Fun Wedding Tradition

Have you ever heard of a cake pull? No...it's not when you pull down the cake, actually this is a tradition that is pretty popular in South Louisiana. It came from the Victorian era, and is done in several countries throughout the world. Originally, it was a way to wish friends and family good luck. I have a friend that is from Argentina, and she told methey have cake pulls at weddings.

So, what is a cake pull...? Well....

Charms are tied to ribbon and put under the wedding cake; Sometimes in between one of the layers. Before the cake is cut, a few ladies are invited to participate in the ceremony of pulling the ribbons out from under the cake. Each charm has a special meaning. 

Sometimes the charms are on keychains, and sometimes the charms are alone on the ribbon, allowing the recipient to hang the charm on a piece of jewelry, like a necklace or bracelet....

My son is getting married soon, and we have decided to have a cake pull at the receptions. Yes, receptions. You see, they are having three. They will be married in Utah, so one that evening, then, it is off to California, where the bride is from. Then....to Louisiana. The cake pulls will be done in Utah and Louisiana. 

In Utah, we plan to ask the brides attendants to participate. She will have 10, and they will all take part in the cake pull. In Louisiana, we will just randomly invite ladies, young and not so young to participate. 

There are so many fun charms and meanings. Here are some examples of what some of the charms mean....

Tree--Your marriage will be strong and have deep roots

Butterfly--You will lead a life of eternal beauty

Heart--you are blessed with a life full of love

Bird--A new opportunity is coming your way.

I think this is such a fun idea, and look forward seeing the reactions of the ladies as they pull their charms and see their "fortune." I thought this was such a fun idea that I decided to make them for my  TappingflamingoBling Etsy Shop. I noticed that since I listed them, I have had quite a few people interested in them. 

Unique Christmas Ornaments

In just a few days, we will be into November....the month of Thanksgiving. To be honest with you, I feel every month, every day, every minute should be one of thanksgiving. Sometimes it is hard to realize all of our blessings, especially when things are not going right, but, you know....it could always be worse. 

But, anyway, I am getting off track of the purpose of this blog! After November, we enter the month of December! Probably the busiest month of the year! 

So, let me ask you some questions....how busy are you during December? Do you buy your gifts ahead of time? Throughout the year? Or do you wait until December? Personally, I like to buy a little here and a little there throughout the year. It is less stressful that way...less stress on the pocketbook too, lol. 

I'd like to share a tradition with you, many of you probably do this same tradition. I started this back in 1988, when our first child was born. I started collecting ornaments for all of our children, and I also give ornaments each year to other friends and family members. I love to look for ones that are unique, or ones that maybe represent something that happened in the past year. 

Most of the time, I make them. The past several years, I've been making some really cool ones from old guitar strings. You would be surprised how many old guitar strings wind up in the landfill! I like to make all kinds of things from old guitar strings....keychains, pendants, bracelets, earrings, etc. 

My first sale on my TappingflamingoBling Etsy shop was from a lady who bought five of my guitar string ornaments. She was giving them to her children as gifts. Sounds like she does the same thing I do...

Whenever I go to a wedding, I always like to wrap their gift in pretty paper, and use one of my guitar string ornaments as a gift topper...instead of a bow that will get tossed later. 

Whenever I give one of my ornaments, I like to make sure it is representing them somehow. I made one to give to a Denver Broncos Fan one time. Another time, I made one for someone who was from Louisiana. 

These ornaments are not just for the Christmas Tree, but you can hang them around and enjoy anytime of the year. They are sure to be a conversation piece, especially if you have someone on your list that loves music...

TappingflamingoBling is on not only on Etsy, but also on Instagram and Facebook. I'm on Youtube as Tappingflamingo...check out my youtube channel for tutorials and cruise info....

Cocoa Beach Wire Wrapped Shell Pendants

My most favorite place to be is with my family. My second favorite place to be is at the beach!

Last week, I was able to attend my 40th class reunion in Florida. Wow! 40 years!  Anyway.....

