My Two Cents | Bead Happily Ever After

Shhhh . . . she must be crazy!

Posted on June 22, 2010 by crystal

It’s easy for me to ask the weekly question…. but you guys have the hard part – you have to answer it!

Believe it or not, I honestly do try to keep that in mind while writing the questions. I never want them to be difficult, or too personal, or too, well, dumb!

Sometimes, I run out of questions – well not really “run out”, but some weeks it’s definitely harder to come up with one!

Can you believe that in the early days of this blog, I used to ask THREE weekly giveaway questions?!? Now that was tough! At the time, my reasoning was that you might not have an answer for a particular question, so I wanted to give you a choice. With a blog, though, it’s live and learn and I soon realized that one question a week was more practical for the long-term.

All of this brings me to my answer for this week’s question:

“Have you ever cried because you were happy?”

Yes, I’ve cried during joyful moments in my life and also in the lives of my family. I can also cry when some form of true beauty assails my senses – for example – while walking on a clear moonlit night as the snow softly falls; or while listening to the heart-melting voices of a children’s’ choir; or even while holding an exquisite little piece of art in my hands.

Of course, I’m not weeping uncontrollably at these times, just brimming with tears, that slowly spill over, turn my nose red, and melt my mascara. 😉

There’s another time that I cry when happy, and it’s turned out to be a bit embarrassing! I’m not sure exactly when it began, but for quite a few years now, I simply cannot select a greeting card at the card store without blubbering!

There I am, in the “birthday for daughter” section, or the “anniversary, to husband” section, and as I begin to read a meaningful verse on a card – I start to get teary! After a few cards, I’m almost sniffling! I rummage around in my purse for a Kleenex – trying to be oh so casual – like I need to blow my nose or something.

By then, I notice people looking all puzzled/concerned to see me dabbing at my eyes. It’s at this point, I really become self-conscious, so I quickly make a decision and move to the register to pay. The last time this happened, as I was leaving the store, I’m sure I heard one of the salesclerks whisper: “Shhhh, she must be crazy!”

(Hope this brought a giggle to your day!) 😀

Hugs,

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Posted on June 17, 2010 by crystal

So, I’ve been thinking about how to handle the blog for summer . . .

Many of you will be spending more time in your gardens, or on vacation, or just outside – enjoying the nice weather and the additional hours of daylight. 🙂

We do have fun meeting here every day though, so my challenge is to come up with a plan that will prevent any of us (me included!) from going into withdrawal. 😉

I figure that 2 posts per week during July and August might work? How does a summer schedule of Mondays and Thursdays sound?

Or another option would be for me to continue having a post 5 days a week, but to do what the TV shows do for summer – sprinkle in “re-runs” of some of my favorite posts (There are 400+ to choose from, yikes!).

If I chose the second option, I would post new topics every Monday and Thursday, but on Tues., Wed., and Fri., I’d have a link to a previous post – which might be new to many of you!

Well Kids, whaddaya think?

I would welcome your thoughts on this. 🙂

Lots of Hugs,

An Interview with Crystal

Posted on June 10, 2010 by crystal

During the early days of this blog, I was asked to do a “Getting to Know You” interview.

Most of you have probably never seen it, so I thought I’d post it here, today.

An Interview with Crystal

1. Please tell us more about yourself.

I’m a woman who loves all forms of art. Ever since I was a child I’ve had the desire to learn to create something beautiful. Of course at first it was with paper and a little box of crayons! 🙂 Over the years I’ve learned many different types of crafts including needlework, decorative painting, sewing, knitting, floral arranging, doll making, and beading. My work has been sold in gift shops and at artisan shows and craft fairs. I’ve been making jewelry for about 5 or 6 years, and I enjoy it tremendously. On a more personal note, I’m married to my best friend and we have two wonderful daughters, who are all grown up now.

2. How was your shop started?
After making jewelry for friends and family for a few years, I began to receive many kind compliments on my designs and also encouragement to begin selling my creations. I discovered etsy around the same time, and it seemed to be the perfect place to display my work. I’m so impressed with etsy – it’s a wonderful community of people who appreciate the beauty of items made by hand. I think it’s so important to support the arts and the spirit of creating. Everyone benefits from art – those who create it, those who buy it, and those who simply look at it! It’s inspiring and soothing all at the same time. Bravo to etsy for recognizing that the Internet needed a place dedicated to showcasing handmade treasures.

3. What inspires you?
Art in general inspires me, but I am particularly inspired by vintage jewelry. It is definitely an art form. Although the materials used were often inexpensive (rhinestones, Lucite beads, glass beads, and plated metals), many vintage designs truly rival the finest pieces of precious jewelry. One reason for this is that many of the designers were originally trained to make fine jewelry. That’s another whole topic, however! LOL

4. What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Ah, that is a tough question! I absolutely cherish anything that someone has taken the time to make for me. It would be impossible to choose a favorite but . . . I treasure doll clothes that my grandmother and my mother made for me many, many years ago, and an afghan that my husband’s mother made, and a set of prayer beads that my sister-in-law made for me, and the handcrafted gifts and cards that my daughters have made over the years, and finally, although my husband has not made gifts for me – he chooses very thoughtful gifts with cards and wrappings that have a coordinating theme and this I cherish as well.

5. Which items in your shop receive most compliments from customers?
I suppose it would be my earrings simply because I sell them most often. Earrings are a more affordable purchase – something that we can buy to treat ourselves now and then. Women love a new lipstick, or a pretty new scarf, and earrings also fall into that “something small to jazz up my wardrobe” category. I receive compliments on my necklace and earrings sets, as well, along with the beads that I select for my designs. Beads are one of my passions so I love working with them, especially vintage beads – which truly are treasures from the past, and an art form in themselves.

