Bead Peeps Swap and Hop Goodies!

 Guess what I got in the mail the other day!? Yep, the beads from my Bead Peeps Swap and Hop partner, Lisa Johnson of Spud & Mrs Butters....

I always love doing these things, and for several reasons. Not only do you get some cool beads, but you also gain a new friend! 

So...what did Lisa sent?

Isn't this a pretty piece? I love it! It is handprinted from Summer Wind Art, who has an Etsy shop. I checked her shop out and she has some really beautiful pieces there!

I'll continue with the blue Lisa sent. I love blue! These are Czech Glass Beads! The spotted glass beads are actually handmade glass. I love the flowers! Perfect color too. I knew right away what I wanted to do with them!

More Czech Glass Beads!

 Handmade ceramic beads!

More Czech Glass Beads

If you have been over to my TappingflamingoBling Facebook page, you might recognized some of these beads. Ooops! I wasn't suppose to do that....YET! 

Reveal is not until March 26!

I LOVE these. They remind me of seaglass...because of the frosty look. There are all kinds of shapes and colors of red and coral in this pile of glass beads.

Now here's some beads to oooo and awww over!

I love the different colors. I think these may be my favorite!

And....finally some more fun stuff...leather cording, a toggle clasp, and some silver tone spacer beads.

I can't wait for you to see what I do with all this stuff. Typically, I like to make more than one piece. I try to use a little bit of everything I am sent. Thank you, Lisa for all these goodies! I love all the color!!!! 

I already have a lot of ideas running through my head...so, let me go get busy on it..

Check out Tappingflamingo on Youtube

and as TappingflamingoBling on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy! 

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul. 

Art Show Display

I don't do many art shows or craft fairs...only one or two a year. This year, though, I plan to do maybe four. One is coming up in April, and I'm thinking about doing one in March...only a month away!

I want to look professional, so I needed to come up with some good looking displays. After a lot of research, I would like to show you what I came up with...and with A LOT of help from my dear husband.

Someone told me I could get a good deal on some old screen doors at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The screen and paint were already on these. I knew I wanted to take the screen out of the top portion and put some chicken wire inside.

We used a staple gun and A LOT of staples to hold the chicken wire.

I love it!

I decided to keep the screen at the bottom.

Thank you to my hairstylist and friend, Joy, for this wonderful window. I was telling her about my adventure with the new door, and she gave me this window! 

My husband cleaned it up

Carefully removed the glass....

...and we then stapled the chicken wire onto the window.

This was definitely a two man...or one man and one woman job. 

I love the way it turned out!

I really like the way the chicken wire looks, but it is very hard to get my earrings cards to hang right. I think the square chicken wire probably would have been better for that.

We left all the hardware on the window...

not just for looks, but the hardware can also serve a purpose.

My necklaces hang nicely on the old screen door.

I am very pleased with the way my set up will look. Now all I have to do is find me a business banner!

Have you done any art shows or craft fairs? What type of displays have you used?

Check out Tappingflamingo on Youtube

and as TappingflamingoBling on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy! 

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul. 

Acrylic or Not?

A few days ago, a friend of mine gave me a bunch of beads. They came from a friend whose mother recently passed away. Her mom loved crafting and had a bunch of beads. Some were glass, some crystals, and some were acrylic.

I've done some research on these beads, and found that there is a market for them. They are lightweight, and the colors are beautiful!

Chunky jewelry is, and has always been pretty popular. If you were to use natural stones, the jewelry would be quite heavy. 

So, what is acrylic jewelry? It's pretty much plastic. But!!! there are all levels of quality. You can get plastic beads that are fun for kids to make jewelry with, but these are not those type of plastic. These are a much higher quality. The cheaper plastic beads are sometimes rough and you can see seams. These beads are smooth and no seams! 

What do you think? Would you wear these? I love the bright colors, and the fact you can get a chunky look without the weight. I would absolutely wear them. If you look closely, I added a bit of bling to these acrylic pieces...CRYSTALS! 

One can always use a little bling in their lives...right?

Check out TappingflamingoBling for handcrafted beach and cruise inspired jewelry and accessories....

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul. 

How Many of You Make Purchases From Etsy?

Actually, you are really not purchasing from Etsy, but from an individual. Etsy is just a platform used by many very talented people to sell their handcrafted and vintage items. 

Wood Bead Memory Wire Bracelet

from TappingflamingoBling

So, how does this actually work? Well, say you are interested in buying a piece of jewelry. You first begin by hopping on over to the website....etsy.com, and start a search. It's best to narrow your search down, because there is so much to choose from. 

Guitar String Flourite Chip Tree of Life Ornament

from TappingflamingoBling

Let's say you are looking for a gift for someone who loves the beach. You want to get her something that is versatile, and within your budget of $30. You search for "Beach Inspired Necklace." When the search comes up, on the left of the screen, you can narrow your search by putting in your budget. I would also put in "handmade" because you are looking for something that is handmade. 

Beaded Wire Wrapped Shell Necklace

from TappingflamingoBling

This is where you are going to need some patience. Remember, when you are shopping for someone at a store, you don't just walk in, grab something, pay for it and walk out. It takes time to look around for the best bargain and the best item for that individual. You see a lot of really pretty necklaces, and you love that style, so, narrow your search down to say, "Beaded Wire Wrapped Shell Necklace."

