DIY Cell Phone Holder

My old Cell Phone Holder is in the shape of a dolphin and I got it 15 or 16 years ago. It is filled with a blue liquid and has two small dolphins floating inside it. I have used that cell phone holder for every cell phone I have ever had. Well it’s old and the plug at the bottom deteriorated over time and sprung a leak. Fortunately tape sealed the hole but I had to keep it on a piece of tissue to make sure it wouldn’t leak on my furniture. So I decided to leave it in my bathroom on the counter as that is where I charge my phone as my outlets elsewhere are being used.

So I decided to try and make a new holder for when my phone is in my bedroom at night. So I looked on the internet and I found one using blocks and I thought that is pretty and cool. When I found the blocks at the store were two expensive I creatively changed the design.

Wood Bottom- At Michaels $0.49

Set of 6 Flower Sides/ Simply Surfaces Laser cut Design- $3.99 but were 40% off

Tacky Glue- $1.19

Tiny Terra Cotta Pot- $0.49 but I used 40% off coupon

Large Pack of 3D Lady Bug Stickers- $0.99

Pack of 8 Pencil Grips- $1.00

I arranged three flower sides to fit my phone. I measured using my phone and marking with pencil where it sits comfortably. I did my design looking like a H but any arranging would do to fit different phones. I used tacky glue to put it in place and took Q-Tips with water and wiped away the excess glue that squeezed out.

I then took a blue pencil grip and cut it in two after I realized it wouldn’t glue while round so I cut it in two. The smooth flat side or inside of pencil grip I glued down a comfortable distance from the back of the one flower design. Once the glue dried it was ready to be used.

However I decided to add 3D Lady Bug stickers to the sides of my flower design sides. Then I bought a tiny terra-cotta pot and glued it to the back of the holder where there was a avoid. I took fake flowers I had and put them in a bit of foam and then placed that in the pot. I added a 3D lady bug to the outside of the pot and one to the inside of the Daisy flower in the pot. I later added a tiny dragonfly hairclip to the pink flowers in the picture below. I don’t have the dragonfly in the pics below as I added it after I took the pictures but I clipped it to the pink flowers.

I am going to change the foliage with the seasons. I already bought a teeny little scare crow for fall and I have fake fall leaves I will decorate with as well. I absolutely love it but will probably need to change it a bit if and when I get a new cell phone as my phone sits snug and another larger phone might not fit as well.

 

I hope you enjoy this and perhaps try something similar! I have so many other designs I would love to make, if I can find someone who needs a cell phone holder.

 

 

 

 

New Baby and Engagement!

My Brother-in-law Karl's oldest daughter from his previous marriage is named Shea. Shea had her second baby yesterday, it is a girl named Sophia Rose! Shea has an older child with her ex-boyfriend and that child is a boy named Gage Michael, who is nearly five years old.

One day after giving birth to their beautiful baby girl Shea's boyfriend Jake proposed marriage to her and she happily said yes!

I send my many Congratulations to Shea and Jake on the newest addition to their family!

Musings of a Lonely Writer! ----- Minimalist Intimate Scenes Between Characters Mortify Me

So I don’t read romances, well not hard core Bodice Rippers or Erotica. I read Suspenseful Romances like from authors Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney, and some by Dorothy Eden. I prefer a little light romance, nothing explicitly sexual.

These explicitly sexual kinds of novels make me squirm and I find them not to my taste. I don’t care if people read these kinds of stories if that’s what they like to read but I don’t find them appropriate and so I don’t read them nor do I write them.

 

So in my writing love stories are always subplots and as fun as they are to develop I cringe at the thought of people I know reading them, lol! I know it sounds silly but I fear either I went too far or not enough. I’m afraid they’ll be like what is going on with you for writing these scenes. The scenes aren’t explicit, just what may be deemed adolescent kissing, well maybe a bit more passionate but nothing too hot and heavy.

I even wanted to put an example here of a scene but I am beyond nervous that many I know will see it. I know when I self-publish they’ll read it but I am just mortified to imagine there’re reactions.

There was one scene I was writing how this guy was falling for a lady and what it felt like with her in his arms when he carried her to her room as she had twisted her ankle and when my mom read it I nearly freaked out. The intense description of his feelings was a bit too much; I wound up revising it by choice.

 

Other times I fear my writing of minimalist intimate scenes are juvenile like. So most of the time I worry how it will be perceived by a broad group of people versus my own feelings toward it.

There was one section of one of my novels I sent to a friend. In the scene there is one area where it is where a guy was rubbing a healing lotion on a woman’s back and I was freaking out when I knew I had sent that section. Of course my friend came back and said she liked the whole section I had sent. So I was beyond happy but I dared not ask what she thought about that particular scene. I fear I am over thinking it and freaking myself out, lol!

Even though these scenes are scarce I wonder if I do too much in a scene or too little. I wonder if people will think if too much in a scene I’m not sticking clean and Christian or if not enough in a scene I risk the scene falling flat and boring.

