Darn Good Beads of the Month is a monthly subscription for jewelry makers from Darn Good Yarn. (You don’t have to be able to knit or crochet for this subscription!) Every month you’ll receive materials to complete a quick beading project. You will need some basic tools of your own (pliers, crimping pliers, glue) but they provide all the findings, beads, and stringing materials!
In addition to their Bead of the Month Club, Darn Good Yarn also offers a Yarn of the Month Club, Fabric of the Month Club, and Sock of the Month Club.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Darn Good Beads of the Month
The Subscription Box: Darn Good Beads of the Month
The Cost: $20/month plus shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 15% off your first order when you sign up for the newsletter. No coupon needed - just use this link.
The Products: Materials and instructions to complete one beading/jewelry making project.
Ships to: The continental US for $4; Hawaii, Alaska, US territories, and international for $13
Darn Good Beads of the Month Golden Drop Earrings Kit Review
I’ve been receiving Darn Good Beads of the Month for quite awhile now. I expect to get a simple project with instructions that will be easy to complete in under an hour or two, but the projects have been pretty varied.
Note: This is supposed to be the June package, for what it's worth. It was received in August. Due to COVID-19 shipping restrictions from India, Darn Good Beads was having trouble getting materials in. They are working pretty hard to get back on track with shipments; I received the July box the very next day (review coming soon). They were transparent about the issues.
Golden Drop Earrings Kit
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You always get a full color information booklet that includes a key for the month's beads and detailed instructions. I think I would've preferred less text and more pictures or diagrams or even white space this month as I messed something up because of wall-o-6-point-font. Although I know a lot of the projects in this subscription would appeal to teens who probably have better eyes (and no developing presbyopia like I have...), I had to keep taking my glasses off and holding the instructions up to my face. Moving on:
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I am not good with wire. I want to get better with it, so I did welcome the practice here. But the first bit of wire, that you form into a "teardrop shape" according to the instructions, was really thick and difficult to manipulate. My teardrop shape was more of an ellipse with pointed ends. Which turned out to be a problem because of the numbers of beads suggested for each row -- how many beads you need to fill in depends on the space between the sides at the point where you're working, but if you don't have the exact teardrop shape used for making the model, you run into problems. And there weren't enough extras of the larger beads to fill in the gaps (actually, there weren't any extra large beads). (Also I know there were supposed to be two rows of light green seed beads near the top; this is one of the mistakes I made because the instructions were in such small print.) One thing I would've liked to have seen instead is a pre-made drop finding, like this, so you don't have to manipulate heavy wire. Also so you could work with it in the open configuration and have an easy time winding the thinner gauge wire with the beads so as not to create kinks and bends, which could lead to the wire breaking.
Anyway, I did my best, but I still need a lot of practice with wire, clearly:
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded/not labeled. I like the idea of this project very much, and would've liked the end result more if I was better with wire, but I just find wire quite difficult to work with in general and I don't get much practice with it because my wire collection is stashed away somewhere right now. I was immediately reminded of this image, comparing the picture on the box to my end result. Anyway, now I am determined to make something like this but do a better job, so watch future bead box reviews.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you’ll most likely receive the August box. More from Darn Good Beads:
If you place your order by the 1st, then your box will ship on the 20th (or the next business day during weekends). If you place your order after the 1st, then your box will ship the next month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 15% off your first order when you sign up for the newsletter. No coupon needed - just use this link.
Check out my past reviews of Darn Good Beads of the Month and see the Craft Subscription Box List 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 Golden Drop Earrings Kit from Darn Good Beads of the Month? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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