AParently Speaking

Feeling nostalgic, I scrolled through old "mommy blog" posts the other day. Reading about Sapling's early days reminds me that I need to publish these little moments into a hard copy book so we can read them when he's grown.

The first blog post I ever wrote:  Lettuce be on your heads

Little Sprout circa 2007 wearing his first "silly hat"

Digital scrapbooking was my hobby before Sapling (who was called Little Sprout, and later Sprout) was old enough to allow mommy "me time."  When everyone was asleep I would sit at the computer and create scrapbook pages for a few hours.  I also "scrapped" this blog header.  Still love how it looks.

Here is a sampling of my favorite scrapbook pages:

Toilet Paper Tomfoolery

My Little Prince

Found my Toes

Pumpkin Patch

Horsey Rides with Grandpa

Strawberry Pickin'  (Big Daddy made this one.)

Christmas Cookie Wishes

And one of several I created for those first Father's Days:

A Ribbon for Me? SQUEEEEEEEE!

2013 county fair results

Remember in December 2011 when Jon Yusoff first told us of Tatting Treasures Unearthed and began sharing her diagrams of Norma Benporath's lace patterns? Her announcement was the beginning of a tat-along wherein Lace Mats were made by tatters all over the globe.

It was great fun participating in the tat-along. Choosing the colors, creating the lace, marveling at 35 other magnificent mats and voting in the secret poll; all of it sheer delight.

Thank you, Jon, for hosting an event that resulted in my first county fair blue ribbon.

That's right, a blue ribbon! Squeee!

A closer look at the Lace Mat

Only two entries were submitted in the tatting category this year.  (There were five last year.) The other entry was a lovely oval doily done in needle tatting by my friend Sw4nkyL4c3r.

2013 county fair ribbon winner - tatting

I was stunned and nearly hyperventilated when I saw Sw4nkyL4c3r's doily with a red ribbon.  (I am not making this up.) So sure was I that hers was a shoe-in for the blue, that I froze, looking around for some other entry that wasn't there -- afraid to look at my own.  I was sure that if hers got a red, then mine surely received either white (third) or nothing at all.  It was only after I couldn't find any other entry that I peeked at mine.  Even then I didn't believe my eyes.

OK, enough of all that. I have since calmed down.

I demonstrated tatting at the county fair this past Sunday and here is a photo taken by a kind bystander.

IsDihara at the county fair
(Check out the sneak peek of charity wall hanging!)

The Tat Days charity project was sponsored by the Piedmont Palm Frond and I am so proud of the work we have done. This wall hanging is ADORABLE with its playful penguins frolicking on glacial ice. Lots of cute details to make all Tat Days participants say, "Awwwwwwwww!"

Please consider making a donation to the fund-raising auction, whether or not you are able to attend the tatting conference in Toccoa, GA.

The Blogess

Another blog I cannot get enough of is The Blogess. Author Jenny Lawson's audacity has generated many blog success stories and a book!

WARNING:  Her personality is addictive and outrageous. Snort-your-drink, wet-your-pants funny.

If I had a tiny fraction of her chutzpah I'd be a wealthy woman. She is brazen and cheeky and I love reading her posts.

Like this one:  Does this cat make me look fat?

Thank you, CrazyMom, for turning me on to this humdinger of a blog.

Jason. For the love of God

Posting a note to myself.  One of the first blogs I read regularly in 2006 (that wasn't a tatting blog) was this one.  It was called (you guessed it)  "Jason. For the love of God."  That Chick Over There regularly kept me in stitches with her thoughts, prose and rants.

Then came the sad, sad day when I noticed her RSS feed hadn't updated in awhile.  The while stretched longer and longer until I resigned myself that I would no longer get to read her thoughts on life. It was like a light had gone out in the world.

Fast forward to today. While making preparations for the July 1^st demise of Google Reader, I noticed a new (to me) post!  It directed readers to a new blog.... *drumroll*

That Chick Over There You might also know me as Stephanie Snowe. I'm a mom, a wife, a writer, and a blogger. Oh and people think I'm hilarious and they are right.

...now has her own domain: Stephanie Snowe: The Blog!

Oh how I have missed you, Chick.  Settling in for a leisurely read.  It is a good day.

UPDATE:
Carol Lawecki asked for information on what alternatives exist for Google Reader. Here is what I found:

• Flipboard -  lets you compose and share personalised magazines. It's very well done.
• Reeder -  available on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It takes your Google Reader subscriptions and presents them in a "clean and well-lighted" way.
• Digg Reader - ready to save power users from Google Reader shutdown
• Feedly - a highly customizable app, offered as an app on iOS and Android, and as extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari on your laptop or desktop.

MercuryNews.com has a nice graphic summarizing options:  Google Reader's going away, but...

Hope this helps!

♥ from Postie ♥

Ooh, it has been a good week for post. An unexpected parcel arrived from a northern cousin, she of the flying shuttles, the magnificent Fox! To what do I owe this good fortune?

Goodies from Fox

The note card caused a brief pause, as I didn't recall doing anything requiring a thank you note...

