Sometimes good luck falls on me like an anvil, nearly knocking me out. Such an event happened to me and the blessing channeled through my husband. He and his Dad have their own business in downtown Los Angeles doing electrical work at the California Fashion Mart. One of the showrooms there is Swarovski. Yahoo! It caters to the Hollywood crowd, doing things like creating gift basket contributions to those big award shows. They also do a lot of private work for big name designers. You can get in by appointment only, and the general public doesn’t really get to shop there. The room was recently moved and expanded, and a whole new interior was designed. Of course the electrical had to be installed, and my hubby was lucky enough to spend a few days there working.

One particular feature of this room is the chandelier that needed to be installed. Oh, wait! Make that TWO chandeliers, at a wholesale cost of $5500.00 each. They’re approximately 4 feet long and have over 500 crystals hanging on each, which needed to be hand hung. My hubby got to spend a whole day doing that. Bliss! And there were lit showcases to be installed (to be filled with Swarovski yumminess!) and special track lighting (to shine down on more yumminess!) and more.

While working, my hubby chatted with the Swarovski rep and mentioned that his wife is a beader, as well as my Mother-in-law, which led to many beady conversations between them.
When the job was done and my husband collected his tools, the owner told him she had something for me. She grabbed a Swarovski gift bag and began shoving boxes and bags and stuff inside, all crystals! She said she wanted him to give it to his wife (ME!) and that she was thankful for a job well done. My Father-in-law showed up at that time, and asked if he could have one more gift bag so the beads could be split between the two of us beady wives. And then home they came, toting a bag of sparklie goodness! You should have seen the look on my husband’s face when he came through the door and said with a big smile, “I have something for you!”

Out came box after box, bag after bag. I was swooning! Let me tell you what was in there: boxes with 2 gross of round crystals (article 5000) in 5 colors, packages of 2 1/2 gross of that sweet apollo shape (article 5400) in 5 colors and multiple sizes, the most AMAZING triangles (article 4737) in 14 mm that blew my mind, two colors of the dog bone, or barbell shape, or I guess its called modular (article 5150), it could be a tooth or a pepper shape- (article 5530) in 18 mm with bags of the holes going side to side, and some going through the middle, the lovely bicones in rose alabaster (article 5301), strips of crystal fabric, two sizes and 3 colors of the 2 hole keystone (article 5181), crystal buttons in black diamond (article 3093), crystal ribbon, 3 sizes of an amazing branch crystal pendant in 3 colors (articles 6790, 6791), squaredells in two colors, two holed crystal spacers set in findings in 3 colors and finishes, and bags of assorted cabs and pointy back stones in an array of colors. Whew! That’s a lot!

While I was sorting through all the beads (with my mouth hanging open and my eyes bugging out) my Mother-in-law called me and said, “You have to come over right NOW! Bring your stuff!” So off I went to find out what goodies lay in her bag. Some things were the same, but much of it was different, so we got some ziplock bags out and began divvying it up.

I’ve been flabbergasted since all this happened, because other bags arrived as well. More crystals, all from this wonderful sales rep. I’ve got to go through my vintage collection and make her something wonderful. Her beads are all contemporary, so it will be fun to share some of what I have with her.

In case you’re at the beach with your head in the sand, I have to tell you about certain colors (that somehow managed to slip by me without my noticing! GASP!) that you just can’t live without. The first one is Mocca. OMG. I have a thing about brown. This is a TRUE brown. It’s not chocolate, or sienna or any other color. Its totally perfect brown. For fall, this color is going to rule. The next color is sand opal. You know how when you’re at the ocean and the water keeps moving and has a zillion little twinkling lights on it that makes it come alive with every rush of surf? Well, if the beach sand could do that it would look just like sand opal. Its got that amazing amber-glow that gives you warm fuzzies. If you really want your eyes to dance, take a gaze at white opal sky blue and white opal star shine. These colors are almost unearthly, they’re SO gorgeous. And I thought it couldn’t get better than purple velvet! What do I know? I have to go now, I’ve got a huge bag of crystals to roll around in. Bliss!