Wire Wrapped Scallop Necklace with Carnelian Beads

from TappingflamingoBling

Finally you find the perfect piece! It is in your price range...$25! But then you notice there are some matching earrings that are $10. But wait! It says if you want the set there is a discount! You convo (message) the seller and find out that you get free shipping, and so you are right at your $30 budget for a set! Perfect!

Wire Wrapped Scallop Necklace with Carnelian Beads

from TappingflamingoBling

Now, let me just say this...do not ask for a discount. If there is a sale our discount, the seller will put it in the description. That is why it is so important to read!  Most handmade pieces you find on Etsy, are one of a kind, and these artisans work hard to create these beautiful pieces and at a fair price...so, it's really not fair to ask for a discount. Would you ask for a discount at the mall? Probably not. 

Wood Bead Mermaid Guitar String Ornament

from TappingflamingoBlin

Something you might not know...these sellers do have to pay fees to list their creations onto Etsy. That has to be factored into the cost.

So, now you found your piece. You purchase it, and about a week or so later, you receive it in the mail. When you open it, you know your friend is going to love it! By the way, did you know, sometimes you can ask for gift wrapping and even have it sent directly to the person you are purchasing this for? Yep!

Red Jasper Guitar String Bracelet

from TappingflamingoBlin

Now that you received your piece, there is one final step that most people do not know about. Did you know that Etsy sellers rely on feedback? Not just so they look good, but they want to know that you LOVE your purchase. If there is a problem, before you go giving them a bad review, contact them. Personally, when I package my items to mail, I make sure everything is wrapped so it won't break. I also like to wrap it up to look nice and pretty when you get it. Once it leaves my hands to the post office, I have no control as to what happens. I give out tracking numbers to my clients, so both of us can watch it as it travels to their homes.

Tropical Wedding Cake Pulls

from TappingflamingoBling

If you do purchase, and love what you get, please leave a nice review. I know, before I purchase, I look at the reviews..a lot of people like to look at reviews before purchasing.

If you are interested in something from TappingflamingoBling, I hope you hop on over to my shop and have a look! 

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul. 

Mardi Gras and Lent

It is Mardi Gras time! Today is Fat Tuesday...tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. 

This week, our Southern Sass line dance group went out and performed. We always have a lot of fun doing that, but today and yesterday, we got to dress up in our Mardi Gras outfits.

We also had our umbrellas and gave out beads.

Did you know that Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday? It is also the day before Lent starts. I am not Catholic, but I did go to Catholic school and have a lot of friends of that faith. I am Christian, and observe Easter, but really have not observed Lent. This year, I decided to so do.

 Lent, which is the time of honoring the sacrifice of Jesus is usually observed by giving up, or sacrificing something during that period...which is about six weeks. I've decided to give up sweets. Yep, I'm going to do it! I really like sweets, so this is going to be pretty difficult for me. I'm hoping that I can continue to put a huge abbreviation on sweets after this time. Lent ends the Saturday before Easter Sunday. 

So....tonight, my husband and I will be headed out for my last sweet treat for a while....

I will be getting a Chocolate Caramel Truffle Blizzard from Dairy Queen....then a fast on sweets....

Wish me luck!!!!!

I'll keep ya posted.....

By the way, the reason I am telling everyone, is so that I will feel more accountable. 

and....I don't want people giving me cookies and candy, or any other sweets during this time...

Custom Wire Wrapped Seashell Necklace

Last night, I was creating, and posted a picture of a beaded shell necklace I was in the process of putting together. Soon, I had a few comments, and one of them told me she loved scallops. So...I posted this picture of a scallop I had on hand.

Then she told me I should post pictures of beads I have and let people pick out what beads they want in a piece of jewelry. What a great idea! I told her that I have made jewelry for people who showed me an outfit they just bought, and I love doing stuff like that.  After sending pictures and brainstorming as to what she wanted, we came up with carnelian, rose quartz, and some white beads I have that are actually made of crushed sea shells. They went perfect with the scallop shell!

I wrapped the shell with some silver tone wire and laid out the beads. It was getting late, so I set them aside until this morning. 

Ta da!!!!! What do you think? I love it, and so does she! She had also asked if I could make a pair of earrings to go with the set, and I just happened to have those same beads in a little bigger size. She wanted a more substantial earring, so these are perfect. 

These colors are prefect together! When you look up the properties of these crystals, they go quite nicely, as they are calming stones. 

I love the look of them together. This set will be great for summer, and will take her right into fall. She lives close to the ocean, so this is a perfect set for her. She told me she has a cute summer dress to go with them. Hope she sends a picture, because I can't wait to see her wear it. 

The necklace is about 24" long plus the 2 1/2" long shell, so it is a great length. I added a fancy toggle clasp, which makes it easy to put on.

So, what do you think?

I love working with natural stones and wire wrapping shells. I also love looking for the shells, because one of my favorite places to be is at the beach!

If you would like to see some more creations from TappingflamingoBling, check out my Instagram, Facebook page and Etsy Shop!  I'm also on Youtube as Tappingflamingo. 

Whether she cruises the high seas on a ship, hang tens on a surfboard or just likes a quiet walk along the shores...Wearing a creation from TappingflamingoBling will keep her favorite places close to her heart and soul.