'TIS THE SEASON!

I need to get back on here and share some of the items I have been working on this year.  These are just a few of the items that have kept me busy.  It has been an eventful year.  And now, it is almost over.  I can't believe that last time I posted was last February!  

I am still teaching voice and piano, along with creating my tatting and vintage lace items.  I am also singing quite a bit every month.  

My beautiful kitty, Sophie, left this world in August.  She was 14 years old and this past year, she was not well.  I really miss her.

She was so beautiful--completely white with light blue eyes.  My husband does not want me to get another kitty, so I guess our days are over for having a pet as part of our family.  

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  My husband and my daughter are both working.  So I will be home with my grandson and he and I will be enjoying each other as I prepare a nice (hopefully) Thanksgiving dinner.  I will enjoy the day, I know.  I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your families!

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE

I am sorry I have not been on here for a long time.  I have been so busy with life going on.  Presently, I am working really hard teaching voice and piano at Music Instruction Studio (have about 35 students per week) and I am also tatting like crazy.  I have found the "Groups" on Facebook and joined many of them.  As a result, many people have ordered tatting  bits and pieces from me and I am furiously tatting every day to keep up with the orders.  Since I am semi-retired, that extra income has been wonderful!  

So I will try to do better and let you know what is going on more often.  

I JUST PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!

Lately, I have been working on a book.  It is a book of tatting.  Over the years, as I would make projects, I took pictures of them.  Fortunately, I have kept all my pictures all these years.  I say fortunately, because I have since sold most of those Items that I made.  Little did I know that one day I would use all these pictures in writing my tatting book.  I have finished my tatting book,  and now it is for sale on the following link.  It is not a book of how to tat, but it is a book of crafts you can make using your tatting you have made.  It is available as a hard copy and also in PDF format.   Please look at the sample pages on the link, and let me know what you think.

http://www.blurb.com/b/5189430-vintage-lace-and-tatted-treasures

TATTING AND THE OSCARS

Last night, I enjoyed watching the Oscars.  There were so many beautiful gowns and many of them were predominately lace.  When I think lace, I think tatting.  Tatting is a form of lace making.  I feel there is no end to the ideas that can be incorporated into today's fashions.  I love making tatted jewelry!  It has a very different look from the norm.  You can see some of my recent pieces below.  And I have seen many beautiful pieces, including earrings and necklaces, here on the Internet.

Oh, by the way, my song won last night!  I teach voice and have about 10 little girls who are singing "Let It Go" for their lessons.  I have never seen such a love for a song.  This song will be sung for many years to come.

Well, back on to my tatting subject.  I would like your take on incorporating tatting into jewelry making and how successful you have been with it.  Please leave me comments on this subject.

IT'S A NEW YEAR!

It is already well into February and this is my first blog for 2014!  I  was very busy in 2013.  I tend to take on more than I can handle and this past year is no exception.  I gave up my job at Elmcroft Assisted Living to take on teaching more voice and piano students.  They asked me to come back twice a month and do music with them, though, so I still get to see my favorite residents.  So, my student load has increased and I also took on more tasks.  I opened up a small booth in a mall to sell my handmade items and in a few weeks I will start teaching jewelry making at our new local Michael's.  The class is on "Stringing" and it is a beginner class.  I am looking forward to teaching--I love to teach.  Hopefully, this will be a fun experience for me.  I will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, I am working on designing more jewelry.  I have gotten into stamping bracelets and rings with sayings and special words.  It is very hard to get these words straight, so I have to practice quite a bit.  I will be posting more photos of my work soon.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

This summer has been really busy for me.  In July, we went to Navarre Beach, Florida and had a wonderful time.  We stayed in a condo right on the beach and I could sit out on the balcony and just watch and hear the ocean roll in and out.  That was glorious!  Then, in August, I just got back from Maine where I was born.  My family still lives in Portland.  My sister from Wyoming and my brother from Pennsylvania came also, so we were able to all be together.  It was a great time!  I came back, eager to get into my own routine again.

Ever since we had our store, I have tried different ways to get rid of the excess inventory.  I think I have come up with a solution.  I found a big consignment store right near my home that rents out shelves and booths and I am going to rent out four big shelves to start getting rid of my "stuff."  So, I have been busy pricing everything rock bottom so it will sell.  I sure hope this works.  I have everything from crafts to teapots to scrap booking stuff to rubber stamps.  So, it should grab somebody's attention, I hope.  My booth is located at the Peddler's Market in Highland Plaza.

I have also been making many wedding guest books over the summer.  Each one is different from the other, since all the handmade lace is different.  I let them choose the lace centerpiece by sending them  pictures of what I have.

I also have been making some other things, like the little gift bags below.  And something that has interested me lately is metal stamping on rings and bracelets.  I am trying to conquer this art, but it does take a lot of practice.  So, you can see that I am all over the place--plus I still teach voice and piano and have now over 30 students!  And I am very thankful for that.

SUMMER FUN!

