BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – March 2018

BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.

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

This review is of The Enthusiast, $15.99 a month, box. 

About BeadCrate

The Subscription Box: BeadCrate

The Cost: “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month or "The Collector" for $35 a month. 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 March 2018 “Wonderland” Review

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

This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month was “Wonderland.”

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!

7 x 5 mm Black Diamond Gemstone Donut Czech Glass, 25

I always like this shape; it’s less common to receive rondelles in Czech glass (as opposed to Chinese crystal) and I think the faceting is really nice here. I used a fair number of these in my project this month.

6 x 10 mm Frost Pink AB Twisted Barrels Czech Glass, 25

I’ve been seeing a lot of ovals and barrels in BeadCrate lately, but that’s OK.  It’s not a shape I think to buy very often but they are always great as accent beads. I used some of these in a bracelet this month.

6mm Luster Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 25

I needed some 6mm rounds for a project from a different bead box and these were handy and matched the color scheme I was using. When I finish my project for Adornable Elements Beads of the Month (hopefully in a few days), you will see these there. There’s no rule that says you have to use only beads from one box in a project!

9mm Light Siam Ruby Flat Pansy Czech Glass, 25

I love red and I love flat shapes, and I do believe I don’t have any of this shape at all in my collection. I used quite a few of these in a bracelet this month (see below).

8/0 Toho Gold Lustered Peach Seed Beads Japanese Glass, 16g

You’ll always get some seed beads with this box, usually 11/0 or 8/0. This is a color that will go with a lot in my stash so, while I haven’t used any yet, they will definitely come in handy with patterns down the road.

10 x 8 Matte Luster Rosaline Chunky Table Cut Drops Czech Glass, 6

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this exact shape before, but I’m a fan. I used all of these in a bracelet this month as the color worked well with my other color choices.

12 x 15 mm Ceramic Teapot Peruvian Ceramic

I believe subscribers could’ve received various colors but I got this cute green one. I haven’t used this yet. It doesn’t seem too fragile so it might work to add interest in a charm bracelet (you’ve got to be careful about what beads you use in bracelets as those tend to get more wear than earrings or necklaces).

6 mm Tweedy Red Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 25

I don’t have much in the “tweedy” finish, although I do think I have some super duos that match this color, so I am going to look for a pattern that uses both bead types. I do appreciate getting some of the newer and more interesting finishes along with the classics.

4 mm Duet Black and White Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 40

I have a lot of super duo and rulla duets, but I’ve never seen fire polished duets. These are pretty cool. I think I have both black and white fire polished rounds from Dollar Bead Bag, so I’m going to incorporate these into something with a gradient look to it. I’ll have to think about the design a little bit more, but I think it could be fun.

3mm Milky Peridot Vitrail Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 50

I don’t have much with the milky finish but I do have a lot of other greens and some color-coordinating seed beads. The milky/vitrail finish combination is interesting and something I haven’t seen much of before.

4 mm Spring Flowers Druk Mix Czech Glass, 100

I am hoarding 4mm rounds as they show up in so many patterns. This mix has a nice selection of colors that can be used together (or I can pick out matching ones for specific applications).

4 mm Crystal Yellow Rainbow Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 40

I used a few of these in a bracelet this month. I think they’d also be great as the centers of flower elements using pips, rose petals, or similar beads.

9 x 9 mm Light Blue Coral Shells Czech Glass, 20

These would be fun to use with some other sea-themed beads. I have a lot, including some drilled shells as well as a ton of metal charms shaped like crabs, fish, and such.

Here is a bracelet I made with brass wire, chain, and findings, and various beads from the box. Although it was not necessarily my intention, this ended up looking like Valentine’s Day jewelry.

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 $1.61 per item. I thought the color coordination was wonderful this month and I liked that there were multiple color combination options. I feel like I resort to this type of bracelet often with BeadCrate, but it’s just a fun way to use lots of Czech glass, and I wear my other bracelets like this fairly often. The package insert gave a retail value of $28.24 and that seems reasonable to me.

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

Value Breakdown: At $20.99 for this subscription including shipping, you are paying about $1.61 per item.

Check out all my 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 March BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?