nuntium centesimum quintum (105th post) more snowflakes

I've had so much fun making snowflakes!  And more snowflakes but I finish them, put them in the pile to be pressed and forget what the patterns are!  Yikes, I hope this isn't old age.

Getting better with Frivole's Snow Crystal

Made for a pretty hostess gift though.

Good grief, I can't remember what this one is! motif #20

This one is Betsy Evan's snowflake - thanks Tatterjil!

Frivole's Regal- with beads! motif #21

Maybe from Festive Tatting?  Very pleasing. motif #22

All Lizbeth Blue Ice, size 20.  I was feeling sorry for myself because I was running out and really shouldn't buy any more when I got an email from Jennifer at Tatting Corner which said I'd won a gift certificate, wow!  First the Ruins of Lace and now this!  I am so lucky!!!
But what thread to get?  Advice?  What's your favorite and what's your favorite color?  I'd love to know.  I know I wouldn't have given Blue River Glades a second thought without seeing it on Frivole's blog but it's a current favorite.  So I'd love to hear from you!

Latin for today:  fortunatissima sum!

nuntium centesimum quartum (104th post) squamae niveae (snowflakes)

Our last day before Christmas break, we had a teacher inservice day.  I find that I pay more attention when I tat, plus I love tatting so I was able to get some snowflakes made.  These first two are Frivole's Snow Crystals.  The first one has a 1ds SCMR which was tricky until I trusted the force and just did it.    It's a lot like turning a heel in a sock.  If you just do what the directions say, it works wonderfully.  Plus Frivole's pattern has a pictorial tutorial which is clear and easy.  All three are Lizbeth, size 20 Blue Ice.

motif #17 - LOVE this one

If I would just use the picot gauge and trust Frivole, this would have been a lot nicer!  motif #18

I think this one is from Festive Tatting motif #19

Only after I took these pictures and went to hang it on the tree did I realize that the hook goes the other way!

Latin for today: ludis verborum ludere amo.  - I love to play word games.

nuntium centesimum tertium (103rd post) commissioned work

A woman my sister works with commissioned 6 crosses as gifts for her Bible study group.  Somehow I found the time to make these between Thanksgiving and December 17th.  It seems like I can tat, do school or blog- two but not three, so that's why I'm posting them now.

They are all size 20 thread because she wanted them BIG.
 I can't remember what this pattern is but I've done it a number of times and find it pleasing to make. 

Lizbeth Scottish Thistle / White

Lizbeth Can't Remember /White

 Then I was worried because they were small so I modified it to this.  I like the bigger version.

Lizbeth "My family hates this color" / white

  Motif #14

Mary Konior's small cross / motif #15

I've never made the MK one before, I really like it but it was huge!

These last three are from Lene Bjørn, it's called Maria and I found it on Pinterest. Here is the original site.  I don't have the pattern, I just looked at the picture.  I'm not sure it's completely correct but it looks nice enough.

Lizbeth Blue River Glades/ White?  Sure doesn't look white.

motif #16

I'm a little "crossed"-out.  Snowflakes are the thing now.  Haha!


Latin for today:  otium mihi valde placet - I love vacation!

nuntium centesimum secundum (102nd post) more gifts

This gift was for my elder daughter.  She's 16 and an intermittent tatter.  When we get together with Happy Bluebird, she's always delighted to come and tats the whole time (which is more than I can say for the two of us!).  Sometimes she'll carry it around with her and tat like I do but more often than not, I'm surprised when she pulls it out.

So, I was pretty astonished when she said she would like one of La Cossette's gorgeous shuttles.  She always loved my penguin shuttle which my mom and dad got me last year so when we looked at Frivole's shop, and there was another with penguins, I knew that one was for her.  Here they are together.

But we both loved the lavender one.  I love the south of France where lavender grows and so does she.  I remember the first time we got to stand in actual field, we were both so surprised at how loud it was- loud because of all the bees, the field hums!

Not my own picture, comes from here.

So I contacted Frivole and asked if she could make my wish come true and sure enough, she did!

Oops, I forgot to take a picture of the other side!

The first one says "Maman"- French for "Mom", which is what both of my bilingual children call me (I love that!) and the second says "Chère Fille" which is "Darling Daughter".  The first is for me, for now and the other for her. That is until the day she has a daughter who tats, then she gets mine.  She has the loveliest smile in the world (like Julia Roberts- I swear) and when I said that, she lit up the room.

Thanks, Frivole for that gorgeous smile and for the glorious shuttles.

Latin for today:  filias meas amo = I love my daughters.

nuntium centesimum primum (101th post) presents

Merry Christmas!  

Last week, our little tatting club met again after school.  We meet on Wednesdays but this time I was more excited than ever to meet with them.  I had asked Happy Bluebird, who unfortunately can't meet with us, to make some tatting bags for the kids.  She is so talented and generous with her time, she was able to whip up some lickety-split!  She had given me a few felt needle cases too and was also able to make a few more so I would have 6.  I put a little snowflake (some were Elizabeth Zipay's pattern and others Decoromana's) on each - boy, do I hate invisible thread - as well as one self-threading needle, a thread puller and two coilless safety pins per.

Such wonderful fabrics!

So many pockets!

Such beautiful work!

If this wasn't a classic case of "giving is better than receiving", I don't know what would be.  The looks on their faces were priceless and one of them even said, "Now, I'm a real tatter!"

Thank you, Cindy for all your hard work!

dictum centesimum (100th post) present for my Mom

What do you think they are? A present for my mom.   Doesn't look like much yet.

 She asked for tatting this year.  She wants to make bouquets to put in little baskets. The burgundy pieces are Jeanne Lugert's roses and the leaves are a modification of a leaf that I saw from Singtatter who *might* have used Frivole's originally.

 It took forever to put the roses together. But then they were a heap so I did this.

Hope she likes them!

Felix dies natalis Christi omnibus!

nuntium undecentesimum (99th post) My friend Ginny

My friend Ginny.  I have a wonderful friend in Texas.  She is a Latin teacher like me and we share emails most days.  She is NOT a crafter although she is very creative.  She makes the most wonderful Latin-related things at a shop called Anima Altera on cafe press.  If you were looking for wacky but beautiful Latin things for someone for Christmas, I recommend her shop.
Ahem- sidetracked there- what I wanted to talk about was how Ginny is so thoughtful and got me the most wonderful Christmas present.  The last time we were together was in the summer and she paid such careful attention to the tatting and recognized how fulfilling and wonderful I find it.  She made sure to get a present for me that *I* wanted but would never buy for myself.  Now isn't that a wonderful friend?  Gin, you're the best!

Thanks, Ginny!

14 inches of snow can really put a crimp in life.  My husband and daughter shoveled for hours!  We have a long narrow drive and between our house and neighbor's there is no where to put the snow so it has to be moved from there to either the front or the back of the house!  And the driving.  Ordinarily it takes me 15 minutes to drive to school. On Monday it took an hour to get home and Tuesday morning 50 minutes to get there.

And yes, we still had school.

I'll never forget the day Ginny told me school was cancelled because they'd gotten 2 inches of snow- we'd gotten 6 that morning and I was at school as usual!  But to be fair, Texas certainly doesn't have the equipment for snow.  I had to include some pictures of the snow (this is Sunday morning- it kept going all day!)

See my poor rose bush?

backyard

The front

Petit Villandry, also known as the patio - fountain on the left in the back.

Latin for today:  plurimum ningebat die Domini  = It snowed a lot on Sunday.