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BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – February 2019

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyFeb 27, 2019 | 2 comments

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Box Closed 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. Save with longer subscriptions. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.

This is a review of “The Enthusiast.”

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - 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 Review February 2019 - All Beads Products Group Shot 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: US (free for “The Collector,” $5 for “The Enthusiast”)

BeadCrate February 2019 “Dreams of Spring” 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 Review February 2019 - Information Sheet Top

This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month is a spring theme and there were lots of pastels.

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 Review February 2019 - 3mm Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Light Sapphire Top

3mm Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Light Sapphire (50)

These are a good, basic color to have around for patterns. (You’ll likely see them in another bead box review someday!) I actually don’t have a ton of light blue in my stash so this helps to round out my collection.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Light Sapphire Czech Glass Cubes Top

7 x 5 mm Light Sapphire Czech Glass Cubes (50)

I have a really hard time finding “cubes” like this (notice they are 7 x 5 mm so not really cubic) when I go looking to buy them so I am always happy to receive them in subscription boxes. Most of mine are opaque for some reason so it is nice to receive some transparent ones as well.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Matte Sapphire AB Flat Czech Glass Ovals Top

12 x 9 mm Matte Sapphire AB Flat Czech Glass Ovals (25)

I thought these looked like they would make some good flower petals so I tried to use them that way. You can see what I did below. I have a few left so I can work on this design concept a bit more.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Cool Mint Green AB Czech Glass Flowers Top

8 x 4 mm Cool Mint Green AB Czech Glass Flowers

I have recently gotten more into flower beads and am just amazed by the variety out there. I have some others like this in different colors and I may try to use them all together in one project.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Pearl Peridot Heart Czech Glass Windows Top

15 x 15mm Pearl Peridot Heart Czech Glass Windows (2)

These look good next to the beveled ovals (see below). They *might* work in earrings but they’re a little large for that. I have quite a collection of pairs of Czech glass window beads similar to these in various shapes so I may try to put them all in a necklace together.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Peridot Top

10mm Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Peridot (4)

I am starting to appreciate the larger sizes of Czech glass rounds like 10-12mm (and bigger). These actually do match a lot in my stash (I was collecting a ton of peridot and olivine because I think it looks good with copper findings) and I’m sure I will have a great idea for them soon.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Crystal Mint Julep Beveled Czech Glass Ovals Top

10 x 9 mm Crystal Mint Julep Beveled Czech Glass Ovals (5)

I used every last one of these in a necklace. Since there were only five and I could only make one flower element out of them (see below), they are in the center. I like the variation in appearance, but think they need to be used together to really highlight it.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Spring Flower Mix Faceted Czech Glass Rondelles Top

3 x 6 mm Spring Flower Mix Faceted Czech Glass Rondelles (60)

I had such a collection of beads like this back when I started (must’ve bought a lot on eBay!) beading but I haven’t seen so much of them lately. I think they would look good in a memory wire bracelet, or possibly I will pick out matched pairs for some earrings (or both).

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Rosaline Top

4mm Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Rosaline (50)

This is another good size for patterns, although I did also use a few of them to make some more flowers for my necklace. This color goes great with other items in my stash, too.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Swarovski Austrian Crystal Heart in Peridot Top

10mm Swarovski Austrian Crystal Heart in Peridot (1)

I don’t remember receiving any Swarovski crystal in this subscription before? But I’ve been getting this box for a long time and I might’ve forgotten. I actually have a rather large collection of one-offs of Swarovski items and I think I’d like to use them all together for something with lots of sparkle.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Quest Simple Flower Toggle Set Top

15 x 17mm Quest Simple Flower Toggle Set (USA pewter, 1)

I used this clasp in my necklace (see below). You’ll usually get maybe one charm or clasp or something of that nature in BeadCrate and this one was perfect for my purposes.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Jonquil Top

6mm Firepolished Czech Glass Rounds in Jonquil (25)

I see this color online sometimes and pass it by, but I have to say, in person, it is just really pretty (kind of hard to capture in a photo on a beige background, admittedly). The faceting is lovely. I used some of these in a necklace but I have a few left over to play with, too.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Japanese Glass Seed Beads in Ceylon Celery Top

Toho 11/0 Japanese Glass Seed Beads in Ceylon Celery (15g)

Two colors were possible here (grass green was the other option) but these clearly have a Ceylon finish (I can’t describe Ceylon well, it’s sort of pearlescent or opalescent, but here is a product page with a ton of examples which will give you a better idea). Anyway, you’ll usually receive seed beads (generally Toho, usually one, but sometimes two packages) in either 8/0 or 11/0. These were useful in my necklace but of course, I have a ton left over.

Bead Crate Review February 2019 - Necklace 1 FrontBead Crate Review February 2019 - Necklace 2 Front CloserBead Crate Review February 2019 - Necklace 3 Back

Here is a necklace I made using quite a few beads from the box as well as the clasp. It’s a little floppy despite my thread tension so I think if I do this sort of thing again I may run some fine wire through parts of it to make it stay in place a little better. But overall I am happy with it and I think the pastels really work for the flowers I made.

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 13), you get about $1.85 per item. This is the first spring-themed bead box I’ve received this year and I am ready for it! I hoard Czech glass but I don’t have a ton of pastels in my collection, and this rounds my stash out a bit.

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 January box. Destash items and excess inventory (and sometimes whole boxes) may occasionally be available in the BeadCrate Etsy shop.

Value Breakdown: This box costs $18.99 + $5 shipping, which means that each of the 13 items in the box has an average cost of $1.85.

Check out my past Bead Crate reviews and visit the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes.

What did you think of the February 2019 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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2 comments

Lisa

What a perfect spring necklace! Love it, Ragan!

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Katy

Oh wow, love the necklace you made!

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