nuntium quinquagesimum quartum (54th post) Christmas bonanza

Despite evidence to the contrary, I have NOT fallen off the face of the earth.  For some reason though, December was a very heavy "grading" month and for the first time since I fell down the stairs last year (don't ask- stupid, stupid but yes, all 13 steps), I've been able to ride my bike.  Not outside (!!) which is my preference. Not in the winter, of course, but instead in the basement amidst boxes, spare mattresses and the freezer.  The laptop allows me to watch hulu so I can endure the 40 minutes of pedaling without going anywhere.

But let's get to the tatting!

I've made all sorts of things and some of them are multiples of the same.  I took some tatting to school and made a little display to sell them to my colleagues.  I sold a 8 pairs of snowflake earrings but only a few flake ornaments.  Weird!  I priced the ornaments so low, I thought I'd get rid of them but not so.

I made this little angel from Anne Bruvold.

motif #2

I saw it on Tatting Fool's blog and I think somewhere else earlier (maybe Ambitatterous?) and I liked the split ring idea for it instead of SSSR.  I don't mind them but I like the "sturdiness" of the split ring.  But I wanted her skirt to be skinnier so I tried this.

motif #3

What do you think?

Then I saw these gorgeous 3d ornament balls on Jolimama's blog.  Look at hers because mine result here isn't quite the same...

flat and tiny!

Balloon to blow up and give it shape-  thank goodness I have no shortage of hot air!

Looks round here....

motif #4 - the traditional Christmas marshmallow

And Jolimama was SO patient and helpful.  She sent me advice and the patterns (of which I chose the Jane Eborall's) and "how to", even though she speaks Hungarian and I certainly don't .  Ha-ha!  My sister says it looks like a marshmallow.  I said, "Yep, it's the traditional Christmas marshmallow!"

Then Teresa made the loveliest little shuttle socks and I won, I won!

I can't help singing Feliz Navidad every time I see this little sweetheart.

I also decided to try the inTatters Christmas exchange.  Now that was really hard because I'd never done it before and didn't really know what to send.  But it was  fun and it was extra fun to get something too!  My partner was Marie N in Australia (now, those were fun stamps) and she sent the nicest things!  Lookie...

Marie designed the motif and decorated the doll/pin cushion.

Like I'd stick a pin in this lovely gal!

I also wanted to try another wreath with beads. But I don't like it very well, too lumpy.  I made it last year as instructed and it was great-- but this is not so nice.  The pattern is from LaRae Mikulecky. I can't find it again to make a link, here is her website.  There are lovely things there, don't base your opinion on this!

motif #5

And for Christmas my family took my broad hints and got me this too. A La Cossette shuttle!  Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!! (They don't read this but just in case...)

I just giggle when I use it!  Isn't he just cute?

Even though we had a brown Christmas, I've been commissioned by my sister to make flakes so here they are.  Same motifs as before, Elizabeth Zipay's and Decoromana's.  EXCEPT I was a smartie pants. Thought I didn't need to look at the pattern and ended up with these!  They're just okay, not like the lovely ones that Decoromana designed!  Don't worry, Sis, I'll make the right ones for you.

Inadvertent motif #6 on left(not as nice as Decoromana's AND Elizabeth Zipay's on the right)

And lastly, Margaret sent me back a metal Boye shuttle which I gave her and included this gorgeous cross- Thank you, Margaret!  I was just chuckling the other day about how everyone I know has a tatted bookmark but me!!

Now I do too.  Yay!

Latin for today:  (in honor of Kathy N and my darling husband):  dies longiores nunc sunt!  = The days are longer now!

nuntium quinquagesimum tertium (53rd post) wreath

Happy Bluebird, my daughter and I got together today for a fun afternoon of tatting.  Cindy wanted to try beading  so I brought along my bead spinner and she brought some beautiful green Cebelia and off we went.  Somewhere on Teresa and Dena's blog, we saw Mary Konior's Posey done with beads and liked it.  Teresa did it here.  She did hers with three beads which looks even nicer.  Now that I've made it, I LOVE it.  A one-shuttle little dream and the simple beauty of MK's design made something that stopped my husband in his tracks.  Take a look!

motif #1

I might have to make another one.  I've decided to join the 25 motif challenge again!

