crystal | Bead Happily Ever After

Books Bargains Bliss

Posted on April 5, 2012 by crystal

Do you love a bookstore?

I do.

I’ve been known to forget where I am and lose all sense of time in a bookstore. If my family should ever worry that I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth . . . a search party will probably find me contentedly perusing the shelves of a bookstore.

Sadly, several in our area have recently closed and it breaks my heart. Sure, there’s amazon and all the other online venues, but to me that’s not enough. I love the experience of browsing – in person.

Just before the holidays, when the Borders Bookstores around here were in their final weeks, there were “clearance” sales. At first, they were nothing to get excited about – 10% off, some at 25% off. Frankly, those are everyday prices on amazon so I wasn’t too tempted to go on a wild shopping spree. The clerks did say that the prices would drop further as time went by, so I made a point of visiting the store a few weeks later but there seemed to be very little left. I was, however, happy to scoop (at 60% off) a couple of sentimental favorites from my youth.

(These were among the books I borrowed from the library on the very day my mother first allowed me to travel there by bus – solo!)

Anyway, I figured I was lucky to get such a good deal on the “Little House” books, and then promptly put the Borders Bookstore and its closing sale out of my mind for good, or so I thought. As fate would have it, a couple of weeks later, we needed something at the mall. When we strolled past the Borders, we saw huge signs that read: “Last Day!”

I was actually surprised to see the store still open – but obviously it would only be for a few more hours. We went inside. The shelves were incredibly sparse. In fact, most were totally empty. The employees had consolidated all of the stock to the front of the store. The titles, subjects, and categories were in no particular order, but everything was 95% off!!!

Would there be anything in that pile of remainders that was worth taking – even for pennies? Well, you just know I was determined to find out. 😉 It was sort of a treasure hunt with a lot of clunkers in the mix. I persevered and claimed 7 for my own – some of which were unfamiliar but seemed promising during a quick flip-through.

They’re certainly an eclectic mix! (One has been tucked away as a surprise gift for a friend so it’s not in the pile.) Currently, I’m in the middle of the top one, “Waiting” and it’s quite charming. I just love having this little stack waiting for me whenever I’m ready. And the price was so incredibly good! You may be wondering about the grand total spent once the discount was applied???

(click this photo for a slightly larger view)

Can you believe it? I left with an armful of books for $7.76!

I was smiling for the rest of the day. 😀

Don’t you just love a bargain?

Smiles,

For the Love of Beads

Posted on March 26, 2012 by crystal

Before I became a bead seller, I was a bead customer! 🙂

As a customer, I’d occasionally receive free beads with my order but – more often than not – they were disappointing.

It usually seemed obvious that these “free” beads were “seconds”, or were the leftover styles and colors that hadn’t sold.

I used to think: “Why bother? I don’t need the rejects. It would be so much nicer to receive a little gift I could actually use.”

Once I became a bead seller, myself, those early experiences served me well. They helped me to formulate my own policies for appreciating my customers.

If you’ve ever shopped with me, you know I LOVE to include a sample of our beads with every order. It’s fun for me to select something I think you might enjoy!

How do I decide which beads? Well, sometimes, I have a new item in stock that I am excited for you to see. Other times, I look for a clue to your preferences in the beads you’ve just purchased! 🙂

It’s always a special treat for me to see what you eventually create with our beads. Recently, a customer sent me photos of jewelry she made with a sample of these beads, which I had tucked inside her order. . .

Look at the pretty set she designed!

Earrings

Necklace

She tells me that she has fallen in in love with Vintage Lucite Beads and I can totally understand . . .

In her own words:

“I love vintage plastic beads because they are lightweight and durable. The designs are striking and the colors are vibrant, which makes these 40+-year-old beads a pleasure to work with. I have to hide them from my kids (ages 1.5 and 3.5) because they are convinced I have boxes full of candy!”

Be sure to stop by and take a peek at AvocadoEggroll’s delightful jewelry shop!

You can find it by clicking here.

Hugs,

An Irish Lass

Posted on March 16, 2012 by crystal

By the time I knew her, she was no longer a young woman but she had the skin of a porcelain doll.

Her eyes were the most expressive I’ve ever seen. She could actually smile with those eyes!

Her name was Elizabeth and I was her granddaughter.

She taught me to sew, and to know my way around the kitchen. She told mesmerizing stories and loved to entertain my siblings and me with silly songs she made up on the spot.

Whenever I reach for lipstick – I think of her and grin. You see, she had a very specific method of putting it on, which was endearing and comical – all at the same time. She would painstakingly apply a bright rose shade to her lips, taking great care to have it perfectly even. Then, just at the moment I’d be sighing in admiration of her talent, she’d grab a Kleenex and blot her lips, not just a little, but so briskly that when she was finished – you could hardly tell she was wearing lipstick at all!

I was lucky enough to have her in my life until I was in my twenties. She’s been gone for decades now, but it doesn’t seem that long. To this day, I miss her – but the memories are sweet and vivid still . . .

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

You might also enjoy my previous St. Patrick’s Day posts:

Her Irish Eyes Were Smiling (with Irish Bread Recipe)

‘Tis a Great Day

Hugs,

Ode to Spring Jewelry

Posted on March 12, 2012 by crystal

Happy Monday, Kids! (or whatever day it is when you visit 🙂 )
Now that we’re officially ensconced in Daylight Saving Time, can Spring be far behind!?!

Whenever I think of Spring, I think of violets. They grow wild around here. When my kids were little – they loved to run in from play and surprise me with violets they had gathered. How I loved seeing the excitement in their faces and those sweet little hands offering up a tiny bouquet.

Hey, Crystal! Is that why you love purple so much?

Hmmm, you know, that hadn’t occurred to me until just this minute – but maybe so!

I currently have a real case of spring fever and it’s spilling over into my jewelry-making. I just finished a necklace – a choker, really. It drapes so nicely – I may not be able to part with it. (I hate when that happens! LOL) It does remind me of a spring bouquet!

Next, I have earrings. The purple tones and the sheen of the pearls could be compared to violets in the morning dew, don’t you think?

And finally . . . we’ve certainly waited patiently enough for the bleak winter landscape to awaken in shades of green! Before we know it, the leaves will be bursting and this next piece, a pendant, showcases lots of spring greens (or was I subconsciously thinking about the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day?). 😉

Do you have Spring fever, too?

Hugs,

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

Posted on March 5, 2012 by crystal

You know the rest . . .

(and it’s all small stuff!)

I had detailed plans for this weekend, which went out the window in a flash – well, two flashes.

Saturday, I wanted to get some good photos of things I’ve been working on lately. I’ve been anxious to show them to you but there was a last minute change of plan – the dishwasher, without warning, sprang a leak! Bottom line? Photography time turned into mop-up time, sponge-off the kitchen cabinet time, not to mention dry the basement wall underneath the kitchen cabinet time. Whew!

But, no problem, I could always take photos on Sunday afternoon!

Ummm, not so fast there, Crystal! Out of the blue on Sunday, my computer began to act weird. My photos were all mixed up. File names were swapped around without any clue as to why. I’d click on one photo and another would open. Huh?

Soooo, for the next couple of hours I was in the midst of trying to figure it out. In the end, the files were back to normal . . . but the sun was gone. No pictures on Sunday, either.

Honestly, Kids, I might have been tempted to let this “lost weekend” get to me – but then I came across the following picture and quote.

Notice the white arrow in the center of the photo –

it points to a tiny dot that we call “earth”.

If our world and everything in it is resting on a “mote of dust”, then surely weekend nuisances are (and should be!) totally invisible. 😀

Hugs,