Of course I love a good swoon worthy intimate scene if placed right and is meant to be there, so I don’t see changing my writing in that regard and will just have to get used to others reactions to the scenes. I will never go too far though with characters in these scenes because of the age group I tend to gear my novels toward and even though I know those age groups know much more about intense intimate relationships than some think I prefer to stay light for my own sake, lol. I should mention though that I know how to take criticism, I am just so unsure on these particular scenes more than any other aspect of my writing.

I suppose some writers have similar areas in their novels where they are uncomfortable with others reading it, so I guess I am not alone in that aspect. And I suppose many writers have times where they start to down their own writing.

I was mentioning this with my writer friend Kendra and she was saying don't worry how others view my novels, just write what I am comfortable with and feel I like. I am trying to do just that but it's a tad difficult with some parts of my writing.

So if others have felt a bit uncomfortable or straight up mortified by minimalist intimate scenes between their characters leave a comment. Or perhaps if you feel certain stories or scenes you write you worry about how it will be perceived by friends and family let me know as well. I would love to hear of other writers experiences with this topic.

So this has been Musings of a Lonely Writer and until next time Keep Reading, Keep Writing, and Keep Inspiring!

Throw Back and Current Pictures!

I usually don’t add pictures of me or my friends, well not full pictures just images for my hair accessories on this Book Worm Blog. These are both a Then & Now Pictures of me and one of my fellow Author Friends, Kendra. Kendra is not my only writer friend but she is my oldest. We met when were teenagers, about 13 years ago.

We bonded over writing and to this day we have innovative, juicy and fun stories, both inside and outside our heads, lol! We both have stories only thought out in our heads and others we have put on the page. Both ways are fun and keep the creative juices flowing!  

So here is a picture of us then and now. The first is from July 2007 when we were 19 years old and the second from a few days ago, we are now 27 years old. We have developed wrinkles and our weight has fluctuated over the years but that is simple because we laugh a lot and love food, well I will speak for myself, and we laugh while eating, so there you go, lol.

We talked of many things on our recent lunch out together but writing was a big one so I thought to add a wonderful picture here and show off two awesome up and coming authors, well hopefully!

We have changed in both our personal and writing lives since the Then picture from 2007 which has shaped the tone of our stories, both the good, bad, and ugly elements. So in the Then we were so confident, we knew just what we wanted but the Now we are wiser and have reached a pretty good place in our lives and have created characters much more developed and wonderful. 

If you have explored my Book Worm Blog you will have seen who I am but in case you haven’t I am the dark haired one in the two pictures. I am the one in the grey shirt and jeans in the older picture and the one in the blue shirt in the newer one.

 

 

 < Then, 2007

                                   Now, 2015 >

 

Reinvent Your Characters Wardrobe: Two Particularly Wonderful Renaissance and Medieval Clothing & More Sites that are Wonderful for Characters Wardrobes!

http://www.pearsonsrenaissanceshoppe.com/

http://armstreet.com/

 

I absolutely love the two above websites, Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe and Arm Street. They have Medieval and Renaissance Costumes for those that LARP, go to Renaissance Faires, do CosPlay, etcetera.

I have found so many dresses, pants, tunics, shoes, extras on there that have inspired many of my characters wardrobes, as many of my characters live in the past or a future that has gone very medieval again. I make certain changes to how a certain outfit will look for my character versus the site but for the most part I stay true to the things on the site because I love them so much.

Of course many, many times I will just make up a dress or something from my imagination, because that is so fun and necessary to bring out that characters personal unique style.

I wanted to tell everyone about these sites though, if they haven’t already found them. It may help you to better visualize one of your characters outfits like I do, I am a very visual person. Or perhaps you go to Renaissance Faires or LARP or CosPlay and would love to find a place that has awesome attire, so these sites are it.

My Favorites on the Sites:

The Archeress

Autumn Princess

Lady of the Lake

Woolen Coat “Red Riding Hood”

Fantasy Dress “Wanderer” Linen Robe

Medieval Woolen Dress “Green Sleeves”

Elven Fantasy Wedding Dress

Forest Princess

To just name a few! I hope you enjoy exploring these sites as much as I have!

A few of the names on my other Character Names Galore Blog I have found on another site that has Fantasy, Medieval, and Renaissance Wedding Gowns which I have used for inspiration for my characters wedding dresses before. The three names on my Character Names Galore Blog are the names of three of the dresses on the site, but there are many more dresses, I just only used those three names.

I have put a link to the site on those name posts but I will now put the site link here. So maybe if your characters getting married or you are getting married and want a unique dress then you can try looking on Rivendell Bridal, it’s a UK designer BTW.

http://www.rivendellbridal.com/

If you have sites that you find interesting and have used to help with your characters wardrobe and want to let me know just leave a comment and I would love to go explore those sites.

If you find the sites I have put here of use and would love to tell me which outfit fits your characters then leave me a commit and I would love to take a look on the site of the outfit to get an idea about your characters personal style!