Aquabeads Designer’s Carry Case Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Helen O
I don’t know about you, but it’s been quite rainy here lately, so I’ve been on the lookout for indoor activities to keep my two young children occupied without the use of a screen! That’s why I was really looking forward to reviewing the Aquabeads Designer’s Carry Case. My kids have always enjoyed getting involved in crafts, whenever they’ve been given the chance.
The item arrived following a short wait and when we opened the outer delivery box, we were absolutely delighted with what we found. The Aquabeads Designer’s Carry Case box is bursting with colour and information about what can be found inside. It’s a veritable feast for your eyes, particularly for a child!
So we didn’t waste any time in getting the box open and seeing what was inside. We found:
1 carry case with bead palette for storing your beads
1 clear pop-up clear plastic tray for creating your designs
1 double-sided Aquabeads pen for placing your beads on the tray
1 water sprayer to set your design
A massive 1400 beads in so many colours and textures
5 Design templates featuring multiple design ideas
Instruction sheet
As mum, I was naturally assigned with the task of emptying all 1400 beads into the bead pallets, so that my little designers were ready to get started with their designs. It was a little disappointing that each different colour bead and each different texture bead came in an individual plastic bag, likely the most cost-effective, but not the most eco-friendly way of doing this. Fortunately we recycle our single use plastic, but I’d love to see an improvement in this area.
I was impressed with the fact there were 48 different coloured beads of differing textures such as classic, polygon, jewelled and watercolour beads, which gave plenty of opportunity to experiment with the template designs. The beauty of a set like this, is that you can also free-style and make your own masterpieces. Plus you can purchase your own refill sets to add to your collection.
The carry case itself is very cleverly designed; it is a compact design, so is easy to store, but when you open it up, it actually contains 54 compartments in which to store each colour/ textured bead separately and the ability to store the sprayer, pen and pop up plastic tray, so everything stays neatly together. Another bonus of the design is that it can be carried around easily, so your children can be creative on the go.
The carry case has a stylish handbag-inspired design, which might traditionally appeal more to girls than boys, but in saying that it didn’t stop my 7-year old son from getting stuck in and thoroughly enjoying himself.
The double-sided pen is useful for picking up the desired beads and placing them on the tray, as they are relatively small and therefore quite difficult to pick up with less nimble fingers. Use of the pen should be encouraged, as the beads are coated in bittering agent, so that children aren’t encouraged to put them in their mouths. As such, hands should always be washed after handling.
The water spray is needed to ‘set’ your design, once completed. It only takes 45 seconds according to the instructions, although for our little turtle we left it a bit longer just to be on the safe side.
The instruction sheet is pictorial, so it takes a little deciphering, but is designed that way to appeal to as many countries as possible. However, there is an additional information sheet, which has some top tips, written in a multitude of languages, including English, which I found really useful.
There is a QR code on the box, which shows the advertisement, including a quick demo video of how to complete the activity.
One of the things I really loved about this activity is that it’s mess free, so although there is a risk of a wayward bead or two, overall you shouldn’t be left facing a major clean up, once the kids have wandered off to their next activity, which they inevitably do!
The Aquabeads Designer’s Carry Case has an RRP of £39.99, which I would say is pretty competitive for an activity pack of this size, containing as many elements as it does. I would be happy to pay this price for you get.
I think this set would make a perfect gift for a child in your life, this upcoming Christmas. I’ll be telling all my friends and family about it. In addition to this, there are so many other different sets of varying sizes available and the full range can be found here: https://www.aquabeadsart.com/en-uk/products/
The product is aimed at age 4+ years, which I think is appropriate to allow the children to undertake the majority of the activity themselves, under supervision, rather than you doing the whole thing for them!
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £39.99