TattingChic

Demonstrating Tatting at The Handcart Days in Bountiful, Utah

2011-07-02T21:00:00.001-06:00

Hello my bloggy friends! I guess it's been awhile, hasn't it? A lot has happened in my life since we last "spoke"... I guess I've got a lot of explain' to do, but before we get into all that let me share with you about what I did today! I went with someone from my local tatting group, "The Bonneville Tatters" to "The Handcart Days" in Bountiful, Utah and demonstrated tatting! It was really a nice day and we shared the lovely art of tatting with quite a few interested parties!

I even captured part of the day in some pics! Here, let me share them with you!

First, here is my partner in crime, Nannette.

She is tatting away diligently at something.
She even gave me permission to share her
pic on my blog! Wasn't that nice of her?

You can kind of get an idea of our table layout from this picture!
We had all kinds of tatted goodies we were displaying.

Of course as luck would have it the project I
was working on had a ring that wouldn't close
so I wasn't a very good "demonstrator"... LOL!

Here are some close ups of some of the tatted
goodies we were displaying...

...we had tatted lanyards and necklaces.

tatted brooches, snowflakes, earrings, doilies, bookmarks,
hearts, and of course, tatting shuttles!

This pictures shows a piece with some cluny work
that I haven't shown on my blog before and a pink
bookmark that Rozella Linden sent me once.
Yes, "THE" Rozella Linden...She has written books
on Celtic Tatting. Some of my tatting friends that are
involved in the online community may know her by her
real name "Ruth Perry". She also sent me a tatting shuttle...
...but that's a whole 'nother blog post! ;)

We were in an Art Center in Bountiful so there was a
bounty of beautiful artsy pieces to look at!
I snapped a few pics of things that caught my eye!

For instance this intriguing and beautiful necklace
was on display right behind us!
Isn't it gorgeous?
It looks like it was made out of all natural pieces.

Then in the center of the room and in front
of our table was this beautiful children's dress.
It was gorgeous!

Well, that was my Saturday! How was yours? Feel free to share what you think about our day at "The Handcart Days" in the comments! I've missed my bloggy friends but it's been hard to blog without a camera handy! I will share more in the near future now that I have a camera!... or well, actually...camera software!
(((huggles)))

♥

XOXO

My Review of Gazebo Bird Feeder

2011-05-14T21:38:00.001-06:00

Originally submitted at Plow & Hearth

This classic feeder is a real favorite for its gazebo styling and beautiful craftsmanship. It features a real pine shingled roof, hexagonal design and a decorative railing. The roof lifts up on the heavy-duty nylon hanging cord for easy filling of 2 lbs. of seed. Drainage holes keep seed fresh and ...

I love my gazebo birdfeeder!

By TattingChic from Utah on 5/14/2011

Pros: Birds love it, Adorable, Conversation piece, Easy to fill

Cons: Just fill it outside

Best Uses: Small Birds

I had read some comments that this feeder was hard to fill. I had no problems with it. I just lifted the rooftop off; sliding it up on the rope and filled it from there and then slid the roof back down and made sure that the notch on the frame of the bird feeder frame went into the hole in the rooftop. I recommend filling it outside where you are going to hang it though, because it's a messy fill! Otherwise you will have birdseed all over your countertop and floor. Not that I did that, of course...just saying... ;)

(legalese)

What's Playing on YOUR Shuttle?

2010-11-14T17:18:00.001-07:00

Yes, you heard me right! I said "What's playing on YOUR shuttle?" Yes, your tatting shuttle!

"What?", you ask in return, silently to yourself as you read this, "Has TattingChic gone off her rocker? Completely Nutzo? Why would she ask such a preposterous thing?"

Well, let me explain! I have a tatting shuttle made from a vinyl record! YUP! A good old fashioned vinyl record. So, I was just wondering what it used to play! You know...what's "Playing" on it, LOL! It's just a little "PLAY" on words, so to speak! LOL! I got it from another Etsy artist named Shadetreeart! Some of you may also know her blog which is also called Shade Tree Art.

Would you like me to stop teasing you with words and just show you what the shuttle looks like?
Alrighty then, let's hit it, baby!

~*~

Here it is...
...the star of our show!

A tatting shuttle made from a vinyl record!
It's green!

~*~
Okay, I know you're looking at that thinking
"No, it's black, TattingChic",
but it's "green" in the sense that it's
an upcycled vinyl recond and Shadetree Art put an
old record to good use instead of throwing it away!
~*~

Here's a closer look so you can see the
striations of the record.
You can click on the photos to enlarge
them to get a better look.

It's kind of cool, aye?

~*~

Thanks for letting me share that with you! So, with all that said...I really do wonder what was playing on my tatting shuttle. Was it Frank Sinatra? The Beatles? Or a Symphony....Pachelbel's Canon in D Minor? LOL! I guess I will never know. It would be kind of neat to know what the source of the vinyl record was. The post in between the blades is just black painted wood or acrylic as near as I can tell that is glued to the blades. The blades make a pinging sound as the thread passes through the blades. It's kinda cool! It feels smooth to the touch, but it scratches easily, LOL! Just like any vinyl record...but I don't have to worry about it skipping, ;)

Be sure to say hello and let me know what you think! I love visitors and comments are always welcome here at TattingChic!

♥

XOXO

Pink Jewel

2010-11-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I have a new tatting shuttle! I ordered it from La Cossette. She's the same talented artist who sold me the Blue Diamond tatting shuttle. I had asked for a pink tatting shuttle to coordinate with the blue beauty and she did not disappoint! Let me show you!

~*~

Here it is!

I like how the front has a little pearl
in the divet there!
So pretty!

~*~

Then the other side is just as lovely!
It has sparkly paper!

The photo doesn't show how it sparkles and
shines in person, but it does!

I think it's lovely!

Did you notice the way the burgundy paper
is punched around the edges?

It's a new "Punch Around the Page"
paper punch set by Martha Stewart.
Doesn't it look like tatting?
I thought it reminded me of a tatted
clover~leaf edging on a handkerchief.
It was called "Ribbon Loop" although
I thought it should've been called
"Tatted Lace" instead!

Martha, Martha, Martha! ;)

(Don't get me wrong...I love her stuff
I just think she should've consulted with
me first before titling this paper punch
set because it looks more like tatting
than ribbon, ha ha!!!)

~*~

Well, thanks for letting me share this new tatting shuttle with you here in bloggerland! It's always a pleasure! Be sure and leave a comment because I love to hear from bloggy friends! If you are new to my blog then I'd love to hear from you, too so introduce yourself! Comments are always welcome here at TattingChic and I'd to know what you think of the new shuttle and hear how you're doing!

♥

XOXO

Catching up

2010-10-20T15:27:00.000-06:00

When I took that little blogging break between Easter and October it wasn't because I didn't have anything to blog about! Oh, no! It also wasn't because I don't like you guys! I LOVE my blogger buddies! You guys are the best! I really missed you guys! The truth was I just wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to get on here and complain and be a drag. So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I've had lot's of periods of not feeling well! During one of those dark periods a very sweet friend sent me some tatted lace to cheer me up! Let me share it with you!

~*~

Isn't this just gorgeous?

It's an edging called "Bridesmaid"
designed by Mary Konior
She tatted it because it looks so similar
to "Black Magic" and my dear friend
knows how much I like the "Black Magic" design!

~*~

Here it is on a contrasting background
so you can have another look at it.

I just love it and it certainly
did cheer me up!
I've had it on my side table in my living
room where I can look at it from time to time.

~*~

Now, you are probably wondering
"Who is this dear friend?"
Why it's my friend from the blog
Umintsuru!

It came all the way from Singapore
and here's the postmark to prove it!
Isn't the stamp pretty?

Thank you, my friend!

~*~

You may want to go on over to her blog because she's having a giveaway right now! She's giving away these beautiful tatted earrings! WAIT! Before you go, though, I'd love to hear what you have to say! I'm a sucker for comments...tee hee!

♥

XOXO

Blue Diamond

2010-10-18T16:56:00.001-06:00

Hello! Today I got a tatting shuttle in the mail all the way from the UK! It's a lovely one called "Blue Diamond". I love it when shuttle makers (or artists) name their shuttles! It's so fun that way you know! Would you like to see some pictures of the beauty that I got? Shall we commence with the photo shoot? You know I couldn't settle for just one photo! This little gem looks lovely on both sides, you know!

Here she is!

~*~

Blue Diamond!

She's from the etsy shop of
La Cossette!
She makes the loveliest Decoupaged
Aero Tatting shuttles!

~*~

Inside the package was this lovely little
envelope that she packaged the shuttle in!
Isn't it pretty?

Here are some more photos!

Here's the other side!

And just one more photo of the side
I like the best!

Isn't she lovely?

~*~

Okay, I have been seeing these fun blinged up shuttles
on everyone's tatting blogs and I'm feeling a little left out!
I had to go get a bling stash, you know!

So, here it is!

I'll let you know what I come up with!

~*~

Thank you for stopping by today to see my new tatting shuttle! I was so excited to get something in the mail besides the usual bill. Let me know what you think in the comments. It's always so nice to hear from my blog buddies!

♥

XOXO

Wanda's "Antique" Doily

2010-10-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen this doily yet I would encourage you to get over to Wanda's Knotty Thought's and check it out! Isn't it gorgeous? I certainly think so! She made this tatted doily up from tatted antique motif and she even shares the pattern! That's talent and generosity in one fell swoop!
Well, go on now! What are you still here for!?
;)

♥

XOXO

An Impending Death...

2010-10-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

Dear friends,

Sorry about the morbid title, but I've got some very sad news to share with you! A very dear friend of mine is dying. This friend is like family I spend so much time with this dear friend! I fear the end is near for this poor, dear friend. When the end finally comes for this friend I'm afraid I won't be online as much... at least for a little while.
I know I promised I wouldn't be gone for long, but I'm afraid I have no choice.
You see it's my computer....it's dying. When it's gone I won't be able to get online until I can afford to get a new one.

...sniff...

....sniff...

It is a very dear friend....or at least all my friends live in it! You folks do! My blog buddies! I'm willing to take donations! HA HA H!!!

Well, here's a picture of some tatting to cheer us all up!

It's a Celtic Style bookmark.
It's called "Celtic Bookmark".
The design is by LaRae Mikulecky

I showed a different version on
this blog post here.
I tatted this particular bookmark
a few years ago.

I added the padded cord and motif. Here's a close up below:

There, now don't you feel better after seeing some tatting? I know I do...sorta... I wish my computer wasn't dying...I do enjoy spending time with all of you!

XOXO

Antique Tatting Shuttles

2010-10-04T01:11:00.000-06:00

Hello, Hello! Did you miss me??? I missed you! ;) Sorry I've been gone so long from blogland! I wish I had some exciting excuse like I've been in Europe and the Prince of Denmark kept me detained with very important business, but I've no such exciting news to tell you! How can I possibly make it up to you?

I KNOW!

I'll show you my antique tatting shuttle collection!

These aren't just ANY tatting shuttles, you know!
Many of them are from the Victorian Era! :D

Well, there's no time like the present so let's get started! Shall we?

First, let me show you my
Sterling Silver
"Webster"
Enamel Tatting Shuttle

Isn't it a Beauty?
I am really lucky to have that one!
It's called a "Webster" because Webster was the
name of the Silversmith who made it.
He had his own special Silvermith stamp.
It's a "W" with a slash through it.
It's from the Victorian Era!

~*~

Next on the docket is another
tatting shuttle from the Victorian Era!
It's made of horn with shell inlay!

Pretty, aye? I think so!
This one hasn't arrived yet so I've stolen the pic
from the eBay seller!
Thanks, Fred! LOL! ;)

~*~

Okay, if you've been following my blog for awhile
you may have seen this one before.
I featured it in this post.
It has a colorful past.
Well, at least Lydia Pinkham's "Vegetable Compound" does, LOL!
You can read all about it in the previous post!

This is the other side of the Lydia Pinkham shuttle.
It is Celluloid.

TIP FOR THE DAY:
It's always a good idea to store your
celluloid shuttles in a separate container from
your metal shuttles because celluloid gives off a
gas that tends to discolor metal shuttles!

This shuttle is from the early 1900's.

~*~

Here is another shuttle from the Victorian Era!
This is also another Webster shuttle!
It is sterling silver and if you look in the lower
left hand side you can see the word
"Sterling" stamped on the shuttle.
Also Webster stamped his "W" with a slash
Silversmith stamp on the front on this shuttle.
It's on the top left on this one.

This one has a wreath of holly leaves around the engraved area.
It has an engraved "S" on it.
It is hard to find old shuttles without an engraved initial on it
these days! I think they just add to the charm! ;)

~*~

Now, here's another very rare shuttle from
the Victorian Era!
What makes it so rare?
Well, it's tortoise shell.
No, I don't mean the plastic tortoise shell
you see all over the place...it's real tortoise shell.
You see, in the Victorian Era "Tortoise Shell" was
very popular! Tatting shuttles made of this substance were
not uncommon, but they are rare now, and just as well, because I
love animals...especially tortoises and turtles! But this was a
rare and special find and I've always wanted one.

This one came from the UK.
I like how the light shines through it!
I wish you could see it in person.
It's very flexible!

~*~

The next shuttle is one that was very common
from the Victorian Era!
Many girls who inherit shuttles from their
ancestors from that time usually inherit this type of shuttle.
It's a bone shuttle!

People from that Era seemed to use every part of their
animals and didn't let anything go to waste....not even the bone.
So here we have a bone tatting shuttle!
Many items were made from bone, it was not uncommon.

