A Card For Friendship and Putting My Bookmark to Good Use

Back in April I did a post on how grateful I am for my blogging pals online. Yes, that means you, silly! I believe the post was called Friendship is the Blossom of One's Heart and I expressed my gratitude for all the wonderful welcoming people in the blogging world. In it I mentioned how I like to take that same tatted heart motif and put it on handmade cards.

Yesterday I found one of those handmade cards!

Here it is!

This is the outside of the card.

This is what is looks like on the inside of the card when you open it up.


Yes, I do calligraphy. I only know how to do Italics.

I used to babysit for an art professor and I wanted to learn

calligraphy so badly she exchanged private

calligraphy lessons for babysitting when I was 14 years old.

She would probably cringe if she saw my calligraphy now...LOL!

So, that was my handmade friendship card.

Speaking of friends, it looks like everyone had a fabulous Fourth

of July celebration with their fam and friends from what I read in their blogs.

Last week on the Fourth, I cut my thumb whilst preparing dinner for friends.

I haven't felt much like tatting

(as it's my left thumb and it's right where you have to pinch the knots

to keep them from switching back or sliding out of place).

In order to keep myself entertained I decided to put

my new tatted bookmark that I got last month

to use. I started reading a good book I'd like to share with you.

It's called French by Heart,

by Rebecca Ramsey.

She has a wonderful blog called Wonders Never Cease.

Almost everyday she has a new, funny, and heartwarming

post for you to read. I love it.

You might love it, too.

This is what the book looks like.

See my little bookmark peeking out at you?

Those are tatted maltese rings by Karin, you know.

It's a very candid look at a family's sojourn to France from

the South, here in the USA, and

how they lived there for a number of years.

It's quite a cute story told from Rebecca's point of view.

It made me laugh and cry. I loved it.

Let's see where I'm at in the book...

...all done, see?

Thanks for letting me share my handmade card and lovely book find with you. I appreciate your visits and would love to know what you have to say. Have a wonderful weekend and even better week!

Au revoire!

Did I say that right, Becky?

TattingChic :)

Just For Fun Tatted Bookmark Exchange and a Blog Giveaway Prize From Charming Designs!!!

Two fun things came in the mail. Yesterday I received the blog giveaway prize that I won from Laurie over at Charming Designs and today I received the bookmark that I spontaneously participated in "just for fun" with Karin.

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Firstly let me tell you about the tatted bookmark exchange. You remember Karin from Germany, right? We did another bookmark exchange back in May that I told you all about. Karin has the wonderful habit of designing all sorts of fun bookmarks and remaining very modest about it.

This little beauty is her latest gem.

She sent it in this cute little card with

a four leaf clover and a ladybug (so cute)

with this lovely Tatted Maltese Ring Bookmark Peeking out.

Isn't it pretty?

She designed the bookmark herself.

I spied it here over at eTatters and

I jokingly said,

"Hey let's do another exchange!"

and lucky, lucky me!!!

She took me seriously!

So, here it came...the one, the only originally

designed by Karin herself

a Tatted Maltese Ring Bookmark.

Isn't it beautiful?

She is very talented

Here is a closeup of some tatted Maltese rings.

Aren't they something?

I think they are very pretty and I think Karin

is amazing to have designed this bookmark herself and

I consider it a privilege to exchange another set

of bookmarks with such a talented designer and tatter.

If you'd like to know more about how to do Maltese rings

there is a tutorial by Tatman located here.

~*~

So I had to make something nice for Karin.

I've never really designed a bookmark before

my Vintage Rosegarden Tatted Bookmark.

So she is getting one of my

original Rosegarden bookmarks designs

in summery, shabby chic, colors

So, we'll call this a Summer Rosegarden bookmark
Just for Fun...because that's what this
exchange was for, right?

Just for FUN!!!
and it was.

Here's a closeup of one of the rosettes.

I did this particular bookmark
in frontside-backside tatting
because rosettes definately have a front and a
back so I just went with it.
You can see the frontside up close here.


I learned to do my rosettes from a vintage Workbasket Magazine,
but Sharon, over at Sharon's Tatted Lace has a nice
pictorial on how to do a tatted rose if you'd like to see
how she teaches it. It's very similar to how I learned.
She calls it a "wild rose" I call it a "rosette"
It's basically the same thing.

Okay, Karin, I love the bookmark, even more in person than I did in the photo!
It's just beautiful!!!
Thank you very much

My Summer Rosegarden Bookmark will soon be on it's way to you!




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Secondly, remember the second blog giveaway that I won?
I received my fabulous prize from Laurie
over at Charming Designs.

And

HERE IT IS!!!

Thank you Laurie!

It's a dry erase message board on a porcelain tile

that she handpainted.

I got a package of multiple colors of dry erase

pens at "Staples" an office supply store nearby.

I got a mini-easel at a local artists' supply store.

It looks so adorable in my kitchen.

I'll use it for a welcome board for parties,

a menu board for dinner parties

and

a daily inspiration board for scriptures

to give me some uplifting message during the day.

What a great gift! I love it.

If you haven't had the chance to blog-hop on over

to Charming Designs I highly suggest you

do. Laurie is an artist through and through.

You'll enjoy all the eye candy, that's for sure.

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Well, this concludes my show and tell about just for fun tatting exchanges and winning blog giveaway prizes. I do hope you come again soon and before you leave remember I do love comments, they are always welcomed and appreciated. I'm grateful that you felt my corner of blogger-landia was worth some of your valuable time to come and visit.

Ta-ta for now,

Tattingchic :)