Little Bead Boxes: 12 Miniature Containers Built with Beads

I love this book. I have made several beautiful little boxes using these designs. They are just amazing, but it took a little bit to learn how to read the patterns. Once you do it is fun and easy but do not miss a stitch. This is not a book for beginning beaders. I have been beading for about ten years and this is a wonderful book. I have not found very many beading books written on this subject so it is great to add to your beading library!

Please understand that my poor rating/review is for the KINDLE version, not the actual book, content, or author. I learned the hard way to NEVER purchase a Kindle version of a pattern book---you cannot print off pages to mark on or take notes on, etc., and you cannot return the product if you are dissatisfied. The continuity---page to page navigation---is extremely difficult to manage, with lots of dead space, blank pages etc. I think I almost spent more time jumping back and forth in my Kindle reader---from Table of Contents---to Index---and back again many times---to figure out difficult parts of the pattern than I actually did stitching one of the boxes! I'm not sure if the organizational difficulty is an anomaly of the Kindle version or if this is truly a problem with the actual book. I just ordered the paper version of the book because I really want to do more of these little boxes---they are so cute!---so I'll find out about the organization issues and will post a review soon.

The author was very good at explaining. Word of warning...read ALL instructions at beginning of book...they are important.

Beady friends of mine have done several boxes, so I'm going to try them after I finish other beading projects.

I've always been a voracious bead addict jumping from one challenging project to another. I can assure you this collection of beaded boxes will not disappoint anyone who have an affinity for challenges. The book contains 12 amazing boxes in varying degrees of difficulty, smartly arranged from easiest to most challenging. It is composed of 4 major parts: Triangle boxes; Hexagon boxes; Pentagon boxes and finally Square boxes with 3 patterns in each part. I had (thank god) attempted the very first box, Kaleidoscope, which turns out to be the easiest as recounted by the author. Having had some experience to talk about the projects, again form my personal point of view, I think it is targeted towards those passionate beaders who have some experience with the peyote stitch, which is the only stitch used throughout the book for all the boxes. The instructions given at the beginning of the book also assumes knowledge about the peyote stitch, so if you're new to beading, I would recommend first getting your hands wet with peyote stitch before attempting any of these projects. Again, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to further their experience in peyote. I should mention here that peyote stitch is one of my favourites so naturally I will be inclined to rate it favourably. However, as one come to know with experience, it is also a very time consuming and non-forgiving stitch especially when following a pattern as any mistake cannot be ignored, and you will have to open your work and do it again!There has been some concerns about the adequacy of the language used and instructions given, which as someone rightly mentions: Read instructions beforehand. As simple and logical as this may seem, anyone like myself who have a tendency to jump into action will find the first attempt irritating to say the least. However, to be fair to the author, she's made an outstanding job of explaining all the work in the first chapters of the book which are the basics to all boxes, which again logically you have to read BEFORE attempting any piece. The author also pinpoint a good point which is that these projects require high tension, which invariably leads to some beads breaking (i have broken bead and fortunately the author had mentioned what needs to be done to resolve the problem). Needless to mention, I have also lost three needles in the process :) Another positive aspect of this book, is that each project is explained in terms of word maps as well as a color pattern. Initially I didn't have any preferences, but it was an eye strain to keep track of the color pattern so I now I prefer the word map which got some time to get used to. Additionally, I was very confused at one point when the word map pattern seemed wrong to me, and my pattern got messed up. It took me a while to figure out that there was an actual error which I recognized by comparing the word map with the color pattern.When I later browsed the net, I discovered the existence of an errata sheet which I think everyone should get with the book- here is the website[...]or check Beadcave,, for julia's projectsFinally, the book contains blank graph sheets at the end to let your creativity loose:)Overall, for value-for-money, I awarded the book a 5 stars rating because it contains the author has earnestly attempted to transfer her knowledge and shares specific tips throughout the book in addition to a well laid out project plans. It adequately delineates the specific components of each project. The availability of an errata sheet on the web is also another factor that was taken into account.If you're a seasoned beader who loves peyote, this is an excellent book to take your beading experience to the next level. And if you're a novice, I would recommend learning the peyote if only to practice these little heavenly boxes.

Instructions are well-written and pictures are great. I am glad to have the book in my collection.

The book is complete with instruction, however they are in different area from the actual pattern of the box.Where the patterns are not difficult, I found it confusing to keep turning back & forth from the pattern to eachof the special directions, such as sides, bottoms, hems etc. The little boxes are so cute, tho.

I love complex projects and this book fills the bill. Made one box, totally amazing, and I plan to make more. Do not try this book if you are not an experienced Beadweaver or if you like projects you can complete quickly, but if you're into the zen of beadweaving you will love it.

I bought the kindle version of this book and as such I am rating this version not just the content. This is the first time I have purchased a beading book on the kindle and I did wonder how well the diagrams would work on it. As my kindle is in black and white only some of the pattern designs are a little tricky to read. Full word maps of the patterns are given though. However, it is worth noting that the kindle version is in full colour on the PC reading app so if you prefer a visual picture rather than the word map, you may end up reading this book more on your PC than the kindle when following the patterns or viewing the photos. The box construction diagrams are easy enough to read on the kindle although the wording that goes with the diagram does not usually appear on the same page as the diagram itself, even on 2 page view on the PC app. You can see what I mean by downloading the free sample version or clicking on the 'look inside' option. If you compare with the 'look inside' on the print book the layout is much easier to follow in the print version as the diagrams appear alongside the relavent text. There is an active table of contents and active page links in the index- very useful!The content of this book is fanastic and a must for anyone interested in beaded contruction. Julia gives detailed instructions for several box designs as well as patterns to apply to these models. She has further patterns you can purchase on her website but you do need the book to tell you how to construct them. Blank graphs are also provided in the book and can be printed from her website so you can design your own patterns to be applied to the different shapes. The different shaped boxes are triangle, hexagon, pentagon, square and oblong variations. The "12 miniture boxes" mentioned in the subtitle refer to the 12 patterns (3 each of tri, hex, pent and squ). The box construction instructions give you all the techniques you need to design many more of your own.I would not recommend this book to the beginner beadweaver, it is more appropriate to those wishing to expand their beadweaving knowledge. Full stitch instructions are provided but you should really be comfortable working in flat and tubular peyote stitch before attempting projects in this book.(Book errata can be found on Julia's website, although as far as I can tell the errors have been corrected in the kindle edition- I have not checked them all though so it may be worth downloading just incase)Book content 5 starsKindle version 3.5 stars

What a wonderful selection of boxes to make using mainly peyote stitch. There are 4 shapes to try, triangular, pentagon, hexagon and square. Each has 3 different style boxes based on a particular shape. Together they give you a wonderful workshop to launch you off making your own versions. I haven't made any of these yet but I can't wait to start.

Clear instructions accompanied by detailed diagrams. It looks a bit daunting at first but as soon as you get stuck in it it all falls into place. There are lots of little tips along the way to make it easier.

Lovely book, step by step detailed guide.Perfect present for a crafter

I purchased this book just to "look", I didn't think I had a chance of ever making something so beautiful and intricate. However, I am well on my way to making my first beaded box - clear instructions by way of illustrations and word maps. It is like having your own private workshop.