I'm Disappointed In You

Oh, postal service...you are a vital part of our lives, you are a vital part of my business. Why, oh why, dear postal service, must you do inane things? I had a package I ordered take months to arrive because you sent it first to the wrong house, then back and forth over creation apparently. More recently you made a package disappear somewhere between here and Canada. This package contained a one of a kind face mask. I did not make a prototype. I did not write down my pattern. What I did do was spend the majority of yesterday pouring over, thankfully well detailed photographs of said piece, trying to faithfully reproduce it. Look, postal service, I'm not angry, but you can't go around doing this sort of thing...you're better than that. Point A to point B...this is your mission, your purpose. Don't screw it up again.

Moving on then...well there really wasn't much else going on yesterday as I labored on the above referenced project. Lucky for me the customer is understanding rather than accusatory. I will get that piece done today and hopefully I'll get back to some secret work as well. Did the month just sneak by for anyone else? I woke up this morning with the, 'crap, it can't be time to pay bills already can it?' screaming in my ear. Silly February and your lack of days.

A couple more things before I shut up for the week. I was asked to participate in a giveaway and I decided to go ahead and do so. You can find the giveaway for one of my Templar pendants in gray on the Fire and Ice blog. The giveaway is open until March 25th, so feel free to sneak over there and enter. Also, I am now just 4 sales away from the magic number 1000...yes I will continue to count down until I hit that number. That is it for me for the week, see you Monday!

Yes, Another Secret

The cough has started albeit slowly and with less ferocity than my family experienced. I just hope this doesn't mean that it wants to last longer with me. I'm definitely working slower than usual, but I am still definitely working. I decided to put the new pendant on a micro bead chain and got it listed in the afternoon after I finished remaking a Ladies Who Lunch choker. As I was making that it occurred to me that while I do occasionally refer to my pattern notebook and pictures, I have a ridiculous number of patterns memorized. Sure, they tend to have tons of repeats, but still the sheer brain space these things must be taking up...I shall blame that for all my other memory failings for this point forth.

I know I have mentioned this in the past, but a super secret project that was actually initially imagined over a year ago is moving forward as I type. Now, I can not speak to the nature of the project as it has been established that we shall 'sit on our genius' until the concrete realization of the project. I am truly tickled by the possibilities that this project may bring and I promise you that I will share more when I can. I further promise you that you will LOVE it. Yeah, I know bold statement, but I think it might be true.

While most of the details and the true nature of the project must remain under wraps I can share some of the beginnings. Yes, I'm that certain that you won't guess from this. What are you looking at? Well, a pile of small hearts. I am currently trying to design just the right heart. I know many people write this sort of stuff out first, not me. I just start tatting and see what happens. In fact you might notice some stray threads in the picture from pieces abandoned before completion as they were not working out at all. I actually think I have already found the winner of the heart off, but a few others are just fine as well and might by re purposed to pendant status or even earrings as they are small enough for that. I have to admit that even though I designed these blind, without so much as a peek around at other designs...I fear that they might resemble others designs...I really should go look around at this point and see. I mean it's a heart, we've all made these and there are likely dozens of existing designs for them. Meh, I probably won't go look. I know I made them, what other proof do I need.

There are a couple of other small pieces that I bet you can't make out in the picture at all for various stages of the project and I have a few more small designs that I need to come up with here very soon. Seriously, this will be big...I was going to say epic, but I think I may have been overusing that word so, I'll stick with big. Oh, and don't do trying to guess, seeing if I'll allude to the truth. I think this one will be better as a surprise. So that is what I'll be working on today, unless I hear back from my custom order customer. Yes, I started this one before I was paid too...I don't need a lecture. I'll be able to use these designs either way too.

New Pendant

So, yes I was sick yesterday and while my sore throat has left me I feel worse this morning. It's mostly tired, you know that all over drained feeling. I of course have no time for such nonsense. I have things to do. I spent the portion of yesterday when I was not attempting to rest, tatting up the custom necklaces. They are now done, but I'm waiting to hear back on one more issue before I finish the last piece in the custom package. While I was sitting about I looked over at the pile of lace and saw a new design sitting in there.

This happens all the time and I figured since I was so busy with secret stuff I would go ahead and make the pendant I saw in the pile and get that up if for no other reason than to have something new to share. By itself the motif, created by basically mirroring an edging I was working, was a little plain. So I decided to dress it up with a little filament embroidery and a sew on swarovski. I still can't believe I bought those on a whim thinking I would never use them. I haven't quite yet decided whether this one will hang from a simple bead chain or something, well...nicer, but it's new and I'm sharing.Well, that's almost all I have for today. Just one last thing.

