Fabric Flower Necklace

After drooling over the beautiful fabric flower necklaces on Etsy, I combed Pinterest to figure out how to make them.  After reading several tutorials, I decided to give it a try.  Thanks to Hobby Lobby, I found the Glue Dots adhesives.  Before the 40% off coupon, they were $4.99 for twenty-four two-inch rounds.  I really wanted a pack of mixed sizes; however that was not an option.  I didn't want to spend much, so I bought the biggest ones and just trimmed them down for the smaller flowers.  I used the instructions for the flowers from http://thegreenfrogstudio.typepad.com/the_green_frog_studio/inspiration-tuesday/ .  She used Glubers, I think I found the same type thing, just a different name.  Her instructions are simple and the pictures are helpful.  After I made the flowers in small, medium, and large, I laid them out in different patterns to see what looked good.  After finding an arrangement I like, I peeled off the back of each flower and stuck them on a piece of felt in the arrangement I liked.  Then I trimmed off the excess felt.  In place of a chain, I used a yarn that I had used for several of the flowers.  I tied a knot in each end of the yarn and hand-stitched it to the felt.  Necklace finished.  The total time spent was about three hours.  The flowers get easier to make as you get accustomed to working with the sticky dots.  Since I used yarn and fabric I already had, this was a low-cost project.  The glue dots were $2.99 after the coupon and the piece of felt was $0.25.  I only used nine of the glue dots, so I can get about two more necklaces from the pack.  I can get a least one, maybe two more necklace backings from the piece of felt. The ones I like on Etsy ranged from $20.00 to $50.00.  Mine cost less than $2.00 - and I like it even better! 

Saturday Night Out...What to Wear?

Tonight my husband and I are going to listen to a band with two of our single male friends. The two friends are always on the prowl for women. The four of us often go out together and have similar tastes in music. I know I'll have a great time with these three men, I always do. The quandary for me as always is...what to wear?  I want to be comfortable and look good, like most people.  I don't want to look like "one of the guys" but I also don't want to look overdone or "trying too hard" or old. In my closet, it is never that I don't have anything to wear.  I have the opposite issue - too many choices.  Luckily, my husband was out of the house this morning and I tried on several different tops and bottoms and shoes.  I think I hit on a good choice.  A bright yellow tunic top that is not too loose and not too sheer, my favorite faded tight skinny jeans, and a pair of brightly colored platform sandals. (The platform sandals have been in my closet for almost six months.  They still had the plastic around them in the box.  They have only been on my feet to walk around our house.  I have never had the nerve to wear them out of the house for fear of falling off of them.  As platform shoes go, they are not THAT tall, for me, they are a little scary. I love the way they look and these are actually comfortable.) I even have a red wax seal charm necklace. Perfect. I can just hear "Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke's song with T.I. and Pharrell, as I dance around the bedroom.

I put the pieces together, made a picture, and posted it on Pinterest.  Within one minute, the pin had two likes.  I don't dress myself by what others think, but it did feel good to know that others thought it was a "like"-able outfit.

We'll see how a night out with the boys and my platform sandals goes this evening. Laughter, friends, clothes that make you feel good; all is well.



  

Other Ways to See That I am "Still Making an Effort"...

Although I dream of being a blogger who posts each day, or even once a week, I am not that person.  Life gets in the way.  As a retired person who is addicted to searching on the internet, I don't "work" on writing each day.  I don't waste time, depending on how you look at it.  




I love Instagram.  It is a great tool for keeping track of friends and family.  It is great for random things you see and thoughts.  Watch my life through the eyes of Instagram, if you care. 










Much of my time online is spent doing research on the beach house my husband and I are building.  I collect ideas for colors, floors, countertops, kitchen arrangement, light fixtures, faucets - you name it.  If you would llike to be part of this journey, here is the Pinterest board for our (hopefully) soon-to-be-built beach house.








I like to cook.  Bless my husband and his friend's hearts, they will eat almost anything.  I constantly look for healthy, easy-to-make recipes for our daily meals.  I also look for not-so-healthy treats to enjoy.  If you like simple recipes, here is the Pinterest board for the recipes I drool over and dream of making.







Since before I retired, I have loved the idea of doing projects.  I love sewing, quilting, making things, refinishing furniture, and so on. The list could go forever. I have tried some of them.  Others are still a dream.  If you like a variety of projects, here is the Pinterest board for the projects I dream of doing.





Normally, I walk at least two miles each day with wrist and ankle weights.  As documented in this blog, I am always looking for interesting fitness ideas.  I imagine a notebook with organized laminated pages. Each day, I just flip to page and breeze through the workout.  This is the Pinterest board for all of the exercises I dream of doing, a different set each day.  (Insert hysterical laugh here.)



I enjoy reading quotes that inspire me to be a better person.  At one time, I considered starting a blog of daily inspirational quotes titled Pearl's {of} Wisdom. (Pearl is our beloved bulldog.)  After some research, I realized that probably a million other people had this same idea.  I don't believe in reinventing the wheel.  This is the Pinterest board for my favorites from the inspirational sayings I look at each day.






Laughter is the best medicine for whatever ails you.  I try to laugh at myself and with others each day. This is the Pinterest board for things that make me laugh.  Some are not for the faint of heart.





As documented in this blog, I love clothing and shoes.  I don't like to spend much money for them; however, I love shopping for them and making outfits.  My dream job might be working as a clothing outfit stylist. The Pinterest board for pieces of clothing and shoes I have purchased so I can remember what I've got.  (Way too much is what I've got!)



As a creative venture, I started an Etsy 
shop named ragpiecesbypope.  It is currently closed for vacation; however, I hope to reopen soon.  The shop has items I made including dresses, pillow covers, baby quilts, and more.  Many of the items are made from upcycled clothing.  Here is the link to my Etsy shop ragpiecesbypope. 



So you see, hopefully, that I am not just randomly staring at a computer and being unproductive when I sit here on my exercise ball at the desk for hours at a time.  Now that many of my Pinterest boards are linked to this blog, my time on Pinterest and Etsy can now be considered "working on" and "research for" my blog.  Well, by my standards anyway.