It has been a loooong time since I have posted a blog entry. A lot has happened. I did a lot of traveling at the end of last summer (more about all this in another blog posting on what I’ve been up to), wrote a book (out next Spring everyone!), and am now putting together a new collection of great new bags. . .

But just in time for warmer weather are the Bling flowers. While I know it is still nippy in places, it is warm enough here in Maryland for me to liberate my feet from wool socks and boots. I got out the flip flops I bought on one of the teaching trips I will tell about in a not long off future blog posting (I promise). It was one of those things, you know, when you get the “slippers” as my friend Melissa calls them not because you love them, but because they are the only ones that you will tolerate on the rack. They do the trick.  They are comfortable. I can wear them anywhere.

But brown and orange is not my favorite combination. . . something had to be done to Noni them.

If you’ve looked at the home page of my website you have seen The Bettie Boop. She is decorated with two sizes of flowers that were inspired by forsythia (small) and wild geraniums (large). These flowers are included in the bag pattern, but for you folks who love making flowers and the bags maybe not so much, there is a flower pattern all on its own that includes these two flowers.

They are fun, I have to say, because of the sparkle rivet centers. . . And the sparkle rivets are so simple to put in. Just poke through the knitted or felted fabric, put the back on, put the pretty side down on a magazine and hammer the back. . . 1, 2, 3, 4 times is usually enough. That’s it!

For my sandals, I made 2 large flowers (1 for the center of each sandal) and 6 small (3 for each). I put black sparkle rivets in the centers since I wanted the rivets to talk to the black soles. I LOVE them. I wish now that I had them in a bunch of colors and in different fibers. For these little pink flowers I worked 1 strand of worsted weight 100% merino yarn on  size 6 needles and felted them. I think I will make some silk flowers on maybe a size 4 needle, since you want the flowers to have a bit of density so they don’t lose the rivets.

Once I had riveted all the flowers, I simply sewed them on using a double-strand of sewing thread (nylon beading thread is also good) and a sharp needle.

There are lots of other ways to use the flowers and embellish things in fun ways or make stand-alone, quick gifts for friends. What about you? What ways can you think of using these flowers with bling-y centers?