MY Definition of Beach Boho

You have probably heard the term "Beach Boho" before. What, exactly is that? Well I am going to give you Tappingflamingo's idea on that subject.

Beach Boho...Beach Bum....Beach Hippie....Beach Cottage...However you want to refer to it..these are all synonyms...at least in my opinion. 

Can you be Beach Boho and not live near a beach? Of course you can! I was fortunate enough to grow up close to a beach, but since I left for college, then got married, I've only been able to live near a beach for 5 years...and I've been married for 35 years!  So, what I do is dress my body and my house in the beach style. 

I even opened up an online store with handcrafted jewelry that is in this style..."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."

So...what does one who dresses and decorates in the Beach Boho style wear? What does she have in her home? Well, I will show you...

As far as my makeup, I like to go very simple. I do use a self tanner, as I am a natural blonde. I have blue eyes, and very light skin. Because of this, I do have to be careful. Growing up in Florida, I did worship the sun quite a bit, and as I have grown older, I'm starting to see the consequences of that. I still love the feel of the warm sun on my skin, I'm just careful not to get too much.

But back to the makeup...I only wear foundation, and blush. Occasionally  I do wear something very light on my lips, but that is it! If I was not allergic, I would wear mascara. 

spending some time with my little girls, Sox

As far as my hair goes, I love to wear it long. My friends ask me all the time when am I going to cut it. I don't see that happening...EVER! I've tried that, and it is just not me. So what if I am almost 60, I have very healthy hair, and I am going to keep it long. I style it very simple. It is cut to shape around my face, and I have bangs. Sometimes I do try to curl it, but for the most part it is straight, because that is how it like to be.

When I dress, I always...well 99% of the time have Birkenstocks on my feet. This started out because of my feet issues...plantar fasciitis, bunions, neuropathy, etc...all due to my dancing days. I do love the fun Birks, though. 

Mom and I in our bright colors

I love to wear bright colors, and most of the time I am wearing capris and a pretty t-shirt. During the few months of cool weather we have, I will wear cropped leggings and a short flowy dress or tunic.

Jewelry...here is the fun part. I LOVE jewelry...and this is why I opened up my shop. So I can make more and share my talent with the world. 

Usually I am wearing shells, 

beaded wire wrapped shell necklace by TappingflamingoBling

or crystals. 

freshwater pearl and crystal geode necklace by TappingflamingoBling

Sometimes I wear long necklaces, 

freshwater pearl and lavender sea glass bead necklace by TappingflamingoBling

sometimes short...

aventurine and wire wrapped broken shell necklace by TappingflamingoBling

hardly ever a choker, though. 

Earrings, 

Czech Bead earrings by TappingflamingoBling

YES! 

carnelian earrings by Tappingflamingobling

And I love rings! 

They don't have to be expensive, though. This one was less than $45, including shipping and tax!

recycled guitar string bracelet by TappingflamingoBling

Bracelets, yep! 

waterproof surfer style bracelet set

Love to stack them. 

recycled guitar string bracelet and waterproof surfer bracelets by TappingflamingoBling

I love to mix them too!

So, how is my house decorated? Well, I call it eclectic. 

Most of the pictures I have are beach themed. 

I like to collect salt and pepper shakers

and I love dishes...I think that is my weakness.

I love light airy curtains, and lots of windows. 

So...there you have it. I am a Beach Bum Boho Hippie Cottage type of gal!

Oh and by the way...I play the mountain dulcimer...and that is about as hippie as you can get....

Forest Bead Soup

Some of the last few posts have been about the bead swap I was involved with. This is the last of the posts about Lori Anderson's October 2018 Bead Swap with Donna M Hoblit of VeraDonna Treasures. 

I've done several of these swaps, and this time I did it with a bit of a twist. It is something that I've been wanting to do. 

When I picked out beads for my partner, I kept the same things, because I wanted to create and see how different our pieces are. It is so interesting to see how you can give a group of people the same exact thing to make something, and wind up with as many different things as individuals.

So, let me first introduce what I sent Donna...

Tiger Eye Chips

I love to beach comb and make jewelry out my finds. I decided to send her one of the shell pieces I found on Cocoa Beach. I wire wrapped it using copper wire.

Green Sea Glass Beads

Green Crystals

Champagne Square Crystal Beads

Some interesting glass beads

Some more interesting glass beads

A couple of star crystals.

An owl bead

Gold tone bead caps

Gold tone feather charms

...and this piece. Sorry, not sure what it is called, but it is usually used in necklaces. 

Here is the color palette I used. I love these colors; reminds me of the place where my husband's family is from in Tennessee. 

Okay...so what did I do with all this?

The first thing I did was make this owl ornament.

Since the shell was made by Mother Nature, I could not duplicate it exactly. I chose a similar shell from my stash and wire wrapped it with copper wire. I then added it to this necklace I made using the beads in stations. 

I love to make necklaces this way...putting the beads in stations, because I think is shows off the beads better. 

Hope you like what I did with these beads. I love the natural, organic look, and these definitely fit into that look.

One last thing I did send Donna was....

one of my crochet waterproof, adjustable, surfer style bracelets, in autism awareness colors. Since I have two nephews who live with autism, I always like to share the awareness. 

Fall is Quickly Coming

I am really not ready to say good-bye to summer and hello to fall, but the reality is....fall is just around the corner.

As a jewelry designer, I have to always be ahead of the game. In other words when it is summer, I am thinking about Fall and the holiday season. In the winter, I am designing and making things for Spring and  Summer. 

Since my favorite place is the beach, I like to design things that are inspired from the ocean. I made this necklace YEARS ago for my personal collection, and I wear it all the time. The shells from the earrings were just found this past summer, and I was lucky enough to find three so I could make a matching necklace earring set. 

 You might also notice that I love to mix my metals. I find it makes things a little more interesting. 

This next set was made to match. You will find a wide variety of beads in this ensemble, including some paper beads I made from an old magazine.

I added carnelian, jasper and crystals and some glass ebeads to give these pieces a variety of texture and depth. When I designed these pieces, I had just bought a dress and I wanted something to go with, and these came out perfectly! 

So.....what have I been working on to put in my Etsy shop for Fall 2018?

Here is one piece. This beaded chain necklace is made with crystals, obsidian and maifanite beads. I added brass beads and a brass chain with no clasp, so it is very easy to put on and take off...just over your head. 

Here is another necklace from my Broken Shell Inspirational collection. This one is a bit shorter and made of crystals, purple glass beads and green jasper. I used copper wire to wrap the shell and added some copper beads to this 18" necklace.

This shell fragment has become naturally distressed as it traveled through the ocean, eventually being tossed up on the shore, waiting for someone to discover it and appreciate its different shape, angels, and size. While this bit of shell is no longer a whole shell, the harsh conditions it experienced in the ocean transformed it into something distinct and beautifully unique. It is my hope that as you go through your own challenging experiences, you will become a better version of yourself, an individual who has gained wisdom through adversity. This beautiful shell piece is to help remind you of the positive growth that you will take away from your experiences.

--TappingflamingoBling

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