~*~

Well, that's the end of my show and tell! Thanks for letting me share with you! I hope you're not in shock from hearing from me after so long! How long has it been? Easter? Tee hee! I promise not to make you wait so long before I post again! Sooooo, what's so special about the Victorian Era? I mean why so much emphasis on my collecting shuttles from that Era? Well, other than the fact that it's really old...yes, the late 1800's. What' makes tatting shuttles from this era so special to me is the fact that this is when tatting first had it's heyday! It is when tatting first became popularized! So there you have it! That's why I have an emphasis on collecting antique tatting shuttles from the Victorian Era!
What do you think of them? Be sure and let me know in the comments! You KNOW I love comments, right? Well, if you don't know that...don't be shy! Leave a comment because I LOVE comments and I'd love to know what you think! Oh, and by the way, no, they are not for sale, LOL! Just in case you were wondering! ;)

♥

XOXO

Happy Easter and We Have a Winner

2010-04-04T13:44:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter! It is a lovely, sunshiny day here in southern California! I hope you have all had a lovely day so far! Here is a lovely Easter Graphic I have gotten from some lovely blogger somewhere and if you can refresh my memory as to where feel free to do so! I've been enjoying a small amount of dark chocolate and bunny shaped goodies. How has your Easter been? Later I'm going to a sweet friend's for Easter dinner!

Well the moment has come to reveal the winner to the blog giveaway to the "Learn to Tat" book, shuttle and 10 yards of size 10 Manuela green thread!
I went to Random.org and I was given #113 below~ out of 149 comments!
So after much contorting of one's head and body to figure out just who was comment # 113 because it was counted forwards and backward not once, not twice but thrice! It was concluded that Crazy Mom Tats was comment #113! Here is comment #113 below:

So, congratulations to Crazy Mom Tats! Thank you to all 149 comments that came to wish me a happy 2nd blogoversary! It was fun celebrating with you and most of all it is fun celebrating tatting with you and hearing what all of you had to say! Some of you shared some stories about seeing tatting for the first time or what tatting means to you. Others having been tatting for a long time! Some of you have this book already and others want this book so badly! Be sure to stop by her blog and congratulate her! Crazy Mom, I believe you may already have my comment on your blog by now so be sure to send me your contact information and I'll send your your goodies! :)
Also Happy Easter! This is a season of hope and renewal and I am grateful that my Redeemer lives! What a beautiful time of year! Be sure to say hello! Comments are always welcome here at TattingChic

♥

XOXO

Another Happy Belated International Tatting Day Post

2010-04-02T19:28:00.001-06:00

Happy International Tatting Day one day late! For those of you who tat and know that April 1st is International Tatting Day this is old news! For those of you who didn't know this then this is fabulous and exciting news and I am so glad to be the one to break it to you! On tatting day it is requisite that you tat something for yourself and eat all the chocolate you like! I had to work yesterday so while I was much too tired to tat when I got home I did sneak a little chocolate on my break! I just wanted to wish all the tatters in tat-land a Happy Belated International Tatting Day!

In honor of the big day here is a photo of some tatting that I took 2 years ago on April 1, 2008. While I posted it later on a different post, I did happen to take in on a tatting day of that year!

My two year blogoversary giveaway is still going on! Be sure to comment on that post to be counted for the give away and read the rules on that post to understand how to qualify to enter! It's easy ~ just have a blog and comment on that post! There's still plenty of time, too! I'm giving away a "Learn to Tat Book", a tatting shuttle, and about 10 yards of size 10 Manuela Brand thread! You have until 12 noon PST (Pacific Standard Time) on this coming Easter Sunday to enter!

Be sure to say hello before you hop away this Easter weekend!

♥

XOXO

Happy 2nd Blogoversary to Me (and You!)

2010-03-28T17:07:00.000-06:00

They say it's your blogoversary! It's my blogoversary too now!

Oh, it's just my blogoversary...unless it just so happens that it's yours too! BUT it doesn't mean that we can't all celebrate together now can we? See I have really enjoyed my two very happy years of blogging. I've made so many wonderful friends down the road!

Now, just because I haven't been blogging the past several weeks doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about ya'll!!! I've been thinking about you all so much that I've decided that I will have a give away again this blogoversary! This year I am giving away a "Learn To Tat" book (pictured below)! It will include a plastic shuttle and about 10 yards of size 10 green Manuela brand thread from the same ball of thread from last year as well! It's a pretty big ball of thread so there's plenty to go around not to worry!

Rules for this giveaway are that you need to have a blog in order to enter and that you need to comment on this blog post by next Sunday at Noon! So I'm closing the giveaway next Sunday... Yes. I'm picking the winner on Easter Sunday! If you don't comment on this blog post you won't be entered. If you don't have a blog (that I can access from your comment) you won't be entered. You need to have both a blog and have a comment on this blog post in ordered to be entered. Why do I have that rule? I am an online safety girl. I don't want you leaving your email on the comments for any spammer to see! Don't do it! Just comment? Have a blog! We'll figure out a way to communicate if you win! I just need to be able to leave a comment on your blog if you win...get it??? YAY!

I'm seeing an awful lot of "Oh, I've been tatting a while so I don't need this book" or "I have this book so I don't need it". Let me just say, I've been tatting for 30 years and I'm not that bad at that and I would totally tat some patterns out of this book! The fact that I keep giving this book away doesn't mean I don't want it! Also, just because you already have this book does it mean that you don't know someone that couldn't use it? Say, someone that is learning or someone that wants to learn??? Hmmmm???? Maybe??? I'd like to encourage some of you to rethink this! :) Just a thought!

You can spread the news on your blog if you want to about the giveaway and it will give you another chance to win just leave another comment that you did that. That would be awesome. See, I'm not psychic (despite the rumors) so if you do put a blog post on your blog and you don't come back and comment and let me know I won't know to put an extra entry in. Now, those of you that like to come back and comment a million times thinking that I won't catch on to you ...I'm on to you...hee hee hee!

Anyway! Have fun! It's my blogoversary! Happy Easter! Tell your friends! It's a free tatting giveaway! Free stuff! Who doesn't want to share the tatting love? It's like a internet tatting hug!
Yes, and this is open to my international blogging friends.

It's my way of saying thank you so much for the friendships over the years! It doesn't matter if you've come around often or not... come on over and get to know me and my tatting!
Huggles,
♥

XOXO

The Fabulous Force Field of Friendship

2010-03-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hello there bloggy friends, pals and buddies! Newcomers are also welcome!

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't blogged for a little while! It's true... I haven't, LOL! You are very observant if you noticed that! I'd like to thank all my bloggy friends who left comments or sent an email! Thank you so much for your virtual friendship, love, and support!

The truth is, I haven't been feeling my best. I cannot tell you how much your comments and friendships mean to me! Each one has helped me feel a boost of loving energy that I have needed from time to time.

Today I wanted to share a very special gift that a very special lady has shared with me!
Some of you may know Marie Antoinette of Dolls by Marie Antoinette. She makes the loveliest dolls and often creates a very special vignette with those dolls. Well, this special lady was kind enough to share her very lovely talent with me in the most generous gesture! She is giving one of her dolls to me!

I just happened to be reading this post on her blog which tells about her dogs, the T-shirts she makes, and her Christmas tree creation. This is one multi-talented lady, let me tell you! Well to my utter surprise somewhere in the middle of the blog post I read something that said:

"Attention TattingChic!!!!"

This was followed by 4 lovely photos of some of her dolls with an explanation that she was giving me one of those dolls of my choosing! I was blown away! Thank you, Marie Antoinette! WOW!

Well, if you go over to her blog and look at those dolls you will see 4 beautiful dolls in 4 lovely vignettes and, I have to say, it was a very hard decision! They are all so lovely!

Below you will see the doll I chose:

Isn't she lovely? I love the wicker chair, the white dress, the kitty cat, and the gazebo style of the area she is sitting it with the beautiful vines covering it. It's a peaceful area in a lovely garden scene! There are also so many sweet details (if you click to enlarge the photo) like the birdie in the top left corner of the roof of the gazebo and the kitty cat resting leisurely at her feet! It's so sweet!

Marie Antoinette, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity, not to mention your loving and suppportive emails! Thank you so much! Your kindness has meant more to me than I can say and has really helped me during a time where I am not feeling "up to par".

Thank you, bloggy friends, for stopping by to say hello! As you may already very well know comments are always welcome here at TattingChic! Hope you have a fabulous day and thank you for letting me share my special gift from a friend with you!

Oh, and one last thing:

May the Force be with you!

♥

XOXO

Tatting from Canada, AYE?

2010-01-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Now, that I've shown you all Danish tatting, Irish tatting, Scottish tatting, and even German tatting it's time to show you some Canadian Tatting! ;)
Actually Jeff from Bridge City Tatting and I had planned a bookmark swap clear back in early October 2009 (just 3 months ago, LOL!) and the actual swappage occurred sometime in November.
Jeff's request was that I not make his bookmark look too "girly" since he is probably well aware from my blog how much I like pink! LOL! I assured him I would do my utmost to make his bookmark as masculine as I possibly could!
My request to Jeff??? PLEASE make it a girly-girl looking bookmark! That is what I LOVE about tatting! I think both of use were quite curious how our gifts to each other would look!
That was the fun of it all, I think!

~*~

Well, look at this beautiful, delicate, lacy tatted bookmark I got from Jeff!

It's definitely feminine, don't you think?

I thought I'd share the
Canadian postmark
for 2 reasons:
1) I don't get mail from Canada everyday!
2) I wanted to participate in this week's
Postcard Friendship Friday!!!
(She says even stamp images count!)

The theme is
"God Save the Queen"
Well, Canada is part of the British empire, right?
Aaaaand this bookmark looks like
it's fit for a queen, right?

Well, just look at it!

Oh! Oh! and Jeff says that the designer of
this pattern is Mary Konior!
She's a tatter from ENGLAND!!!

Here's a closeup of it!
The design is called "Patchwork"
from the book Tatting With Visual Patterns

Isn't it pretty?
I definitely think it looks girly!
You can read more about it on
his post by clicking here!
I love the colors.
Jeff used Lizbeth size 40 thread
in color #120 called Denim Whisper

Jeff is a man of multi talents!
He also does chainmaille and sells
it on his Etsy shop called Redeye!

He sent me this WAY cool scissor fob in silver and PINK!

Cool, aye?

~*~

Now, for my bookmark to Jeff!

Much to my relief he said in an email:

"I officially declare it a manly bookmark"!

WHEW!

Here it is:

This is the front of it.
You can see a close up of it below.

It's a celtic style design called
"Celtic Bookmark"
by LaRae Mikulecky.
Thanks for finding the lost link again, Jeff!
You can read Jeff's post about this
bookmark on his blog by clicking here.

This is the back of it above.
There is the close up below.

I used 3 colors. A lighter blue (denim) and a
darker blue (medium blue) and a green.
They are all Lizbeth threads size 20.

Thanks for the swap, Jeff!

~*~

Thank to you for stopping by! The thing that makes this blog so enjoyable are all the fabulous visitors and comments! Thanks for all your fun comments and joviality! It makes my day! Well, it makes my whole week! My bloggy friends are awesome and new bloggy visitors are always welcome.

♥

XOXO

Thank You Santa!

2009-12-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well, Happy New Year to all of you! Many of you have already ushered in the long awaited blue moon of a New Year, but I still have about 2 hours to go! So, with the clock ticking away the minutes I thought I'd share with you some of what that darling Santa Claus brought me!

That Jolly old Elf! He knows that TattingChic sure likes her tatting shuttles and he did not disappoint! Can I show you some of the goodies!?!

~*~

Here are some cute vintage
celluloid shuttles in darling pastels.
How did Santa know I would love these??

~*~

This is something I was so excited to get!
A vintage Milward Shuttle!
How fun is that!?!

~*~

Okay, the special of the day was this
absolutely fabulous antique shuttle
from around the turn of the century...
...no...not the turn of this century...
...the turn of last century!
It's from the early 1900's!

It's a Lydia Pinkham cellulose
acetate advertising shuttle!

Isn't it totally cool!?!
I think so!
These Lydia Pinkham shuttles even
come with an interesting past!
***
Okay, here's the story of
Lydia Pinkham and the Cellulose Acetate Advertising Shuttle Forgery:

To start it all off, I wanted to learn more
about this very unique shuttle!
Upon doing research on "Google" I found this page.
It told me all about the Lydia Pinkham
Cellulose Acetate tatting shuttle.
The page in turn lead me to another page entitled:
Lydia E. Pinkham's
Cellulose Acetate (CA) Shuttle Forgery!
GASP!

It is the tale of a possible eBay forgery found on this page!

Upon closer inspection
I was glad to see that mine
does not look like a forgery;
much to my relief!

Besides...Santa didn't get it on eBay.
***
Special thanks to
Daniel "Tatmeister" Rusch-Fischer
for permission to take screen shots of his pages
and link to his website!
***
Thank you!
~*~

Apparently Lydia Pinkham's
40 Proof Alcohol based "Vegetable Compound"
has received her far more reaching notoriety
than she may have had ever intended.
Here's a video of "The Scaffold" from the 1960's singing a song about her.
Thank you WiggyVideos

The lyrics to this song "Lily the Pink"
are based on an old drinking song
called "Lydia Pink"
that orignated in the 1890's!

"We'll drink a, drink a, drink
To Lydia Pink a, Pink a, Pink
The savior of the human ra-hay-hayce
She invented a medicinal compound
Whose effects God can only replace.

Now here's a story,
A little bit gory,
A little bit happy
A little bit sa - hah - had
Bout Lydia Pink and
Her medicinal compound
and how it drove her to the bad.

Lydia died and went up to heaven,
All the church bells they did ri - hing - hing
She took with her Medicinal Compound
Hark! The herald angels sing!

So-oh drink a, drink a, drink
To Lydia Pink a, Pink a, Pink
The savior of the human ra-hay-hayce
She invented a medicinal compound
Whose effects God can only replace."

Source link:
Drinking song circa 1890s

Thanks to my friend Katherine from
Stitchin' Fingers for pointing out this song to me!

~*~

So glad you could stop by to say hello! Happy New Year and all that Jazz! It's fun to have bloggy friends like you to share my Christmas Pressies with! It makes like all the more delightful! However you are celebrating the New Year (or have celebrated it already or will celebrate it) I hope it is a safe and happy celebration for you all!
I'd love to hear from you so say hello! It'll make my day!

♥

XOXO

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

2009-12-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas Day is known for being a magical mix of joy and wonder for a child or it can be a tragic time of sorrow and pain for the lonely soul. Here is hoping that the true meaning of Christmas will touch your heart regardless of where you are in that mix of emotion surrounding Christmastime! Since Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, suffice it to say, I feel it is appropriate to share that I believe in His healing power and love! It is real. Just as the sunlight that warms my back in the daytime is real! He is there for me! I am so grateful for this! I am so glad He came to this Earth to teach us how to love, how to live, and that Joy and Healing are possible through His Grace and Power despite life's challenges! I truly believe in this and it has never ceased to bless my life!