I neglected to mention an interview post that was put up Monday evening. It was another of those things I did a while ago and nearly forgot about until I received the message that it was up. You can find it on Unofficial Etsy Featured Sellers. I think I actually said a few clever things, so if your bored or something, check it out. That my friends is all I have to give for today. Hopefully this illness doesn't morph any further, but I know that it will, I still have uncontrollable coughing to look forward to, so yay! Oh, wait...one more thing. I am now down to 8 sales before 1000. It's okay to keep counting down all obsessive like...right?

So Many Secrets

I started the day with a poor choice. I read a comment indicating that there was more to the tatting drama I alluded to the other day, so I went and read it. I should have realized that it was going to further infuriate me for a host of reasons. I vented with sharp cryptic comments attempting to avoid the full barrel blast of logical arguments fine tuned with far too many classes on the subject. I do so love to argue, but I didn't. I held my tongue, waited until my husband was back for lunch and then let it all out in a high speed stream followed by a deep breath. I debated presenting some of those arguments here, the points of flawed logic and plain rudeness, but again it serves no real purpose. In fact, I should have really said nothing at all, but then again, I am not perfect.

Moving on...I do have two brand new designs done. Since I'm trying to keep the design something of a secret, this is all I am going to show you off of one of the pieces. Once they are out of my hands I will be making them both for the store as well. I think I mentioned that the design started as a doily edge, like so many good necklaces. Of course his one had much work on additional rows to create the right wearable shape, but I can still see that doily edge.

Let's see, what else for you today. I so want to tell you about this other funny tatter thing, but I'm trying not to be the mean gossip. Okay, I'm not gonna do it all blatant like, but basically someone presenting themselves contrary to their other, well established online presences on etsy. Most amusingly adding tags to their work indicating that they are a member of a street team which they are not a member of and doesn't suit their work. I assume that the tag was used in an attempt to perhaps snag my customer base again. I of course do not know the truth of the situation, it could just be a fundamental misunderstanding of the system. It could have nothing do do with me at all. I hate to jump to conclusions, but that was my first thought and it made my shake my head.

During the evening the sore throat and cough that has been plaguing my household finally got it's claws into me as well. I have the ever famous, 'it'll hurt if I swallow' throat and if family is any indication in a day or so I will have uncontrollable coughing. This might slow down my tatting for a spell, or at least my creativity. I also had a phone call with an old etsy friend about a super secret collaboration that is cooking slowly. I am ridiculously excited about its potential, but sworn to secrecy until it is revealed. It might be some time until then as well, since it is the most involved project I've worked on as well.

One last thing before I stop typing, I am now just 10 sales away from the illusive 1000. It has taken nearly four years of constant work and evolution of my style and skills to reach this point. Please accept free shipping until I hit that milestone. Just mention 'blog1000' at checkout, pay as normal and I will refund your shipping costs. You know, should anyone need anything.

The Hookah Smoking Caterpillar

The caterpillar spent Friday morning being embellished by dozens of little blue dots and you know what? It worked. Yep, as soon as I stepped back and looked at the finished piece I felt that sensation, that knowledge that it was done. Whew. It got listed quite quickly after that and has been added to the Wonderland mix.

As I was working on that I got a request from a photographer for a white mask. She wants to use it in a Lady GaGa inspired shoot. Normally, I'd loan out the mask for this sort of thing, provided I liked/trusted the photographer, but white & makeup do not mix, so a deal was struck. I will be sending off my incredible, crazy, sequins and crystal whole face mask to finally get the photo shoot that it so desperately needs. I've wanted to list it forever, but I just don't have the skills needed to due it justice. So, hopefully I'll have some amazing pictures in the next month or so.

I'm also hard at work on the two custom and secret choker designs. I feel weird not sharing them with you all, but eventually you'll get to see them. One is a bit of a collar one only a little less...like the portrait chokers little sister or something and the other is a variation on my Gothic Princess design made to match the other. I really like them both so as soon as the secret is spilled, I'll post both here.

On Saturday, we spent much of the day supporting some friends who had the grand opening of their comic book shop. Since the owners of our local shop passed away about a year ago we've not had one in town. We've tried to be as helpful as we can with the shop as our entire family enjoys comics. Obviously this meant no tatting, but I did have some very interesting conversations, most notably with a friend who happens to be a world class comic artist who was doing a signing there. He offered much advice on dealing with multiple Internet presences and dealing with the crap people say on the web. It's nice to know that we all deal with this stuff no matter what our art is, plus he is really fun to talk to. Unfortunately, we never go out, so this one day of activity left me with a Sunday of headache and exhaustion. I did manage to get one of those custom necklaces done and the design prototype for the other is finished as well, so I can work on that today. Oh and remaking a few things...and there's a mask on the list too and did I mention a White Rabbit mask...yeah, it might be a busy week.