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 U.S. for $4; Hawaii, Alaska, U.S. territories, and international for $13
Darn Good Beads of the Month "Blue Mermaid Beaded Bracelet" Review
I’ve been receiving Darn Good Beads of the Month for quite a while now. 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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Every box comes with an instruction booklet. The instructions were written including one component that was different from what was provided but we will get to that below.
Blue Mermaid Beaded Bracelet
This is a stringing project. Well, most of the projects from this box are stringing projects, I don’t remember doing any beadweaving with this one. Anyway, the first step is to cut the included beading wire into 15 parts. Since I have a small wrist, I cut it into 16 parts because dividing the pieces by 2 is easier than cutting thirds! Most people with larger wrists than I have (aka “normal-sized” or 7-8 inches) should be able to do this as well (and don’t forget the clasp and jump rings will add a little length).
You then are supposed to put crimps on one end and use a crimp cover (aka a bead tip) to cover the crimp. Here is where we need to talk about the materials provided. I note that the directions say we got a “bottom clamp-on” but in fact, we got a side closing clamp-on. Regardless, these are far too small to actually use! There was another project that used similar findings and I dropped some and had trouble manipulating them with my fingers. Because if you don’t close them EXACTLY where the holes are overlapping, you can’t get a jump ring through them!
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Anyway, I used a different item that I had in my stash. The pictures above this paragraph show the one provided (first image) versus the one I used (second image). Much easier because after you’ve closed it up, you can just use some round nose pliers to close it around the jump ring. No lining anything up!
Moving on. After you’ve put connectors and crimps on 15 pieces of beading wire, it’s time to string beads. The beads were labeled A, B, C, D, etc. and I can’t keep track of that so I used a bead design board which I got in a free promo from Red Panda Beads but you can buy it here since the promo’s over (sign up for their email list to get daily discounts in April) and these jars which I got on Amazon to put in the holes:
The instruction booklet gives you numbers of beads to put on each bit of wire. I measured and when I got to just shy of 6 inches, I stopped adding more beads because I didn’t want the bracelet to be too big for me.
Then you finish off the ends and attach the strands to the clasp. Here are photos of a few parts of the process not already pictured above:
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You will need (the materials list in the booklet is incomplete): Wire cutters, at least two pairs of pliers for opening and closing jump rings, beading surface (if you don’t have a board like mine little separated piles on a mat, or a paint palette or bead tray with multiple spaces, will also work).
Here is the finished bracelet:
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Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded and not labeled. Overall this was an easy project to complete but I knew from past months to use different crimp covers. The seed beads were not the highest quality and probably come from China (or possibly India; the most uniform ones come from Japan and these were not Japanese) as there were a few without holes. However, that is actually OK for stringing projects where you want an organic look. You really only need super uniform seed beads for beadweaving where uneven sizes can warp your work. In stringing projects the uneven sizes can add to the look, and I think they do that here. I would’ve been quite frustrated if I’d tried to use the provided crimp covers, and I do wish the instructions had mentioned the same items that were provided and had a slightly lengthier tool list, but hopefully, some of what I’ve said here will make this easier for subscribers to complete. I do like the look of the project and am thinking of making some similar ones to use up some of my massive collection of seed beads.
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 Blue Mermaid Beaded Bracelet from Darn Good Beads of the Month? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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