She is such a joy!

Livi wanted to help me dye this afternoon.  She went running around the house shouting:

"Mommy and I are going to dye!!!" "I'm going to dye with Mommy!!"

Of course, if you didn't know what she was talking about, you'd think it quite the morbid thing for a child to be shouting. lol 

But, here's a sneak peak at Pinkaholic and my sweet little dumpling helping me:

On a side note, if Livi wants dumplings for dinner, she asks for ducklings. lol  I keep trying to help her say DUMPlings, but she always ends up saying ducklings.  I even tried showing her videos of ducklings so that she could see that we do not want to eat baby ducks.  It makes me smile anyway.  :o)

Oh, and I've gotten some tatting done, but I haven't shown any in awhile. We are spending the night with Chris in Memphis tonight, but maybe I'll get some pictures up tomorrow night of some of the tatting I've done!

These shuttles are sooooo adorable!!!

Click the picture to be taken to the fabulous etsy store where you can get some tiny "thumb shuttles" of your own!!

The shuttles on the outside are just okay. The big one is a Boye I decorated and the other is a clover I decorated.

BUT, the shuttles in the middle are uber adorable!!!

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

Then why can I not just submit a picture instead of writing out the thousand words???

I need to write 1000-1500 words by midnight.  I currently have 0.  I think the second I get this paper turned in, I'm going down stairs and dyeing some thread.  I have been so stressed it will be the perfect thing to ease my weary mind!!

On my To Dye list:

Rainbowlicious Xtreme
Pinkaholic


:o)

I think I will start with Pinkaholic tonight.

EZ Bobs coming to an Etsy store near you!

I ordered some EZ Bobs to offer in my Etsy store the other day.  They haven't arrived yet, but once they do, I'll put them in the shop.  I haven't sold any "unwinding services", but I still like the idea.  SO, since EZ Bobs seem to be so popular, I decided to try them. :o)

They will of course change the shipping, but I don't know by how much, so I will be investigating that. :o)

A conclusive drawing

So, when I do a giveaway, I try my best to avoid commenting so that my comment doesn't get mixed up in the numbers and confuse me when it comes time to do the drawing.

This time however, I did comment to enter Tatknot's  guess of 4'9".  She had sent me an email with her guess because Blogger was being stubborn and not letting her comment.

Then when I went to draw a winner... this happened:

So, I went to the comments and started counting... mine (for Tatknot)  Hmm, so I had a split moment of, well maybe I should do two winners this drawing since it may seem odd that my comment was picked.

 But then this happened:

Oh grrr... so I went to a different random number generator and got this:

So, it's very much conclusive :o)

The winner is Eliz aka Tatknot!!!

Congrats!!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered!!  The simple fact that you visit here and comment means a lot to me! I love doing these giveaways; I find them fun and a great way to connect with my followers!

I am 4'11.5"

So the winner of my "Fun Random Contest" is Randi
(So, Randi please email me because I don't have a way to email you)

I will also be picking a random winner tomorrow as well just because I very much enjoyed the enthusiasm :o)
SOO, if you haven't entered the giveaway, there is still time to enter for the drawing tomorrow!! (Saturday)


So... here's a funny story from my past:

As a young child, I was ALWAYS the tallest in my class. ALWAYS. I remember being in third grade, being embarrassed because while we all walked in a group, my head stuck out from the crowd.  Talk about awkward right?
BUT, being tall was a bragging topic around family, naturally.  So, when I was eight years old, I was so excited to tell my tall older cousin: "I'm 4' 11" and 1/2 inch.  Just a 1/2" more and I'll be 5 feet!!" I was beaming with pride.
I remember my cousin thinking I was so funny for being so proud of that 1/2 inch. lol

But, I never got that extra 1/2 inch.

My classmates soon passed me in height.  Countless times I've had the conversation with past classmates about how its so funny that I was so tall and then I got so short.



And yes, Karen, I probably will be the Pharmacist with the stool behind the counter :o)

Remember that little motif???

You remember that little nameless motif from a couple of days ago... from "Just a Pattern"??
Well here's what it looks like as a small mat...

All are size 40

Top row is Lizbeth # 662 and # 679 and my Rainbowlicious!

Middle row... starts with  a nameless colorway of mine... **which really needs a name so I can put it up in the shop**..  "Fairy Dust" named by God's Kid

followed by Tropical Punch, which you have already seen, and more #662  

and then the third row, which I just started on is Lizbeth Denim Whisper.

I tried to find a way to do this as one continuous piece and while I still think it is possible, I kind of like how this turning fairly eclectic, but I ran into a problem and that's why there are two of the same color side by side with a misshapen chain between them. 

I have discovered that I'm not a huge fan of naming things.  Not because I can't think of a name, but because I'm overly concerned with it being a perfect name that anything I think of sounds lame.

