Yikes

Sorry for the late post. As you may be aware, blogger has been experiencing "issues" and now my whole day is thrown off. I can't honestly remember what I meant to post this morning. I'm sure I had something to say about my left shoulder hurting...it's better now. I was probably going to mention that I managed to get stabbed in the throat by cat claws(don't ask) so now I can't retake the pictures I had intended to take. In short, it was a bothersome day and add to that today's bother bloggerness and well, I'm just all floopy now.

I did manage to get both the one off set listed yesterday before the little bothers added up as well as the new cuff bracelet I had mentioned. It turned out well with three motifs being perfect for a six and a half inch bracelet. Of course this design can't really be scaled and I closed it with hooks. So I guess it's one of those that fits you or not.

I'm trying to think what else to share with you today, but apparently I am more coherent at 5:30 in the morning that I am later in the day. I do have an idea for my next big show piece project  kicking around today and I picked up a couple of vintage tatting books to add to my collection, so whenever they arrive, I'm sure to have a few more ideas. I hate to leave you for the weekend on such an odd note, but it's better I go now than babble on aimlessly, so until Monday my friends.

New Lace & Silliness

In stark contrast to the day before, I did just about nothing I said I would yesterday. Not a single mask was made, nor even started. In fact between laundry loads I was just lounging about trying to think of what I'd rather be doing. After schooling time was over I began to dig through my supply bits for something to inspire me when I ran across these bead slide things I had recently picked up. I figured they would work out well int he quadra bracelet design. I opted to make it a little frillier with some extra picots since I was using fancy beads.

Once the bracelet was made I decided it should just be a whole one off set. So I made matching earrings and a pendant on a snake chain. I only bought one strand of the bead slides and even though I know I can get more, I think I'll just leave it at this one set. I didn't finish it in time to get pictures. OK, maybe I did, but I wasn't dressed properly and I really didn't feel like changing just to get proper pictures. So I will get around to that after schooling today and I might have another piece ready to join it as well.

I just happened across one of my vintage books on a trip through a pile looking for something else entirely. This one was from the 70's. Yes, I am aware that calling this book vintage means I am vintage as well. No, I am not happy about that assertion, but moving on. I thought I'd just work up one of the patterns for fun and when one motif was complete I though that three would be the perfect length for a nice cuff bracelet. I left off last night on the third so it should be wrapped this morning while I have my coffee.

One last funny before I go for the day. I was doing a search for ankle corsets. Yes, another one of those vain google searches, when I ran across a listing on Alibaba, a global trade site that hosts individual sellers. It was one of my listing photos for my In Bloom Ankle corsets listed there as 'ANKLE CORSET SOES'. They go on to describe them as corset pumps from Korea and Japan available in one color and several sizes from the Philippines. This probably isn't even a case of rip offs being made. I warrant it's just a lame attempt to scam people out of money since there simply is no way they can supply anything bearing resemblance to the photo, though I would be curious to see if there was an actual product. I did check into their flagging system on the site and it requires you to sign up for an account, provide documented proof of intellectual right holding and a copy of a valid photo id. Yeah, I'm not emailing a copy of my photo id to anyone, that would bring some bad juju for sure. A lovely friend sent an initial inquiry to the seller asking the price and materials used, so we'll see if she gets any response and I'll let you know.

Honestly, this is mostly amusing and I since probably shouldn't link to it and give the page more traffic, here's a screen shot instead. You click on it to see it bigger and read the awesomeness. I really can't imagine there are too many people who would fall for the 'payment by western union only' along with all the other sketchy details, but I do hope no one gets scammed by this. Well, off to the day then. I hope you all have good ones!

Single Shuttle

Well, look at that, I did what I said I would do. I set up a sale section in the shop. I didn't add as many pieces to it as I thought I was going to. There are still a few more pieces, mostly made in colors I usually don't use that might still end up there, but I do like people to see that they have a color option occasionally, so I suppose we'll see about that one. The section is called 'Retiring Designs Sale' and you can also get free shipping if you use the code 'FBFREESHIP' at checkout. That code is actually good for any blog read or facebook fan at anytime should you actually remember it exists. Right now the pieces in the section are all either one offs or designs I am letting go, at least for the time being. So in other words nothing in there will be remade anytime in the foreseeable future.

In other non news, I decided after finishing one piece that needed remaking to take break and make something new. I went with a vintage single shuttle pattern. Why? Not sure really, I have no use for the finished piece really and I hate working with cut thread. It tangles and argues with me and reminds me constantly why I never work these sort of patterns. This is just the beginning, I went ahead and worked the whole motif of five sprays. It's a five pointed star and way too big to be a pendant. I played with wrapping it around my wrist or foot and I might still figure out some way to make that work, but don't hold your breath. I might even just use a single spray for something or modify the pattern a bit for something else entirely. Then again, I might get distracted and forget I even thought about it at all.