♥♔♥♔♥

Thank you for letting me share this Christmas thought with you.

♥♔♥♔♥

In my celebrations for Christmas this year I've done
more thoughtful introspection
than my usual outward Christmas decoration.

Despite this I did manage to get up a Christmas Tree!
A very little Christmas tree, mind you, but a tree, nonetheless!

Here is a picture of my tatted tree~top angel!

You may recognize her from last year's Christmas post!

♥♔♥♔♥

I have had 5 tatted Christmas ornaments
that I thought I had lost during my last move.
Luckily, I found them this week!
I was so very happy to finally find my "lost"
tatted Christmas ornaments!

I tatted them 15 years ago!

May I share them with you?

♥♔♥♔♥

Here is the first of five that I designed.

This is inspired from a vintage tatted edging pattern.
I chose this pattern because it reminded me
of little tatted crowns around the ornament!

There is a tatted ring around the top
and the base of the Christmas globe
to "anchor" the threads that are sewed
between the picots in a zig-zag fashion.

♥♔♥♔♥

Here is ornament #2

This one is from a motif found in one of the
vintage Priscilla Tatting Books!
The patterns are in public domain now!

Yes, the tatting completely surrounds
the glass ball! I had to insert the ball when
I was almost finished joining the two motifs
together and literally tatted the last part
of the second motif around the ball!

♥♔♥♔♥

Here is ornament #3

This ornament has two motifs inspired
from an edging from one of the
Priscilla Tatting Books.
It is a pattern from the turn-of-the-century
(the last century that is).
This pattern also was chosen for
it's "crown-like" look!

The middle chain of rings are split rings
used to anchor the threads sewed to hold
the motifs onto the globe.
I also thought they added to the
Victorian "feel" of the ornament.

♥♔♥♔♥

The 4th ornament is a pair of snowflakes
that are also tatted around the glass ball.

The pattern for the tatted snowflake used on this
ornament is from a Better Homes and Gardens
book called "Christmas Ornaments"
This book was published in 1991.
A peek of some tatted ornaments are pictured
on the cover of the book, above!
There were 3 tatted ornament patterns
in this book. I used the pattern
simply called "six pointed star".

Another book that inspired me was published in 1992
by Arts and Crafts for Home Decorating.
The book is entitled "Decorating for Christmas"!
It had a Tree Top Christmas Angel
made of crocheted doilies on the front cover.
The same angel that inspired my tatted angel above!

Here's another look at this tatted ornament!

♥♔♥♔♥

Thank you for letting me share with you!

♥♔♥♔♥

Oh, did I say there was five ornaments?
I did, didn't I?
Well, that's just it...you see...
there was five ornaments.
I'll show you that fifth one another time.

For now, let's just enjoy Christmas!

♥♔♥♔♥

The little tree sits on a tatted "tree skirt"

It's actually a vintage tatted doily I found in an
antique store years ago.
I've also shown it in a blog post here before.

♥♔♥♔♥

Now, let's take another look at that tree!

♥♔♥♔♥
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
♥♔♥♔♥

What???
Stiofán?!?
What are YOU doing in this picture?
How did you get up in the Christmas tree?

It looks like Stiofán wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, too!

Mischievous little leprechaun that he is!

♥♔♥♔♥

Thank you for stopping by so I can show you my Christmas tatting and share my Christmas thoughts and wishes with you! May you have a blessed Christmas Day and a wonderful Holiday Season! Since Christmas is a time for gifts both given and received, I thought I'd let you know that I appreciate the gift of your friendship! I am so grateful for all the bloggy friends whom I have come to know here in blogland! Thank you for enriching and blessing my life! Whatever you are doing this Christmas Day I hope you feel peace and joy! Me? I'll be tatting up some hummingbirds that are long overdue!
If you have the time to say hello, I'd love to hear from you! Comments are always welcome here at TattingChic!

Christmas (((Hugs))) and merriment,

♥

and Stiofán, too!

XOXO

Buon Natale

2009-12-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas!

♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄♥
This Christmas tree is all tatted
even down to it's lacy boughs!
♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄♥
Oh, look!
It even has a lacy tree skirt!
♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄♥❅♥❆♥❄

It is not mine, though I would love to say that it
was. It was tatted by a fellow tatter from Italy!
Please stop by Carla's blog at
Chiacchierino della nonna
to wish her a very Merry Christmas and let
her know what you think of her beautiful tatted
Christmas Tree!

Many thanks to ♥Carla♥, for giving me permission
to copy the photo of her beautiful tree
and share it with my fabulous
bloggy buddies!!!
Jennifer Williams is the designer of this fabulous tree
and she is also ChairPerson of the
Ring of Tatter's Lace Guild in the UK
and she also has a blog!
Thank ♥you♥, dear bloggy buddy, for stopping by!

I know you are busy this time of year so if you say hello before you run over to Carla's beautiful tatting blog to shower her with adulations for her amazing talent I'd love it! I always love it when you say hello before you say good-bye!
(((Hugs))) n' stuff!

♥

XOXO

The Leprechaun Has Landed!

2009-12-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw this post on the blog called It's A Leprechaun's Life I had been secretly hoping for something to arrive in my mailbox. You see, Tatskool (Pamela) of the Tats A Kool Challenge tatting blog has been making and giving hand stitched leprechauns to a few lucky recipients each year! The previous recipients have had the most delightful adventures with their leprechauns and then they post about them on the leprechaun blog! Sometimes when two or more tatters who own a leprechaun are going to be at the same tatting event they will bring their leprechauns to the event so that the leprechauns can "meet" each other! The meeting isn't complete until there are photos taken and a blog post about it! It's quite fun to read about it in the leprechaun blog! Apparently the most recent batch of leprechauns had to undergo some grueling interview questions. The questions were asked in order to find those most capable of going out into the world to spread cheer, joy and mischief to whomever they were assigned to! This was quite an ordeal according to Tatskool! So, it may not surprise you that deep down inside I was quietly hoping that my name was on the list of this year's recipients!

You can imagine what I was thinking when I recieved a package in the mail last Friday, December 11th that had these stamps on the top of the padded envelope!
These beautiful irish stamps that say "ÉIRE"!

My heart skipped a beat when I saw that the return address said "Cork, Ireland"!

Further investigation revealed a brightly wrapped Christmas package!!!Something was just a little odd about this package! You see, it was squirming! Yes! The package was wriggling around and then I heard mumbling as the paper began to tear open by itself...or so it seemed!

To my delighted surprise a cheerily dressed leprechaun emerged from the gold and red wrapping paper!

Stiofán had arrived!He held in his arms one of Tatskool's most popular HDT's (Hand Dyed Thread) called "Rainbow Bright". He offered it to me rather ceremoniously, telling me that this was mine and I could tat a lovely bit of tatting of whatever I chose. I thanked him graciously, of course!

He was kind enough to pose for some pictures. When I mentioned to him that he is quite photogenic he surreptitiously agreed. He then went on to explain that he had done some modeling in Ireland for an exclusive magazine for leprechauns called "Leprechaun's Quarterly". He said he even made the cover once! I asked him why he was acting so timid about it. He admitted that he didn't mention it during the interview with Pamela's lep, named Fergeal, for fear he might be taken as a shallow leprechaun and that it might hurt his chances for traveling abroad. After this was revealed he did seem more at ease when he saw that I was not the least bit phased by his confession. In fact, he agreed to pose for more photos! He even did some close ups!

He said this one looked a lot like the photo that made the cover for "Leprechaun's Quarterly".

In his right hand he holds an Irish penny that says "éire 2003".

His festive red belt is festooned with a chain of lucky green tatted clovers and beautiful green glass beads!

What I really wanted to show you was the painstaking detail that has gone into Stiofán's creation!

Note the tiny hand stitched threads that make the detail of his face!

He even has a twinkle in his eye!

One of the first things that Stiofán did was teach me how to pronounce his name properly. He says it is a name from the Old Irish tongue and is pronounced thusly:

"Shtee-oh-fawn"

He even showed me a website that has the pronunciation key for Ancient Irish pronunciations! What a clever fellow...er...leprechaun!
Stiofán is the Old Irish equivalent for the modern English name of Stephan (Steven).

When he looked around my living room he asked me what all the stacks of books were for. You see, currently I am in the process of creating an alphabetical index of my personal tatting library. I have all of my tatting books in stacks according to the letter of the alphabet the title begins with.

He marched over to the tallest stack...the "T's" [of course (T is for Tatting)]...and began his climb to the top of the stack. This was quite a feat for the little guy seeing as the stack was well over a foot high! Well, of course I had to take a picture of him once he made it to the top!Can you see that mischievous look in his eye? Doesn't it look like he's going to hurl that penny at me? He swears he was just waving, but he has that gleam in his eye! LOL!

Well, before Stiofán and I bid you farewell for the evening I'd like to invite you to be sure to say hello! I know it's been a while since I posted, but I have not disappeared from bloggerlandia completely! I promise that! I have lots to blog about so stay tuned!
♥

and Stiofán, too!

XOXO

Happy All Saint's Day!

2009-11-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

Happy All Saint's Day! I don't know that much about this particular holiday. My Mother told me about it as a child so I do know it falls on every November 1st! You can read more about it here. There's also a 2009 movie with the same name that I shall probably never see and hadn't heard of until I Googled "All Saint's Day" and found a bunch of links leading to the trailer.

In honor of it being Fall and all I thought I'd finally start on my Autumnal decorating! So many of you have shown your inspiring fall decor! I am getting off to a rather slow start. I started with grabbing what was closest to me...my tatting! I also had a ceramic pumpkin hidden close by. The autumn wreaths and goodies are in the storage closet so it may be closer to Thanksgiving when I have those out, LOL!

Let me show you my start on the fall decor!

❧✿❧

Here are my tatted fall leaves around
the pumpkin! They are on my
coffee table.

You may recall my
blog post about the tatted fall leaves
last Autumn!

The pumpkin holds a candle!

The lit candle gives off the most heavenly
pumpkin scent!

Mmmmm...delicious!

❀✿❀

Speaking of deliciousness I have received
3 tasty tidbits of awards from
the lovely Bella Sinclair of
Bella Sinclair Doodlespot!

❀✿❀

The 1st award is the
Deborah Award
created by Ces!

The Deborah Award was created to honor a dear sisterfriend who is forever blowing kisses – “poet, friend, not just a mother but a soldier’s mother, too. Oh, the sleepless nights, the anxiety and worries, yet she is perpetually pleasant and cheerful, kind and gentle, diplomatic and tactful. She exudes courage, hope, and faith."

❀✿❀

The 2nd award is the
Arija award!
It was also created by Ces.

The Arija award was created to honor another sisterfriend: “a thinking, seeing, feeling, loving person who celebrates life every day. She is an artist, a photographer, a fascinating woman with great sense of humor, wise and thoughtful blogger and a loving and caring friend."

❀✿❀

Thirdly, the last award is
The friendship award!

The Friendship Award was created the wonderful
Kathi of Beautiful Mini Blessings.
Kathi creates incredible miniatures and is in the process of renovating a dollhouse as masterfully as any craftsman-carpenter on This Old House.

Thank you, Bella!

I shall bestow these lovely gifts
with some friends who bless my life!

Tattycat
Kim
Lady ShuttleMaker
Celestina Marie
Marie Antoinette

...and of course there are many more but those
are the ones foremost on my mind at the moment.

To quote Bella Sinclair herself
in the comments of my last blog post:

"...I have a few awards for you. No pressure, no obligation. Just my appreciation for you. :)"

Good one, Bella! I like that!
I think I'm going to borrow that phrasing when
I notify these sweet ladies of their awards!

❧✿❧

Thank you very much for stopping by my blog on All Saint's Day 2009! Whatever you do to celebrate the saintliness or friendship in your life I hope you are having a lovely day! Mine is filled with light and the sweet scents of a pumpkin candle!

Ahhhh~

Oh, do say hello! I love it when you do that! I really do!

♥

XOXO

A Weekend With Hyacinth

2009-10-25T19:09:00.000-06:00

It's been a lovely weekend! I've been spending it with Hyacinth Bucket (that's "boo-kay", yes, I know it's spelled "b-u-c-k-e-t", but it's "BOO-KAY"!). I just love her Royal Doultan with the handpainted periwinkles and her candlelight suppers! I rather like to think she might like my hand tatted lace doilies with the hand dyed silk threads and special designs! They'd look perfect with her fine bone china!

❧✿❧

Here's a taste of Mrs. Bucket
from the very first part of the
first episode aired. It's the first
of 4 parts of the first episode.
If you want to see the
rest of that particular episode
feel free to click on over to
YouTube and see the rest of them!

I've been catching up on this fun
British Comedy all weekend!

❀✿❀

If this doesn't sounds like I've had an
exciting enough weekend to you, then
I do have some exciting news to share with you!

❀✿❀

I won the Weekly Monday Mondo
prize from Lady ShuttleMaker!

Thank you to my "Tatting Sister" for the
secret prize that I don't know what it is
because it's a SECRET and
congrats to my "Tatting Mumsy" for winning
the beadspinner that I really wanted
(but I'm sure I'll be thrilled with my "secret prize")!

If you'd like a chance to win something she is still
having a giveaway each Monday! Be sure to comment
on the actual giveaway post each Monday and
click on the image below for the rules!

I rather like to think it's the kind of
giveaway that Hyacinth might approve of.
Ha ha!
(actually I think I'd go bonkers if she were my neighbor)

❧✿❧

I am really excited about that giveaway win! I was so hoping I would win one of Lady ShuttleMaker's giveaways! Speaking of ladies, my favorite Royal Doultan fine bone china pattern is Lady Carlyle! It's PINK and it's on sale! Oh, Santaaaaaaaaaa! I've been a very good girl this year!

What is on your Christmas wish list? Do you have a favorite China pattern! Have you entered Lady Shuttlemaker's giveaway yet? Do go over on Monday and enter!

