Subscription: Blueberry Cove Beads
Cost: $22/month with $5 shipping, for a total of $27/month.
What to Expect: Themed monthly boxes with jewelry making items. In the past they’ve sent threads, wires, chains, hooks, pins, as well as beads, charms, filigrees, and more.
I have subscribed to this box for almost a year, and think I may have to pause for a while to give myself time to use up my enormous stash!! That is also why this is a month late–I wanted to make something with the items before posting, but holidays arrived and I needed a big nap.
To celebrate the holidays and their one year anniversary, I have a free box for one lucky reader who hasn’t subscribed to this box yet! [read on, crafty crafters]
UPDATE: Congrats, Ake!
November Theme: Nordic Christmas. I’ve been seeing this theme in several stores this season, and I love it!
The Challenge: Make a bracelet with some snowflakes.
One of my favorite things about this box is the Facebook community–people share what they made from their box and are entered into a monthly competition to win their next month free. A good way to get participation and to see what other subscribers came up with!
Just noticed I have two weeks yet to make something!!
The card alone got me all excited, but this was definitely my favorite box in a while! I love the colors and the theme.
Cross Stitch Pendant: I had no idea what these were, so I had to look them up! Now I’ve see them as decorations in places like Nordstrom, but I liked what this blogger did with hers.
This is why I took so long to post the November review! I didn’t have the proper needle to use with embroidery floss or the wood, and the one time I tried to get one, Joann’s had a line halfway ’round the store so I walked right back out!
I tried a little gold leaf on the wood to brighten it up. Looks nice! Now to decide what sort of design to do.
Snowflake charms.
Coppery pinecone charms. I love these! They’re so tiny and cute.
A deer charm and grey balls.
This is the only thing I’ve made with this box so far. It’s an ornament! [Or “orda-mint” if you’re my brother’s tiny human and pronounce things like you’re full of mucus.] I like it, and I’m sad I was lazy and didn’t finish the other two in time to put on our tree.
Almost forgot the kitty pic! Bella had to see what sort of fun toys I bought her. She was surprisingly polite and touched nothing. Currently, she’s making herself at home in a paperbag full of plastic bags. Cats, amirite?
I don’t have any jewelry-making pals, so I thought I’d ask you readers if any of you are crafty! Let us know in the comments what sort of crafting you like to do and I’ll pick one random reader by Saturday [01/02/15] to get your first Blueberry Cove Beads box free!
Verdict: I loved the Nordic Christmas box!! Though I go back and forth on it and usually think the contents are more for beginner/intermediate jewelry hobbyists, I feel like this box stepped it up with the wooden pendants and the variety of items. I love that these boxes are themed, and that each month there is a contest based off of using items from the box–it’s good crafting encouragement. Plus, $27 for 15 different bead related items is pretty good. I can hang out for 30 minutes in Michael’s bead section and walk away with half that much stuff for the same price, or go to a real fancy bead shop for an hour and walk away crying because I spent the same amount on two tubes of seed beads and fancy thread.
What do you think? Does anyone else make jewelry or subscribe to Blueberry Cove Beads? Remember, comment below for a chance at your first box free!
Click here to see other Blueberry Cove Beads reviews!
Disclosure: This box was purchased by me.
Cool review, how do I enter the giveaway?
Nana, tell us what sort of crafty things you do.
I mostly do paper crafts, but I like the look of your Christmas tree ornament!
Thanks, Ake! What sort of papercrafts do you do? I used to do a lot more collaging, card making, and drawing but I’ve gotten busy lately and don’t take the time to sit down and do those things or write my penpals. New Years Resolution: art more!
I make cards, too. Occasionally paint or make decorations. And books (decorative or notebook). Agreed that doing more art is an excellent resolution!
Oooh, a bookmaker! I tried that once and it ended poorly =) Heh, I do like collaging on notebooks though.
Great review. I have been making wreath during the holidays which I gave out as gifts. I love doing any type of craft.
Thanks, Robin! I made my first wreath this year, and it was quite enjoyable. Plus I smelled like pine after, which was nice. What a great gift idea as well!
Great review! Does it come with findings or just the beads?
I make mustard seed lockets for my caring crate boxes. I also make lots of earrings so I can put those in the caring crates of women going through chemo. I was told once that jewelry can make a woman who has lost her hair feel very feminine. So I always try to include some when I know I’m sending a crate to a woman with cancer. I find some jewelry at thrift stores, I get some through subscription boxes but I make most of it. Simply because that is the most cost effective way!
So cool Susie!
Susie, I love your idea for the Caring Crate–I was reading a bit about it on your blog. The mustard seed lockets seem lovely! Out of curiosity, what would you think to send to a 92 year old woman who had recently gone blind? I miss my grandma, but I can’t send her cards and letters anymore, so I don’t know what sort of happy thing to send!
I’ve sent a couple of crates out to blind women in nursing homes. I put things like fuzzy socks, scarves or Turkish towels, hand cream, lip balm and whatever kind of candies that I’m told they like. If they have access to a CD player, I like to send audio books. I usually send inspirational books like The Chicken Soup Series. Since your grandmother can’t read anymore, she would probably love to receive a CD of you reading her favorite books. I gave a CD to a young woman whose mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. She recorded her mom’s favorite scripture on it. She said when her mom gets agitated, that CD always calms her down.
Susie, I LOVE the idea of recording a reading of a book! I think I’ll see if my mom and sister want to take turns reading chapters. She’s got Alzheimer’s as well, and I think she may enjoy that very much. She actually had to lay off the ice cream and chocolates because she was eating too much–though we kept telling her she was 90 and to have fun [my sister and I bought her a large box of See’s for herself and a smaller box to share one year for her birthday, but I think my mom said she just kept them all]. Hehe.
Can you record a message for her? Or read her a story? I think a story you read for her could be even better (although clearly a lot more work) than an audio book.
Congrats, Ake! You won your first month of Blueberry Cove Beads! I’m emailing you more info =D