Saturday, October 13, 2012

I'm Still Tatting

It has been a very odd few months for me. I've found myself in a bit of a funk and have avoided most of my regular activities like hanging out with the girls, or doing anything particularly creative (and for me that's pretty strange, my hands are never still). I'm not sure why the funk, ( I say funk because I'm not wholeheartedly ready to admit depression) but now that I'm aware I'm trying to pull myself out of early hibernation. So if I disappear for more than a couple weeks yell at me!!

Despite my total anti-social cocooning tendencies of late, I have managed some tatting...... Lots of tatting. Mostly the same bookmark over and over again.....Simple Heart by Vicki Clarke Unfortunately I give them away as fast as I make them. I do have an unblocked pendant I've made based on the pattern I can show you!! (I just remembered I made it this morning.)




It is made from three strands of sewing thread. One peach, one rust, and one a satiny red. I was happy with the way the HWT worked up, but my pendant could really do with some blocking.



I also used Vickie's rose to make this sweet hair clip for my daughter tonight. It to could use some blocking, but honestly it likely won't happen. I'm not to thrilled with the tatting, I needle Tatted the rose and am out of practice, so it looks very sloppy to me. My Daughter loves it though and that's what counts.






Speaking of my sweet girl, look at the wonderful scarf she made! She missed out on Fringe Tat days in Cambridge Ontario due to a family emergency, but Ruth was kind enough to let me take her kit home to her. She was thrilled, and is now working on her third scarf. She plans to sell them at her school bazaar in November.

Well that's about all the social I've got in me tonight. I'm heading to bed now. Until next time........

~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

There really is a reason I've not been here

I just don't know what it is.
Perhaps it is because I've been a little tied up

Or maybe it's because I've been pinned down by a friend

Maybe, just maybe I've been spending too much time looking at life from a whole new perspective

In any case I have been busily tatting away. I've finished a couple pieces I plan on sharing very soon, and have been working on a quilt square for a commemorative quilt being made by the women in my church. I'm actually a little nervous about this as I am not a quilter by any stretch. I've decided instead of actually quilting my square I'm going to tat something to represent worldwide sisterhood instead. I'll post picks once I have something worth showing. Which will will be soon since I have to Finnish it by mid September.
Speaking of September, it is gearing up to be an incredibly busy month, even by my standards! Not only do I have the back to school chaos for three kids to deal with and the quilt block, but the monthly tat'n'chat I organised at the local library begins again, Tat Days in Cambridge Ontario is quickly coming, so I need to get my balls on a roll for the competition piece, and I have signed up for Diane's Doodad Double Dare . So it looks like life is about to get very interesting! I'll post pics as I get things done....ok you can stop laughing! I really will. Till then.......
~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Heading Off to Camp

Well I am about to spend four days camping with my daughter and about 135 other teenage girls! Should prove to b an interesting time! But before I throw the final few items in my van and head off for a whole four hours of sleep, I thought I'd share with you a quick pic of the hat I'll be wearing......


Figured I'd try my hand at adding a little flair to my dollar store hat. I'm pleased with how it turned out, but with Jess' (Tatalicious) thread, and Mary Konior,how could I go wrong?

Well off I go to dreamland. Stay safe out there! And untill I'm back..........

~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Friday, July 13, 2012

Been A While

I know it's been a while since my last post. I am a terrible procrastinator, and honestly have been a little embarrassed. You see, I told myself that staring this blog would be the start of a new more productive me, and here I am struggling to post once a month.

Now please don't get me wrong, the lack of posts doesn't mean I've not been productive, just that I have nothing to show for it. I have been tatting a tidal-wave of treasures; trim, motives, doilies, bookmarks, and bracelets. I'm just a softie, and the minute someone show interest or tells me how much they love something I've done, I give it to them. And lately there has been a lot of interest!