Heather of Heather's Tatted Treasures is having a fantastic giveaway, details here.  13 balls of Lizbeth thread!  If you don't already follow this blog, I encourage you to do so.  She has the clearest, most helpful videos for learning tatting, plus she's a great writer.  I've been tatting for 30+ years but still enjoy it.

nuntium quinquagesimum et secundum (52nd post) snow in MN

We tried another Oovoo together last night, it worked well for three of us but the others for a variety of reasons weren't able to join us.  Technology is wonderful when it works.
We're supposed to get snow tonight but I've been working on it for awhile.  I'd been working on a bracelet which I dunked in mint tea but it just wasn't right.  Frivole made some brilliant suggestions so after taking those into account, here's what I ended up with.

But it was so picky!  So I thought I could make the top half and using split rings go from one motif to the other.  But that didn't work so I made fake rings with chains.  What do you think?

Can you guess which is which?  Maybe not above but in this close-up below it's easy.  Was it worth not having to weave in all those ends?

 

motif #25!!

I made earrings to match.

And this necklace which isn't my own idea but again Decoromana's - don't worry, I'm not selling it, it's just for me.  : )

Wish that were my pretty neck- it's my daughter!

Here's the "set".

I'm wearing them all tomorrow for December 1st!


Latin for today:  ningat, ningat, ningat = Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

nuntium quinquagesimum primum (51st post) no tea tragedy today

Two posts, two days in a row.  But today involves no tea-dunkin'.

I saw this lovely snowflake on Decoromana's gorgeous blog and decided I had to try it. Isn't it pretty?  An easy tat too.

motif #24

Since I dunked the snowflake bracelet in the tea anyway, I've decided to start over. I think Frivole's suggestion of fewer beads makes a lot of sense so that will be my next try.

Thank you for all the nice comments about the Latin and I LOVE to hear stories about your own Latin teachers,  they are such wonderful stories, I wish I could relate them to the teachers themselves.  We teachers  love to hear these kinds of things so I encourage you to send an email/ note/ card to your favorite teacher if you can and tell them too.  It will really make their day or week or month.

Latin for today:  noli haesitare = Don't hesitate!

nuntium quinquagesimum (50th post) Tatting Tea Thursday goes terribly wrong

Do you ever have brilliant ideas until you do them?  I thought that a snowflakes were so pretty and then- well, wouldn't they look lovely as a bracelet?

But in actuality, not so much.  I'm not sure I should continue.

Here's another picture which I think shows the beads more.

So what's with the title of this post?  Well, I often tat during meetings- I think I pay attention better.  (Or that's my excuse.)  And it was so cold today... so I made hot tea before the meeting which was after school today.

You see where this is going, right?

I was tatting. They handed out papers.  I quickly set my tatting down to grab the paper and....

Yep, there went the tatting into my mug of mint tea.  I had nothing with me to dry the tatting so there I sat with the tatting air drying and me wondering if it was going to change color.  Talk about "damp hands"!

I also admired this motif from Gina and made it lickety-split.  I love how she rewrites these patterns.

motif #23

And lastly, I got a real chuckle out of this today:

It doesn't happen often but this one is a Latin word.  plorabit - s/he will complain.

Latin for today:  noli plorare = don't complain

nuntium undequinquagesimum (49th post) Oovoo tatting!

You've probably read about our Oovoo meeting on Happy Bluebird's or Teresa/Dena's or Lace Lovin' Librarian's blogs.  But it was SO fun, I have to do it too.

It started because the last time the Bluebird and I met (by the way, she really is Happy.), I posted about it and several people commented about how nice it would be to have someone to tat with.  And it is.  I can't tell you how energized and excited I am before we meet and then to talk with someone who understands and get frustrated with the same things or can help with the worst thing and make it easy is just so wonderful!  Plus my tatting pal is really fun!
So I thought a little about Skype and tried to figure out a way to do this.  But it's expensive to have an account where more than one can meet and even if you pay it's only for 5 at a time.  Then Teresa recommended Oovoo but you know how life is, I just didn't pursue it and there was work and family and, and, and...

Oovoo lets you do 6 people for free so I thought I would sign up for that.  Friday was "a DAY at school" but I managed to download Oovoo somewhere in there and found out for the first month, you can have TWELVE for free!  What to do?  I don't really know how Oovoo works but TWELVE!  Wow!

