Cards and Rain and Tatting!!

Well Folks, it's been raining here this morning!!  Not heavy rain, just drizzly, so not enough to really wet the garden, but hopefully it will have done a bit of good!  We had a thunderstorm last night that was rather fierce.... but no rain!!!

So... today is my friend Melissa's birthday.  I suddenly remembered last night, after we'd been swimming with daughter and bump!  I found a decoupage image on the 'net (but don't ask me where.... I can't remember....) and decided to use it on an ATC sized card for her.  For those that don't know, ATC stands for Artists Trading Card and is the same size as the average playing card.  They are given away or swapped and must never be sold!!  Also, you never make 2 exactly the same!

Anyway, this is the card I've just delivered to her:

Also, over the weekend (Thursday evening and Friday....) I started a mat out of the ROT 30th Anniversary Pattern book.  Got to the end of the first repeat and realised I'd made a mistake at the beginning!!  Hating to throw thread away, I untatted it!!!  started again, got to the end of the first repeat and this time the mistake was half way through!!!  Undid it again on Sunday.... I'm now almost at the end of the third one as you can see, and now need to replace my brown thread....

Patricks girlfriend is staying with us at the moment, Jade is a brilliant artist!  She's made me a birthday card and forgot to bring it.... can't wait till Patrick goes back through there and picks it up!!  I understand its got owls on it.... My favourite!!

I also meant to purchase one of Jane Eboralls shuttles at the weekend.... got busy and promptly forgot all about them!!  They're all sold now!  Will have to try harder as they said on my school reports.... LOL

We're going to a coffee morning on Thursday with another friend.... I've been good and baked a cake.... forgot about it.... think my middle name is Alfred!!  Well, he was Great.... VBG  Anyway, I'll have to make another one tomorrow.... can't take that one with me!!  Will scrape off the top and serve it with custard or something for a pudding!!  That means I'll have to make strawberry muffins as well tomorrow....  Serves me right for forgetting because I got involved with me tatting!!!

Hey ho... back to the stove, and preparing some more strawberries for jam.... and muffins of course!!

Chat soon!

Why did I???

... let Chris (my dearly beloved husband) grow so MANY strawberry plants???  I've now got to 17 pots of home made strawberry jam and I'm getting fed up of the smell!!!!  Sound reasonable??  Hottest day of the year and I'm slaving over a hot stove!!  Waiting for it to get to setting point now... (5th panfull in 2 days!!)

Anyway, in between stirring jam and waiting for it to set... I've been doing this:

The pattern came from Jane McLellan's blog... and I replaced the picots with beads.... I'm going to put beads on both ends and make it into a bracelet.  Evidently it is one of Jane Eboralls patterns originally!!  I was going to just carry on, but I ran out of black and could not find the encouragement to get some more out and refill the shuttle!!  Will post a pic again when its finished!!  The thread is Lizbeth black and Spring Garden both in 20 with beads from my stash.  I'm never sure what the beads are, I get packets of seed beads and put them in my storage tubs and forget what they are!! LOL

Oh, and as it was my birthday last weekend.... I am now the proud owner of 30 years of Tatting from the Ring of Tatters!!  AND a subscription to the ROT pattern a month club for this year and last years patterns!!  Howzat for a present??  The book arrived this morning and I nearly burned the jam!!  Talking of which....

Oh well, back to the jam and the hot stove!!

Chat soon!


PS  after 'chatting with Jane E and BC3, it's not one of hers.... it is all Jane Mc's work... think the heat got to me today... probably the jam pan and the smell of strawberries!!

And a Second One!!

Evening all!  Remember the bracelet I made for Jo??  Her sister in law - Melissa - is a good friend of mine  (we were away with Melissa, Pete & the kids and Harley way back at the start of this blog)  Harley has been one VERY naughty boy.... they'd got Misty, a slightly older female Cocker Spaniel, and just after they got her.... she came into season!!  Harley had his wicked way and the result was 6 bouncing babies!! 5 blue roan and one orange roan!!  It called for a card didn't it??  Not too good at making cards, however, this is the result after an hour!!  5 blue and one orange!! LOL

Anyway, back to tatting, after making the bracelet for Jo I decided I just HAD to make one for me!!  And it HAD to tone with at least one pair of earrings!!

This time I decided that the 'inside' had to be plain and the outside variegated.  Not content with that I also decided that it had to be four different colours!!  Well, if it's four different colours then it will go with 2 pairs of earrings... one of which isn't yet made!!  Another pair of earrings will be in my 'to do' book!! LOL

Anyway, here's the result:

Spring Garden, Jelly Bean, Orange and white with variegated beads from my stash... not saying I have a lot of beads but....  VBG

I also realised that I'd got a lot of Turquoise Twist on my shuttle from Jo's bracelet.... guess what I made....  Yep, that's right... Earrings!!!

So now I'm making a flower.... a lily, at least that's what I'm supposed to be making.... then it will just have to be Jelly Bean and Orange earrings!!!

Everywhere I go I get compliments on the earrings!!  We were demonstrating Lacemaking at a Garden Centre on one of the hottest days of the summer so far!!!  Anyway, I was demonstrating tatting and explaining to people how to make Bobbin Lace (a simple 'torchon' fish for those that are interested!!)  the number of compliments I got about the earrings and bracelet were amazing!!  One day I'll put up a pic of me wearing them.... that's when I can persuade someone that I'm not about to break their camera whilst they're taking it!! LOL  Some people recognised tatting and tatting shuttles, but not that many!!  with any luck we'll get some new members in Wolds Lacemakers, then they can learn (if I can manage to teach them that is.... be being a 'golly-hander' and all!!  VBG  Golly-hander means left handed for those that don't know!!

Anyway, back to me shuttles!!

Chat soon