Snow in the deep South

 

 

 

I just wanted to share our Saturday morning Winter Wonderland with you. We don't get snow often, even just this little bit so it is very special. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

I'M ALIVE!

Hello dear friends. I really am still around. I just can't tat and it is unbearable! I hope you are all well and enjoy the holiday season.

Here are two pictures of my tree this year. I will have to start turning it around and get pictures of the other sides. It is covered.

Here are pictures of the angels and snowflakes I have tatted or been given this year. I really expected to have many more made. Oh, well.

Maybe I can force myself to get back into blogging even if I can't tat. Merry Christmas!

Tatting gifts from Carol L.

I wish my camera made better pictures so you could see how lovely these two pieces really are. These were totally unexpected gifts from a very sweet friend. She knows how bad I have been feeling most of this year. She said as she was tatting the lotus flower, she was thinking of me and knew it was to be mine. Sooo Sweet! It is on a lovely pink cord with pink ribbon and I love it. The heart is a beautiful pink that just doesn't show up in the picture. It is attached to the bottom of the letter printed on pretty, rose stationery.

Thank you so much Carol for these precious gifts. Please forgive me for being a while getting them posted. I have worn the necklace several times and get many questions about it. You are a doll!

I WON, I WON!

It has been a long time since I won anything and I am so happy to break that dry spell with this win. I can't wait to try out a bead spinner. Thank you so much to Lady Shuttle Maker for all of her contributions to the tatting community. Her generosity is humbling. Furthermore, Whoo Hoo!

Lady Shuttle Maker's Mondo Monday Giveaway

This week's prize is really a jewel - a bead spinner! I have always wanted one. I hate to tell you to go over and sign up as that decreases my chances of winning, but I promised!

Chinese Dragon in Purple Punch

Thank you so much Anne Bruvold for sharing this wonderful pattern! Look here for the pattern. I thoroughly enjoyed tatting it start to finish. Wish the scan was better. I have a hard time with things that are not flat. Yes, that is a real pearl in it's mouth! The thread is "Purple Punch" in size 50 by Yarnplayer. Red and yellow might have been better colors for a Chinese dragon, but I really wanted a purple one! I know I don't usually tat in size 50, but I have my first ever Ott lamp and I can see the stitches! I love the smaller threads as they give a much more lacey look to the tatting. Now that I can see, I have to tat snowflakes in this thread. I thought I would have some thread left on my shuttles with which to start a snowflake. Not so! It took a total of 14.5 yards on shuttle one and 12 yards on shuttle two. I had started with 10 yards on each. (You might need more or less, but this gives you an idea.) Thanks again, Anne!

Blonde Heart's October Giveaway

Kelly at Blondeheart is having the cutest giveaway. It is a cubcake, one of the adorable little bears she has been making for so long. Go see!

Lady Shuttle Maker's Giveaway

Here we are with another Monday. Do yourself a favor and go to Lady Shuttle Maker's blog and register for her giveaway. The more entries, the more prizes!

Magic Moment Snowflake

I tatted Jon's Magic Moments Snowflake in size 20 thread. The hand dyed thread is "Granny Smith" by Lady Shuttle Maker. In size 20, it measures 4 3/4". I used 8 yards of thread on shuttle 1 and 13 yards of thread on shuttle 2. This is a fun design to tat with all the changing of the shuttles and directions, but not at all hard. Before I finished, I was just looking at the previous repeats instead of the chart. I only used the written directions to get started. I think this one will be repeated. Watch for it in another size, maybe!

I wanted to share these pictures with you here in case you don't go to my story blog. This is a picture of my grandparents house. We lived here part of my childhood and the rest of it, next door to here. It was the most special place in the world.



Here is what was left after the freeway moved us out. Go to I REMEMBER for the story if you want to read it.

Aileen's Hallowversary Giveaway

I just read where Aileen of Aileen's Wicked Tats is having a giveaway. If you win one of her prizes, you won't be disappointed. Visit her here to enter.

