Yay! Fair Results!

 So, I didn't actually go to the fair myself, but my friend went and took pictures for me. 

Livi decorated a jewelry box, it got second place. 

She was so excited!

My ornament got first place! :o)

 My embellished barrettes got first place as well.  I am surprised by this one.  The barrettes broke right before I turned them in.  They are super cute though :o)

And my big one:

My doily got both First place AND Best of Show!

If I said I am so excited.... I would be understating the emotion. :o) lol

More MOBs for Livi and a special Thank you!

These are all my own Starflower design. The top two are Mindanao Gum and Rainbowlicious (2.0)

The bottom row contains these colorways:

I think I will call this one "Graffiti".  I really like it.  I dyed it up a few months ago and only did two size 60 skeins because I didn't know how the colors would work out.  I really like it though and I think it works up neat. :o)  So, I think I will do more.... after Tat Days. :o)

This one:

It WAS going to be Macarons.  Macarons was going to have a dark brown in it.  But, when I sat down to do the dyeing, I spilt the jar of brown.  Two of them were heavily drench in brown.  So, I dyed them with green... they looked awesome.  They will be available at the Tat Days Silent Auction next week.

These two however, I went ahead and kind of finished the macaron colorway, just to see how they would look.

At first... I thought "ehh, eww?"  But, it started growing on me, so I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. 

So....  don't judge a dyed skein too harshly if it isn't "perfect"

:o)

Ms. Sarah sent Livi and I another sweet card.  Ms. Sarah is Livi's tooth fairy if you don't remember. :o)

I love the fish! So cute!

She also sent Livi this sweet window hanging.

Not only did she tat my Starflower design.  She also tatted the outside chain in my Rainbowlicious :o)

AND... it glows in the dark!

Thank you Ms. Sarah, Livi loves the glow in the dark! 

She also loved the letter you sent! So sweet! Thank you very much!

<3<3<3

On the homefront, I started school on Monday so I will have less tatting and dyeing time.  But, I will make sure to squeeze some time in when I can. Right now the only thing that I've even thought of tatting are these little flowers so Livi can have a wider variety.  

She has a little box to put the motifs in and she says she's going to pick the flower for her hair-bow every day. :o)  I'm definitely excited and proud. :o)

Spinning Wheel Glass Mat Ornament

This was another one of my fair entries.  The tatting you have seen before (or rather I have shown here), multiple times.

But, as a refresher, it's Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel Glass Mat, in my original Rainbowlicious size 40.

It took some "pulling" to get it sit just right on the ball, but it was worth it.  I want to get some more balls and do more of these. Also, I want to see if two size 40 mats will fit on the ball.

I really think that another will fit on the bottom, but that would mean tatting it backwards (you know bs/fs instead of fs/bs) Or I could even do them in size 60 or 80 and then there would be a zig zag of space in between the two pieces.  That would be cute. :o)

I got about 120 bobeez in the mail today!! So, I will have quite the stack to sell at Tat Days. :o)

Thank you Fox!

I received this lovely packaged today from my neighbor to the north!

Thank you so much Fox!

I got a kick out of the card. 

The motifs are adorable!

The shuttles are gorgeous!

And the mat will come in very handy.

I'm feeling very special today!

Thank you!

Livi is representing tatting at school again today.  

She lost one flower at school, hopefully this one will come home this afternoon.  Honestly I don't mind if she loses them.  That may sound horrible since I spend hours making them.  But, it's so sweet that she wants to wear them that I figure it's worth the risk.  I would never want her to think that my little pieces of tatting are too good for her.  Plus, she does take care of them and she felt so bad that the other one had fallen off. 

In other news, since I decided to use my messy rainbow right away instead of entering into the fair, I dyed up another new colorway

This one is size 60 again.  I really like it so I think I will do more of this colorway.

I also did some size 80, email me if you would like to purchase one of these 37 yard skeins. 

<3

17 Days? Seriously??

I can not believe that Tat Days is only 17 days away.
I also can not believe that my classes start this coming Monday!

AHH!!

As of right now, I have over 200 skeins that are set aside especially for Tat Days.  It's mostly size 20 and 40, but those are the most popular.

I found out the other day that my parents are going to be driving Livi and I down to Georgia.  They are not going to be staying on campus with us, but they are driving us down there.  So, some of you may get to meet my lovely parents.