So no tatting to share (or none of mine). What I do have to share though is exciting to me! My beautiful daughter who needle tats a bit has been begging me to teach her how to use a shuttle. She picked it up quickly and I couldn't be prouder!



Her first stitches


Woot woot she has the flip down finger tatting!



Just look at that concentration!



And on to rings.



And finally on to a shuttle she can call her own!

I can't begin to tell you how proud I was of her, or how much I enjoyed our afternoon crafting together.

When I was a little girl, being the middle of seven, both in age and gender, I often melted into the background of our chaotic home. Every once in a while though, my amazing mom would pull out her knitting needles (or crochet hook, or cathedral windows quilt she worked on for years) and would take the time to teach me. Those moments are some of the most treasured I have. Sitting beside her on the old floral couch with a half finished afghan across our laps talking, teaching, and sometimes sharing an apple with salt sprinkled on it was as close to heaven as a little girl could be. I hope I was able to give my sweet girl the same gift.

Well it would seem I have come to the end of this post, I would make some sort of comment about what's to come, or how soon, but we both know I'm easily distracted and like to procrastinate, so until the next one..........

~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Ok I give up!


This is ridiculous, I keep putting off posting because I made a promise to post about finger lakes and haven't yet. The truth is each time I have tried to sit down and write that post, I was completely and utterly uninspired. Not because Finger Lakes was uninspiring, but because I couldn't find words to express the great time I had.

I was challenged by the classes I took, learned new techniques, and had a couple total fan-girl moments. Poor Vicki and Martha must have thought I didn't have a brain in my head, I became so tongue tied talking to them. Nothing like meeting two of the people in the tatterverse you most admire! It literally took me weeks to come down from the high I felt when Martha ( yes THE Martha Ess) complimented lowly me on a simple edging I designed while listening to a travel/romance writer talk about her newest novel.

Then there was the adventures in Wal-Mart my companions and I had in our search for Lady Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. Let's just say don't reach for something off the bottom shelf when you have two camo-wearing toothless men are walking up behind you.

So since I can't find the words, I'm going to post a few pictures of the tatting I did and call the post done so I can get on with this blog!












And last but not least here is a picture of the edging I designed.... I call it Lucky In Love, and will write it up better with the modifications I made to it after the picture was taken in another post.


Well, will you look at that, I managed to write a Finger Lakes post after all! Now hopefully I'll beable to get back to some more regular blogging. Untill next time.....

~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Friday, April 20, 2012

Look What The Mailman Brought



Yup new HDT from Jess! I have an addiction to her threads, the colours are so rich, and the odd bit of freckling here and there add to their charm. On top of her amazing colours ( you have to see Pink Inferno in person, I hope she makes more soon!) she packages them with an ATC and wrapped like a gift. And who doesn't love getting a gift in the middle of a long month? Check out her Etsy shop for yourself Here or her blog Here Oh, she has started a new skein winding service onto bobeez. So worth it!

Ok, so I realise that this post has gone all fan girl on me, but when I find something I love, I just HAVE to share! And what's not to love?
Now for some other Yumminess. Yesterday I enjoyed a fantastic lunch with one of my dearest friends. We have both been so busy with the twists and turns life throws, that we really haven't been able to spend even an hour together in quite some time. So to celebrate the fact that we were finally getting a chance to visit I jumped into the kitchen to create with another of my passions....food!

Yummy French onion soup, and a salad. Full disclosure,this photo wasn't yesterday's lunch since I forgot to grab the camera, this was dinner for The Handsome One about a month ago. But when you make perfection on a plate once, you have to try recreate it.
Well there you have it, fan-girl thread love, tatting, and food all in one spot. What more could you want? .......what was that? You want to hear about Finger Lakes? That will have to be my next post. 'Till then......
~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to You

This past weekend I had the absolute pleasure of taking part in the Finger Lakes Tatting conference. It was fantastic! I met some of my tatting idols,and reconnected with some amazing women I met back in September in Cambridge. And as much as I want to tell you all about my weekend, tonight I want to share with you just scatter-brained I am when I am tired.

