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 share photos of your project and may win your next month’s box free!
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (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 Products: A curated selection of beads and findings centered on a theme.
The Cost: $23 + $5 shipping
Ships to: US and Canada
Blueberry Cove Beads June 2019 Review
Blueberry Cove Beads shipments always center on a theme. This month’s theme was “Woodland” and is a throwback to their very first box:
There isn’t a traditional information card with this box (i.e., you don’t get an item list). The card typically contains a photo or piece of art on one side and information about the theme on the other.
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 if you live in the US since it is shipping from Canada. (Blueberry Cove Beads uses the Chitchats shipping service so now you can track your packages, though!)
Wooden Owl Buttons
I like owls as jewelry design motifs. I’m not sure how to incorporate these buttons into a piece of jewelry. They are pretty big (more than an inch in diameter) and I may just attach them to a knitted hat or something instead. I think they might make a good set of accents for something like that.
Large Hole Ceramic Beads
I think these are some ceramic material or other. They have a bit of an irregular, rustic look to them. You could definitely use these in a macramé project or some thicker stringing material.
Chinese Crystal Rondelles
Chinese crystal doesn’t have official color names the way that Preciosa and Swarovski do. But these are kind of a forest green with a partial copper coating. If you’re in the mood for sparkly accent beads this month, these are the way to go, although I’m saving them for a future right-angle weave project.
Plastic Flowers
I’ll be honest, I kind of don’t want to get plastic beads in subscription boxes (I’ll give Vintage Bead Box an exception because vintage Lucite and acrylic come in all kinds of shapes you’ll never see anywhere else), and Blueberry Cove Beads often sends some plastic. For what it’s worth, I did end up using some of these in a bracelet this month.
Fox Charms
These have an oxidized/antiqued brass finish. They are small enough to work in a charm bracelet if that is your inclination, or in earrings.
Frosted Green Glass Rounds
You’ll usually receive a few strands of accent beads in this box. These are pretty basic but they will be generally useful (this color matches a lot in my stash) and also they match the theme of the box quite nicely.
Leaf Charms
These also have an oxidized/antiqued brass finish, but they are considerably larger than the fox charms with the same finish. I think it might be fun to treat these as filigrees and seed bead on/over/around them for color.
Vertically-Drilled Leaf Beads
Because I used the flowers this month (see above), I thought I’d take it a bit further and use these leaves, too. They had relatively large holes but not too big for the headpins I was using. I have some more of these left with which to try some other projects.
Silvertone Tree Links
I think these look pink because I was taking the pictures at night in a room with dark red walls. Anyway, I really like links and connectors of all types and these are a good size for me. See how I used some of them below.
Multicolored Round Accent Beads
This is another strand of accent beads (you’ll receive several). These are dyed (and not particularly neatly so) and I’m wondering if they are meant to resemble something else (like rainbow fluorite). At any rate, there are a lot of them, which opens up possibilities for right-angle weave and similar stitches.
Ceramic Ovals
Here is another ceramic accent bead. These are not the large-hole variety and may not work as well in macramé. But, this color is well-represented in my stash and, in particular, I think they might look nice with some recycled sari silk that I bought off Etsy awhile back.
Silvertone Owl Charms
I think these guys are adorable. I used one in a charm-style bracelet but I think the rest will become matching earrings.
Speckled Beads, Various Sizes
The three in front are quite large. Like so large, I’m struggling a bit for ideas. They are too big to use in a bracelet, for me at least, because the proportions don’t work with my wrist, and they’re too heavy for earrings. Individually, they could be pendants, or perhaps I could try using them in a home décor project (I’m trying to think outside the box a bit since I really do have so many beads and a lot of jewelry already but there’s no reason you *have* to make jewelry from everything).
Here is a bracelet I made with the tree links, the flowers, the leaves, and one little owl, as well as some links, a clasp, headpins, and jump rings from my stash.
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 13 items (if I counted right) so you are paying about $2.15 an item once you factor in the cost of shipping. I thought it was fun that they went back and revisited the theme from their first box (I didn’t review it then so I can’t provide a link, but it was mentioned on the information card, and I remember seeing reviews elsewhere). I was particularly happy with the owls (both the buttons and the charms) and I also had a couple of ideas for non-jewelry projects with beads, which is a space I think will be fun to explore further in the future.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first box would come in August. However, sometimes leftover monthly boxes show up in the Blueberry Cove Beads shop and they occasionally have sales, too!
Value Breakdown: At $28 for this box, including shipping, you are paying about $2.15 per item.
Check out the Craft Subscription Box List for more great craft supply and DIY project boxes or see my other Blueberry Cove Beads reviews here!
Keep track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the June 2019 Blueberry Cove Beads box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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