Fox was thanking me again for sending her a Pansy shuttle from La Cossette many moons ago. (Tat-ology 2011: So Blessed)

...enclosed was a pretty wisteria shuttle from La Cossette to add to my collection. Yippee!
That is not all. Cindy from A Happy Bluebird made a terrific felt needle book to pass along.

Fox's timing couldn't be better, as I am stitching my fingers raw with applique work on the Palmetto Tat Days fund-raiser wall hanging. Applique needles are sharp and having a case to keep them in is a life-saver.

Fox and Cindy, THANK YOU so much my friends!

Blue-eyed penguins for Tat Days charity fund raiser

Gettin' Grape-y with a Pineapple
When my stitching fingers need a break, I ply my shuttles toward a promised heart for JB.  Here is a sneak peek of her heart so far.

In progress:
Pineapple Split Ring Heart © 2004 Sherry Matthews
Tatting by IsDihara

Pineapple Split Ring Heart pattern can be found online at Needle Tatting Forum (registration required). It is also linked from Tatting Pattern Central.  (Registration is still required at Needle Tatting Forum to access the pattern, but once logged in, the link at Tatting Pattern Central opens right up.)

Arlene shared a photo of her two completed hearts back in 2008 on her blog: Arlene Tats and Knits: Sending out Hearts  Check out her blog to see a photo of her lovely hearts.

Time to confess...I improvised the pattern, substituting two joined rings for the clover at the bottom.

Red is de rigueur, but the soft purple shades of Lizbeth® 40 #165 Grape Splash add charm, n'est-ce pas? Once completed, this heart will be a milestone - my first pineapple pattern.

Hoping you have time to indulge in lace-making endeavors today and can also enjoy a summer cuppa.  See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Motif 24 - German Triangle Motif

For Tatting Tea Tuesday I decided to forego tea and focus on creating a new blog header. Still tweaking the fonts, but doesn't the lace look good in succulent summer colors?

Inspired by Jeff Hamilton (Bridge City Tatting) and Fox (Tat-ology), I have blithely jumped on the bandwagon for Susanne Schwenke's triangle motif.  The pattern and diagram are available in her book "Spitzen-Kreationen" on pages 42-43.

Susanne Schwenke triangle motif
tatted by IsDihara

Thread used is Lizbeth® 20 #156 Juicy Watermelon. I was using up leftovers from the Jane's Bookmark Cross I made at the end of May. This triangle is so nice to tat and gave me good practice working only from a diagram.

The backdrop is one of my fingerless gloves. The soft halo the Angora fibers give the lace is quite pleasing. Here is another look at the gloves:

Hand-spun Angora
knit fingerless gloves, top

One side is smooth and the other is ribbed so it is like having two sets of gloves in one.

Hand-spun Angora
knit fingerless gloves, bottom

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

A Call for Dragonflies

The 2013 Tat Days scholarship fund raiser involves tatting dragonflies (as well as other bits).  All tatters are welcome to participate. Dragonflies must be received no later than JULY 1st.

Sharing a quick list of  free dragonfly pattern links:

Libel, the Dragonfly © Riet Surtel Smeulders 2002
http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2002/sssr/rietdfly.html

Beaded Dragonfly – Sue Hanson © 1999 and © 2005
http://freespace.virgin.net/bo.hanson/Tatting/BeadedDragonfly/BeadedDragonfly.htm

Dragonfly - © Jane Eborall 2011
http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/dragonfly.pdf

Dragonfly Pattern © Shirley Hill
http://www.ringoftatters.org.uk/patterns/shirleyhill/sh.html

Dragonfly and Swan © Jon Yusoff 2010
http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/2010/02/dragonfly-and-swan.html

Mrs. Mile's Dragonfly © 2010
http://lalalime.blogspot.com/2010/06/life-in-general-my-first-tatting.html

Little Beaded Dragonfly © Debbie Arnold 2000
http://ds9designs.com/littledragonfly.pdf

Dragonfly by © Lisa Reichert 2002
http://www.tatsall.ca/patterns/LRdragonfly.htm

Also, a lovely dragonfly designed by Sharren Morgan is included on the Tat Days 2010 Pattern CD. Here is a snapshot.

And a dragonfly I tatted from Riet's wonderful pattern  (see link above): Outdoor Tatting - Dragonfly!

Please consider sending in one or more dragonflies of your choosing to help raise money for the scholarship fund.  As a scholarship recipient last year, I can attest to the value and NEED for this marvelous scholarship.

That is why I am stitching and tatting to create a decorated wall hanging to be auctioned off for fund. It is a huge blessing to tatters who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Editor's Note:  As of publishing time the link to the 2013 Tat Day Fundraiser page was broken.  As soon as it is working again I will add it to this post!

UPDATED at 2:10 p.m. on June 8, 2013
The link is back up!  http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2013/new2013fundraiser.pdf

And there are more opportunities than I knew!  Flowers, dragonflies, tatting to adorn Mardis Gras masks...please read through all the ways you can help!