I am so glad you stopped by to visit! I'd offer you coffee or tea with biscuits, but then you'd have to mind the crumbs! ( a little "hyacinthian" humor)

As they say in Merry Old England,

Cheerio!
♥

XOXO

A Pleasant Surprise

2009-10-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

A big envelope came in the mail today! I was a bit suprised because I hadn't ordered anything so I wasn't expecting anything! Imagine my surprise when I opened up the envelope to find a gift from Heather who is also known as The Tarnished Tatter!

✿Thank You, Heather! ✿

You see, Heather sent me her new book called "Tatted Earrings and Things". She had asked me some time ago to test tat for her. Somehow I never had time, never had time, and then again...I never had time! She probably thinks I'm the worst test tatter ever, sorry Heather! She had said she would send a book to her test tatters so I completely expected to get nada, nothing, zip, zilcho...

but no!!! Heather kindly and generously not only sent me her new book, she sent me some of her lovely pink HDT called "Pink 4 Link" in size 20!

Let me show you!

❧✿❧
Here is the cover page with the
HDT peeking in from the side of the photo.

I'll bet you can't guess what I did today...
(sheepish grin...the pink hummingbird is a hint)

✿❀✿

I "test tatted" her pattern!
(Yes, I know, this usually happens before the book comes out)

✿❀✿

I will count this as a motif for my 2nd round of
The 25 Motif Challenge!

Motif #16 Hummingbird Pendant

This is her hummingbird pendant in her
size 20 HDT "Pink 4 Link"

What do you think?

❧✿❧

Here's hoping you are having a fabulous weekend! Thank you for the suprise, Heather! It made my day! My tatting budget is a little tight with no new books and goodies it is fun to get a tatting treat in the mail!
I'd love to hear from my bloggy friends so be sure to say hello! Have you had a pleasant surprise lately?

♥

XOXO

A Happy Accident!

2009-10-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

In my last blog post I showed some tatted heart motifs done up in Zarina's new HDT colorways.
As I was tatting away I set my thread winder down on the coffee table to take a quick break. It landed right next to a ball of Lizbeth brand thread I happened to have out. I noticed that it seemed to coordinate very nicely quite by accident! It made me happy to see that an HDT all the way from Malaysia went well with a regular ball of thread I can purchase any old time! It was a "Happy Accident"! I then happened to find another ball of Lizbeth thread that went well with one of the other HDT's of Zarina's!

Well, OF COURSE I had to tat them up together!

Let me show you the results of these Happy Accidents!

If you would like to contact Zarina about purchasing her lovely hand dyed threads you can contact her by email at concerningzarina@gmail.com

~*~

This is Zarina's "By the Sea" on the butterfly
thread winder set next to a ball of Lizbeth
thread. It is "Country Turquoise Med" #661.

***
Since I am working on my second round of
The 25 Motif Challenge
I think I'll count these 2 motifs in
as I haven't done them before.
***

I tatted them up together in a design by Mary Konior.
This is called "Mixed Bouquet" from her book
A Pattern Book of Tatting.

Motif #14 Mixed Bouquet

The rings facing outward are all in
"By the Sea" HDT by Zarina.
The rings facing inward and all chains are
tatted with Lizbeth "Country Turquoise Med".

***
The butterfly threadwinders
were a lovely gift from Tattycat
last year! You can read more
about them here
***

The second Happy Accident was with
Zarina's "Pink Rose" thread. Here it is on
the thread winder next to the Lizbeth
brand ball of thread called "Leaf Green Lt" color #683.

I tatted up another design of Mary Konior's
called "Looped Sprig" from the same book.
A Pattern Book of Tatting
is now out of print.

Motif #15 Looped Sprig

All the chains are in the Lizbeth "Leaf Green Lt" and
all rings are in "Pink Rose". Yes, it just so happened
that I lucked out that the "leaf rings" ended up
as the green portion of the "Pink Rose" colorway!

~*~

Happy Accidents are the best kind of accidents! Have you had a happy accident lately?

♥

XOXO

Threads from Malaysia!

2009-10-11T17:50:00.000-06:00

When Zarina of Concerning Zarina invited me to test tat her new HDT's last month I jumped at the chance! I was so excited to have the opportunity to try out these new colorways coming all the way from Malaysia!

Let the "show and tell" begin!

~*~

See the stamp and postmark from Malaysia?

See the lovely warm and muted hues?
I thought they had a "vintage" look about them.

The HDT colorways are as follows:

"By the Sea"

"By the Sea" is a hand dyed Flora brand thread.
This one is size 20

***

"Orchid Garden"

"Orchid Garden" is a hand dyed Omega brand thread.
This one is size 50

***

"Pink Rose"

"Pink Rose" is a hand dyed Hakelgarn Brand thread.
This one is size 20.

***

The "Ruffled Heart" pattern
(design by Vicki Clarke) was
used to tat up these lovely HDT's

You may notice the "Ruffled Heart"
being used a lot lately here.
It seems to be the perfect pattern for
a multi-colored thread and is fairly
easy and fast to tat up!

***

Here is "By The Sea"

"Orchid Garden"

"Pink Rose"

I found the Flora and Hakelgarn threads easy to tat

with. All the colorways are warm and seem to
have muted, "Vintage" looking hues about them!
I can honestly say these were the EASIEST
HDT's to unwind! Whatever you're doing to
wind your HDT's, Zarina, keep doing it because
I had no tangles when unwinding these skeins!

~*~

Thanks for stopping by so I could share Zarina's new HDT's with you! I hope you enjoyed my show and tell as much as I enjoyed tatting them up for you! Thank YOU, Zarina, for this wonderful opportunity to try out your new colorways! What a pleasure it was to test tat for you!
I'd love to hear what you think of them too! Be sure to leave a comment before you go off to Zarina's blog to say hello!

If you would like to contact Zarina about purchasing her lovely hand dyed threads you can contact her by email at concerningzarina@gmail.com

♥

XOXO

Swap de Jessica

2009-10-01T10:52:00.000-06:00

In the last blog post a sneak peek of a swap was shown.

I promised to do the "Big Reveal" when my swap partner, Jessica of "Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping!" received my swap gift. I'm happy to announce that Jessica did indeed get her package from me and now I can share our swap with you!

You see, in bloggerlandia I have had the good fortune to make blog friends, win a giveaway or two, and do some fun swaps! From all of these packages and cards I have a pile of addresses building up in a shopping bag that is out of control!!! I need somewhere to put all these very special addresses. For some of you, the solution might be to just put them in your computer, but for me I need something more aesthetic than a computer! I need a pretty address book...and not just any address book...a pretty one made with heart! I got just what I wanted in my swap with Jessica!

Jessica wanted some tatting for her fabulous scrapbook projects. I wanted a special address book. Boy, I had no idea that I was in for a real treat!

~*~

Just look at this darling
address book that
Jessica sent me!!!

Look at it! Isn't it cute!?!
It even has T-A-T-T-I-N-G on the cover!

***
Squeeeeeeeal!!!

***

OH my GOODness!
Look at the cute stamped alphabet tabs!

I can't believe she found some tatting to put
on the cover! It's PERFECT!!!

Each page has a different piece of scrapbook paper
adhered to some vintage ledger paper! It's awesome!

The spaces on the right of the address labels are just
the right size for me to put interesting postmarks
from my international friends!

YIPPEE!!!

~*~

Oh, did I say something about a
"Big Reveal" earlier?

I guess I better 'fess up, right?

~*~

Jessica wanted a tatted edging
and some tatted hearts and flowers
for her portion of the swap from me.

Here are some of the round motifs I sent her.

Going clockwise from the top left:
1) "Fleur de Jessica" design by TattingChic
2) Josephine Wreath design by Mary Konior
3) A flower (title unkown-help me out here) design by Mary ~~Maynord~~ Maynard

I am going to count some motifs
tatted for this swap for
my 2nd round of the
25 Motif Challenge!

Motif # 9 Josephine Wreath

The "Josephine Wreath" (Motif No. 9) is from
Mary Konior's book called
A Pattern Book of Tatting.
It is out of print now and hard to find,

but it has some real gems in it.

Motif # 10 Fleur de Jessica

This motif is one I made up or modified
from another pattern.
I called it "Fleur de Jessica" because
Jessica wanted tatted flowers for her scrapbook
project and I couldn't find one I really liked
so I made it up especially for her.

Motif # 11 (title unkown-help me out here)

Here is Mary ~~Maynord's~~ Maynard's design on the
left (motif #11) next to my modified
version, 'Fleur de Jessica" (motif #10). Mary ~~Maynord~~
Maynard has a book called
"Tatting Rings of Flowers".
It is a book I do not own. I was lucky enough
to happen on this one pattern from the book
so that I could tat the flower on the left.
My modified version is on the right.
If my version is just like one in the book then
that is a coincidence since I have never
actually seen inside Mary's book.

If one of my fellow tatting friends has the book
and knows the name of the flower on the left
please let me know and I'll edit my blog post!

Here's a bunch'a flowers sent to Jessica all together!

***

Motif # 12 Peacock Heart

Here's a motif I haven't shown on this blog before.
It's called Peacock Heart designed by Birgit Phelps.
Jessica requested some tatted hearts as well as
tatted flowers for her part of the swap.

Here's 2 of the "Peacock Heart" motifs shown together
with some "Ruffled Heart" (design by Vicki Clarke)
motifs that were sent. I've shown the
"Ruffled Heart" before.

***

Motif #13 Cloverleaf Edging

Lastly, Jessica also requested a tatted edging.
I picked a cloverleaf edging. I love cloverleaf edgings.
They are so simple that a beginner can do them and
they are so elegant! Who says simple can't be elegant?

An edging similar to this one is found at
The Antique Pattern Library
in the Priscilla Tatting Book pg 5
(which is pg 7 of the scanned pages)

All motifs were done in DMC brand "Cebelia" thread
size 10, color 818 (a very pretty pink). I thought
the "chunky" size 10 would look cute for
Jessica's fabulous scrapbook projects.

~*~

Thanks for stopping by and letting me show you my super fabulous swap with Jessica! It was fun. She is one of the nicest bloggers out there! Stop by her blog post on our swap! She loves buttons and scrapping and swaps! Be sure to say hello here before you run off to Jessica's! I'd love to hear from you!

♥

XOXO

Getting Reacquainted

2009-09-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been gone so long!

I've been getting reacquainted...

...with an old friend.

This friend has some sparkly rhinestones!

I ♥ rhinestones!

I've also been tatting!

Here's a another sneak peek of my
current project for all of you to see. It's a "secret"
because I'm doing a swap with a bloggy pal from
Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping! My patient swapping
buddy hasn't received her part of the swap, yet!

Okay, I was going to just let it be a sneak peek, but
I just had to show this "Mary Maynord Inspired"motif
I made up because it looks so serene in
the evening light.

What do you think?

♥

XOXO

Here, here...

2009-09-08T20:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm still here. Although, I do think this is the longest I have EVER gone without a blog update. I think it's because I'm feeling better...I don't feel the need to be so glued to my computer, LOL!

I have some good news to share...

~*~

Looky at what I won from Lynn at
Happiness is Cross Stitching!

Be sure to stop over and say hello!
She just got a tatting shuttle and wants to
learn how to tat!

~*~

I'll be back, I promise!
Be sure to say hello before you say goodbye!

♥

XOXO

In The Pink

2009-08-23T20:12:00.000-06:00

The saying "In the Pink" means in perfect condition, especially of health. Some of you may have noticed that on occasion I have mentioned, though briefly, that I've had some health challenges. I am happy to say that I am getting closer and closer to that state of being "in the pink"! Let's hear it for good health!

Pink is also one of my most very favorite colors. If I am forced to pick a favorite I will usually choose pink, but I love other colors, too!

PINK!

It's girly ~ I'm girly. It's feminine ~ I'm feminine. It tends to work well with my skin tone. I could think of a million other reasons why I like pink and why it's a perfect color for me!

I'd like to show you some fabulous blogalicious, tattalicious, and pinkalicious goodies!

~*~

Look at this beautiful pink box
that arrived in the mail from
Celestina Marie!

The box was a total surprise!
Look at the darling pink rose on the
pink background with white polka dots!
I am swooning over the pretty pink
and white stripes on the side of the box.

Just look at the beautiful white trim
on the side of the box lid!

Let's peek inside, shall we?

What's this peeking out of the pretty pink
sheer bag and rosy tissue paper?

It's a LOVELY painted tatting shuttle!
Look at the inside of the box, too!

Okay, now I did say that the box was a surprise.

The shuttle was not!

We had made arrangements earlier for her to
paint her beautiful shabby chic roses on a
wooden tatting shuttle for me.

I sent her this tatting shuttle
(that I purchased from Sistermaide's Etsy Shop).

And she sent it back looking like this:

Swoooooooon!

Oh, the photo does not do it justice!
It is beautiful with it's white background
and pink rosebud with pink polka dots!

Here's another "before" shot of the
tatting shuttle on it's side:

after:

She painted the sides pink and the post pink
with white inside the blades of the shuttle!

***

Accompanying this lovely shuttle was
this pretty card:

It says, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

The flipside had a personal note on it:

Thank you so much, Celeste!
I LOVE it!

Celeste is getting a tatted bookmark from me.
I told her I was going to wait until I had it done
to post it. As you can see, the shuttle is so
very pretty that I simply couldn't wait!

Edited 8/31/09:
You can see Celestina Marie's
blog post on the
shuttle by clicking here!

***

Next, I'd like to show you that I got
some pink hand knitted house slippers
from Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters!

Aren't they cute?

Finally, an obligatory blogger foot photo!

They are comfy, too!

You know, I have always wanted a pair of
hand knitted house slippers and now I have them!

Twyla had a birthday giveaway and I was
one of the lucky winners! YAY!

Thank you, Twyla!
They are warm and cozy!

***

Now, just in case you were wondering...
this is not just a blog about some gal
who "gets a lot of stuff from other bloggers"...

I do tat, too!

See!

Wink, wink, Jessica!

This is a sneak peak for all of you of some pink
tatting for a very special bloggy pal
(and you know who you are)!

~*~

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Whether or not you like pink I do hope this blog post finds you "in the pink" yourself! Please say hello and let me know how you are doing!

♥

XOXO

A Rarity

2009-08-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here's something unique and exciting!

