Felted

So yesterday I made a mistake I had surprisingly never made before. We ran some errands in the morning and I dropped an order off at the post office heading to Canada. When we got home I pulled up the order on the computer to mark it shipped when I realized that I had packed the wrong pair of bobby pins. Yikes. In my defense the order came in Christmas day and you know I wasn't in the proper frame of mind to distinguish a white pair from a white and ivory pair. I sighed and thought and came to the conclusion that I best just remake the accidentally shipped pair and get the right pair ready to ship. I suppose it could have been worse. I could have not noticed at all and then the customer would have contacted me all upset in a week. At least this way I was able to email the customer and let them know what had happened and that I would be shipping the right pair today. I also figured letting them keep the wrong pair would be much easier than asking then to ship it back.

Since that was all the tatting I got done I thought I'd show you the needle felting project I did on Christmas eve. Go ahead and mock if you must, it was my first ever attempt and wings in articular leave much to be desired. After I worked this up I used some of the left over roving to practice the concept some more and I believe I have it down now. Sure, I should have done that first, but hindsight and all that, right?

I tried to find more roving locally so I could play some more. I know I probably won't have much time for it, but I'd still like to have some around. Shockingly I could find none anywhere. I suppose I'll just have to suck it up and order some online if I ever want any. There are lots of kits on etsy and I might even try to trade for some.

In other news, we had all the nieces and nephews over for a sleepover last night. They still slumber upstairs. That's eight children between the ages of four and twelve so as you might imagine it took hours for them to finally fall asleep, chatting and laughing just loud enough to keep us from sleep as well. We'll cook them a big breakfast and then they play all morning while I get nothing done. I still have one kid's neck warmer to finish and that's the end of the family projects. I'll probably stall for a while trying to figure out the next side craft to tackle. I might get a couple of pieces remade for the shop or maybe I'll start plotting my new year projects. I feel so adrift without my schedule and no one was around to comment on my mask yesterday...uh oh, the whine is starting, I'm off.

Nice People Exsist

I'm feeling a little remorseful for yesterdays post. I don't take any of it back mind you, but I think I failed to point out the good points of online social networks. While I stand by my assertion that there are too many of them and that they are generally wastes of your time, they work well for some people and more importantly, you can meet good people and form valuable friendships. I've been lucky that in my short time of internet socialization I have been the recipient of some wonderful surprises and acts of kindness from relative strangers and I'd lke to recount a few of those stories for you.

I've never been what you would call popular, familiar maybe, but never popular, so when I announced my birthday and recent pregnancy in the forums almost two years ago, I was surprised by the outpouring of well wishes from etsians. One gesture was particularly amazing. Luca of lollibomb asked if it would be okay with me if she could send me a gift. She sent me a jar of her wonderful body frosting and made my day and of course earned a lifelong customer.

Later that year ficklefaerie organized the first Etsy Baby Showers. It was an amazing display of goodwill organized entirely in the forums where sellers were randomly hooked up with expectant mothers and sent them a shower gift. I recieved five gifts from people all over the country that I've never met and since this was my second baby they were the only gifts I received. I can't possibly forget the kindness of all the people who participate in these event.

I've also met several other artisans through the forums and other sites that I eventually collaborated with to create amazing pieces that I never would have even thought of. I'm not going to list them, because I'm afraid I'll miss some and feel guilty again. These collaborations have proved invaluable to my personal artistic growth and I would have never done them had I not socialized at least a little.

Most recently, and the inspiration for this piece, is a gift I just received from Zygote of FetishGhost and RedGateCeramics. Along with another new friend Sarah from Industrialfairytale he conspired to send me a surprise present of one of his amazing ceramic cups. I did nothing to deserve this lovely gift and yet here it is. So as much as I dislike networking for the sole purpose of self promotion, I am so glad to have met these wonderful people and I would not trade these experiences for anything. I hope that karma rewards these kind acts and people with much joy.