I know there was something else I was suppose to share, but I'm not remembering what right now. Wait, maybe...no. Yeah, I can't remember what it was, but you know I'll be back tomorrow and if it was important I'm sure I'll mention it then. I've got a handful of masks on the remake list since I sent some to that magazine shoot. Usually they return from these things completely unharmed and the shoot was scheduled for this week, but it's always better to have things made and on hand. So today, it's either that or I play some more. I can't tell which way the wind is blowing yet, I guess its still too early.

New Ankle Corsets

I was all ready to get the ankle corsets listed yesterday morning when I looked back at the pictures I had initially took of them. I decided that I didn't like one element of them at all. They just didn't lay right. This happens a lot when I use one piece as a base, in this case the In Bloom ankle corsets, and add new elements to it, a modification of the Victorious necklace edging. They just don't naturally line up...sometimes you have to make them behave. So I ripped out what I didn't like and made them again and with just a few differences, they were just right. The clover edging also made these ones take quite a bit longer, but I do like the result. Of course all this meant an unplanned photo shoot in the morning and as luck would have it we were having a cloudy day. I somehow managed to still get some good pictures and they are listed now.

I immediately started wondering if I should have bought red shoes to take pictures of red pieces with. I bought off white ones for all the future white & cream pieces since black was so harsh with them, but I ultimately decided that the red looks good with the black. Besides, as much as it would be nice to have a pair of red heels, I know damn well they would only be used for photo shoots and if the black ones work, there's really no point.

I received an order for barefoot sandals in a custom size yesterday so that was pretty much the remainder of my day. I've been trying really hard lately to get any custom orders in and out as quickly as possible. I really need to get a few things remade before the list keeps growing. At the same time I am contemplating doing a bit of a clearance sale on a handful of pieces that have been around too long. My little storage bins are getting full to bursting and since I can't seem to stop making new things, something has to give. What I'll likely do is make a sale section, mark those things down a bit and hope it's the nudge people need to pick up a few of them and I won't remake them when they're gone.

I've been very overprotective of my designs in the past, keeping them all listed just as public evidence that they are mine even though I was certainly ready to let many of them retire, if but for a while. That was because of certain incidents and people that have since seemed to disappear(knock on wood). I don't want to let my guard completely down, but I really ought not be so paranoid all the time. One day I will get a nice portfolio up with all my designs from the very beginning, warts and all, but I suppose there really is no rush.

So today is more remaking and if I get a burst of creativity, I might whip up another one off. That will of course remind me that I said I would make that clearance section. Then I will have to find a more eloquent name for a clearance section, perhaps Retiring Designs Sale. Maybe then I'll get another order to keep me busy. You know how much I like busy.

What A Weekend

The weekend went basically the way I said it would with one small exception on Friday. Right after breakfast I received a message from a magazine asking to use some masks for a photo shoot. You know I'm not going to tell you which one in case this one falls apart too. Anyway, I did have to think about it a bit, but since they needed them for this week and they are shooting in London, I wasn't afforded the opportunity to think for long. I was offered the use of their shipping account to send them, making it an easier decision for me, so I went ahead and packed a few up, rushed down to the fed ex place and shipped them. In fact they have already arrived this morning. So, we'll just have to wait and see how this one plays out. Hopefully much better than the last one.

I did list the new mask I teased on Friday. This one points both up and now. I swear it actually stays on fairly good, but I do recommend a spot of spirit gum on the top point if you're going to be wearing it for a long time or going to be fairly active. I also have a new ankle corset design that used this same repeating clover motif. The new pieces started out with the edging from one of my collar necklaces, Victorious which is from a 40's era collar pattern. I was actually shocked at how well the design worked for both pieces. I will probably get the new ankle corsets listed later today. I had meant to do so over the weekend, but I was as busy as I thought I would be.

Let's see, what else? So, I get vain google alerts for 'totusmel' and I got one for a YouTube video yesterday morning. Huh? So apparently there were at least two of them and they are these spam things that used my 'totusmel' name in the title and a description of my tatting videos, not a cut and paste one, but they actually wrote one up and attached this to a clip with a static image of website link. I flagged them and guess what, they were actually removed. So, do me a solid, if you run across any of those whilst on YouTube, just flag them as spam. I'm actually kind of flattered that they bothered. I imagine that they do this sort of thing using all kinds of videos as jumping points to scam people doing searches for popular search terms. I just really didn't want people thinking I had anything to do with that and I've become pretty protective of my name.

I do have a few pieces that need remaking this week, but there are no pressing projects on deck. I just finished up a custom mask and a pair of pieces made in a dark blue, so I guess I'll just be rolling with the punches today and hoping that the week is a good one.