Friday, November 26, 2010

The aquaflower brooch.

They're aqua.  And they're flowers...


Yesterday I came up with the aquaflower brooch.


But they're not 'aquaflowers' because of the color.  They're auquaflowers 'cause they're made from a pool noodle.


Tutorial!  First, roast a large thanksgiving turkey, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving.  While you're waiting, take your electric knife and cut your pool noodle into slices.


My husband did not understand.

While you're working, try explaining to a little dog why you are waaay over there on the other side of the kitchen slicing a pool noodle, when there's an enormous turkey over HERE!


The little dog did not understand.

If it's not Thanksgiving anymore, you can slice your noodle surprisingly well with a serrated steak knife.


Take two flower slices, and snip off a single petal from one of them.


Take the 4-petal flower and simply criss-cross it, to form an X-shaped small flower.


Squish that leftover single petal (the one you cut off, earlier) into the center of the 5-petal flower, to fill the hole.


Then just stack the 2 pieces and connect them together.  (You also need a small piece of felt or craft foam, to use as a backing.)  There a couple of ways to do it.  You can sew up your flower with needle, thread and two buttons, like this:


Or, for a wire connection, use two beads and a headpin.


 Here's how it looks from the back.


Done!  Aquaflowers!




Just add a safety pin and - presto!  It's a brooch.



Now, you could wear these like any old brooch.  I mean, if regular is your thing.  OR...

HEY, these things are waterproof!  How about pinning them to a winter coat and heading out into the snow?   Add to a ski hat?  Wear on a fleece scarf?



Maybe they ought to be called 'snowflowers.'

But HERE is the real reason I made these.  My mom is a little snowbird who flits down to Palm Desert every winter.  When I told her about these aquaflowers she had a hilarious - or possibly genius - idea!  A brand new twist on resort wear...

Wanna be too cool for school?


Wear your noodle jool in the pool!

I find the idea of pool jewelry irresistibly funny.  Thanks for the great idea, mom.

In the end, the little dog got plenty of turkey, I made aquaflowers, and my husband was confirmed in his belief he has married a fruitcake.


What a fun Thanksgiving!  Hope you all had a good one!

23 comments:

  1. Pool noodle brooches for swimming costumes! I love it! I wonder if my kids would miss a bit from the end of their pool noodles.....

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  2. Very creative idea! Glad to hear the pooch got turkey. As to husbands?...It always pays to leave them wondering!

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  3. The flowers are so pretty, who would guess that they are made from pool noodles?

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  4. Love them! Love all the ideas for uses too!

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  5. Your husband is lucky to have such a creative fruitcake! You tell him that! That's the ONLY kind of fruitcake I'll put up with... :)

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  6. cute brooch.thank u friend 4 ur lovely comments in my blog

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  7. NO FRIGGIN WAY!! #1 Pool jewelry?! I never would have thought of that in a million years, and yet, I already know it is now a necessity on my life. Ive got a good six months to make some before swim season returns around here! #2 Those are so cool! I was experimenting making flowers with foam rollers...geez these are so superior...to think they came from a pool noodle!

    I feel a giant foamy flower hat coming on....

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  8. You went and did it again!!! Just way too cool.
    Do you think the bathing suits can now be used as floatation devices? Maybe you'll have to add a few more flowers in various colors. I'll never look at my pool noodles the same way again, never ever!

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  9. Just wanted to let you know I featured your gorgeous little house necklace on my round tuit post this week!

    http://jembellish.blogspot.com/2010/11/round-tuit-25-and-day-21-of-45.html

    Thanks for linking up!

    Have a fab week!

    Jill @ Creating my way to Success

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  10. Wonderful. I love the color. I am your newest follower from Betsy's "Salvaged Treasures". You are so talented. Betsy is right. *hugs*

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  11. Stop it lady. Must you always one-up us with your creativity?!?! Pool Jewelry?!?!? Man, oh, man. ;-) You're awesome. Thanks for the tutorial!! I especially love the weather proof aspect of them.

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  12. What a clever idea! Couldn't imagine what you've used at first. /Therese

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  13. Very cute...and love your pooch. We have one that looks alot like him...14 year old mini Aussie.

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  14. First thing I thought of was- say, that would look pretty spiffy on my plain black bathing suit! I have to get Savannah on this project for her little girlie friends.

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  15. thats the cutest thing and the fact that its waterproof is awesome. nice work as always M.

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  16. This is a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing! I found you on oneprettything

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  17. This is the BEST thing EVER! I would love for you to come link this up at my party TALENT TUESDAY!

    http://vintagewannabee.blogspot.com/
    -Nichelle

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  18. Darn right you are a fruitcake. What is a pool noodle? And why do I feel the need to buy an electric knife?
    Lurve that doggie. *melt*

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  19. Okay this whole post made me smile - even laugh out loud. My daughter is like "Mom, what Mom?" I am thinking it would be to hard to explain.

    Love the turkey scenario - sounds like me.

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  20. we are so crafty soul-mates. i freepile and re-fashion. i dumpster dive with pride! yeah yeah! love it!
    YOURS, MINE AND OURS

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