Favorite Spring Blossom Snowflake

This is my favorite Spring Blossom snowflake in Apple Blossom. I used variegated thread on both shuttles for the first round. Then for the second round, I used one with the darkest pink for the outside and variegated for the inside rings. I could have used the shoelace trick to make the chains going up to the trefoils in the pink, but I think it looks nice this way. Way to go on dyeing this thread Tatskool and thanks to Jon Faizon for her wonderful snowflake designs.

Lady Shuttle Maker's first Monday giveaway

Hurry over to Lady Shuttle Maker's Blog for a visit and don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway. No matter which prize you win, they will be fantastic.

Help with Dragon Presentation

I need help! I want to display the dragons as closely to the scene in the book as possible. No matter how I display them, I am going to have to sew them onto a piece of fabric before they can be framed. In the book, they are fighting over what they call "The Burning Plains." Thus I imagine it would be earthy tones with tan, brown and red where the fire breakes through the earths crust. I just don't see this working. My brother suggested a black velvet sky with crystals for stars, a mother of pearl moon and some rocks at the bottom of the shadow box to look like crags.

All suggestions will be appreciated. I want the art of the tatted pieces to be the main focus in the presentation. It should look classy and not overdone.

Like I said, I need help!

Spring Blossom Snowflakes

As I was tatting Jon's Spring Blossom Snowflake in Yarnplayer's Rhubarb Pie, I thought "wait a minute. This needs to be tatted in Tatskool's Apple Blossom hand dyed thread!" I had three solids from the colorway and used them for the centers, as you can see. I may tat one more in all Apple Blossom. We'll see. So much tatting, so little time!

I just noticed that I scanned 2 of them upside down! Oops.

 

 

 

 

Spring Blossom Snowflake in Rhubarb Pie

 

I think Jon's Spring Blossom Snowflake looks so pretty in Yarnplayer's Rhubarb Pie hand dyed thread. I like this pattern a lot. Be looking for more rainbow snowflakes soon!

Presenting "Thorn The Dragon"

Here is Thorn from book two by Christopher Paolini. The name of the book is "Eldest." The pattern is by Karey Solomon -more or less. I had a difficult time figuring out several parts of it. If it taught me anything, it was that you have to know what you are doing and not expect to be "spoon fed" the pattern.

The beads are lovely, vintage size 11 seed beads from a little shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I bought them over a year ago and just now got brave enough to use them. I wish they were more visible here, but they probably need to be photographed in the sun and I just can't go out there! The thread is size 20 Lizbeth.

 

I know you have already seen Saphira, but I wanted to present them as I might frame them - in battle.

 

New Blog - I REMEMBER

I have started a new blog. I wanted a place to put all of my stories, both published and non-published. This will be a good way to insure that I don't lose any of them. I hope that you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy sharing
them. Shoud you want to copy and reuse any of them as my aunt sometimes did in her church bulletins, please just let me know. I know that by publishing them here, I take the chance of loosing control of them, but I hope that will not be the case. Here is the link. I hope you will add it to your blog.
I REMEMBER

Happy reading!

The Letter Carrier brought surprises yesterday!

I received by thread order from Tatskool yesterday afternoon. I am so excited! As soon as I finish the dragon I am making, I think I will start a doily with this thread. I think it is just yummy. It is, of course, from her hand dyed Choco Raspberry collection and most of the colors will work in my bedroom with Yarnplayer's Rhubarb Crisp.

 

I had a super surprise in with my order. Along with some extra thread, I discovered I was the friend for whom Tatskool was making the heart! She is such a sweetie and wanted to cheer me up. It worked!

 

Here is a picture of the end table where I display my heart collection. I bet lots of you recognize your patterns, thread and hearts that you have sent to me. Thank you all so much for being a huge part of my family. You are all in my heart!