Blueberry Cove March Box

Blueberry Cove Beads is a subscription box for jewelry makers. I was SO EXCITED when I discovered such a thing existed. I was even more excited when they offered me my first box free in exchange for an honest review. When that box arrived, I loved it so much I had to buy a subscription. They do an incredible job of curating each month. So far, the themes have been adorable. I can't believe what a great job they do picking items to go along with each month's theme.

I received my March Blueberry Cove Bead Box awhile ago already, but I didn't have the time to make anything with it so I was waiting to post. Well, I still haven't really found the time, but I did put together my challenge piece at least. This months theme was Caribbean. So without further ado, let's go see the box!

Blue and green plastic beads

 These remind me so much of the little bubbles you see come from fish in cartoons. You know what I'm thinking of? So cute. I love the colors too. Very much goes with the Caribbean theme!

Wooden spacer beads:

 Wooden beads always make me think of the islands. You know all that native made jewelry they sell in shops down there? Totally spot on!

Shell spacer beads:

 You can't think of beaches and islands without thinking of shell! These are super thin, and I think would be best used as a clasp so you can see the beauty of them.

Polymer Flowers:

 These are so fun and islandy! I think I want to make them into rings... How cute would that be?!

Fishies!

 I'm not sure what these are made of, but I think they're SO CUTE! They remind me a little of summers as a kid, so I guess that makes them a little 80's-tastic? But I love them. I'm almost thinking headband for them? We shall see.

Dolphins!

 I think these guys are wooden. They're adorable! I think I want to use them for clasps on a wrap bracelet.

Brass sea shell charms

 These definitely need to go on a charm bracelet with the fishies below.

More fish!

 The challenge this month was to make a piece incorporating these guys. I thought it would be easy! I had so many ideas! And so little time... Sigh. But there are plenty of them so when I do have time, I should be able to create away with them!

Mermaid Charms

 These are great! They totally remind me of the bow of a pirate ship... Is that weird? I think they're awesome, but I haven't decided yet what to do with them.

Sea Horse Charms

 Obviously I love these! It's the aquatic version of one of my favorite animals! So cute. I kind of wish they were gold to match the sea shells, but at the same time, I do enjoy mixing metals anyway. I had actually hoped I could use them as part of the clasp with the item below, but the little tail hole wasn't big enough. I might add a jump ring and do it that way though.

Fish Clasp

 I think these are AWESOME! So much more fun that your run-of-the-mill lobster clasp. (Which sadly are rarely shaped like actual lobsters... just their claw.)

Stringing material!

I had put in their suggestion area that some stringing materials would be a great addition. Sometimes you just want to rip open your box and get to work without having to collect other items to make your project! Well Blueberry Cove must have read my request as here it is! This photo does no justice, but it's a gorgeous aqua color hemp. I used it in my challenge piece!

Speaking of... Here is my challenge piece this month:

 Admittedly, it's a little weak. Especially compared to some of the others I saw on the Blueberry Cove Facebook page. But I think it's cute and definitely wearable. I braided double strands of the hemp together and glued the fishies on. I used one of the bubble beads for a clasp. I love it, and am happy I was able to mostly use only what came in the box (plus some scissors and glue) to put it together.

What do you think of the Blueberry Cove box? If you're interested in subscribing, click here to check it out!

Blueberry Cove Beads

You may remember Blueberry Cove Beads sent me their first ever box for review. Well, it was so fantastic I decided to subscribe! So here's my next box and also some of the items I've created from what was included.

This month's theme was Vintage Tea Party. I am so impressed with how well Blueberry Cove Beads is able to stick with their themes! Even down to the info card:

Ok, let's go see what's in the box:

Charms:

 Silver spoons! I haven't decided what to do with these spoons yet. I think they would make awesome earrings, but I only wear studs. I would rather use them for something I would actually wear. Maybe a necklace?

 Tea time!

 Tea pots

More spoons! These are teeny and so cute.

Beads:

 I LOVE these floral beads. Which is funny because floral isn't generally my thing. But these? Love them!

 This kind of floral is totally my thing! These little flowers are so pretty!

 Pearls! Pearls definitely fit with the theme, and they are super trendy right now. I can't wait to make lots of things with these!

Lavender pearls! What's better than pearls? PURPLE ONES! These are fantastic too. I want to make all the things with these.

Findings:

 Ok, chain necklaces might not be findings, but just go with it. I'm so happy these were included! I shortened them some for the pieces I made, but you'll see that soon enough!

 I don't know what these are actually called, but they're really useful. You can turn any bead into a pendant or charm with these! And there are lots of them, so that's even better.

Itty bitty screw eyes! These are recommended for use with something in the next category. And again there are lots so they can be used for other projects too.

Other:

 Tea cup and saucer! How cute are these? I put them in the other category as they are not drilled. You'll have to see what I decided to with them below...

 Filigree pieces! The challenge this month is to make a necklace using one of these. So obviously you'll see one of those below too.