Livi wore the hairclip that I was working on the other day:

I think it looks cute! 

Kindergarten News:  (I feel like this is becoming a regular "section" of my blog lol)
We are still doing the daily photos. :o)

My little brother is in town.  He's been walking with us in the mornings.  

Livi calls him "Uncle Me", because his name is Jeremy.  (Jer-e-ME) lol

What a cutie!

LTR saves the Starflower

I was tatting my Starflower and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing... not a good combination.
So, while I accidentally left out one of the rings of the clovers.  I didn't realize it however until after I had almost finished the chain leading to the next ring.
Since I dread untatting, especially with this size 60 (or anything smaller), I needed to be creative.  Now, granted, I could have made the next ring a SCMR and then thrown this ring off of it but that would mean that the base of the ex-missing ring would be attached to the wrong ring and that would bug me.
At first, my thought was to pull out some of the core thread by the clover, cut the thread, and let the chain unravel. That way, I would have tails to tat over.  I almost wish I had gone that route, but that's OK.
Instead, I opted for a Loop Tatted Ring with the loop that I pulled out from the core thread.
You can see the remains of this LTR still hanging out:

This starflower is being tatted to be attached to a hairclip which I will enter in the fair.  With that in mind, I am planning to hide this loop when I attach it to a piece of denim that will be between the flower and the hairclip :o)

BUT, the point of all that is.... there are definitely more than one solution to any problem. :o)

BTW, like the thread?  I'm loving it!  I had originally dyed to enter the fair, but then I liked it so much that I didn't want to wait until after Tat Days to even get to use it. 

It's a low immersion Rainbowlicious.... or a Messy Jess!-y Rainbow in size 60 only.

I will try to do some in the other sizes, once I can buy more thread.  Right now I am out. It makes me a little nervous, but it will all work out. 

(My being out of thread makes me nervous of course because while I have gotten a good bit done on my Re-dye list, I haven't gotten to everything yet.  And since sales have been extremely slow, a re-up on thread is going to have to wait a bit. But, like I said, it will all work out.)

I also managed to get another one of my Starflowers tatted today, this one was tatted with size 40 Tat-ilicious "4-Eva"  :o) 

Oh, and I have started a page on Facebook for Tat-ilicious. 

There's nothing just terribly exciting over there yet, but I do have my Storenvy shop on there as well which is kind of neat.  After Tat Days, I will be more diligent about putting thread in that shop.  Also, I am thinking about tatting up some of these Starflowers to sell as interchangeables for MOB hairclips.  A lot of my non tatting friends have been asking if I would sell my tatting, so... I figure I might as well give them the option. :o)

Sorry for any typos that I leave her or other places.  I have noticed that I have gotten really bad at misspelling words in the worst kind of ways.  Most of the time, I substitute a completely different word.

Like earlier this week, I tried to type showed, but ended up typing "should"

There were others, but I can't remember them now.

So, I am trying to proofread my statements but whether it be ADD or just bad proofreading... I miss a lot.

I'm stopping at 9 rows

It no longer fits on my scanner, as you can see.  But, in order to do another row, I would need to grab yet another skein from my shop... and frankly that's not exactly a financially sound decision. So, this doily is finished.  I really like it!

I am still taking Livi's picture every morning, but I won't bore you with them everyday.

I thought this one was adorable though.  My dad was out of town all last week and most of this week.  So, Livi insisted that Papoo walk her to school today.  

I know there hasn't been anything new in the shop in a little while, which is why sales have been non exsistent, but I do have these coupons active for you to choose from:

FREESHIPPING for free shipping

PERCENTUM for 10% off

Those are for the Etsy shop only.

I am however running a special in my Storenvy shop, buy 4 get 1 free. 

Single Shuttle Split Ring Dangle, with beads.

ALSO... that allows for joining.

One thing that annoys me about SSSRs is that you can't make joins because it will interfere with closing the ring.  This is not a problem with this little dangle that I've made.

Now, I don't know if this is a new idea or not, but I think it's interesting.

When pulling out the loop from the shuttle thread to finish the ring, add a bead to the loop.

Finish the ring like normal

Then when you pull the loop back through the tunnel... the bead is obviously not going anywhere

Pretty neat right?

I'm thinking that a bunch of these to form a tassle, would be cool.

