BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Enthusiast” for $18.99 a month or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.
This is a review of “The Enthusiast,” which is $18.99/month + $5 shipping.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About BeadCrate
The Subscription Box: BeadCrate
The Cost: $18.99 a month + $5 shipping. 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: The US (free for “The Collector,” $5 for “The Enthusiast”)
BeadCrate January 2020 Review
BeadCrate 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. This month's theme is not "Jack Frost," that was last month's theme and they forgot to edit their template. I do not know what this month's theme is except it appears to relate to hot chocolate based on the "Founder's Note."
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!
12 x 9 mm Brown/White Twisted Flat Ovals (Czech glass, 4)
I feel like these would look good in a piece of jewelry with some agates having a similar color scheme. Luckily I've been on a banded agate buying spree lately. Maybe I will use them in some earrings. (Bonus first cat hair photo of the day!)
6 mm Matte Cream Glass Pearls (Czech glass, 25)
I used these in two different bracelets, one using a pattern and one more of a simple stringing project. You can see both below. I have enough left to make matching earrings for both pieces if I want to later on.
4 x 6 mm Matte Sunset Pellets (Czech glass, 30)
I love pellet beads. There are a lot of patterns using them and they are kind of fun to alternate with tee beads. I am a fan of the sunset finish, as well, and have a lot of other beads these will go with.
2 mm Firepolished Rounds, Matte Iris Brown (Czech glass, 50)
These are so small. I like using 2 mm firepolished beads in prismatic right-angle weave projects, they're a good size to make delicate tubes and you don't have to be any good at bead crochet to use them (I can't crochet to save my life).
8 mm Firepolished Rounds, Dark Amber (Czech glass, 19)
I used these in a bracelet. They're big for firepolished beads, but just strung on eyepins and made into a chain, they still manage to be delicate. You can see what I did below.
6 mm Firepolished Rounds, Brown/White (Czech glass, 25)
These have the same colors but a different pattern of mottling than the ovals up above. They'd go together in one piece, or could perhaps be used in a bracelet with some agates to match earrings made with the ovals. There are a lot of possibilities. I think they'd look great with some brass, too.
3 mm Firepolished Rounds, Chocolate Bronze (Czech glass, 50)
I have a lot of dark bronze-tone seed beads that are pretty close in color to these so if I wanted to do something monochromatic, I could. I think they also might look good with some of the patina rivolis that are out there.
9 x 6 mm Smoky Topaz AB Tear Drops (Czech glass, 25)
I really wanted to make some earrings this month and use a couple of these as dangles but I couldn't find a pattern that was exactly what I wanted (i.e., using other beads from this box) and I am mentally drained after last week so I am holding on to them for now. I will probably still make the earrings but I won't limit myself to beads from this box.
4 mm Firepolished Rounds, Crystal/Opal Pink Hurricane (Czech glass, 50)
I used these in a bracelet this month. It ended up looking like a Valentine's Day piece as opposed to anything that related to hot chocolate, but oh well. I still have a few left and I may throw them into a mix with other pinks and reds.
6 mm Firepolished Rounds, Matte Vanilla Bean (Czech glass, 20)
I think matte crystal (that's the word typically used for clear glass beads, not a reflection on the material) looks nice and the brown color here adds an interesting effect. I have some matte quartz crystal (real gemstone) briolettes that might look good with these, for example as earring drops. We'll see.
5 x 3 mm Light Smoky Topaz Pinch Beads (Czech glass, 50)
I like pinch beads. They actually come in 3 sizes although you have to go outside the US to get the other two sizes (usually). There are some free patterns that use pinch beads in this size if you're not sure what to do with them.
Toho 11/0 Seed Beads, Opaque Rainbow Cherry (Japanese glass)
I found a pattern that used 11/0 seed beads so I made a bracelet and incorporated a number of these. I still have quite a few left over but I don't think I already have this color in my stash so that's OK. You'll usually get size 11/0 seed beads in this subscription box, although sometimes you will receive another size like 8/0.
11 x 9 mm Marbled Brown Pearl-Coated Nugget (Czech glass, 4)
These really remind me of tigereye (a gemstone) and might look good in a piece of jewelry that also incorporated tigereye. There are some jaspers that also have a similar appearance. (Glass and gemstone is a great combination because glass weighs a lot less so you can still make earrings and such without them being too heavy.)
I made two bracelets this month:
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This one is from a free pattern by Deb Roberti, the crystal picot bracelet, which you can download here. This calls for 72 firepolished rounds in 4mm but that's for a 7 inch bracelet and I have tiny wrists (about 5.25 inches) so I managed to get by only using 44 (there were only 50 in the package). I decided when I was almost done that the picots didn't look right so I went back through all of them but skipped the middle bead, and this made them pointy (see the 5th versus 6th image). The clasp is from my stash but all the beads are from this box. Here is the finished bracelet:
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Here is the second bracelet:
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This was not terribly complex. I found some eyepins, jump rings, and a lobster claw clasp in my stash and used them to make links with alternating 8 mm firepolished rounds and some of the glass pearls.
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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 $1.84 per item. I had a lot of ideas for this month's beads that didn't relate to the other items in the box, but rather to stuff from my stash, but I tried to limit myself in the projects to using items from the box so if you are a subscriber and need some ideas maybe I could help get the ball rolling for you. I didn't really set out to make something for Valentine's Day but the first bracelet kind of ended up like that. Oh well!
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? Your subscription would likely start with the February box. Destash items and excess inventory (and sometimes whole boxes) may occasionally be available in the BeadCrate Etsy shop.
Value Breakdown: At $23.99 for this subscription (counting shipping), you are paying about $1.84 per item.
Check out my past BeadCrate reviews and visit 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 January 2020 BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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