This morning I woke up after a restless night of tossing and turning and obsessing over the UFO's I have from Finger Lakes, looked at my phone and saw it was the 17th. I immediately thought of my younger sister and her big day. She turns 30 this year, and we all know what a hard day that can be. So I quickly busied myself making a special treat for her using the beading techniques I learned and some of the findings and fixings I treated myself to while on the, shall we say, more cost effective side of the border. I navigated my new bead spinner, dusted off my tatting needle (yup I can needle tat, though I much prefer shuttle unless working with beads) and made this little lovely for her.



It even has a lovely clasp with a dangle declaring its handmade goodness






Once I was pleased with the final product, I called her to wish her a happy birthday, and tell her to watch for a blog posy that would feature her gift......only instead of my hearty round of " Happy Happy Birthday" being met with the customary "thank- you" and "awwweee you remembered", my singing was interrupted by belly laughs.

Why laughs, you may ask. Well because although today most certainly was the 17th, it is only April. I was a whole month ahead of myself.

In any case, I promised some tatting in my next post, and there you have it. (and Andrea, if you are reading this, I hope you like your necklace. Too bad you have to wait a month to enjoy it)

Next time, more about Finger Lakes. Till then........

~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

I'm alive!


Wow, when it rains it pours!
Things around my neck of the woods have been pretty unpredictable lately, and I don't deal well with unpredictability. Thank heavens I have an amazingly handsome and mostly understanding husband through it all.
So what has been going on that has ruffled my feathers so much?
Well to start with I went on an amazing "Girlcation" with four awesome friends! Vegas was an absolute blast and a much needed chance to reconnect with the bits of me that sometimes seem to disappear in the world of mommy-hood.

There was so much to see and do, four day was not nearly enough time to do it all. ( we may have been able to do more if we'd been smart and not tried to walk the whole strip the first day......it's a lot more walking than we were ready for). Here are a few of my favourite pictures from the trip.....






There are many, many more, but I don't want to bore you with them.
After the trip I needed a week to get my household back in its rhythm. As amazing as The Handsome One is, he just isn't Mommy. During this week there were doctors appointments, calls to schools and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.
Then we were well into March Break, and I was able to finally see my beautiful new niece, enjoy an ice cream with my adorable nephew (his very first cone) and watch my youngest sister falling deeper in love with her growing family.





Over the next couple weeks I was busily helping my youngest two prepare for a chess tournament, and trying to light a fire under the teenaged genius who's ADHD is out of control.
There has been so much good mixed in the "missing month of March" so many moments that will be cherished. Like playing chess in the park with my youngest.