Or even as the tail on a bookmark. 

I would love to see different versions of this... like with smaller beads... multiple beads.... the possiblities are endless.  What other ways can you think to use this technique?

Day 3 of kindergarten:

My brother has suggested that I take Livi's picture EVERY day before school. 

This morning, Livi promptly reminded me that we needed to take her picture. lol

Love this girl!!!

Well, that didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would, Havana Doily Update 4

It's just like me to take a close up picture of the BACKSIDE!     BUT it's a wonderful time to  thank Jane Eborall for her wonderful instruction for joining without a color blip!!
I am not the best at the technique, and sometimes I forget to do it, but it looks a lot better than it would, don't you think?

Last night when I shared the picture of row 7 done, I just knew that row 8 was going to take forever to finish.  But... here I am only about 14 hours later... and it's finished. AND I slept, got Livi ready for school, walked her to school and then took another break or two in there somewhere. Not too bad. :o)

I am putting this piece down for today though.  I need to get back to dyeing. :o)

It was raining on our way to Livi's second day of kindergarten! 

Havana Doily Update #3

And row seven is now finished. :o)

I don't think that I will get the next row done so quickly as I have other things planned for tomorrow.  But, with the next update, I will try to get a picture of it outside so that you can actually see the shade of the Evergreen compared to the two colorways.  

And I agree, the spokes created by the negative space make this a very interesting piece.  The version that Mrs. Maynard did in Tatting a 4 Square Ring has something like 15 or more rows. I am not going to do that many rows.  So, I am adapting the design so that I can see incorporate the outer "diamonds" on this smaller version.  If you don't know what I'm talking about... it's okay, you'll see it soon enough. :o)

Right now the doily measures to 7".  IMHO that's pretty neat, and I just went back to verify this.  But each row has added 1" to the diameter. So, if I do finish after 3 more rows, then this should end up being 10" (in diameter).  Now, to just add the 3 more rows to test my hypothesis. :o)

Havana Doily Update 2

If yesterday you saw that I was adding Key Lime Raspberry Parfait to my Havana Doily and thought: "Ehh, what?"  Don't worry, the colors are going to look wonderful together!

See? 

Again, if you don't remember, this design is Mary Maynard's from Tatting a 4 Square Ring.  I recommend the book, if you are wondering.  It's an interesting read and has some really beautiful pieces. :o)

I'm referring to as my "Havana" doily because that's the colorway that's in the center.  I know that most of you know that already, but there may be someone out there wondering. :o)

I am really loving how this piece is turning out. 

I started the sixth  row about 8 hours ago, and have been working on it on and off this evening.  So, I am feeling a little better about my August 25 deadline for the fair. :o)

Takin' it to the next level

I've decided to enter the Havana doily into the fair this year.  I was thinking about not sending this one since I had done a poor job at hiding the ends on the second row.  Since then the piece has grown on me and I've decided to expand it and enter it.

The fourth row is Lizbeth's Evergreen, but you can't really tell since in the picture if looks almost black.

The Evergreen looks good with the Havana in poor lighting like in this picture. BUT when I took this piece outside to work on it yesterday, I realized the Evergreen was not a good match.  Now, I am adding Key Lime Raspberry Parfait and I think it will match the Ever green a little better.  

I have another 5 rows or so planned.  I need this thing done by Aug 25.  I think I can do it :o)

Oh!! And I finally got the grasp of the Magic Thread Trick (which is why there are extra pink threads hanging out).  Now that I get it ... I feel completely block headed for not trying it before.  Total life saver! (Well... maybe not life saver... but definitely time and stress saver!) lol

Heart for Misha by Fox

I decided to tat Fox's Heart for Misha again, but this time I wanted it to look like a kitty. (I could probably add some ears to make it actually look like a cat... but this works. )

The kitty ended up looking a little surprise, but still very cute. :o)

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes for Livi's first day of kindergarten! She had a blast!  

I enjoyed reading all the stories about your experience with leaving your children at school for the first time.  It's nice to know that others have been there and that it's normal to feel a little sad.  

Bittersweet Kindergarten

I'm a little sad this morning.  I walked my baby girl to school this morning for her first day of kindergarten.  Of course, my child just walked in and started playing.  She paid little mind to me.  I know that's good.  It means I've raised her to be independent but it's a little sad at the same time.

