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 March 2020 Review
I’ve been receiving Darn Good Beads of the Month for a few months. 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:
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The project came in a small box and included a detailed information booklet with project instructions.
The tools listed as required included side cutters, round nose pliers, and "snipe nose" pliers. In 20+ years of beading I have never heard the term "snipe nose" pliers before. Come to find out, they mean these:
Which I have almost always heard referred to as "chain nose" pliers or, occasionally, "needle nose" pliers. At any rate, my personal favorites are bent chain nose pliers like these, so that's what I used:
One more note about materials. There were a ton of eyepins included and they were meant for making dangles. I don't ever like to use eyepins at the terminal ends of a dangle because they look unfinished to me. The whole point of the loop is to ATTACH SOMETHING ELSE. So I substituted in some headpins from my stash:
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I just think the bead on the headpin looks so much more polished. Moving on:
Rain or Shine Teardrop Earrings
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First you measure out 8 cm of wire. I did this, but rather than making an entire dangle and going back and did it again, I made all 10 dangles in parallel, which I think saved a few steps. Also once you have one 8 cm length of wire, you can use it to cut the rest of them, instead of just repeatedly measuring. You do end up with a little extra wire, which is nice.
Then you make wrapped loops on the teardrop-shaped beads. I opted for messy wrapped loops because I am really not good at wire work. But I think it turned out all right. Next you take all the rest of the beads and make little dangles but don't fully close the loops because you will have to attach them to the chain in a future step. I had to use thinner headpins for the pearls because they seem to be actual freshwater pearls based on the somewhat irregular shape, and the holes are small.
You also cut two pieces of chain, which I forgot to photograph. In the next step they have you attaching some of your dangles and chain to the loop on an earring hook. I kept having trouble with this because the amount of wire in the loop of the earring hook was too crowded to close the loop. However, there were two extra jump rings, so I put all the elements on a jump ring and attached that to the earring hook, and that worked well.
Once I got past that part, the next step is to add dangles at specific links in the chain. I got a little frustrated flipping back and forth in the instructions to see which was bead J or M or whatever, so I laid out the beads in order for the second earring (there is a mistake in that picture, I put too many of the purple teardrops there, but I caught myself when making the actual earring) so I could use them as a guide for making the first earring.
Lastly, you'll see a couple of in-progress photos of the earrings being made. And here is the finished project:
The headpins I used are really cheap and irregularly machined so some of the beads don't sit perfectly at the base. But overall I like how these turned out.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded/not labeled and items like this generally can't be purchased in such small quantities. I was kind of glad to get a break from crimping, to be honest, after the past couple of months, and I liked this month's color combinations. I was not a fan of using eyepins for dangles because that looks unfinished to me, but I had substitute items from my stash and now I have about 30 extra eyepins to use for something else. I was happy to get a bit of extra chain and wire in case everything didn't go perfectly, too.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you’ll most likely receive the May 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 March 2020 Darn Good Beads of the Month? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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