I won another giveaway (or two)! Let me show you the goods.

~*~

I won the July Giveaway from Jo in NZ
She has a blog called
"No Matter Where I go...
I Always Meet Myself There!"

The prize???

This fabulous hand stitched fabric post card!

Isn't it cool?

Look at the awesome stamped postmark
on the other side. She actually wrote on it.
Thank you, Jo in NZ!

I thought I'd post this in honor of
Postcard Friendship Friday!

Welcome PFF'ers!

***

Next, I'd like to share the stitch chart I won
from Marjorie of
Moonsilk Stitches!

It's a nice pattern. It's stitched acorns.
I love acorns!

Thank you, Marjorie!

She even slipped in this bonus book
on teaching crafts.
It has a section on ethics in teaching
crafts. I thought that was kind of cool.
It talks about not gossiping about your students.
I rather like that. I've never gossiped about my
students, but did my best to create
an emotionally safe environment for learning.
I hope they felt it.

Sometimes I think about ethics in blogging.
I think similar things apply. I am not
attracted to blogs that put down others or
say negative things about their bloggy "neighbors".
I've even seen some blogs that "blast" someone
publically when maybe there was private issue
only shared in email. I think that's a big no-no.

On the other hand, it's always a pleasure to visit
blogs that send sweet shout outs about their
friend's blogs or blogs they admire.
It makes me feel safe visiting there!

~*~

Thank you for visiting and allowing me the privilege of sharing some of my week with you! It is always a pleasure to share here in bloggerland. I hope you say "hello" before you run off to visit more of your bloggy neighbors here in the bloggerhood!

♥

XOXO

A Note of Comparison

2009-08-15T22:17:00.000-06:00

In my last post about "Ruffled Hearts" I shared a comparison of a same sized thread, size 20. There was a photo that showed the two same sized hearts next to a US dime to give an idea of their size. So many of you commented on how tiny you thought they were.

Yes, the hearts are small, it's true. What is interesting to me is that size 20 is actually a larger gauge in the crochet cotton thread sizes. Authentic "Tatting thread" is actually much smaller at sizes 70, 80, and 100.

I thought I'd give you some more size comparisons to see the differences in some crochet cotton and tatting thread sizes.

~*~

Here is the heart in the same size 20 DMC thread

Next, we have size 40 DMC thread.

Here's is size 20 on the left next to size 40 on the right.
As you can see, size 40 is a bit smaller.

Smaller still is size 80 DMC tatting thread!

See?

Size 20 is on the left,

Size 40 is in the middle,

Size 80 is on the right!

Here's that same dime to show the size comparison.

As mentioned in the previous post the heart pattern
is called "Ruffled Heart" by Vicki Clarke.
The thread is "Summer Trail" by Yarnplayer (in all 3 sizes).

Just to reiterate the whole
"look how tiny size 80 thread is"
here's another photo of the heart
made of size 80 thread on the same dime.

Now, what does size 20, 40, and 80 all mean?
Why does the larger number correspond
with the smaller thread?

Click on over to
Jen's Tatra-Sutra
for her thoughts on this.
(Scroll down to the paragraph entitled "size")

I've actually heard something similar to this
from others, but this was the only page online
that I could find that explained it.

~*~

Thanks again for stopping by to visit! As always, your visits and comments are a pleasure! I enjoy them very much!
I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend so far! I am!

♥

XOXO

Ruffled Hearts

2009-08-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

It may seem that by the sounds of this blog post title that I am feeling out of sorts. It is actually the name of the pattern I used to tat these hearts I am sharing today.
Last week Yarnplayer asked me to test tat some of her beautiful HDT for her. She normally hand dyes DMC brand thread and may start dying Lizbeth thread now that it is available in size 20 AND size 40!
I had ordered some of her "Summer Trail" in size 20 and she sent along with it some size 20 (of the same colorway) in the new Lizbeth HDT! Woo Hoo! I love tatting thread treats such as this and welcome the chance to test tat them anytime! I am happy to report that both the DMC and Lizbeth threads tatted up very nicely!

Here, let me show you the two hearts!

~*~

Here is the Lizbeth thread:

The heart pattern is called
"Ruffled Heart"
by Vicki Clarke.

I think it's a very pretty pattern.

***
This will count as
Motif #8
in my second round of the
25 Motif Challenge
***

Next, is the DMC thread.

Here they are side by side.

DMC Cordonnet Special is on the left

and Lizbeth is on the right.

Here they are by a US dime to show
how small these motifs are.

Hope you enjoyed the show!

~*~

Thanks for stopping by! Do say hello if you have the time! I'd love to hear from you. I will let you decide for yourself which heart you like best. I like them both. I hope all of you are having a fabulous week so far!

Hey, I just realized, it's "hump day"!!! Woo Hoo!

♥

XOXO

All Is "Right SIDE UP" With The World Again!

2009-08-07T21:05:00.000-06:00

or what I really meant to say was: "FONTS and FLAKES"

Hi there! I am happy to announce that TattingChic is back in business! Woo Hoo! Thank you everyone who commented on my Technical Difficulties post! I really appreciate your warmth and support. Apparently, yesterday morning when I sat down on my couch to eat my breakfast (see what I get for not eating at the table?), I accidentally sat on my laptop. Mortified, I jumped up immediately as I realized what I had done. I looked at my desktop screen and it was

¡¡¡uʍop ǝpısdn

YIKES!

Hey, that reminds me of a little song:
(Feel free to click "play" if you're in the mood for Diana Ross)

Thank you, bpmandersloot!

I went on with my day and while on a break at work I ran into the IT guy. I mentioned my predicament and he immediately started to laugh. He did say that it was a challenge and he had never heard of it before. He told me he would research about it that evening.

Today I got an email from him. It said:

"Try this.

Some systems will invert the display when you press CTRL-ALT-Up Arrow or CTRL-ALT-Down Arrow. This feature is installed to allow you to fix the monitor upside down on the ceiling or other high surface - useful for public displays. To put things back the right way press CTRL-ALT-Up Arrow or CTRL-ALT-Down Arrow again."

So, upon arriving home I immediately tried it after turning on my laptop! Lo and behold! It worked! YIPPEE!!! Easy and free fix! THANK YOU IT Guy (and you know who you are, although, I'm pretty positive you don't read this blog, LOL!)!!!

WHEW!!!

Apparently I had sat on the exact combination of CTRL-ALT-Down Arrow which turns it upside down. CTRL-ALT-Up Arrow turned it right side up again.

All is right (side up) with the world again!

It is so good to be back in the saddle again! Sewmuchfun4 , it looks like you were right on the money with your suggestion as it was right what the I.T. guy said, thanks to you, too!

Now...back to what I was gonna say earlier before all this crazy turning-my-world-upside-down stuff.
What I really meant to post about today was that you may have noticed some changes on my blog lately. I had changed the font style of blog titles. I wanted to share with you some info about that.

~*~

This cool blog called Kevin & Amanda

had this very cool post here:

How To Use A Cute Font For Your Blogger Post Titles

Feel free to visit this blog if you're interested
in spicing up your blog a bit with some CUTE fonts!
It's way cool!

Amanda even writes back when you ask her questions in the comments!

Thanks, Amanda!

~*~

I also wanted to show you that I received
the July snowflake from Fairiebees

Here's a link with all the snowflakes together.

Thanks Fairiebees!

I look forward to getting my
tatted snowflake in the mail
from you every month!
I'll be sad when the year is through.

~*~

Sorry, about all the distractions! I was feeling very discombobulated and I think it shows in this post! Isn't that a great word? I love that word... "discombobulated"! It just sounds like things are all jumbled up and a mess, LOL!

Okay, okay, I know, I need to "get a life" if I'm all worried about my computer being unavailable for a 36 hour period, LOL!

See how much you guys mean to me!?!

It's nice to have a visit from you! Feel free to say hello and stuff! I missed you guys while my computer desktop was upside down! LOL!

(((HUGS)))!!!

XOXO

Technical Difficulties

2009-08-07T15:36:00.000-06:00

I am very sad to report some technical difficulties. Due to poor judgment on my part I accidentally sat on my laptop. This caused a unique problem. The desktop screen now shows up

¡uʍop ǝpısdn

No kidding. I will be computerless until the situation is resolved. I am writing this at another location which I will not have access to during the weekend. I will miss all of you very much. Please don't forget about me. Well, how can you? Who else sits on her laptop and makes the screen upside down?

If anyone knows the solution to this feel free to leave it in the comments, LOL! It even has the IT guy at work stumped, LOL!

Go ahead, laugh, it's funny.

....sort of....

XOXO

P.S. EVERYTHING is upside down on the computer so that means no e-mail, no facebook, no twitter, nothing!

WAHHHHH!!!

Everybody Loves A Winner!

2009-08-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

Hi there! It's August 1st you know! I know it's a big day here at TattingChic! Some of you on other parts of the planet may have wondered what is taking me so long to get down to business. Some of you have moved onto August 2nd already. Some of you are getting ready for bed.
It's only 8:30 in the morning on August 1st here in Sunny California!

~*~
The big day is finally here!
The day to announce the winner of:

So, I went to:

to find a winner out of

280 entries!

So, without further adieu
the winner is comment #215!

Congratulations, comment No. 215!

Comment #215 was Debra!
Here's Debra's comment:

Yes, Debra! You DID get the second entry
for posting the button!

(Just click on the image above to go to her
blog where she posted the button.)

Thank you for following me, even though it wasn't
a requirement. I hope you accept the friendly
invitation to come back and visit often!

Your prize will be on it's way just as soon as
you email me with your mailing address!
I sent you an email from your profile and
need to hear back from you within one week!
:)

Congratulations!

8/7/09 Edited Update:
Debra got her package and
posted about it here!

***

Next, I wanted to share some more
winner's news with you!

I won this award from Sy
of Sy's Tat-About!

Thanks, Sy!

So, since everybody loves a winner,
(right?)
I am passing this award to EVERYONE
who entered my 50,000 Visitor Giveaway!
Thanks for celebrating with me!

See, we're ALL winners!

***

Speaking of winners...
I would LOVE to be the winner of
THIS fabulous giveaway!

If you'd like a chance to be a winner, too,
just click on the image above to go to a giveaway
for a fabulous Zephyr knitting needle set!
Thank you, Things Mom Like and KnitPicks!

Don't worry...if I won it...I wouldn't
tat LESS, just knit more!
How about you?

~*~

Thank you for stopping by so I could share the winning news with you! I hope you say hello during your travels through bloggerland! Your visits are always a pleasure and comments always welcome!

XOXO

The Antique Tatted Collar

2009-07-29T01:00:00.000-06:00

One day while browsing through antique shops about 14 years ago I happened upon a lovely piece of tatted lace. Since tatted lace isn't the most common thing to find in an antique shop I was quite excited to take it home with me. I paid my money and carried my lovely piece of lace home with me.

It was a tatted collar.

~*~

This tatted collar, to be exact!

The unusual thing about this piece was the
beautiful round tatted lace motifs filled with
their lovely webs of needle lace!

So very fine and beautiful!

The collar was edged with a beautiful
cloverleaf edging all around the collar.

Upon closer examination I noticed something unusual
about the joinings of the picots.

These were no ordinary picot joins!

They were tied together one by one.

Like this:

Ah! I am soooo glad we don't have
to do that anymore in tatting.

I'm grateful for the classic picot join in tatting!

This technique wasn't published
until sometime after 1851
(Some reports say 1852, others say 1853).

So, the next time you are joining your picots
whisper a little thanks to the French lady,
Mademoiselle Eleonore Riego de la Branchardiere!
"Thank you, Mlle. Riego!"

You see, Mlle. Riego made the way
we join picots today very famous so all
tatters could enjoy the convenience of joining picots
as we tat away instead of sewing the
individual picots together later one by one.

The interesting part is the cloverleaf edging
which is joined with a classic join to itself,
but sewn to the actual collar!

I often wonder just how many people
worked on this piece?

Here in lies the mystery:

just how old is this tatted work of art?

~*~

The truth is we will never know the exact age of this tatted collar. Information didn't travel then as quickly across the globe as it does now. If it was tatted in America it may have been years, even decades before the tatter learned of the classic picot join.

Regardless of the age of this tatted mystery, I'm glad I am able to share it here with you! It is one of my little treasures and I wouldn't share it with just anyone, you know!

Love,

XOXO

Don't forget to enter the giveaway
if you haven't already!
The deadline is 7/31/09 at MN PST

What's in YOUR WorkBasket?

2009-07-25T21:22:00.000-06:00

The title reminds me of that commercial that became popularized by the comedian, David Spade, for the Capitol One credit card commercials! You know, the one where he works for the credit card company that answers "no" to any question, no matter what it is, LOL! The tag line that became famous from that was

"What's in YOUR wallet?"

You can (if you want to) watch the video of that commercial that launched a thousand "What's in YOUR wallet"(s)!

Thank you, Elven6

So, what's in MY wallet?

Well, not much. You see, I tend to spend any extra change that I happen to have on hand on tatting thread, tatting shuttles, and tatting books to fill my work basket, LOL! I think a more appropriate question for me would be

"What's in YOUR Work Basket?"

Do you have a Work Basket? You know, a sewing basket, trunk, fishing tackle box, or any other container full of odds and ends for your favorite craft? What do you keep in it? You may have noticed that my favorite craft is tatting. I happen to have an actual basket FULL of thread just for tatting!

~*~

See?

It's full of LOTS and LOTS of thread!
This is not even the half of it.

***

Can you spell:
"T-H-R-E-A-D A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N"?
LOL!I have just a little one (thread addiction, that is)!

***

Speaking of Work Baskets, this treasure box
actually contains WorkBaskets!
You see, it was custom built by my Grandfather
specifically to house the WorkBasket Magazines
that my Grandmother collected!
She was an avid needleworker. She loved to
knit, crochet, and even tat!
*
WorkBasket Magazine was a needlework
magazine that published tatting, knitting, crochet
and other patterns. It is no longer in print.
*
Just look at those beautiful joints on
the corners of the box! This was handmade!
I love it!
(And, NO, I did not put those water rings
on the top of the box! LOL!)