Here she is before our walk

Can you see that she's wearing a hairclip?

It's this one:

She wanted to wear one of the new hairclips that I had recently made.  Who could say "no" to that!

:o)

Starflower Diagram

Like the hand drawing?

or click here for the pdf version

Enjoy!

Golden Heart and a MOB Suncatcher

When I read on Tat-ology that Fox was putting her pattern on Etsy... I just had to make a purchase. :o)

So, here is "Heart for Misha" by Fox

Size 40 Lizbeth Gold for the chain and a special thread that only Fox and I own. 

I used a shell doughnut bead for the middle. 

Earlier this evening I was admiring some of Sue's suncatchers.  

It gave me an idea.  So, I grabbed some tulle that I had bought at Christmas and sewed a few layers around a bangle bracelet. Then I tried to sew a button in the center.  As you can... I was off bit a smidge.

So, there you have it: a MOB Suncatcher! Because the tulle is sheer, the sun will still be able to shine through. :o)

Do you ever stuck on one pattern? (Starflower pattern)

More MOBs...

lol, I am pretty sure this is my own pattern.  I have looked through all my books, and I can't find this pattern. However, I did find a variation of it on my own blog (here)

So... I am pretty sure it is mine.  But, do you ever do that?  Just get to playing around with a pattern that you've just made up and then forget whether or not you actually came up with it.  I mean, when I tat it... it doesn't seem original... because I've tatted it before.  

But, just for reference sake I guess...

The picture is the pattern.  All rings have 6 ds between picots.  Chains have 6 ds between EXCEPT for right at the clover.  There are only 3ds right after the clover to the first picot. 

I really love this little flower.  

This one was tatted in size 80 Lizbeth silver and grape.

Isn't it cute how the inside of it looks like a star. 

That was unintentional... but could be quite useful if I say so myself. 

Hah... I just named this pattern:

Starflower

Don't You Forget About Me...

Excuse me.  I'm having a Breakfast Club moment........

Okay, I'm good now.

I got another inspired colorway done this weekend.  I know I have my list of redyes to get through.  But I just really wanted to do something new.... and this was it. :o)

"Forget Me Not" was inspired by Nenneral 

Because this is an inspired colorway... it wouldn't be fair to not to offer it in my Etsy shop.

So, I have added 5 skeins of size 20

3 skeins of size 40

2 skeins of size 60

and 

1 skein of size 80

If those are all gone and you would still like to purchase one.  I do have more. 

^ You like my positive outlook on this colorway... I am expecting them to move. lol

Hope everyone is well!!

33 days until Tat Days.... EEEKK!!!

<3

As a teaser for those attending Tat Days:

Here is a small look into my Tat Days stash.

:o)

Just for fun:

How many colorways do you recognize?

Which ones do you suppose are new?

The Tooth Fairy Tats!!

So, as you may remember, Livi lost her first tooth last week.  It was a wonderfully exciting thing for her. 

So, Mrs. Sarah in CT sent her this sweet card with Jane Eborall's Fairy pattern on the front.

When we opened the card, Mrs. Sarah had put a tooth fairy poem on the inside.  Once I started reading the poem, Livi says "THE TOOTH FAIRY TATS!!!"  It was priceless!

Not only that, but the small stars glow in the dark, and Livi is convinced that the card can be her night light, so that she doesn't get scared in the dark.

Thank you Mrs. Sarah, she so loved the card from her Tooth Fairy!

Oh..sorry, the picture is sideways... it's not saved that way and I don't know how to fix it.

These bags are from Diane!  She sent them to Livi and I since we weren't able to go and have lunch with her.  Aren't they so sweet?  Livi has a matching shuttle, but hers is upstairs attached to a ball of thread and massive knot that she tatted. ;o)

Diane also added a small container of beads for Livi and pretty pearl beads for me.  The necklace her is the necklace that Livi went ahead and made from her beads.

:o)

Thank you Diane.  We love the bags and beads!!

Now, I can't leave without talking about my new favorite hobby of MOBbing right?

I  purchased some of Sherry's beautiful cobalt ceramic buttons.  So, soon... I will have tatting around buttons that have tatting on them?  How perfect is that right?

There were 4 buttons... but I'm working with the other right now.  I'll show later :o)

Thank you Sherry for being so awesome!