While I was on this short visit, my mom and I went to the beach. This is something I always do when I go home to Florida. I love walking up and down the coastline, looking at the birds, picking up shells enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the shore line. 

Not long ago, this area of Florida was hit by hurricane Irma. I figured there would be all kinds of debris washed up on shore. There was a lot of seaweed, but not anymore shells than normal. 

Usually, when people comb the beach for shells, they like to get the ones that are not broken. For me, this was not the case. I wanted to get some broken shells. I'm sure you wonder why in the world would I want the broken ones....well....

Here is a broken piece of shell....

...and this is what I did with it!

Sorry for the poor photography. I was wrapping my shells in the car on the way home. Thirteen plus hours, a girl has got to do something other than just sitting there.... :)

So, after I wire wrap these beautiful pieces from nature, I make them into jewelry. 

Sometimes, I will drop them onto a beaded piece like this one. This one has moonstone, pink shell chips, crystals, rose quartz, fresh water pearls, and glass beads. Most of my pieces are one of a kind. I do have a similar piece in my shop...

Sometimes, I just drop it onto a black adjustable hemp cord, like I did this one. This one is actually listed on my Etsy shop....This one would be perfect for the guys or gals on your gift giving list! 

One thing to remember about your jewelry....ANY jewelry, even your expensive 18K gold fine jewelry. You must never wear it to the beach or pool. The chlorine and salt water can be very bad for any of your jewelry. Also, make sure your jewelry is the last thing you put on in the morning, and the first thing you take off at night, as soaps, lotions, and hair products are also not good for your jewelry. 

If you are in the market for some pretty pieces from Mother Nature or from recycled materials like guitar strings, hop on over to my TappingflamingoBling Etsy Shop! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Check out my Tappingflamingo Youtube channel, and TappingflamingoBling is on Facebook and Instagram!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!!!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Hello there! It has been awhile. I've been real busy this summer trying to get things made for my Etsy Shop. I have all my holiday pieces made up, just need to photograph them and put them on the shop. I have earrings, necklaces, keychains, lanyards, guitar string ornaments, and bracelets...and all my creations are very affordable and made well. Everything is priced at or below wholesale prices, because I just like to make them, and I want everyone to be able to wear and enjoy them.

So....I do have an announcement...

drum roll.....

I am having a GIVEAWAY!!!!!

 YEP, that is right! I will be giving these beautiful agate/jasper earrings away, along with one of my drawstring boho bags. 

All you have to do is go to my TappingflamingoBling Facebook page and give me a like. If you already liked my page, then you are already in the drawing. This must be done first! 

After you like my page, find the Giveaway post...NOT the video, but the post with the pictures, and give it a "like." Then comment on that post, and share that post.

If you do all FOUR of those things, you will have FOUR entries!!

These earrings will be fun to wear during the holidays. They are angels...or fairies, which makes the wonderful to wear any time of the year.

Go Like, Like, Comment, Share....and GOOD LUCK! Drawing is September 2...Saturday...live drawing on my TappingflamingoBling Facebook page! I'll announce the time later.....OH...USA shipping only....sorry, Internationals... 

Bead Hoarder Swap

Yes, I am a bead hoarder....I admit it....what will I do about it? Well....one thing I did was join this swap. You see, I am not the only one with this condition. There are quite a few of us!

Lori Anderson so graciously sponsored this swap, and paired me up with Christina Hickman. Look what she sent me! 😍😍😍!

She sent me a present! A nice little book?

I opened it up and look what I saw?

A fun assortment indeed! 

So what did I send...?

Before we even knew our swap partner, Lori told us to go,ahead and box things up. She did not want us to be swayed as to what to send once we learned about our partner. We only needed to send one bead....but a good one. We needed to treat this as if we were giving a gift to a good friend. As I went into my craft room and rummaged around, I came  across several beads.

I love the ocean, and everything to do with it, so I decided to send a copper wire wrapped shell and beads to go along with it.

