BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – September 2016

4 comments!
Hello Subscription independently researches and reviews the best subscriptions and products. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.
Go to commentsNotification

img_2429

BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for bead enthusiasts. Every month you’ll receive a curated collection of beads, findings, and other goodies to enhance your beading creations! There are three box sizes – Hobbyist ($7.99), Enthusiast ($15.99), and Collector ($35) [prices don’t include shipping] to choose from. This is the Enthusiast Crate!

img_2430

The theme of this month is Mountain Trail! I love the drawing fitting the month’s theme on the inside box.

img_2431

The beads come well packaged in a green-olive organza bag that fits the theme. The box comes with a curator’s note explaining the theme. This month, the format has slightly change. There’s now the inspiration behind some of the beads. I loved it! It makes me want to watch some Bob Ross episodes while working on my project! Also, you can share your creation on their social media for a chance to get a little surprise in next month’s box.

img_2432_flip

The crate comes with a chart that tells you exactly what you’re getting. This month was worth about $30.

img_2436

I love the colour palette this month, a lot of subdued colours. Everything comes in plastic bags and are well labelled.

img_2438

Small Beads!

3mm Aqua Druks and Matte Montana Blue AB Druks. Both are tiny round crystal beads and the colours are lovely! The inspiration behind them where the mountain lake and the blue sky. I love using tiny beads as accents in a bigger project, or as tiny little touch of colours as part of a chain.

4x4mm Topaz Atlas Beads. These guys have five sides and I love the colours! It adds sparks, but not to much colours.

8 grams of Toho Bugle #1 Transparent Rainbow Crystal. Usually, we get seed beads in this subscription, but it’s nice to have a different type of small bead. The colour reminds me of ice, but the inspiration was of dew on flowers. I’ve never used bugle beads before, so that’ll be quite interesting!

Strand of 3mm Mate Crystal Faceted Glass. They go well with either the bugle beads or in a bead soup with the blue druks.

img_2446

8mm Tree Agate Rounds. I love the play of green and white colours on them. I always love getting gemstones in my subscription box, so that’s a win!

6mm Light Amethyst Faceted Czech Glass. The colour is lovely! It’s not quite pink, but it’s a delicate shade of purple. The inspiration was the mountain’s flowers and they nailed it! Also, fire polished beads have a more subdued spark than crystal, but they do shine!

12x8mm Grey Agate Barrels. I love them! It reminds me of bare rocks, but not dull! It does scream “MOUNTAINS”!

12mm Luster 1/2 Coat Mix Czech Glass. We got 4 beads, all of different colours. I’m trying to do non-symmetrical design, because I like the look of them, but I find it hard to not fall into a pattern so these guys are a nice, easy, pretty, and not over the top way to add some non-symmetrical element in a design. I will use them on a long chain with big links, something bold without being to heavy.

img_2451

12x5mm Jet Two Hole Bars. Those would be perfect for a two strands bracelet. I had a plan for them (two strands necklace), but I needed more thread. They are very nice and would be easy to use for something boho, or chic, or bold.
16x12mm Prairie Green Flat Nuggets. Once again, I love the colour! The beads are light and very soft. They would be perfect as pendant or earrings, but I would also see them as part of a chain made of big links ( they would be great with the 4 big beads seen above)
Ladybugs. Adorable ladybugs. I kept on bringing them back to my bead mat while trying to come up with a project, so they made their way into them!

img_2454

3 yards of 1mm Black Braided Cotton Cord. Perfect to make wrapped bracelet in the Chan Luu style (where you have two lengths of cord and you weave a row of beads in between). It can also be braided to make a simple base components to a piece of jewelry.

18 mm Tierra Cast Antiqued Brass Leaf Button. It would be a perfect closure with the black cord. Even if the button looks flimsy, it won’t break easily. It’s very good quality jewelry button.

5mm Silicone earring backs. No beads per se, but it’s always useful to have them around. I use them with every single stud earring I own, no matter if they came with a backing or not. I just find them comfortable and I’m glad I’ve got more

SOCIAL MEDIA BONUS
Every month, people can share their creation on BeadCrate’s facebook or instagram. BeadCrate will then choose their favorite ones (no need to be professional, they are looking for something fun, original, showcasing the beads from the box) and will give them a little extra in their next box. Last month, I’ve shared my bracelet and my Tree pendant through my Instagram and I (with four other participants) received 10 more beads. They are 5mm Tree Agate (so slightly smaller than the ones we received in the Enthusiast Crate.)

img_2460

I’ve decided to make myself a cute little bracelet using the social media bonus, as well as some of the ladybugs (I swear, they were everywhere on my table, always in the way!) I’ve added black glass beads and smoky glass spacer beads to the 8mm tree agate beads.

img_2465

I also did a ” Mountain, flowers and leaves” necklace and earrings set. I’ve added some brass coloured findings and a single leaf to the beads from this month’s box.

img_2464_color

Based on the note from the curator, I needed to add a ladybug to the leafy row of the necklace. It wouldn’t have been complete without it!

img_2456

This box was great. (Yes, the ladybugs are unruly in this family picture!) It provided us with a mix of small and big beads, and a nice range of colours that works nicely together. I haven’t used much of the smaller beads, but I intend to collect them and do something with them later down the road. I like that one project was almost a given in this box (the cord and the button), but not geared solely towards it. It’s great to have that piece of inspiration, but being free to do whatever we feel like! I really enjoyed this month’s Founder’s Note with a glimpse at the inspiration behind this box. It made me smile!

What do you think of this month’s BeadCrate box?

Visit BeadCrate to subscribe or find out more!

The Subscription: BeadCrate
The Description: BeadCrate wants to be a spring board to your own creative journey. Each month we will send the latest curated collection, could be a specific theme, could be things that inspire us, or some really cool random bits we had to share. Each box contains a varied selection of beads and styles (and possibly a few extra goodies).
The Price: $11.99 per month

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • KatieDavie
    09.19.16

    Awesome work! Cool Box!

    • Catherine
      09.19.16

      It was a very cool box! Thank you!

  • PA Anna
    09.18.16

    Everything is beautiful!

    • Catherine
      09.18.16

      Thank you! It was great fun!