Why, Thank You

Recently I have been the recipient of many kind words and statements of awe regarding my tatting. I was reading some nice feedback yesterday and I remarked to my husband how it always surprises me when people praise my work, it is just what I do. That started me thinking though, we often assume that something that is easy for us to do is easy for anyone to do. Sure, I can tat, it's easy for me, you could learn it too and perhaps be much better than me at it, or not. There are so many things I have tried and had little or no success at over the years. So I thought I would list some of the skills and people I've met you have them that impress the heck out of me.

First, metal work, it amazes me. I tried my hand a soldering and it was, well, unpleasant. I wish I had the skills of Gemmafactrix, TimothyAdamDesigns, or DowntothewireDesigns. All of these artists have amazing talent in an area I fear I will never get. Let's see, I crochet and I'm pretty good at it too, but BeaG has a knack for crochet that can't be beat. Everything she makes is perfect, even and colorful. When I first bought a lip balm holder from her, I thought I could make that. Guess what, I was wrong.

Next up will be art. I too draw and one day I might even let you see some of it, but I won't even pretend that I have the talent of some of my favorite artists on etsy. Jennifer from Stilettoheights makes the most amazing pieces. She not only has an amazing eye for design and color, but she's a pretty good comic book writer too. I've also recently been acquainted with Diana of Paynesgrey. What an amazing imagination, I just love her work and I could never create anything like it.

I can't weave like Scarfguy, I can't even imagine how to make a hat like BoringSidney. I can sew, but nothing like Deconstructress. Then there are artists that do so many things well, fetishghost has ceramics and silver smithing, tiinateaspoon has photography and amazing sculptural clothing. Ahna has hand shaped cabochons, stained glass, jewelry, makeup, candles and scents.

I have tried a lot of these crafts and though I have occasionally been successful, these people do these things better and I didn't even scratch the surface of the skills I am in awe of. So I guess the point of this entire post is, if you think I'm good at tatting, remember you might be good at something I can't do and never take your talent for granted. I am truly amazed that people are amazed by my pieces, but if I take a step back and look at them with fresh eyes, I can sometimes remember what tatting looked like to me before I learned to do it. I think everyone needs to think back to those before days occasionally to appreciate the skills you have now and how far you really have come. So anyway, thanks for the nice things you said about me!

The Way Back Machine

BeaG & Mamadelic

While reviewing my newest purchases, I thought, too bad I didn't have a blog two years ago when I started my etsy shopping spree. I then proceeded to rush about my house collecting all the various items I could find and began taking photos for a Way Back Machine review series. A great many of them became gifts and I've clearly used and abused others. I still need to find some more things that are strewn about, but I've got enough to start with.

This review series will be different not only because of the time lapsed, but also because I will be focusing on the longevity of the items. These will be short and sweet, so you shouldn't get bored. If I bought something from you in the last couple of years, don't be surprised to see it here.

My first two are from my first real shopping spree back in August of 2006. These items are special because I not only still use them daily, but I couldn't imagine not having them around.

BeaG makes these simple crochet key chain holders for lip balm and Vaseline tins. I do crochet, so as soon as I received these, I immediately tried to figure out the pattern. Then I stopped and realized for the first time that I did not need to learn how to make these. Why? Because she makes them so well, I'll never need another one. That did not stop me from buying more as gifts. Sometimes we must simply bow to the superior skill. Two years later, these are still in my bag daily and have held up amazingly well. I am really hard on my stuff and I have two small kids who play with everything, so when I say they hold up well, it's practically a guarantee.




Mamadelic is an awesome seller too. Back when I bought this in August 2006 , I saw her almost everyday in the forums. I figured it was time to get a business card holder, so I picked one up from her. Guess what, its still in my bag packed with cards on one side and tissues on the other. Did I mention I'm mom.

This was very well made, professionally packaged and again has held up to an amazing amount of abuse. It's just stiff enough to hold up and is made from some lovely fabric. I notice that she doesn't make these anymore, but you can still check out her other amazing products, I haven't bought a tote in a while...