Fortunately, my Mother gave me this fabulous
collection of WorkBaskets after she taught me to tat.

I now have a wonderful vintage WorkBasket
Magazine collection ranging from
the 1950's to 1969 when my dear
Grandmother passed away.
I think they are fabulous!
Just look at these vintage covers!
They even have fun vintage
tatting patterns in them!
I have even added to it whenever I
find one at an antique store!

***

What is interesting about this is that I
haven't shown my WorkBasket collection
on my blog until now!
Yet, somehow, my bloggy friends have
picked up on the fact that
I LOVE vintage WorkBasket mags!

***

For instance, recently, I went over
to support a new scrapbook blog
put on by Lindsey of Two Crazy Crafters.

Lindsey is a very talented scrapper!
Her new blog is called
Lindsey's Paper Scraps.

In a gesture of bloggy pal support I went
over to her new blog and it just so happened
that I was the very first to comment on
her first blog post there!

Just look what she and Twyla sent me
as a thank you for being the first commenter!
Isn't this the cutest card EVER!?!
I just love how she used a vintage image
over some cute scrap papers!

Oh, NO!
It didn't stop there!

They also sent me some
vintage WorkBasket Magazines!
Can you believe it?

It's so cool because I do not
have these in my collection yet!

I was most excited about this
particular issue!

It has this pattern in it!
I've seen my friend, Jenni, from Australia do
this one and the photograph of her doily is
very beautiful!

Thank you so much, Lindsey and Twyla!
I LOVE the gifts you sent me!

***

Another blogger who surprised me
was Angela from The Country Cellar.

She sent me this apron that I won.
I mentioned it before here.
When it arrived she surprised me with some
goodies tucked in that pocket you see there!

One of them was this little treasure!
It's a WorkBasket Magazine
that had tatting on the cover!

Thank you, Angela!

It just so happens that I didn't have this one, either!

***

Let's not forget the WorkBasket sent to
me by Deborah of The Painted Nest!

~*~

Well, whatever it is that you're doing this weekend, whether it's filling your work basket or using up your stash, thanks for stopping by! I love your visits! Speaking of visitors, my visitor counter made it to the 50,000 mark today! Woo Hoo! I captured a screen shot of the special moment to share with all of you!
Ha ha! Okay, so if you haven't had a chance to enter the giveaway I'm having to celebrate the momentous occasion you can click on the button below and comment on that blog post to enter and if you have an active blog connected to your commenting profile...then, you'll be entered! You have until Midnight PST on July 31, 2009 to do so!
Have fun during the rest of your weekend! I'd love to hear from you! Comments are always welcome here on TattingChic!

Thanks again,

XOXO

Tat Like An Egyptian!

2009-07-18T18:50:00.000-06:00

Do you recall that song "Walk Like an Egyptian"? It was really BIG in the 80's! Oh, the 80's!!! I was such an 80's girl...and if you've read this blog before you may already know that. This song was so much fun to dance to, sing about, and mimic while walking down the halls at school with my friends! This song has been going through my head ever since I got my order from Wally of Needles~N~Shuttles blog who spends part of her year living in Egypt!

Actually, Wally is from Puerto Rico. She is married to an Egyptian man and so she is "Egyptian" by marriage! When she lives in Egypt she goes to Cairo to purchase perle cotton threads for tatting and sells them in her shop, also called "Needles~N~Shuttles". She summers in Puerto Rico where it is quite a bit cooler than the Sahara Desert heat of Egypt! Wally met her husband while living in Egypt about three years ago. She has Lupus and works to spread awareness about Lupus and the effect it has on those affected by it. She spends her time tatting and making lots of designs. When I say "lots" I mean LOTS! She comes out with new designs CONSTANTLY! I've called her a "Tatting Machine" a few times because she seems to produce a voluminous amount of tatting...more than I've seen anyone else online produce! It's amazing!

~*~

So, after all that talk about Egypt

can you see how I had that song running

through my head!?!

I'd love to "Tat like an Egyptian"! She's amazing!

For those of you that need a little

refresher on that song, here it is:

Walk like an egyptian

Thanks, Steve!

Ah, doesn't that make you think of

Egyptian pyramids and the like?

I've got a photo right here of one.
Wh....what???

Okay, okay, it's an Egyptian Thread Pyramid,

but it still counts, right?

***

No?

***

Well, what if I showed you a close up on the

label of the thread?

Would you believe me then?

It still doesn't count as an Egyptian Pyramid?

***

Alrighty then, I'll show you a postcard

she sent me that is from Egypt that has a

picture of an Egyptian pyramid on it!
Is this better?

***

Welcome PFF'ers!

(I know, I know....it's Saturday....Shhhhh!)

***

Here's the back of the postcard along with some

goodies she sent along with my order as a surprise!

Thank you, Wally!

***

Inside the baggy of sequins was this beautiful

Mother of Pearl disc! Oh, the potential!!!

I could make a cool tatted pendant with

that disc attached!

***

Next is a sampling of her books.

I ordered these from her shop.

So, if you were wondering how do you

"tat like an Egyptian"?

Here's how!

This heart is from her book

"From My Heart".

It will count as

MOTIF # 7

in my 2nd round of the 25 Motif Challenge.

I made it with the pink perle cotton

thread pictured above.

This special heart pattern is named

after her husband "Hussein".

Awww....isn't that sweet!?

***

Now, if you are still in the mood for

some "Egyptian-ality"

Here is a very cool

Michael Jackson video I found!

Thank you JAYTONYNJ

~*~
Thank you for your art and talent,
Michael!
May you Rest In Peace.

~*~

Well, thank you for joining me in my Egyptian adventures in tatting today! I tatted that heart up just for this post because I thought you might wonder what "Egyptian Tatting" looked like, LOL! It pretty much looks like "Irish Tatting", or "Scottish Tatting", "Danish Tatting", and even "German Tatting" doesn't it? LOL!

Where ever it is that you hail from I'd love to hear from you. Be sure to say hello before you go off on your travels through the wonderful land of Blog! Oh, and Wally says that if you want to see some real Egyptian dancing watch this video! It's cool!

Love,

XOXO

Be sure to sign up for the giveaway

if you haven't already!

You have until 7/31/09 at MN PST!

TattingChic's 50,000 Visitors Celebration Giveaway!!!

2009-07-16T16:35:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I have some very exciting news to share with you! My visitor counter is getting very close to 50,000! Woo Hoo! I have only been blogging for shortly over a year so I think this is cause for celebration, don't you?

Well, yes, it is!

You see, when I first started this blog I was so scared that no one would ever come and visit me. I was so surprised when I actually got a few comments on my first blog post! I was thrilled...ecstactic, actually! Really! As time has gone on I have found fabulous friendships, won giveaways, and learned a lot from so many of you! I want to give back to the blogging community! So, I've made a little something special just for this giveaway!

~*~

I made a button just for the big celebration!

(It's my first button, hee hee
this is not the button...it's just a picture of it.
The REAL button is on my sidebar!)

***

Let me show you what I have in store
for the lucky winner of my giveaway!
It's the book called "Learn to Tat" by Janette Baker
it comes with a free DVD that shows you how to tat!
If you already know how to tat, even some
experienced tatters have enjoyed making the
patterns out of this book. Besides, you could give
this book to someone who wanted to learn or
use it as a resource for them!

***

To go along with the book I'm tossing
in a faux tortoise shell (plastic) post-style
tatting shuttle and 10 yards-ish of size 10
Manuela brand green variegated thread!
This is everything you need to get you started
on your journey to learn how to tat!

***

I'll also give the winner this tatted heart.
It's from a Vintage "Workbasket Magazine"
tatting pattern. I tatted it myself about 16 years ago.
***
You like?
If you do I have one rule for this giveaway:
1) You need to have an active blog and
comment (just once, please) on this blog post!
(If you are reading this on multiply you need
to comment on the Blogger Blog)

That's it!

You are more than welcome to become
a follower, although it is not a requirement
to enter this giveaway! I'd love for you
to come back again and again!

Nothing like that.
Just comment (once) on this blog post to be entered
and have an active blog attached to the
profile that you comment from so that I can
notify you on your blog if you happen to be the
lucky winner!

You have until Midgnight PST
on Friday, July 31, 2009 to enter.
The winner will be announced on
Saturday, August 1, 2009

If you want to become a follower you
are more than welcome! I love my followers
and the "more the merrier" I say!

Would you like another chance to win?

Simply add the button on my right sidebar
to your blog sidebar and comment one more
time to let me know that you added the button.
(I'll be checking) :)

***

Here's how to add the button to your blogger blog:
(it's really easy, I promise)

1) Click on the "Customize" tab at the top of
your blog on the right.

2) This should take you to "layout"

3) Click on "Add a gadget" on your sidebar"

4) In the pop-up window that comes up
select "HTML/Javascript"

5) In the title bar write "TattingChic's Giveaway" or
simply leave it blank. That's totally up to you.

6) Now, copy the entire code underneath my
button on my right sidebar. (if my sidebar is not
showing up simply click on the title of this
blog post and it will show up on the right or
scroll down to the bottom of the blog
- just click on the title of this blog post -
it's easier!)

7) Paste the entire code in the "content"
portion of that gadget pop up window

8) Click on save!
Now my giveaway button shows up in your sidebar
ready to invite anyone who clicks on it to come on over
to this blog post and join in the giveaway fun!

9) Be sure to come back and comment
a second time just to let me know that you
added the button and I will add you a second time.

***

That's it! That's all there is to it
to enter the giveaway!

Thank you for celebrating with me!

~*~

I just wanted to thank all my visitors for their lovely visits, comments, and friendships! I am grateful for all the joy that blogging has brought into my life! It's all because of you (my visitors) that I have a reason to celebrate!

Remember: You have until Midgnight PST on Friday, July 31, 2009 to enter. The winner will be announced on Saturday, August 1, 2009! In case you were wondering, yes, international friends are invited as well!

(((HUGS)))!!!

XOXO

Edited 8/1/09

The winner has been announced!
Click here to find out who won!

Wild Woman!

2009-07-15T14:05:00.000-06:00

Are you a wild woman?

Neither am I...

Oh, what's that?

Oh, you are?!! Oh, sorry, I thought you were NOT a wild woman since you visited my blog, LOL! I thought that most wild women would be turned off by a little blog about lace.

You see, usually the thoughts of a lady tatting lace brings to mind pictures of a billowing victorian blouse buttoned up to one's nares and a skirt dress flowing down to the floor. Does tatting remind you of Victorian times? Well, it should! The Victorian Era is when tatting became highly popularized. However, despite these prim and proper visions you may have about tatted lace the word "tat" has become synonymous with something less than prim and proper today. No, I'm not necessarily talking about tattoes. I'm referring to this definition of "tat" that I found on Answers.com today.

~*~
This one right here:

Yes, that's right! See that there???
The "Meaning #1" has it defined as
"tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar."

Uh-huh, ladies! You had no idea when you
picked up that tatting shuttle that it had a
deeper meaning than just making lace, aye?

*****
To further prove my point I'd like
to introduce you to this woman here.

She looks innocent enough
doesn't she?

***

That is Jane Eborall.
Proprietress of this tatting blog here:
(clicked image above will take you directly to her blog)

She is well known in the online tatting community.
In fact, one could even say she's a veritable walking
tatting encyclopedia. A tat-o-pedia, if you will!

***

None-the-less, despite all appearances
Jane posted this on her blog yesterday.
(clicked image above will take you directly to this post)

What's that you say, Jane? Your old website for tatting
is now a pornographic site?

WHOOPS!!!

is right!!!

Jane is asking everyone to please change
their bookmarks from her old URL
(which shall remain unlisted) to the new one here.

My goodness, I hope none of our tatting friends
have suffered any heart attacks as a result
of this mix-up!
***
Update 7/19/09 Jane has provided an update
that her website is back to providing lace
related ads!
WHEW!

***
So, speaking of a "Wild Woman"
It seems that Stitchety Grub
had a give away for this
"Wild Woman Brooch"
and today I won it!!!!

See that little "crown" on top of her head?
It's tatted.
It all seems very fitting now, doesn't it?
(....tatted......wild woman...)

Yes, this wild woman will be coming
to live with me all the way from
Western Australia! Woo Hoo!!!

Thank you, Britt from Stitchety Grub!!!

*****

So, what have we learned today ladies (and gents)?

We've learned that tatting is not the prim and proper
lace making pastime you once thought it was.
No, this is NOT your grandmother's tatting!

I guess, perhaps, I am a "wild woman" after all!

sigh!!!

~*~

Well, thank you for letting me share the wild adventures of tatted lace with you here on TattingChic! Feel free to leave a comment on this post whether you are a "wild woman" or not. A big "THANK YOU" goes out to Jane Eborall, who without her permission to print screen her blog, this post would not have been possible. She has a fabulous sense of humor and, as near as I can tell, loves to tease and be teased (and I mean that it the most wholesome way, too). Now, as far as what Jane's old URL is...don't even ask! I don't know what it is and I wouldn't tell you if I did! LOL!

Tah~tah for now,

XOXO

"I Was Strolling Through The Blogs One Day...

2009-07-10T20:37:00.000-06:00

In the merry merry month of May ...er...June...I mean July
I was taken by surprise
By a giveaway that caught my eyes!
In the merry merry month of July!"

How many of you remember that silly song from childhood called "While Strolling Through The Park One Day"? :) If you are not familiar with it I embedded a video from You Tube for your song learning pleasure. This little ditty above is meant to be sung to that tune, LOL!

Thank you, DiversiTune!

Ya gotta love that bouncing ball that shows you what words to sing and when! I have to admit, though, the cadence of the song makes it almost lullaby~ish. I'm used to the tune being sung with much more vim and vigor. You know, it's usually a little faster than this version here (but it gives you the idea if you are not familiar with this song).

~*~

Okay, back to my little ditty at the
start of this blog post. I know it's corny! LOL!
I've only claimed that I love to write poetry.
(See my blogger profile)
I never said I was any good at it, LOL!

***

So, here are some things I spied

while strolling through the blogs one day!

***

I found my way to a
Mad Tea Party
that was hosted by the lovely

Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist.

One of the party goers was
Chrisy of Sophism Press!
Later, I was surprised to see that I won this

lovely apron at her tea party!

