Guitar String Pendant DIY

Baby Shower Gift Idea

Today, I went to a baby shower for one of our young ladies at church. This will be their second child. They already have a girl, and this one is a boy.

Whenever I get a gift ready for anyone, I like to make it a little personal. I know how much I loved collecting ornaments over the years for my children, and have learned that many other moms like to do that too...so...I decided to make an ornament for this new little guy. Since he is going to be born in Louisiana during the Mardi Gras Season, I thought I'd use that theme.

I used old guitar strings. After making sure they were nice and clean, I wrapped them with gold wire, then wrapped the strings with green garland and added the baby's name. I took an ornament wire hanger and wrapped it with purple garland and added the year. Then, of course, I had to hang a fleur de lis in the middle.

Instead of a bow on the package, I used this to decorate the bag. In the bag I added two little outfits and some socks. I needed to add one more thing....

My daughter has been using essential oils on her little girl since day one. I asked what her favorites were and this is what she said...

She likes to put one to two drops of oil with fractionated coconut oil into a 10 ml bottle. Frankincense up the spine, the digestive blend on the tummy, and the respiratory blend on the chest, This she does both in the morning and at night before bed.

In the morning she likes to use protective blend if the baby is not feeling very well, and the joyful blend. At night she uses lavender and the grounding blend. All this on the bottoms of the feet.

If her little one seems a bit grumpy anytime, she will use the lavender and the grounding blend on the bottoms of her feet.

I really wanted to make all these up for my friend, but noticed I only had two glass roller on bottles, so that was not going to happen. I asked my daughter what her favorite was, and she told me if she could choose only one, it would be the lavender. So, lavender it was. Ten ml bottle, two drops of lavender essential oil, and fill up with fractioned coconut oil. Boy, it sure smelled nice, and mom really was excited to get it.

I need to make sure that I keep these empty glass 10 ml bottles on hand, because that would really make a great baby shower gift...that and the personalized guitar string Christmas ornament...

Hmmm....maybe I should make these to put on my TappingflamingoBling

Etsy shop....



By the way....essential oils are NOT a cure. They are a great support to our overall health. If you would like to know more about them, just message me. You can also reach me at my youtube channel, tappingflamingo.

What I Created With My Bargain Bead Box

Just a few weeks ago, I received a shipment of some fun stuff from The Bargain Bead Box. I even did a review of what I got, and so did my sister, Tammy Powley. Here are the links....ME; my SISTER.


Now that I have had them for a little bit and playing around with the stash, I now want to share with you what I came up with.

I'll first start out with the earrings. I love crystals, and we got a bunch of them! I just love the way these turned out.

The first thing I did, and I bet everyone else that received this nice stash did too, was put the pocket watch on the chain. Here are views of both sides of the watch.

It was ok...but it needed something else...so....

I started playing with the crystal beads that were sent.

I came up with this 32" crystal bead necklace. It can be worn long or short at 16", which is perfect for me! That is the length I like them (16").

So, here is the whole ensemble put together. I love to make things that can be worn different ways. This can be worn with both necklaces, or separate, and the crystal piece can be worn as a short necklace.

I want to thank The Bargain Bead Box for their generous sampling of beads for a minimal cost, and I look forward to next month's shipment.







Help! My Hair Is Falling Out!

Diffuser Necklace DIY

Jan 2016 Bargain Bead Box

Fish Extender Ideas

This time last year, my mom and two sisters and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for a mother/daughter trip. We went round and round with various ideas. My mom and I love to cruise, but one of my sisters hates to cruise. My other sister and I are pretty much open to whatever, but I am a bit more price conscience that she is.


In the end, we did book a cruise. It was a three day with Disney. Even though we could have gotten a cruise with Carnival for A LOT less, we found one on Disney that was reasonable. Besides, we were curious about how Disney compared to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Maybe my sister who is not a fan cruising will like Disney better. I actually posted videos about our cruise on my tappingflamingo youtube.


I will admit, it was fun, but I probably will not be cruising with Disney again, unless someone else wants to pay for it, lol.


Anyway....


One thing I thought was fun on Disney was what they call Fish Extenders. I also have a few videos on this too. Fish Extenders are actually a type of gift exchange. I know it is very popular on these cruises, and many people get involved with them. So....I decided that maybe I could offer some Fish Extender gifts over on my Etsy shop.


One thing I have over there are Pipe Cleaner Princess Rings. I actually made these for the little girls in our FE group. I have made these in the past for bridal showers and little girl birthday parties. They are a hit for both young and old.

Aren't they cute?!

One other thing I have in my shop are Beaded Pirate Dreadlocks. I actually stole this idea from my sister. This is what she made for her FE people. I asked her if I could make some up for my shop, and she said, "Sure!" So I did. In our Day 1 Disney review video, you will notice we are wearing some of these dreadlocks.

Some of them I put mouse beads onto and added some lace.

Some I put butterflies onto.

Each is different, and can even be turned into bracelets! If you order them and want them to be bracelets, then you will need to convo me, and I will get that going for you. My sister had made some for us to wear too, and they were very fun! If you remember, Captain Jack Sparrow had some beaded dread locks....

Disney is not the only cruise line that does gift exchanges. On our last Carnival cruise, we had a group that did one and it was pretty fun. I made everyone a Ninja Star. We were on the Sunshine, so I thought it appropriate to do a sun for everyone. After all the sun is just a giant star. By the way, I do have a video on my youtube channel that shows how to make them.