I wanted to send some of my paper beads that I make. I decided to send a large one and two small ones. I also wanted to send some coordinating beads, and remembered I had these bright pink wood beads. Sure hope she likes pink...I sure do....

Maybe my partner isn't a fan of the ocean or pink? Well maybe she would like something on the Southwest side? I decided to throw these in.

Then I remembered about a clay button I had made, and decided to send that with some wood beads. I had a lot of fun putting this together...

So, here is the BIG reveal!!!!!

First a little closer look at to what I received.... By the way, both of us love birds! 

I really love these beads!!!!

....and these Mother of Pearl beads! WOW!!! right up my alley!

gray crystals...and

love this blue!  Okay, okay...here is the reveal...finally!!!

Fairy earrings!!!!

There is a little garden theme we have going here. 

A little closer look at the bird....love him!

I'm saving my favorite piece for last. I had a few left over Mother of Pearl beads left, and added them to these earring forms I had along with some mint green and  glow in the dark beads (pink) I had. These are fun to wear....

I really love this necklace, and have worn it quite a bit with the earrings. I think I will be wearing this a lot this spring and summer! 

Thanks for stopping by...sure hope you go visit the other bloggers and see what they made with the bead gifts they received. 

So, click here to get to Lori Anderson's blog about this blog hop, and all the wonderful people involved. 

Carnival Magic Cove Balcony Room 2349 May 28, 2016

Tools For Making Jewelry

It's NOT In My Head!!!!

Sometimes it is really hard getting old....but it is far better than the alternative....

You may be asking why I think it is hard to get old, well, for me there is a lot. When I think of myself, I think of me doing all the fun, active things I did when I was young. I was quite active; dancing, walking up and down the beach, camping, backpacking/hiking, skating, swimming, to name a few. Basically, I just loved being outdoors and moving....

Some of this stuff I can still do, but not at the level I did them when I was young. Some, like skating, I have no business doing. Especially now that I have osteopenia, and have a family history of osteoporosis. Don't want to break any bones...then I could possibly do less than what I do now.

When I was young, staying at a healthy weight was much easier. Not just because I was more active, because I think I'm pretty active now. My weight issues actually started just after I had my first child. I've had four children, and I did not gain over 30 pounds, so that's good. The problem is, I have not been able to get rid of it after. My youngest is now 22, and I still have much of that baby fat. 

Over the years, my weight has gone up and down, but I have never been able to get down to what I was BC...before children. I know many women face this same issue. Now, I do know there are some that don't have weight issues, and they are the lucky ones. I am now 57 years old, and have gone through that change...you know...menopause....ugh! Actually it wasn't all that bad for me. It's just that I battle the hormone issue. I don't get hot flashes, though, I get what my husband says are...."cold flashes." Yes, I am cold all the time. Now that I have gone through that change in life, weight is even more of an issue.

I have all kinds of people telling me that I'm not fat. Well, it's all in perspective. I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh, or what size I wear, but I will tell you this...in order to get to my BC size, I'd have to lose almost 50 pounds. I don't feel I need to lose that much because, to be honest, I would not look healthy. When I was in my early 20's, I looked great! I was a dancer, and kept in top shape, and I had a lot of muscle. Today, though, I have a lot of flab that I can hide under clothing. 

So, what do I do? What can we do? I have tried all kinds of things. I've been on different diets....Weight Watchers, LA Weightloss, and on my own--being careful what goes into my mouth. I've been successful, but not for long. Along with these diets, I have exercised. Even when I don't "diet" I still exercise. 

When I had access to a gym pool, you could find me in there everyday. After my Pilates or Yoga class of an hour, I would go to the pool and swim a mile. Then, I'd go to the deep-in and tread water for sometimes as long as an hour. I did this Monday through Friday. In addition, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I went to an hour of water aerobics. Did I lose weight or inches? Nope! Now that I do not have access to a pool, I have found some dance classes to go to. I line or tap dance Monday through Thursday...one to three hours each day. Have I lost weight or inches? Nope! 