Chrisy is a talented artist!
She also sent this lovely print

of her own artwork called "Star Gazing"It is available in her Etsy Shop

called Artdecadence .

Thank you, Chrisy!

***

Next, I strolled over to Angela's
at The Country Cellar! I was surprised to see that
I won this toile apron!

I think that toile is such a pretty fabric!
That pocket is perfect to slip some tatting into!
Thank you, Angela!

***
Okay, 2 APRONS in less than one month?
What is the universe trying to tell me?

That I need to start cooking ~~more~~?
***

Next to be spied on my travels
was the Uber Amazing Blog Award from Snap!

Thank you, Snap from Tales From Twisty Lane!

The Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:
- Inspire you
- Make you smile and laugh, or maybe give amazing information
- A great read
- Has an amazing design
- Any other reasons you can think of that make them Uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:
- Put the logo on your blog or post.
- Nominate at least 6 blogs
- Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Who to share it with? This is never easy!
There are TOO many people to share it with.
I will share this award with:

1) Bella from Bella Sinclair

2) Ces from Ces and Her Dishes

3) Carolyn from Draffin Bears

It's only 3-I'm cheating! Shhhh!
Don't tell the blog award rules police!

No, wait I think I may just give it away
to the 2 people I just won giveaways from!
YES!
That gives me 2 more peeps.

4) Chrisy from Sophism Press

5) Angela from The Country Cellar

Okay that's 5...I'm getting closer.
Can you see how painful this picking
award winners is for me?
(I just don't want anyone to feel left out!)

I could just give it back to Snap!
Yeah! Snap, ;) right back atcha bloggy pal!
Okay that makes winner #6!
Well, watta ya know? I stuck with
the rules anyhow! LOL!

***

The final award was found when
I strolled on over to Ces'
place at Ces and Her Dishes
She mentioned to me that she had
an award for me!Thank you, Ces!

Here is what Ces has to say about
The Bella Sinclair Award:

"I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honor the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger whose friendship and influence inspire us to do our best. That I named it after Bella Sinclair is because she epitomizes all of these things. She is an inspiration to many of us."

She also says,

"Ces created the Bella Sinclair Award in honor of Bella Sinclair exceptional woman and brilliant artist who epitomizes the concept of the artist as inspiration, of sisterhood, caring and sharing. It is symbolized by the Quercus lobata or Valley Oak, a handsome and graceful tree with a sturdy trunk, upto 5 ft in diameter and 120 feet tall, the largest western deciduous oak"

Some of you may recall that Bella Sinclair
and I are good friends and participated
in a friendship exchange earlier this year!
I am deeply honored that Ces would share
this award with me! You see Bella has
gone through a difficult time recently with
the loss of her dear husband only days before
a transcontinental move. I'd like to encourage
my blog friends to go to her blog post
about it here and offer your support.

I would like to share this award with
Enlightened By Angels
Okay, okay, I know she's my niece and everything.
Some of you may even see this as blatant nepotism :x
...and it very well may be, LOL! However,
I do think that in the short time (and two posts)
that she has been blogging with us she has
quickly embraced the value of friendships
in blogging and the sharing and caring that
exists amongst us here in blogland.
Go visit her blog! I think you'll agree!

So, Enlightened By Angels, I hope
you go and start "spreadin' the love" some more by
sharing this award with other bloggers!

~*~

Thank you for strolling with me through the blogs today! Ya know, it sure seems like I win a lot of blog giveaways. Is it just me that thinks that? Why do you think that is? Do I have extremely good luck? I wish I had this kind of fabulous luck in my 3-D life, LOL! Some of you have suggested that I buy lottery tickets. I want you to know that I'm seriously considering it, LOL! How would it be! What would you do if YOU won the lottery? I know I'd buy more tatting thread, (tee hee)!

Oh, I have a poll you can click on. It's at the top of my right sidebar {which becomes the top of the footer (bottom of blog) when you're on the main page of this blog}. I did the same poll when I first started this blog, but I'm doing it again just for fun!

So, as you continue on your stroll through the blogs in the merry merry month of ~~May~~ ~~June~~ July I'd love to hear from you, too!

Sincerely,

XOXO

All Dressed Up For Tatting!

2009-07-07T01:06:00.000-06:00

What exactly does one wear in order to tat? What do you wear when you tat or if you were to tat? For me, the answer isn't pretty. It's usually sweats or a T-shirt. Why, you could even tat in your underwear if you wanted to!

***GASP***

For those of you who tend to dress up for tatting (i.e., jeans and a T-shirt) you may find my version of getting "dressed up for tatting" a little too casual, LOL! Some of you may even be a little more formal about it (i.e., slacks and a blouse). Regardless of your choice of dress for tatting (or if you were to tat) I think we will all agree that the following dress with tatting is pretty!

~*~

May I present to you

A dress with tatting: Isn't it precious? It's a baby dress I rescued from

an antique store many years ago.

Right now, I've got it hanging on my bedroom door

on an ornate wreath hanger.

***

It has been embellished lovingly by

hand with bits of hand tatted lace.

***

Here, let's take a closer look, shall we?

Here's the neckline.
Closer...
(If you click on the above photos they will enlarge)

As you can see it is embellished with little round

tatted medallions that are sewn into circles

that are cut into the fabric. Amazing!

The neckline, itself, is trimmed with a simple

tatted edging of rings.

***

Next, we have a better look at a sleeve.

It is also trimmed with a simple tatted edging

and embellished with cutwork filled with

tatted medallions.

***

AMAZING!

***

What's even more amazing is

that the edges of the sleeve are scalloped!

Here's a close up so you

can see what I mean!

I think it's sweet and very pretty!

***

Here are some close ups of the hem of the

skirt on the dress.

(The following pictures will also enlarge if you click on them)

Front of dress hemline.
Here's is the hemline inside out:

I showed both front and inside-out so that you

can compare by enlarging and see

that it is really hand-stitched.

***

I love that scalloped edge on the hemline!

***

I think about the time it took whoever must've

made this to tat the pieces and cut the fabric

and hand stitch all the edges and attach

all the tatted trims and medallions onto the dress

***

Here's a close up of one of the medallions.

Simple, and yet so beautiful!

***

Here's a close up of the sweet tatted
edging of simple rings on the scalloped
hemline of the dress.

As you can plainly see this old

little baby dress is tattered and torn.

Time is beginning to take it's toll on

the aging fabric and tatted trim.

The baby this was made for has probably grown

and perhaps has children or even grand-children

of their own by now!

The dress is long forgotten, from a time long ago.

However, the sentiments that

were sewn into this dress by loving hands,

full of love and hope,

are timeless!

~*~

The time you took today to come and visit and let me share this precious dress with you is valuable. I appreciate you spending it with me just for a moment.

I hope that you can see that beautiful things can be made with very simple tatted edgings and medallions. One doesn't have to be an expert at tatting or even know fancy tatting techniques to make something absolutely exquisite with tatted lace.

I also wanted to thank everyone who took the time to go and welcome my niece to blog land with her new blog Enlightened By Angels! You really made her feel welcome in blogland! Thanks a bunch! You guys are the bestest bloggy buddies EVER!!!

Well, whatever clothes you're wearing to tat or blog in (whether it's a sweats and slippers or Chanel couture) be sure and say hello before you say good~bye! There's no dress code on this blog, LOL!

Love,

XOXO

Please Welcome the New Kid On The Block!

2009-07-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

Hi guys and gals! I'd like to introduce you to the "new kid on the block" here in Bloggerlandia! She's a very talented gal who wants to share her story of caring for the elderly and all the wonderful things she's learned from her experiences with her elders.

She makes hand tatted lace along with other crafts and goodies!

She also happens to be my niece!

~*~

May I have a drum roll please?

...................................

Please welcome

Enlightened by Angels

This is the first thing she's tatted in a few years

and she's sharing it with us on her blog!

Be sure to stop by and say hello

and welcome the new blogger on the block!

~*~

Thanks for stopping by so I could introduce you to "Enlightened by Angels" and her new blog! She's a sweet gal with a lot to offer and I'm proud to call her my niecey-pooh! I'd love to hear from you, too! I'd love it if you said hello! Comments are always welcome here on TattingChic!

((Hugs)),

XOXO

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-04T01:00:00.000-06:00

Apple pie?

Check!

Hotdogs and Buns?

Check!

Watermelon?

Check!

Looks like I'm already to celebrate Independence Day today! To all my friends in the USA Happy 4th of July!

~*~

Happy Birthday America!

It's your birthday, America, so make a wish!
What would you wish for America today?

I would wish for a healthier economy.

Isn't the box pictured above darling? I purchased
it from Rosemary of Rose's Petit Maison.
I bought it from her Etsy shop
called The Vintage Crown.
I love little boxes, tee hee!
***
What's that peeking out from underneath that box?
***
Why, it's a star tatted up in some patriotic colors, of course!
This star is called "Star in Clovers" by Jon Yusoff

of Jon's Thread Escapade.

It will count as

Motif #6

in my 2nd round of the 25 Motif Challenge!

***

Here's a close up of the star in the center. I like the way this was designed with the repeating star motif.

***

I thought I'd show you some photos of the star in progress

This star was made with 2 shuttles.

I used these shuttles, here.

They are made of acrylic and I think they are pretty.

They are larger than a typical tatting shuttle and they hold

a LOT of thread! They are perfect for tatting with beads!

These shuttles are hand made by Jan Stawasz of Poland.
He is an extremely talented tatter. Go look at his stuff.

You won't be disappointed. His work is absolutely,

extraordinarily STUNNING! I'm not kidding!

~*~

Thank you for stopping by to visit during the celebration of USA's birthday! If you are an international friend I hope you have a lovely fourth day of the month of July! I realize that not all my blog friends are American and I'm grateful for the visitors I get from all over this beautiful planet! Thank you for your visits and sweet comments!

In my last post I shared about a friend from Denmark. She has shared with me that there is a town in Denmark that celebrates the 4th of July every year in honor of their American friends! I think that is so cool! I don't think that most American's are aware of the beautiful gesture of friendship from our Danish friends! This festival is called "Rebildfesten".

Before you run off to Rebildfesten be sure to stop and say hello here! I love hearing from my bloggy friends from all over!

Happy Independence Day!

XOXO

A Lovely Gift From Dantatter!

2009-07-01T08:23:00.000-06:00

In this day and age of instant messaging, emails, tweets, and all forms of electronic communication from all around the planet it is so refreshing to get good old fashioned snail mail! Another sweet friend from the Land of Blog who wanted to wish me well has sent me a fabulous handmade gift!

~*~

Here's a preview of what arrived from

Susanne of Dantatter's Nook! Look! It's pink and white!

Woo Hoo!

***

It came all the way from Denmark! It's a Danish postmark and stamp. I think it's cool!

***

Here's what arrived in the envelope.A very nice card and hand-tatted lace bookmark!
***
The card has photos of "The Old Town"

located in Aarhus, Denmark!

They have houses dating as far back as 1550 A.D.!

If you would like to know more about it,

then here is a link to The Old Town website.
***
Here's another view of the beautiful tatted bookmark

Susanne told me she tatted it in size 20 Flora brand thread.
I think it's so pretty!

Tusind Tak, Susanne!

(Thank you, Susanne!)

~*~

Some of you may recall that I posted about a Christmas tatting exchange that Susanne and I did last Christmas. She is a very talented tatter and if you'd like to see more of her work feel free to visit her blog. Be sure to stop and say hello before you run off to the Danish part of blog~town, though! I always enjoy your visits and each and every one of your comments means so much!

Tah~tah for now!

XOXO

Edited on Friday 7/3/09:

Thank you Marie Reed for including this post on:

Welcome PFF-ers!

Thank You, Pamela!

2009-06-29T11:27:00.000-06:00

Lately, I have experienced some challenges with my health. A friend had heard of this and sent a little something to cheer me up. Well, it worked! I thought I'd share it with you today!

~*~

Pamela, A.K.A. Tatskool from

"Tat's A Kool Challenge"

sent a beautiful pink beaded heart made

of her beautiful hand tatted lace!

It arrived all the way from lovely Ireland!

Isn't it sparkly?

***

She sent it in this adorable handmade card

along with some of her wonderful HDT

(Hand Dyed Thread)!

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Here's the bunch of goodies together.

***

Here is a close up of the thread.This is her new fabulous "Rasperry Ripple"

HDT (hand-dyed thread).

Pamela has started selling her beautiful HDT's

and they are available at her shop:

"Tatskool's Hand Dyed Thread"

She has featured her beautiful new line

of Choco-Rasperry HDT's

in this blog post.

***

Take a look at this BEAR-y cute card!

She made this, herself!

I just love handmade cards and the photo doesn't do it justice.

The photo cannot show the beautiful glitter and details on the card

that are seen in person.
*

Here's her very sweet note that she wrote inside:

Awww...that is so sweet, Pamela!

Yes, it certainly did add a sparkle to my smile!

***

Okay, let's take a look at that beautiful hand tatted

lace heart one more time, shall we?

These beads are so sparkly because they

are crystal beads that are lined on

the inside with real silver!

Let's have a closer look.

Very nice work, Pamela!

Thank you!

~*~

It was so nice of you to come by and let me share this sparkly heart with you! I hope it has added a sparkle to your smile, too! I am grateful for the friendships I've made through blogging and Pamela's gesture is a fabulous example of that. Gifts are nice AND the fabulous support and kindness that we show each other in the blogging community are the true gifts! Thank you!

Be sure to say hello before you run off to visit Pamela's blog! :)

Love,

XOXO

Please Mr Postman!

2009-06-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever waited in great suspense in the hope that something would soon arrive in the mail!? I have! I just did, infact. My highly anticipated package arrived on Saturday.

Yippee!!!

It all started back in April when I did a blogpost about a certain pink teapot. An artist by the name of Deborah McNutt of The Painted Nest mentioned she would like the teapot. After conversing via comments and emails a private swap ensued. So, off went my tatted teapot to live with Deborah on the other side of the country! I had requested a bird's nest with robin's eggs and a robin in exchange for my teapot and Deborah complied most willingly. I have been so excited about the arrival of this bird's nest.

Well, I have to say, Deborah did not disappoint.

She SPOILED me rotten!

