something I would like to get better at so it is always nice to have more to practice with. You should use nylon tools or coat your tools with Tool Magic prior to working with this as the coating could flake off otherwise.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Faceted Agates Top

6mm Faceted Agates (20)

I like these. They are dyed pretty colors and if you examine them, they do have facets. I used all of these in my necklace this month, I kind of liked the “colorful but not shiny look” that resulted. (Don’t get me wrong, I like shiny things too, but I was trying something different here.)

Bead Crate October 2018 - Cobalt Dime Beads Blue Coins Top

8 x 3 mm Cobalt Dime Beads (Czech Glass, 25)

I have always thought cobalt glass was pretty and I bought a lot of it back in the day, so I do have a fair amount of blue that can be used with these. Plus I am just a fan of flat discs.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Firepolished Rounds in Green Emerald Green FP Top

3mm Firepolished Rounds in Green Emerald (Czech Glass, 50)

More tiny beads! Anyway, there are a lot of patterns calling for firepolished rounds, including numerous ones I’ve already bought, and I know I have some rivolis in a similar color, so these will probably make it into a rivoli pendant.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Mellonberry Mix Rounds Top

4mm Mellonberry Mix Rounds (Czech Glass, 100)

We get one of these mixes of druks (pressed rounds) in nearly every BeadCrate. I like them for wrap bracelets because the colors go together without matching too much. They’re harder to use in patterns unless you pick out ones that are all the same color.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Halo Cerulean Blue Lily Petals Top

4 x 6 mm Halo Cerulean Blue Lily Petals (Czech glass, 25)

Here is the monthly shaped bead (there is usually one, often 2-hole cabochons or pips but occasionally something else). The obvious use for these is as petals in flower elements, but they could make interesting drops or dangles, too.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Brass Hand Charm Top

24 x 8 mm Brass Hand Charm (1)

You’ll usually get one or two charms in each BeadCrate, and they usually go quite nicely with the box theme. This month it is a hand, which is in a position that makes me think of a zombie hand, so it totally works for Day of the Dead. This is small and a good size for a charm bracelet.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Toho Pink Seed Beads Top

6/0 Toho Seed Beads in Luminous Neon Pink (Japanese Glass, 10g)

I am happy whenever I receive bright pink beads. And I need to expand my collection of size 6/0; there are certain things you can do with these (sub for some firepolished beads in patterns, put a jump ring through them, etc.) that you can’t do with smaller seed beads.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Magnesite Skulls in Assorted Sizes and Colors Top

Magnesite Skulls in Assorted Sizes and Colors (13)

I like these little guys. I’m not into scary Halloween but I am into cute Halloween, and these for some reason strike me as cute. I think because they are brightly colored and not overly-realistic. I used them in a necklace this month.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Toho Seed Beads in Opaque Turquoise Top

11/0 Toho Seed Beads in Opaque Turquoise (Japanese Glass, 16g)

You’ll usually get some size 11/0 seed beads. This color is actually something I don’t think I already have but can totally use as turquoise is a color that is definitely essential to my main color palette. I tend to use seed beads like this mostly in loomed or beadwoven projects.

Bead Crate October 2018 -Gold Inlay Monkeys Top

14mm Gold Inlay Milky Caramel Monkeys (Czech Glass, 3)

I have never seen this type of bead before, either. Now I kind of want them in some other colors, too. I suspect there are tons and tons of Czech glass bead shapes I haven’t seen, actually, with more coming out all the time, even though this is something I follow pretty closely. I will have to go looking to see if it is only monkeys or they have other animals too. I think these would look good with some brass findings.

Bead Crate October 2018 - Necklace Front Bead Crate October 2018 - Necklace Closer Front

Here is a necklace I made using the agate beads and the skulls, along with some black chain and findings from my stash. Whenever I see little skulls like this (and I get some about once a year), I just feel the need to use them, which is a little out of character for me, but I think I am just responding to the variety of colors. This was a pretty simple piece to make but I think it will be fun to wear.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for BeadCrate, as explained above in my note about prices. If you divide the cost of the box plus shipping by the number of items (I counted 14), you get about $1.71 per item. I loved all the bright colors this month and appreciated that there was a Halloween-type theme without being all black and orange.

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, your subscription would start with the November box. Destash items and excess inventory (and sometimes whole boxes) may occasionally be available in the BeadCrate Etsy shop.

Value Breakdown: At $23.99 for this subscription (counting shipping), you are paying about $1.71 per item.

Check out all our BeadCrate reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, 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 October BeadCrate? 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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1 comment

Michelle

That is very cute!!!

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