Having hypoglycemia, I eat about six small meals a day. I try to stay away from sugar and white flour, but still have not been successful in losing those nasty inches. To say the least, I have been very frustrated.

Ok, so, why am I writing this post? Well...I had someone tell me that I could lose and get into shape if I would try harder (by the way this was a man). That all this stuff I have mentioned is in my head. REALLY!!! NOPE it's in my gut! Being involved in the dance world all my life and having a mother and daughter that are pretty much a health nuts, I know the things we are suppose to do to be at a healthy size. Sometimes, though those things do not work. 

Sure, walking is suppose to be great. Take your dog for a walk, I was told. Guess what, I did that. For six year (this was pre swimming at the gym days), I walked 4 miles in under an hour. Still at the same size. Jokingly, I said, "I could eat nothing and spend 24/7 in heavy exercise and still gain weight." I was then told, oh!!!! you have to eat to lose. This is true, you do, but I was JOKING!!!!! I was being sarcastic! 

I'm sorry, for this rant, but I get so frustrated about the weight issue. Maybe it's because of my dance background. As a dancer, it is drilled into you that you have to look a certain way, and that is small and in good shape. Now, all this being said, I would NEVER, NEVER give up any of my children for a skinny body. Even if I were to be 100 pounds overweight, I would not forgo having my beautiful family. They are my life, and life without them would be nothing. My point in writing this blog, is twofold. One....is there a way to be in better shape? Even though I dance A LOT, I have major foot issues...bunions, bone spurs, plantar fasciitis, neuropathia, and my feet hurt much of the time that I am on them. But I want to move, and I just dance through it. Even eating a healthy diet, there are so many of us that are overweight. Is is our non food? I call it that because of all the GMO's...but that is all for another blog.

Second...those of you who have or think you have the perfect body, do not judge the rest of us because of the way we look. Sometimes it is not "in our head." Bearing children, menopause, medication, thyroid issues, and other medical issues can get in the way of a healthy body. Sure many of these things can be taken care of, but sometimes, even after one has done everything in their power to combat weight or even other health issues (like acne), sometimes, it is just not enough. 

Sorry for this lengthy post, but I just had to say it....

Love yourself, love others....no matter what! 

Boat Squadron Black Eyed Peas!

Happy New Year to everyone! I can't believe that we are now into 2017. During this time of year....Holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah, and New Years), comes a lot of family traditions. One of many traditions that we observe is to have black eyed peas on New Year's Day. Why? Well, in the South, we claim that if you have your black eyed peas, you will have good luck throughout the year.

Growing up, my dad was always in charge of making the black eyed peas. When he and Mom were first married, he was in the Air Force and stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. He was part of the boat squadron, and spent a lot of time traveling along the coast of Florida...Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast. One of the things they ate regularly were black eyed peas, and so this made it into our one of our family traditions.

Now that I'm married and have children of my own, I make this same dish for our family. We just got finished eating some, and they are pretty much gone. That tells you something....they are SOOOO good!!!!

So, here is the recipe....

By the way, I really don't measure anything in this recipe, I just eyeball it. I have learned, though, that you don't want to overcook or over season them. Oh, and the crockpot is the best way to cook these!

First, you want to soak your beans overnight (16oz dried beads in a bag). Put them in a pan, cover with water and set aside. In the morning, drain, rinse and put them into the crockpot. Cover the beans with water. Add a big onion, a couple stalks of celery, salt, and a few cloves of garlic. You will also need a hamhock. This is why I like to do a ham at Christmas. I freeze it until New Years. Just place that hamhock on top of your beans, cover and turn on your crockpot. I put my pot on low. Each crockpot is different, so keep that in mind. We had church today, and we were gone for about 3 hours. When we came home, the house smelled so delicious! 

So, the next thing you do is add chili powder, parsley, and a few (2 to 3) squirts of ketchup. Mix it up, put the lid back on, and while I mixed up and cooked my cornbread, those beans, hamhock, and seasonings just "married" together. That probably took about 45 minutes.

That's all there is to it. 

Hope you try it, and let me know how you like....