However there has also been crushing sorrow.
For the past several years I have been blessed to know an amazing woman named Kathleen. Kathleen was the chorister and choir director at church, and she also came to be a big part of my family.
I can't even begin to put into words how important her friendship came to be to me. It started out with having her teach my children piano. We had been friendly before this as I'd been in a couple choirs with her. As the piano teacher, I would pick her up and bring her to my house, about a 15 minute drive each way and we would talk about everything under the sun. I enjoyed those conversations immensely, and so did she. She invited me to join a choir that she directed at the local library. As time went on I found more and more of my time was spent in her company. We would grocery shop together and enjoy a nice lunch at new places together. I would drive her to appointments, and sometimes just go on a drive with no purpose at all. Through it all our friendship grew stronger,and I came to love this dear lady.
During this time Kathleen had had some health complications, and began to express a deepening loneliness and longing for her beloved Steve, whom had died of cancer many years before we had met. She would often tell me that aside from church related calls or meetings, she would often not speak to anyone for days (and at times weeks) on end. She felt she only had a very small handful of people in her life who truly cared for her. I was honoured to be one of them.
Despite her expression of loneliness, Kathleen was one of the most cheerful (and talented) people I have ever met. Her laughter was musical, and she took such delight in even the smallest act of kindness. I loved to listen to her tell stories of her life. She painted the scenes so vividly I often imagined I was there with her in the Wallaceburg of her youth, or on one of her drives with her friend Bev as they got lost once again. I could tell many of them by heart, they were so often retold. Each telling only made me wish I had known her longer.
On March 23 I received a call from the coroner. My dear friend Kathleen had passed away two days earlier, and her body had just been discovered. Such a lonely ending for my sweet friend.
My sorrow was crushing. I have found it difficult to go about my routine as so much of it was spent in her company. Even driving on certain streets is a minefield of memories. I feel as if I am walking a tightrope between laughter and tears. Along with my sorrow I am also filled with an almost paralysing anger.
Why anger? Although I am touched by how many people have expressed their kind thoughts and admiration of her, have declared friendship and love for her, and sadness in her passing, I am angry that these people never took the time while she was living to let her know how loved and appreciated she was. Where we're they when those weeks passed without so much as a phone call? Where were they when her cupboards were empty because she had to choose between medicine or food? Where were they when she was singing her solo with her choirs?
Despite my sorrow and grief, I am comforted with the thought of Kathleen and Steve together again, and reunited with the loved ones from her stories.
Until we meet again my dearest friend, your stories,along with the new ones I will tell of our friendship,will live in my heart.

My next blog will have some tatting, and not ramble quite so much. Those who have read all this, thank-you.
The next one won't take a month to write. Until then.......
~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Trying A New Blogging App

Ok, this post is little more than to test to see if I have more control over how pictures are posted to the blog.

I want to able to post pictures so that they are in position more fitting to the text, rather than in one large grouping at the end of my post.

It would appear that this will work! Now to post and see if it really does.
Thanks for being patient with me.
~ Let not the wind steal dignity ~

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Busy Busy Days......

This post has been rewritten about 6 times now, and each time I try to post it I lose it all. So, almost three weeks later, here are the pictures of my beautiful sister and her baby bump,now known as Ainsley.
I have been extremely busy packing for a trip to Vegas with some of my favourite gals, tatting a piece I've never tried before for a fellow blogger, and trying to fit in some time with my much neglected better half.
I have also been playing around with tongue depressors attempting to make my own shuttles. If all goes well I'll post a tutorial in the next couple weeks. I'll also post some pictures showing some of my adventures in Las Vegas.
But for now I'm am just going to hold my breath and hope that this actually posts this time!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Some Days You Have It.....

And some days you don't.

Patience that is.

Have you ever had a day every nerve in your body is pulled tighter than Dolly Partons's blouse and ready to spring at any moment?

Today was that kind of a day for me. For no reason at all I have been on the edge of complete and total melt down. Wether it was asking the children to tidy their rooms, or facing the prospect of turning my (really loud and totally inappropriate) music off so Mr.Wonderful could get a nap after working almost all night, it was not a good idea to cross my path.

Then it happened..... The Big KAABOOOM!

Trying to pull myself out of my funk I decided to channel all my creative energy into building a gingerbread house with my princess.

BIG MISTAKE! Gingerbread houses are finicky enough to cause premature greys on their own without adding my total lack of patience to the mix.

Now the kit I was using to build the doomed structure must have been defective or something (we all know it couldn't possibly be my fault) and would not fit together no matter how we tried. Boy did we try, four times we repositioned pieces, held our breath, and poked our tongues out just right. Each time the stale spiced slabs of gingery goodness came crashing down in a jumble of smeared icing and shattered hope.

During the fifth attempt, that's when it happened. I lost all composure and threw the tantrum of tantrums!

It was glorious as far as tantrums go!

There was cookie bits, gumdrops, icing, and fondant flying everywhere! Until all that remained was a candy land disaster zone and my maniacal laughter.

All that was left to do was pull out my camera and document the crime scene. So I can have a good laugh at myself now the cloud hanging over me has blown over.

A tantrum has never tasted so good!