We have had a very rainy summer so far.  That is unusual because it is usually very dry.  I am not complaining, though.  Our lawn is nice and green and beautiful and the temperatures are not so hot.  I have been creating lately--I really never quit.  I am making my tatted trees for the holidays.  I'm starting early because I always seem to run out and never have enough of them for a Christmas craft show.  Maybe I can do one this year.  Hope you are having a great summer!

THINGS ARE HAPPENING!

Time is going by swiftly and all of a sudden, another summer is upon us.  I have been really busy with my family, singing, teaching and working at Elmcroft.  And I am also working on more crafts for my Etsy shop.

I am making another wedding album to send out tomorrow.  I have sold three wedding albums so far and really enjoy making them.  My tatting is added as trim around the album, along with vintage lace and trim.  It is so enjoyable to make things for weddings!  They are such joyous occasions.  Recently, I had a friend come into work and announce that she got married the night before and had on a beautiful wedding ring.  Now, that was a shock!   She had been single for many, many years and into her '50s, and she found the love of her life--someone she had known way back 30 years ago.  I hope they have many more years of happiness together.  This July, it will be 45 years for Terry and I.  How many people can say that?  Well, back to making my wedding album.  I have posted one that I have sold on here.

TATTED TREASURES II

I have uploaded my "TATTED TREASURES II" video from my Youtube Channel.  It is a video of all the arts and crafts I have made in 2012, plus I am singing "Yesterday" in the background that I recorded.  Hope you enjoy it.  If you have any questions, please comment.  Thanks!

LATELY . . .

The problem I have is that I like to make lots of things.  I try to add my tatting to whatever I make but sometimes it isn't possible.  I am making things for a very cute local store and they are selling my jewelry.  So, guess what I am making?  I am also making tatted items for their new wedding line, which I love to do.  Today, I am taking some wedding items there and we shall see how they are received and if they sell.

I have also taught a tatting class there and have another class next week.  I wish more people would like to learn tatting.  Everyone always says how beautiful it is, but I guess they think it is too hard to learn.  In a way it is a good thing, because it stays a unique and beautiful craft and not everyone tries to do it, like making those popular scalloped scarves.  :).   I have made those also--about  40 of them--and sold them all at that little shop.  But lately, the yarn has gotten much more expensive and very scarce.  I think I have spent more time looking for specific colors than I have knitting the scarves.  Are these scarves popular where you live?  Anyway, I need to get back to tatting.  Although, I did sell two tatted bracelets last week on my Etsy site.  They were for little girls ages 8 and 10.  I sure hope I made them small enough for their little arms.  Well, I need to go and finish up my items for my wedding line.  I will be back!

VINTAGE MUSLIN STAMPED RIBBONS

I have always loved rubber stamping. In fact, we owned a store that sold rubber stamps and offered all kinds of classes. Lately, I have been experimenting with vintage style ribbons (since I love vintage) made from torn muslin. I have hand stamped these ribbons and they can be used for all sorts of things. They are on my Etsy and I have listed all kinds of uses. You can see them athttp://www.lllangel.etsy.com/

MY NEW TATTING VIDEO, "TATTED TREASURES II"

Today, I added a new tatting video to my Youtube Channel.  About a year ago, I added a tatting video called "Tatted Treasures" and it has over 18,000 views.  My new video has many of the projects that I have been working on in the past year.  It is called "Tatted Treasures II".  Please let me know if you like it.  Thanks!

MY NEW WEDDING LINE

I am having fun lately working on a new wedding line for Little Lace Lady by Linda.  A local store has asked me to create pieces for a line for their store and I am coming up with all kinds of ideas.  My latest is a bridal purse to add to my other purses.  Each purse is one of a kind because I use vintage lace and each lace is different.  Much of the lace is hand made and I add my tatting to the items and it seems to blend very well.  I am also going to work on jewelry to go with the line for brides, bridesmaids and flower girls.  They will be pearls combined with other beautiful beads.  Hopefully, this will all work together.  I just created a wedding album (and I have added pictures of it on here) and am working on a larger version with a pen attached.  I will let you know my progress and show pictures as I complete my line.  I am also putting these items on Etsy.  Just having fun in the winter months!

MY NEW VINTAGE LACE AND HAND TATTED GUEST BOOK FOR WEDDINGS AND OTHER CELEBRATIONS

So I have been thinking weddings, weddings, weddings lately.  I came up with a new vintage lace and tatted wedding guest book.  But it could also be used for any other celebrations, whether it be baby, anniversary, birthday, etc.  I made one in white also so you could see what it would look like.  I really enjoy making these and I hope I will be making lots of them!

NEW VINTAGE LACE AND TATTED PURSE

I am trying to keep everything going lately.  Teaching music and doing my crafts keeps me very busy.  Lately, I have been creating more jewelry and purses.  This is the newest purse that I have been working on.  I love the combination of lace and tatting.  I taught a tatting class on Tuesday, and that was so fun.