For instance, I was thinking of calling this motif, Damask Fragment, because I had intended to piece them together like this.  

*** also, I'm planning to redo my Rainbowlicious, so look for that soon.  Now that I have more dyes, I want to try a more involved rainbow. :o)

Okay, that's it for tonight.  If you haven't already, make sure to chime in on my last post... the "Fun Random Giveaway"

A Fun random giveaway

What's the prize, you ask?  I don't know yet, definitely  HDT and maybe some more goodies.  It'll be good though!!
Here's how to enter.....

Guess how tall I am, that's all.

I am pretty sure that I have not blogged about it, so it will be a pretty random guess.  The first person to guess my height correctly will win.  If no one guesses correctly then I'll use a random number generator to get a random winner on Saturday.

So, to guess just submit your guess as a comment on this post.

Good luck!!!


***UPDATE*** 17 guesses, but none correct...  interesting.

Almost finished...

Dahlia progress

I need to attach those last two flowers.  I left the rest of the doily at home when Livi and I went to stay with Chris this past weekend.  But the only tatting I took was my gold and purple.  AND... and skein of Fancy Fields. :o(

This pattern does not need more than one skein of HDT the way I've done it.  I had plenty wrapped on a little  floss bobbin just waiting for me.  Along with a hook pen from Sherry, a nice pair of scissors and many other little floss bobbins of some of my HDT. AND a pretty clear and silver locket that I had bought from Hallmark.  Also some shuttles.  Hopefully not my popabobbin, but I'm thinking it may have been in there as well.

Where are the lovely treasure items?  I have no idea.  I had them in a bright orange Clinque makeup bag.  The last day I remember having it was the day I did my Italian presentation.  I have not seen these items or the bag since.  I'm really depressed about it... but there's no point in dwelling over it huh?

So, since I still had flowers to tat, I pulled a skein from my shop to finish it up.  I need to get some more dyeing done anyway.  Maybe that will help sales. :o)

Just a pattern...

(* This one is tatted in Lizbeth 40 Tropical Punch)

smaller rings 6-5-6

large ring of clover 6-5-5-6

chains are all 8 ds or 8-8 

good night!

Short and Sweet...

So, this bee looking thing first started out destined to be a butterfly, then a dragonfly, but since I made the bottom to thick for a dragonfly, it turned in to a bumble bee.  And then I just played with the head.

I'm about to call the MIL to see if I can come over and borrow her tanning bed.  If so, then I'm going to try out my Magic Glos, which will finish the bracelet. 

:o)

I have a CWJ question

Just a general question... From what I can tell the CWJ is essentially a lock join right?

I understand how to make it and everything, but you still have the problem of it being a lock join. Though I think it is rather wonderful that you can tat around and not show the core thread on the lj... so I get it's purpose

The reason I ask is, I was reading the Gr8 brothers' book  Alternate Threads, and it had the greatest suggestion to pass the core shuttle through the loop made by the top thread (instead of the second shuttle)... which just seems  genius to me.

For one, the chain is still adjustable, but two, you still avoid the "color blip" or whatever you call it by avoiding the usual lj.

Is there some advantage to using the CWJ over this method that I'm not seeing?

I can see now that it is not a lock join and the chain is still adjustable.  I love how I can say something and it sound right and then find that it was completely wrong. lol 


But it brings up an interesting question.  Do you pass your main shuttle through the loop for the join or the secondary shuttle? Because it does work both ways.


Using your main shuttle would have the advantage of being able to use the technique with shuttle and ball, not just 2 shuttles.  

Necklaces...

Generally, I'm not one for wearing a lot of jewelry.  I love jewelry though and would like to wear more of it.

I really love all the tatted necklaces you guys make that look so luxurious... I unfortunately would never wear one.  I'm very much a chain and single pendant chick.

BUT when I ran across this pattern provided by Kersti: Half Moon Dreaming

I was instantly drawn to it.  Then once I had convinced myself that I needed to tat it... I had a flash of brillance!!
Krystledawne's Wisteria Lane would be fabulous!!

I really like this pattern.  This necklace took me about 1 1/2 hr to make, which is not too bad right?

Actually I should time myself again when I'm trying to study at the same time. I should also pay more attention to scan the "right" side. 

Do you like my little beads?  

I've been on a serious "make jewelry" kick... I don't know why... but it is what it is.  And with my love of pearl Ex Powders.... I filled these bevels with the powders and then topped it with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.  Just for the record, I love Mod Podge in general, but I don't think the dimensional magic is really a good alternative to resin filling.  It's probably really fabulous for highlighting paper though! 

I'll probably attach these to a stretchy bracelet with coordinating beads.  I don't know though. hrmmm.... 

I have others that are uber cute... but they are downstairs and I just really do not feel like going down there right now. 

Goodnight all!!

