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!
This box was provided 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: $10/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 September 2019 Review
I’ve been receiving Darn Good Beads of the Month for a few months. I know I will 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:
The package came with this instruction booklet. It was pretty good, with only one dropped instruction (it mentioned one “piece” of leather as separate from another, but one long length was provided – it never said to cut it, but I just did that anyway, and everything was fine). You will need some crimping pliers, wire cutters, craft glue that will work on leather (I just used superglue although that may not have been the best choice), and scissors to cut the leather. If your jump rings are slightly open, you may also want some pliers or a jump ring tool to close them.
Moonlit Forest Necklace
This was devoid of all of last month’s issues and is more like what you should expect from this subscription. You string beads in a repeating pattern on a piece of beading wire. The beads were decent quality. Two of the silvertone spacers had blocked holes, but I ended up with exactly two left over, so it worked out. Otherwise you might need to push on the blockage with an awl or bead reamer or something to get the holes opened up. One or two of the gemstone beads had a rough spot on the surface but you had to be looking pretty close to see that, and they are natural products, so they may not be perfect, anyway.
After you get the beads strung, you attach the leather cord and make some sliding knots. I don’t think the instructions were bad, and I have successfully done this in the past, but I struggled to get it to work for some reason yesterday. But it did eventually work, and if you are having trouble, you can find alternate instructions online (like maybe with pictures or something). Then you glue the sliding knots so they don’t come apart. This is where I think maybe superglue was a bad idea because it takes forever to dry and you can’t really hold the knots with superglue on them unless you also want your fingers to stick. But that is totally on me and not the fault of the subscription.
Anyway, you can see the necklace at a shorter length and a longer length above, as well as the sliding knots in the back. Since it opens to a long length, there’s no clasp, you just stretch it all the way out and slip it over your head to put it on, then shorten as desired.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded/not labeled. The beads were generally of decent quality and the leather was easy to work with. I think this project was suitable for a beginner and used some skills like knotting and crimping that you’ll want to practice anyway, if you’re new to beading.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you’ll receive the October 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.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $14 (including shipping to the continental US) and you get all the materials to make one (usually jewelry) project.
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 September 2019 Darn Good Beads of the Month? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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