Early July Morning, Cocoa Beach, Florida

Friday, October 27, 2017

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. 















Thursday, October 26, 2017

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....





Wednesday, October 25, 2017

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!!!!!