Una Presentazione Italiana

Oggi ho una presentazione italiana. Parlo di chiacchierino.
Per la mia presentazione chiacchierino, vado a questo articolo e leggere i vostri commenti.
Per favore, commenti per dire "Ciao" per la mia classe!

Today, I have an Italian presentation.  I will talk about tatting. ( Actually read I talk about tatting because we only know present tense verbs).
For my tatting presentation, I will go to this article (or post) to read you your comments.
Please, comment to say "Hello" to my class!



Here is a little look back on some of my favorites of my own work....

^ I really love this photo!!

Firus Fun!

I really love Jon's Firus from Elegant Tatting Gems. It's really beautiful.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to load my shuttle with enough thread to make it through.  It's actually a funny thought.  I used to just fill the shuttles up with fear of running out.  Now, I don't want to waste any thread, but I still don't always feel like loading the shuttle back and adding thread. 

Jon's Firus Size 40 Tat-ilicious "Chilled"

But, since I got so close to finishing, I just left off the last flower.  I plan to tat a pink flower and stick it on there.

[    Looking at it now though, I think it may need some blocking. :o/    ]

AND that got me to wanting to make this navy blue one:

This one was a real pain in the brain.  I flat out forgot one ring, so I made up for it by doing a SCMR with a ring on top of it.  Then I left out two rings.....  That's what I refer to as a "Palm to forehead moment"

So the "extra" threads in the picture are from the two rings that I had to insert after the fact.

Also, you see that especially hideous chain on the left?  I ran out of thread on one shuttle but was determined

to finish the chain by tatting over with the shuttle that still had thread on it.  That of course meant my regular tension was out the window, which is why I'm left with this.

I'm *hoping* that once I add the flowers it'll work out (and I plan on them being all different colors)

I am making good progress on my Dahlia doily.  Only 4 more outer flowers to go!

I am missing a stamp...

Not just any stamp. My favorite stamp is missing.

If you have received a package from me, then you know that I love my "Keep Calm and Carry On" stamp, that I carefully ink to ensure that "carry" does not get stamped and then I write "Tat" in it's place.
But, right now, it's gone rogue. It's MIA.... and I am sad.

If I weren't of intelligent mind with a fairly good understanding of the nervous system and the need of vital body parts such as a brain, muscle, a circulatory system, and lets not forget legs( and feet), I might be under the impression that it walked off.
But, alas, my mind is not so naive and I must face the fact: I have misplaced it.

So, if you order anything from me before I find my beloved stamp, I promise that I will still adorn an ATC card with Pearl Ex and Embossing Powders but will not be able to include my "Keep Calm and Tat On" saying.
 [sad face]

Scanner Woes...

I'm starting to feel that my scanner hates the color pink....

For instance, the blue and gray ones on the left are fairly true to life though dull than the actual threads (according to my screen) but the middle ones... nothing compared to real life. That pink... is HOT pink...like a bright pink. The on the right, that dingy looking purple... is actually more pink while still being purple in nature. Does that make sense?

So... BOO on you scanner!  

Anyway, I need to get some studying done now, but I'm  hoping to get these in the shop by the end of the day. :o)

So, trust me, they are beautiful even if these pictures make them look like [insert your favorite word you say when something just looks awful].

Dahlia progress, pictures only...

Mary Konior's Dahlia, Size 40 Fancy Fields, plus Lizbeth Gold and Purple Md. (Thank you Fox for the suggestion to try them togeher!)

BAHAHAHA!! Tischband Mustache!

So, I ordered some Fudge Brown (size 40) from Handy Hands the other day. Naturally I decided to try it for the leaves of the Tischband Tat along.  (Because brown flowers does not sound pretty)...
BUT it looks like a mustache and I'm loving it!!!

I laid down on the stairs so I wouldn't have to hold it... more convincing that way! :o)

However, it makes the rest of my face look distorted... oh well 

And then a prettier, more proper picture.

Trying out my tablet for posting

I bought a sony tablet s last week. Here is a picture of some new thread with it.



Here is another picture of the same threads using the scanner:

These are still not quite "true to life" but really it never will be. :o( BUT they are closer than the other picture. 

I love the guessing games....

Okay... We'll do this one simply.... the first right guess is the winner.  You don't have to wait for comment approval here so you'll know if anyone has guessed yet.....

What pattern have I started here??  (Don't rely on counting rounds, I accidentally left one out.) Plus, I'm not done going around either, it's got a couple more rows around for the center piece.
I'm really hoping to finish this one.  I am SOOO bad about not finishing projects.

I feel a little bad, because I know not everyone can get this book, but from what I see, lots of people already have it.   (feel free to use that as a hint)

Prize:  A skein of this beautiful "Fancy Fields" in either size 20 or size 40.

I also have a question for everyone that has gone to Tat Days... Is it an event that I could bring Livi to?  I would love to go down there that weekend, but I would have to have Livi with me.