I am about to show you a fabulous package! Hold on to your hats, friends! It's going to be a long one! For your blogging pleasure, I have provided some postman music that I thought would be fitting with the mail theme of this blog post to entertain you. I hope you enjoy the following Beatles video I found on YouTube.

Thank you, cotizados!

Ya know, sometimes I wonder if my postman knows I blog about him sometimes, LOL!

Nah!

Okay, friends, grab a refreshing drink, get comfortable, and crank up the music 'cuz here we go!

~*~

I couldn't wait to see what was inside this box! OMGoodness~

Looky at what was on TOP of the packaging!

A Vintage Workbasket Magazine!!!

It's from January 1957! I collect vintage Workbasket mags! Woo Hoo! Good call, Deborah!

It even has some tatting patterns in it!

***

Okay, now, what's underneath this?
Oh, look at this divine tag!

Look at all these little packages and the Robin!

I think the Robin was kind of hungry from being in that box for so long because she flew right over to my angel birdfeeder to get a bite to eat! Can you believe it?

Hee hee, I think she felt much better after filling up on some birdie food.

***

One of the little packages had this adorable altered notepad in it.

There is a little vintage rhinestone right on the center of that silk ribbon bow.

It's embellished so beautifully!

Just look at the little acorn fashioned out of a real acorn cap and a green pearlescent bead!
This just so happens to be the cutest notepad EVER!

It also just so happens that I adore acorns, hee hee!

See how it opens up?Cute!

***

Okay, next is this lovely mini canvas of

....what else...

but a painted nest!

As luck would have it~it's the perfect size to fit on my mini-easel! Hee hee!

***

Ya know what else looks cute on my mini-easel?

The divine tag!

See the little bit of tatting she used to embellish it?

***
Another little package held these inside:

The cutest little bird tags EVER!!!

***
Next, is this pretty pendant that says TAT on it!

Here's a closeup.

Notice the cute little angel with the crown on it!
I love it because I think that Tatting is the Lace of Angels!

I thought this was the sweetest thing ever. It brought tears to my eyes knowing that she would take the time to make a pendant dedicated to tatting and angels just for me!

***

Next are these artistically wrapped packages!
What could be inside?

The littlest package had the three little robin's eggs in them.

Deborah molded these herself out of a porcelain type clay!
So cute! I love robin's eggs!
*
The last package to be opened was the larger blue one.
*
You will not believe what was inside of it!
This BEAUTIFUL embellished bluebird box!

Here's a view of the front side of the box.
Look at the little birdy charm!
The top of the dangles is a real acorn cap!

When you open it up the inside is just as beatiful as the outside!

At the bottom of the box are three little eggs that have a 3-D like effect. The eggs are handpainted on top a nest of grass! So very pretty and very detailed!
*
If you like this bluebird boxes, Deborah is planning on making
a series of them and selling them on her other blog:
The~Bluebird's~Song, so stay tuned!
*
Thank you, Deborah! I love the box so much!
I thought it would look adorable in a little vignette
under a glass cloche on one of my bird's nest cake pedestals!

I thought it looked so sweet grouped with the bird tags and TAT charm.
What do you think?
The doily underneath is a vintage linen center doily with a tatted lace edging that I once rescued from an antique store.

***

And last, but certainly not least, a little nest lay gently nestled at the very bottom of the box.

Just look at this darling nesty with the robin's eggs and Mother Robin!

I thought it looked sweet atop one of my cake pedestals.

Mother Robin is watching so dutifully over her eggs.

I love how the word "Family" is intertwined into the nest.
Just like these robin's eggs families are precious.
They are fragile and need warmth and protection.
A Family needs to be handled with great care!

Of course, I noticed the bit of tatting tucked
lovingly into the nest! So sweet!

Isn't that precious? Such attention to detail.

Deborah built this nest herself!

***

Thank you so much Deb!

I am so touched at all the little tributes to tatting in your art pieces for me.

I love all of my gifts and will treasure them always!
Be sure to stop by The Painted Nest when you get a chance!

~*~

It's such a pleasure to share my birdie treasure with all of you! Thanks for letting me play show-and-tell with you today! It's so nice to receive a lovely, heartfelt, and artistic gift from a talented artist and new friend such as Deborah. You should know that the thing that makes it even more special is that I have some place to share it with fabulous bloggy friends like yourselves! If you've made it this far in the blog post I'd love to hear from you so feel free to comment. I love hearing from my blog buddies ~ new and old alike~ ! Newcomers are always welcome, too, so don't be shy!

Love,

xoxo

SRE! Here I come!

2009-06-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

The Ribbonsmyth has announced their winners for the April giveaway and I won a fabulous prize of Silk Ribbon, trims and embellishments! I've been wanting to get started in SRE (silk ribbon embroidery) and CQ (Crazy Quilting) for such a long time! This is my chance! I cannot tell you how excited I am! I received my fabulous stash earlier this month.

May I show you the "goods"?

~*~

There are samples of beautiful fabric and lace. Some beautiful samples of lovely silk ribbons.
Some goodies to show off my finished work on as well as embellishments.
Some buttons, sequins and bits and bobs to do embellishing!

Thank you, Vickie from The Ribbonsmyth!
I love my prize!

~*~

Thanks for letting me share my goodies with you! I'm looking forward to using them sometime. First I have to get some tatting UFO's turned into FO's and then I can start on learning a new skill! I'm also working on tatted gifts and swaps so those come first! PRIORITIES! LOL!

I'm glad you stopped by. If you are interested in winning giveaways all you have to do is enter! You don't have a chance if you don't comment. Speaking of which, a Vintage Touch is having a fabulous giveaway where she will paint any of your favorite object (excluding people-she's not offering portraits) as the giveaway prize! Isn't that cool! If you win you just need to send her a photo and she'll paint it. I think I'd send a photo of some of my tatting with a shuttle if I won. What would you want her to paint?

Just click on the badge above to visit her blog or click on this link and enter the giveaway. I'd love to hear from you before you run over there! Be sure to say hello!

Luv,

XOXO

Treasures in Blogland

2009-06-22T01:00:00.000-06:00

Blogland is like an unexpected world just waiting to be discovered. Behind every nook and cranny, under every rock there are little treasures to be found! I've found a few such treasures lately! I'd like to share them with you, if I may.

~*~

In May I won a Birthday Giveaway

hosted by Carolyn of Draffin Bears!

I was one of 4 lucky winners!

***

Carolyn sent this pretty card and

sweet handmade dough ornament! She wrote the sweetest note inside!Isn't her hand writing beautiful!?
Thank you, Carolyn from Draffin Bears!

I am grateful for your friendship!

She makes the most adorable Teddy Bears

and has a shop also called Draffin Bears.

~*~

Next, from the talented Ruth Perry

I received this beautiful pink celtic style tatted bookmark.

Ruth tatted this herself.

Ruth also goes by her pen name Rozella Linden

and has written a many books on Celtic Tatting.

Celtic Tatting is a style of tatting where the tatting intertwines

as you make the lace. It's quite intriguing.

This type of tatting shuttle was made special for Ruth

when she published her "Celtic Tatting" book

through Handy Hands Publishing. Barbara Foster,

owner of Handy Hands Tatting, asked her if a thinner

shuttle would work better for this type of tatting and

so the Celtic Tatting Shuttle was "born"!

The Celtic Shuttle is thinner than a typical tatting shuttle so

that it will slide in between smaller spaces that

celtic tatting creates. Ruth tells me that the

following shuttle was the result of this design request. Can you see how it's long and skinny?

This shuttle, Ruth told me, was one of the first Celtic shuttles

ever made. She said she no longer has a need for it

and so she passed it on to me!

I am honored! I haven't learned celtic tatting yet,

so, no pressure there, LOL! I certainly will now!

I have many of Ruth's books!

You may be wondering how I happened to acquire such

tatting treasures from Ruth, a woman I have never met, but have admired her talent for many years.

It just so happens that she had a "yard sale" earlier this year which I participated in. It was like a grab bag where you made a bid and got some her stash of threads, beads, shuttles, and tatted bits. This is only some of what she sent me. I'll post more about this later.

~*~

Thank you for coming to see some of my treasures I've acquired in blogland! It's been a pleasure to share them with you. What sort of treasures have you come across in blogland lately? Feel free to share your thoughts with me. Comments are always welcome here! Don't forget, the friendships I've made with many of you are the greatest treasures of all!

Sincerely,

XOXO

May and June Snowflakes From Fairiebees!

2009-06-20T16:50:00.000-06:00

As promised I have a blog post for you! This is about the arrival of some tatted lace snowflakes from Fairiebees. I had previously won a giveaway from her that lasts all the year through. Each month I have the good fortune of looking forward to a snowflake from her! This month the Snowflakes for both May and June have arrived.

~*~

May's snowflake arrived on June 1st.

Here's a close up:
Isn't it pretty?

***

Here's is the June snowflake that arrived within the last week.

Here's another closeup:

Thank you, Crystal from Fairiebees!

I love the way each snowflake is packaged with the

pattern information on each snowflake.

Very cool!

Cool, like a snowflake...get it???

~*~

Thank you so much for stopping by to see some beautiful hand-tatted snowflakes! I'm glad to share them with you. It's always nice to share with friends a little bit of something that brings joy into your day, wouldn't you say? I think so. I think that's one of the wonderful things about this magical place we call blog~land! We kind of get to flit around like butterflies visiting lovely flowers in a beautiful and magical meadow and get to visit so many different places and see so many different things that we wouldn't be able to in our "real" lives. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with me today. Comments are always welcome, so I'd LOVE to hear what you have to share with me!

Toodles,

~TattingChic

xoxo

Thoughtfulness

2009-06-14T21:48:00.000-06:00

Many of you have been so thoughtful in your comments on my last post. I find myself feeling extra grateful for the thoughtfulness of friends. Your comments, emails and visits to my blog all mean a great deal to me.

~*~

One friend, in particular, expressed her thoughtfulness

in a lovely way.

She tatted this beautiful heart!

Thank you, Laura!

She surprised me with this in the mail!

***

Many of you have noticed that I mentioned that

I had been the recipient of some sad news.

I recently lost a family member.

I am very private about personal information online so I

appreciate your understanding about why I don't go into

details about everything.

Thank you so much for respecting my privacy.

~*~

I'm so glad you stopped by. I'll be back to my blog posting and chipper self soon! I already have some blog posts in the making for you! I just noticed that I have 200 followers! What an exciting thing! I am dancing on the inside! I've also won some more giveaways...can you believe it!?! How can someone not be cheered up at such fabulous news? I will show you my goodies later, okay! I'd love to hear from you before you leave!

Sincerely,

~TattingChic

xoxo

Oh, (Tatted) Goody!

2009-06-06T20:51:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed by now that I have a little (just a little) obsession with a little hobby called Tatting. Not only do I like crafting the art of tatting, but I also find myself going ga-ga over little bits of it that I find here and there. I stare at anything tatted like a raccoon stares at a shiny objects. It's an illness.

Here's an example of one of the symptoms of tat-o-holism that I suffer from:

I got a google alert with a link to this blog post. When I saw this darling tiny notebook with a snippet (just a snippet mind you) of tatting on the cover I then bought it as soon as it became available.

~*~

Here it is; a goody (with some tatting)!

I think it's a darling way to embellish a simple notebook.

Here's a closeup of the embellishment:

Cute, aye?

Well, I think so.

Sally L. Smith,

You did a nice job!

See that edging on the top of the linen?
That's called "Hen's and Chicks".
"Hens and Chicks" was a very popular tatted edging
pattern during the 1940's (and earlier by some reports).

The big ring with the two small rings right by it

represents a hen with her wings. The medium sized

rings underneath the "hen" are her "chicks".

~*~

Thank you for stopping by for this short, but sweet post. I have been dealing with the sad news I mentioned in the last post so I have not been returning comments this past week. I hope to get around to everyone sometime this weekend or the coming week. Thank you so much for your sweet and supportive comments this past week! It means a lot to know I have super great blogging friends. I probably sound like a broken record saying that by now, but I do mean it.

Here's hoping you're all having a great weekend!

~TattingChic

xoxo

TattingChic

Demonstrating Tatting at The Handcart Days in Bountiful, Utah

My Review of Gazebo Bird Feeder

What's Playing on YOUR Shuttle?

Pink Jewel

Catching up

Blue Diamond

Wanda's "Antique" Doily

An Impending Death...

Antique Tatting Shuttles

Happy Easter and We Have a Winner

Another Happy Belated International Tatting Day Post

Happy 2nd Blogoversary to Me (and You!)

The Fabulous Force Field of Friendship

Tatting from Canada, AYE?

Thank You Santa!

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

Buon Natale

The Leprechaun Has Landed!

Happy All Saint's Day!

A Weekend With Hyacinth

A Pleasant Surprise

A Happy Accident!

Threads from Malaysia!

Swap de Jessica

Getting Reacquainted

Here, here...

In The Pink

A Rarity

A Note of Comparison

Ruffled Hearts

All Is "Right SIDE UP" With The World Again!

or what I really meant to say was: "FONTS and FLAKES"

Technical Difficulties

Everybody Loves A Winner!

280 entries!

Congratulations, comment No. 215!

The Antique Tatted Collar

What's in YOUR WorkBasket?

Tat Like An Egyptian!

TattingChic's 50,000 Visitors Celebration Giveaway!!!

Would you like another chance to win?

The winner has been announced! Click here to find out who won!

Wild Woman!

WHOOPS!!!

sigh!!!

"I Was Strolling Through The Blogs One Day...

In the merry merry month of May ...er...June...I mean JulyI was taken by surprise By a giveaway that caught my eyes!In the merry merry month of July!"

All Dressed Up For Tatting!

Please Welcome the New Kid On The Block!

Happy Birthday America!

A Lovely Gift From Dantatter!

Thank You, Pamela!

Please Mr Postman!

SRE! Here I come!

Treasures in Blogland

May and June Snowflakes From Fairiebees!

Thoughtfulness

Oh, (Tatted) Goody!

The winner has been announced!
Click here to find out who won!

In the merry merry month of May ...er...June...I mean July
I was taken by surprise
By a giveaway that caught my eyes!
In the merry merry month of July!"