On another subject, lest you think I've stopped creating if favor of deep meaningful blog posts, here's a sneak peek at my entry for the Spring Beading Challenge. Clearly, I am no a beader. It is a challenge for me to simply add beads to an existing tatting design, so I participate in the challenge as a learning exercise. I'm fully aware I have snowballs chance in hell of winning, but I press on.

William Dohman

Whilst lurking the forums, I ran across a lonely post asking for "blog love". Being curious by nature I clicked through to his etsy page and I fell in love with the many colorful images in the photos there. So I decided immediately to give a little exposure to this brand new etsy photographer on my little street corner.

William Dohman creates prints from his travel photos from India, Japan, Holland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, ect. Though he makes his living as an architect, he loves to share his travel photos with others and I'm glad he does.
Coming from the Midwest, he was shocked by the amount of street life and culture in other parts of the world. He could not sketch quick enough to capture it all so he was lured to photography. "Too many Americans are quick to assume that the United States is the best county, many of whom have not even left their respective state boarders. I show these photos to encourage others to travel the world and become aware of dissimilar cultures."

When he is not making things he is finding new things to create. "If I am not doing photography or architecture I am either painting or drawing. I have also taken up road bicycling. I find it's a great way to sort my ideas and thoughts while getting a great workout and exploring the city I live in."

Here's one of his beautiful photos along with William's description:

In Japan, tradition states that if you fold 1000 origami cranes, it will bring you good health and good luck. When someone is suffering from a severe sickness or injury, spouses, parents, children and other family members and friends would fold 1000 cranes to wish for the person's recovery. The paper crane has become an international symbol of piece through the work of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki and her battle with leukemia.

"I would love for everyone to list the ten places they want to visit before they die and actually try and plan them. It is a lot easier and cheaper than a lot of people think!"



Obligatory biography:

William Dohman fell in love with photography while traveling around the world, studying architecture. India, Japan, and the Netherlands were so unlike his West St. Paul roots, he felt compelled to document everything he saw, from kite strings to street life, broken playgrounds to the Taj Mahal. India was the first time he used a manual camera, and he was hooked—through trips to the Netherlands (where he studied at TU Delft) and surrounding countries, as well as a post-grad study of Japanese architecture. His obsessive snapping prompted his fellow travelers to remark that they didn't really know what he looked like, given his face was constantly behind the camera.
William finds his most striking images are ones of everyday life, objects, and hidden details—not the classically beautiful ones perpetuated by the media, but rather the ones most people tend to overlook. He frames them with his lens for examination, most often finding that the everyday people, places, and remnants are what truly express the life within a culture.

So go and visit Williams store, heck go visit mine too. I could always use a little more love!

Shopping Habits

I've noticed a generally trend in etsy blogging in particular to feature a random seller for the benefit of both parties. This is a fabulous idea & I have been lucky enough to garner a few features here & there. However it strikes me as a little odd that most of these features have come about as the result of me replying in a forum to a general call for artists. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I think that if I were to "feature" artists, they would be ones that I personally have either purchased from or at least wished that I could.

So, to that end, I will now begin trotting out all my etsy purchases & personally lauding each one that deserves praise. I mention that last caveat about deserving praise because of another trend I have recently begun to hate. Hollow compliments strewn about the etsy forums with wild abandon. I have never & would never tell someone that I liked something that I did not like. I won't toss in a "hey, cute owl", if I did not actually think that. Obviously that means I can be pretty quiet at times, but I digress.

Here are the pretties that the mailman brought me yesterday...I took the pictures myself so as to avoid any property issues that may arise.

First is a beautiful pair of earrings purchased from Danielle at bowerofbliss. They are so light & hang perfectly next to the pair of threader earrings that I never take out. She's a really wonderful seller that put up with my mail paranoia well.Next we have a lovely skein of hand dyed merino from Nicole at NoTwoSnowflakes. It contains just the prettiest shades of purple and I can hardly wait to tat up a scarf with it for the fall. So far I've had the best luck with my purchases.

I may trot out whatever I make with this for a later post...of course I have to add it to the already too long project list.