So Bluebird and I thought of people to invite (fast) and came up with a quick list- please don't feel insulted if we didn't invite you this time, we were thinking of people in between work, grading, dinner, a high school play, a husband in pain, and emails that we could find fast.  (Kathy N- are you reading this?  Where's your email? )
Oovoo works in two different ways.  One is similar to Skype and one with with web link.  Unfortunately yesterday we tried to mix the two and that didn't work (I'm really sorry Frivole but I think that was our problem.)

Plus we learned that meeting in a public café with a giant coffee machine next to us wasn't ideal.  

So, I'd like to try another Oovoo meeting- what do you think?  Either everyone will have to have Oovoo downloaded on their computers(free) OR we'll all have to use the weblink.  If it works and people like it, I'll get a subcription to Oovoo for my Christmas present and we can do it more often.

And Bluebird, Teresa, Dena and Lace Lovin'- thank you for being my tatting pals yesterday!  What fun!

And lunch was REALLY good.

nuntium duodequinquagesimum (48th post) celtic silliness and more

Happy Halloween!
We had fun carving pumpkins and my younger daughter loves to decorate!

The front of the house

The girls carved the bottom two pumpkins.

I really did make pumpkin earrings and my students loved them.

Once I got started, I couldn't stop with the pumpkins, some are better than others but the trick is getting the right length, I think.  150 ds is the recommendation but I think mine are about 300.  I was going to make a bracelet.

but then I saw these on Decoromana's blog. These are Elizabeth Zipay's snowflakes.   You can get the pattern here.  I had another conference on Saturday. : )





They're simple and fun.  Here they are in Lizbeth size 20.









And then I tried it with some vintage Aunt Rose-E thread, size 80 or 70- the label is gone.  I'm afraid the thread has actually yellowed but if it's not next to white, it's okay.  And I added some beads, I don't do much with beads but this was fun.

motif #22

Latin for today:  non iam hic ninxit = It hasn't snowed yet here.

nuntium septimum et quadragesimum (47th post) clever girl!

You might think I'm talking about myself but nope!  The clever one is Happy Bluebird.

We met yesterday for Twin Cities Tatters and that was so fun.  We always have a great time and encourage each other to try new things.  This time we thought we'd give celtic tatting a whirl and look at this pumpkin by Ruth Perry, doesn't it look cute?

But it doesn't.  See?

And then it still doesn't.  See?

So Bluebird went home and figured it out and sent me the most glorious, wonderful, easy to understand directions.  You can see them on her blog here.

And now.... drum roll please!

Yay!

motif #21

I made them into earrings and shall wear them all week!  It's so nice to have a tatting friend- you couldn't ask for a better one than Cindy.


Latin for today:  amica mea est optima!  = My friend is the best!

nuntium sextum et quadragesimum (46th post) 3 of hearts

Here are three little heart bookmarks from this pattern called Simple Heart by Vicki Clarke. 

motif #20

 This pattern is a dream to work up and I whipped one out while waiting for my daughter yesterday.  It's not often that I have to wait for her so it was a surprise treat.

 I put a split ring tail on each although I had to use SSSR on the pink/yellow one because I ran out of thread on one shuttle.  The thread is a lovely size 20 from Anika.  No names for the colors but I especially love the blue/black.

I'm so excited for tomorrow,  Happy Bluebird and I are meeting up for a bit of tatting time.  I'm extra lucky because my daughter will join us too.  We're thinking about trying some celtic tatting and there may be a pumpkin in the future!

Latin for today (for Gina):  consilia bona in anima habebam = I had good intentions.

nuntium quintum et quadragesimum (45th post) Cornelia's bell

the real motif #19

Well, if you read the pattern correctly from the start, then it goes pretty well.

Cornelia was kind enough to point out that initially there are 6 rings not 8!  I wish I could blame this on the pattern being in German but since the numbers were all numbers not words, I don't think I can get away with it.  I still goofed it up but you can see how it's really supposed to look here.  Gorgeous, don't you think?


What ever happened the lovely Quatrain, Frivole's pattern?  I don't know.  It's still stunning, I still like it but when I can squeeze out a minute to tat, I never pick it up.  I think it's because there's so little time during the school year for me and I'm desperate to see something complete, I like doing little things.  I've got my eye on a celtic pumpkin but don't have any orange thread.  By the time I get to ordering it, it will be November!  : )  Maybe next year...

Latin for today:  arbores nunc tam pulchrae sunt - The trees are so lovely now.