Cake! Mmmm cake.... So these are the pieces they recommend for the screw eyes. Unfortunately, I was only able to get one into the slice of cake. The others didn't seem to want me doing that... So I'm not sure yet what I'll do with them. They're adorable though, so I'm sure I'll think of something.

And now... My creations!

Pearl Stretch Bracelet:

 This is so simple, but so pretty! Sometimes less is more.

Charm Bracelet:

 This is my ode to the theme piece. Tea time clock, tiny spoons, and teapots! I also used some gold spacer beads that I already had in my collection.

Tea Cup Necklace

 I decided to glue the cup to the saucer and make it into a pendant. My go-to neck wear is almost always a chain with a pendant. I'm not really a statement necklace kind of girl. I honestly love this. Again simple, but so perfect!

My challenge piece:

I mentioned above that the challenge this month was to make a necklace with one of the filigree pieces. I thought about using the giant one, but again, I prefer daintier necklaces, so I used the smallest one instead and included those gorgeous floral beads! I was pleasantly surprised that they fit through the chain. I'm not sure it will win (winner of the challenge gets a free month) since it's nothing too elaborate. But I like it and will probably wear it at some point. 

That's it for now! I still have a lot of items left from this box, so we'll have to see what else I can come up with!

I think this box is a great value. It's $22.00 plus $5.00 shipping. It takes about a week to get to me, but since it ships from Canada, that's not bad! I don't think there is a referral program, but if you're interested in subscribing just click here for more info!

Blueberry Cove Subscription Box: BEADS!

Ok, I know I haven't been sharing my jewelry projects lately, but I do actually have a few things to show off after the holidays. Until then, I have to share with all of you a brand new sub box for jewelry makers! It's from Blueberry Cove Beads and is $27.00 a month (22 plus five for shipping- very reasonable given it ships from Nova Scotia). Blueberry Cove provided this box to me so I can review and share it with all of you. All opinions are my own. And want my opinion? I'm so excited about this box! Ok ok, enough talkie, more showie...

The box is a thin little guy, but he's full of great things!

Cutest info card I've ever seen. For real.

Just had to show a close up of the wooden tag. So cute.

Everything came packed in a satin pouch with that wooden tag tied to the pull strings. I used the pouch as my back drop for photos. I apologize for the not so great photos, but I had to take these at night. Terrible lighting!
The theme was woodland, so all items were based on things you would find in nature.

There were three full bead strands. These beads are super high quality. The round beads on the left are olive toned and are real stone. Stone beads are my favorite! I love the weight of them. In the middle are some wooden tube beads. I love these! I actually don't buy wooden beads all that often, but these are so perfect! The last strand also feels like they could be stone, but may actually be ceramic? I'm not certain, but they are very high quality, and I love the design of them!

 Also included were two packages of beads. Some plastic leaves with a hole by the "stem" and some cylinder, large hole, ceramic beads, which are GORGEOUS! They're a teal color, but aren't quite solid. Here's a close up of each of these:

Blueberry Cove included several charm/pendant type pieces. I really should have taken better photos of these, but since I didn't, I'll describe everything. Starting at the top left is a pendent with three birds on a branch. I want to put this on some leather cord as a necklace! Just under the birds are some acorn charms. They feel like brass, and are really adorable. I'm not sure yet what I want to do with them, but I know it will be cute! To the left of the acorns are some clasps that look like leaves. Very pretty! Under them are some tree charms that I think are pewter. I have a feeling they're going to be used with the acorns... Time will tell! Back up at the top to the right of the birds are some leaf charms. They are brass, and long and thin. I think I want to use them with seed beads shaped into flowers... Hopefully my idea will work, and I can show you what I mean... If not, just pretend I never said anything. Next to the leaves is an owl pendant. Owls are all the rage this season, so I was excited to see him in there!
I think my FAVORITE thing in the box is that beautiful green disc in the center. The obvious plan for that is to make a necklace, but I think I may try and make a bracelet with it. I really need to get some leather! Lastly, in the bottom right corner is a bonus gift for the Christmas season. it's Santa and a Christmas tree! They're going to be made into a gift for my niece for next year. Let's hope I don't forget between now and then.

Attempted closer look at the trees and the clasps

Blueberry Cove includes a challenge on the info card. This month it is to make a necklace using at least two items from the box. Winner gets next month's box for free! You can post your creation to their Facebook, Twitter, or website. I've been running around like crazy this past week/weekend, so I just threw something simple together. I made this necklace:

I know it's nothing fancy, but it fits perfectly with the woodland theme! In my completely partial opinion, it looks pretty cute on too! Even if I am wearing it backwards. Oops.

I REALLY love this box. Maybe it's because they jumped right in with my favorite color scheme? I'm not sure... But I love it. If I had one suggestion, I think it would be nice if they also included some stringing materials. Many subscribers probably already have something around to string with, but it might be more appealing to new beaders to not have to head to the store before starting their first project. Other than that, this box is perfect. The quality and quantity of the items is really impressive, especially for the cost.

If you're interested in subscribing head over to Blueberry Cove and get signed up! You can tell them I sent you, but as far as I'm aware, they do not have a referral program.