Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday Dear Meeeeeeeeee!!! Happy Birthday to me!
Whew! Now I'm winded! LOL! Just kidding...thanks for putting up with my self indulgence.
Today isn't actually my birthday; it was earlier this week. Since I have been through months and months of lean times and not feeling well and...etc...etc...(you get the picture?) I decided to buy myself what I really wanted for my B-day.... TATTING STUFF!!!!

Can anyone else relate to this? If not tatting stuff, then some other craft that you are addicted to. I decided to spoil myself this birthday as I got in on a months free rent deal for September + I just got my first full paycheck + birthday = TATTING STUFF!!!

So I went to Velona Needlecraft and indulged myself thoroughly. The owner's wife, Rose, was quite accomodating and asked questions about tatting. She was very sweet. She seemed interested in knowing about how long I've been tatting and a few other things about my hobby. It was pleasant to chat with someone about my favorite hobby.

Okay, so enough of the pleasantries....I'm dying to show you what I got myself for my birthday!
Wanna see?

Ready or not; here I go!!!

Here are all my goodies!

Here's some DMC size 80 tatting thread.

Look at all the beautiful colors.

They had drawers full of them and a large

selection of lovely colors.

Below the balls of thread in the photo

are two post style faux tortoise shell shuttles.

They look and feel much sturdier than the

average Clover brand faux tortoise shell shuttles.

Next are some balls of

Coats and Clark's size 70 tatting-crochet thread.

I couldn't resist!

Below the balls of thread in the picture are two

plastic post style shuttles that say "Debbie A" on them.

I've never seen this brand before, but they looked intriguing.

Different colors are always good in plastic shuttles for

when you are tatting with two or more shuttles

in order to keep track of which shuttle you are using.

Next are some fun colors of

Flora size 50 cotton crochet thread.

I've heard so-so things about Flora,

but I liked the colors and I like this size thread for

some projects.

Below are two more of the "Debbie A"

plastic post style tatting shuttles.

I turned one upside-down for you

to see what it looks like.

Then I was intrigued by this thread.

It's called

Glanzhakelgarn Uncinetto

and it's made in W Germany.

It's size 20 Cordonnet Mercer Cotton

in a lovely variegated pale blue.

I had to try some

Manuela size 20

variegated green and pink.

I've seen some pieces done up in this brand and

have never been much impressed by the colors I've

seen used. I am curious by nature so I thought

I'd give these two colors a try in the Manuela thread.

The owner's wife was running the shop.

We were talking tatting and she learned I

used to teach tatting in another city.

She gave me these plastic thimbles and

needlecase from Velona Needlecraft of Anaheim, CA

and Needle Nook of Las Vegas, NV.

I used to shop on occasion at Needle Nook when I lived in that city.

Needle Nook was Velona's sister shop and no longer exists.

These were compliments of Rose, the owner's wife.

Wasn't that sweet of her?

Next we have the books!

OH!!! THE BOOKS!!!

I was in tatting book heaven.

I LOVE tatting books

(and I'm somewhat partial to tatting thread, too)

;)

There was a great selection of tatting books.

I had to restrain myself from buying more than what you see here.

First I'll show you the
Rosemarie Peel book that's out of print,

along with Karey Soloman's book
"Tatting Turns Over a New Leaf"

Next we have two lovely books by

Susanne Schwenke.

The patterns are just lovely and the graphics

look very understandable

so it doesn't matter that these books are

in another language!

LOL!

I've had my eye on books by

Jan Stawasz

for some time.

When I saw this book there
I snatched it up in nothing flat.

Jan Stawasz's tatting patterns are

awe-inspiring to look at.

I suggest you look at his website when you get a chance.
There's some lovely eye-candy to be seen there!


But wait! Before you go there looky at what

else I got!

This Fantasia book by

Iris Niebach.

It seems to be the going thing by tatter's

online that if you can tat one of Iris's doily patterns

then you have "made it" in tatting.

Iris Niebach has a website and a blog.

But wait!!! Before you go there, too....

....I have two last books to show you.

These lovely tatting books in Russian and Polish.

Okay, I know what you're thinking...

...you're thinking, "TattingChic, why on earth did you
buy tatting books in Russian?"

Because they spoke to me,

that's why.

No, not in Russian, silly!

They spoke to me in the language of the heart.

Come on, you know what I mean!

The patterns inside were screaming to be

realized.

Any crafter knows what I mean now!!!

HA!!!

;)

Ahhhh.... that was FUN! I loved showing you my birthday presents. Thanks for being such a captive audience.

Now, what to tat....hmmmmmmm....

It was so much fun to put off unpacking all these boxes from the big move last weekend. So, here I sit surrounded by boxes and boxes and tatting books and thread and shuttles. I am very blessed and grateful for what I have. I am also grateful for YOU, my blogging buddies.

I love your visits and comments and look forward to all the wonderful things you have to share with me in your blogs and the things you say to me on my own posts. Thanks for being the best blogging buddies EVER!

Well, good-bye from

Procrastination Station!

...errrr.....ummm... I mean...

TattingChic's Blog!

(yeah, that's it)

Toodles!

~TattingChic

(((hugs)))

:)

P.S. The doily used as the background for this post was featured earlier in my blog in a post. Click here to find that.

If you like this doily and would like to tat it you can find the pattern free online at the Antique Patterns Library. Click here to get to the exact book that it is in and scroll down to Page 9, Figure 26. If you have any copies of vintage Priscilla tatting books it is found in "Priscilla Tatting Book No. 1", also Page 9, Figure 26.