6. What is your favorite bead/gemstone?
That is easy! Amethyst! I love purple! 🙂

7. How do you promote your work?
Well, I actually have two shops – one is my website and the other is my etsy shop. After I started to make jewelry, I became so interested in beads that I studied everything available to learn more about them. I began to use more and more vintage beads in my designs and eventually decided to offer them for sale. My customers are very helpful in recommending my shops, and I also have a blog, which has brought me new customers and also many new friends!

Hang on, Kids! The weekend is almost here. 😀

Hugs,

Woman or Mouse?

Posted on May 27, 2010 by crystal

You’ve probably heard the expression:

“What are you, a man or a mouse?”

It’s often used to encourage a person to be brave and stand up for himself. There were plenty of years when I would have to say I was definitely a “mouse”. As a kid, I was taught to be accommodating, polite, respectful – all virtues to be sure – but there are times when it seems only fair to speak up if you are uncomfortable.

Last week, Sir Beads and I took an afternoon off and decided to go for a drive and then out for a nice dinner – something we haven’t done for a while; it’s getting so expensive.

We love seafood so we went to a restaurant where that is the specialty. It was early evening. The restaurant wasn’t crowded yet, but there were 7 or 8 other couples and families already in the small dining room as we entered.

Our meal was served and we hadn’t had more than a few bites when the hostess began to run an electric broom nearby. At first, I didn’t think too much about it. I figured she was just grabbing a few crumbs from under a table that had been occupied moments before.

I was wrong, though. She began to move all the chairs and thoroughly “sweep” that area… and then she moved to a neighboring table and did the same. The sound was quite loud and high-pitched.

Now, there was a time when I would have just suffered in silence, but not that day. Maybe I’m bolder cause I’m older? Lol 😉

I said to Sir Beads, “This is ruining our calm, relaxing, meal. We’re spending a chunk of our entertainment budget here, and we can’t afford to waste it. I must say something to the woman.”

So, I very politely asked if the noise would be stopping soon because this was not a peaceful atmosphere for enjoying our dinner. She immediately turned off the machine and the other diners looked grateful. I am baffled that anyone would ever make such a racket in the first place, especially with several tables of people trying to eat.

I must admit that afterwards, I felt a little bad about it. I feared that I seemed like a complainer. I guess all that politeness training is tough to shake, even when it seems fair to do so.

What do you think? 😉

Hugs,

Fun Dates on a Budget

Posted on April 28, 2010 by crystal

Today I’d like to answer Abie’s question. 🙂

Dear Crystal,
I want to take my boyfriend on a fun and inexpensive date. We’ve both been really stressed lately, so I think he deserves it. What’s a fun and unique date we could go on? Has Sir Beads taken you on any really unique dates?

Hi Abie!

Sir Beads and I have been on all kinds of dates over the years, and some of the things we love are:

~To chat and daydream while watching the waves and hearing the roar of the ocean.

~Afternoons exploring the treasures of ancient Egypt in our local art museum.

~Poring over stacks of books, on topics we love, in the coffee shop of our favorite bookstore.

~Wandering through charming little towns, exploring their shops and then stopping for lunch at an inviting cafe.

All of those things are fun and pretty inexpensive, but it may surprise you to hear that some of our best dates have been at home! Let me elaborate…

I guess it started when our kids were little. Money was incredibly tight, and a night out with the additional cost of a babysitter was a real luxury. Occasionally, we splurged and did it anyway, but we quickly discovered that weekends (our usual date-nights) were so busy at restaurants and movie theaters, that it wasn’t really fun.

The waiters could be tired and grouchy; and there were times that the food was almost thrown at us. Saturday night theaters were often so crowded that there were no extra seats when we needed to move away from “Lady Big Hair”, who was inevitably blocking our view of the screen. 😉 Our meager entertainment budget was pretty much wasted on nights like these.

So, we decided to have a weekly “date night” at home. We were amazed to learn that we could eat like kings on a Saturday night at home – and only be using part of the money we’d usually spend in restaurants/theaters! For that one meal at home, we could afford shrimp – even steak!

We chose one night per weekend and marked it on our calendar so it was definite. On those nights, we’d put on some good music, set the table with candles, the better dishes, and the fancy glasses. We’d begin with a “cocktail hour” (sparkling water or juice works just as well) along with some of our favorite snacks. After the stresses of the week, it was a wonderful chance to re-connect with eachother in a relaxing atmosphere.

Next, we had a leisurely dinner, which would be more special than a weekday meal – but not so involved that it wasn’t fun. After dinner, we’d watch a movie on TV and when the evening was over, we were so much more refreshed than we ever had been on our nights out.

Of course, this type of date works best for couples who have either no children, or have little kids (who are in bed early), or for couples whose kids are out of the nest.

Once our kids were older, and were staying up later, we reverted to going “out” again for a weekly “date”! A couple needs some time alone and there are years when the only way for that to happen is if the date is away from the house.

But, I do have an idea for an inexpensive way to do that . . . have breakfast at a restaurant! 😀

I’ve said it before, but if you’re trying to eat out on the cheap, breakfast is the way to go. Not only does it cost less than a dinner out, but you can usually have a plate that includes a “taste” of many breakfast foods! Chances are you are never going to make a breakfast at home that includes eggs, french toast, potatoes, bacon, muffins, etc. – all at the same time! 😉

In the end, it’s the “making time for just the two of you” that is most important – that and being sure it happens on a regular basis! Mark it on you calendar – seriously! Some weeks, it may only be a snack with an hour of uninterrupted chat, but don’t let that stop you!

Sir Beads and I still have our “date night” every week. Now that our kids are grown up, money is a little less tight, and we could go out without arranging for sitters, but more often than not, we opt for the nice dinner with movie at home. Try it! 🙂

Hugs,