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!