Krystledawne Tats

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2012-01-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

Click the above picture to visit the size 20 color collection in Wisteria Lane

The thread is listed! The first batch since last April actually... The only thing not listed are a couple of size 40 color collections (I chose the darker green for this size) . The light wasn't right, and the weather is lousy, so it's still not right. I think it's finally motivating me to build some sort of light box aparatus.

In celebration of her return to the dye pots, Dr. Vonthreadmore would like to extend you a special discount code. Type in DRVONTHREADMORE at checkout for %15 off today and tomorrow! (code expires January 26th at 10pm. EST)

The Skeins have been wound....

2012-01-23T16:00:00.001-08:00

..... but the light went away before I got a chance to get proper pictures for the shop.

As you can see, my always eager helpers were more than happy to help me twist skeins and sort them all.......

....and then mix them all up again.

Wisteria Lane should be listed tomorrow, all sizes and also color collections!

No threads (or children) were harmed in the making of this blog post.

Holy Snowbuckets Batman!, or..... For the love of Synthropol.

2012-01-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

I couldn't bring myself to tell her that she had to be outside to catch snowflakes on her tongue!

Greetings! We are preparing for this snowstorm of epic proportions that the weather service is convinced we are going to get beaten with. Hubby's school district called school for tomorrow already, and they are notorious for waiting 'till the last minute. Will it be record breaking snowfall? I don't know. Will we build a record breaking snowman?!?!?? You can count on it :-)

I don't know why, but it's taken me weeks longer than I'd planned to really get into thread mode. I would off 70 skeins over New years, but only this week did I finally get it dyed. It's a full batch of Wisteria Lane, and should be ready and listed in the shop by this weekend. If you'd like to call dibs on any, (I know there have been a few patiently waiting!) feel free to shoot me an email and I can get a paypal invoice out to you. krystledawne at gmail dot com :-) It's currently drying in the kitchen, so I expect pictures to be ready tomorrow or the next day.

a rare glimpse of the Dr. in her natural habitat.....

The delay in getting the Dr's laboratory operational again was made slightly more tolerable to her by my current drug of choice....

Noro Yarn! (I stayed up on new years for the late night half price yarn sale online....yep, that's how I roll.) I suspect these skeins of wool were what really got me ready to delve into dye again. The colors are simply scrumptious! Dr V. would sit in front of me, just mesmerized by the changing stripes in this scarf I'm making. Yarn seems to call to me this time of year, but more so this year that many past. I could've sworn I hated knitting, and I still don't know what brought me to ask for a set of interchangeable knitting needles..... as a combined gift for Christmas AND my birthday. But, alas, I've finished a pair of two-at-a-time magic loop socks, hats for myself and the girls, a mini shawl, and several other projects you can view on ravelry if you are so inclined. (username krystledawne of course). There are a few crossover tatters that I've run into over there, if you are one of them, please do "friend" me!

Anywho, I'm off to finish rinsing the tail end of that batch of thread. Apparently my bottle of synthropol (rinse aid soap) was disposed of after it got knocked over in the garage this summer. And of course I didn't find out until I couldn't find it....after the batch was set aside to cure. So, I've been meticulously rinsing (....all.....afternoon....long......) to make sure that the thread is still up to the Dr's exacting standards. The next batches to hit the dye will of course be the winners from the Globetrotter giveaway contest! Now that I know I'm out of synthropol, and low on other dye ingredients, I'll need to place a supply order in the interim. One of the two batches will be relatively easy to do, but the other will take some careful thought and testing. That should be fun, and instructive.

Until next time!

A very Merry Christmas to you!

2011-12-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

December has become my month off from tatting....two years in a row now. It would seem that after umpteen hours spent in production through the spring and summer, which of course drags into holiday show prep in the fall, and then into sales in the winter.... I've just about had it with double stitches for a spell lol! So, the pressure is off for December. Decompress. Do something else for the sake of sanity :-) I've kept the shop open with some things that are still in stock, and I've been finishing up custom orders generated from the shows, but other than that, I've put the shuttles away to do whatevertheheck I want! I've been making christmas pressies, and since I get the yarn itch every winter, most people are getting hats. The grandparents are getting some great Photo calendars that I put together, (It's ok, Gram already spilled the beans, so if Mom reads about it here the surprise isn't really spoiled :-)

Anyway, it's like 2am, and my laptop battery is about to die. So I'm signing off for this year in all likelyhood. Hubby is home all next week, so I plan on letting Dr. V get busy. if you know what I mean :-)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

p.s. I haven't made the rounds on the blogs lately to comment and such, becuase I had to implement some time management skills.....such as removing Blogger and Facebook and Craftopolis from my homepages that open automaticaly when I open Internet Explorer. I get sidetracked so easily, and having to go to the site and manually log in each time makes me think a little about if I really need to be doing that at that moment. Sometimes it works :-)

Sale season

2011-11-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, Craft sale season is over for me :-) It was such a whirlwind getting ready for it, and doing all three events within two weeks... wshew! Anyway, Dr. V is in her usual state of agitation. The craft shows generated quite a few custom orders, all of which are due by December 1st. So I'm still not quite ready to delve into the dye. Sad, but true. The itch is there - in fact I spent this afternoon COMPLETELY cleaning out and moving Tat Corner (so we can put the christmas tree up tomorrow) and in handling all the colors of thread I started dreaming and scheeming. The other thing at the top of the list is my teacher submission for shuttlebirds..(due by the end of the month).. It will be on time, I swear! Just barely you can bet.

When I'm not tatting I'm.............

2011-11-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.reverbnation.com/krystlepyette

For those interested in my extracurricular activites, you can visit that link up there to listen to a quick demo of a song that I am taking to be critiqued at the Songwriter's bootcamp at the Christian Musician Summit tomorrow.

As far as tatting goes, I'm still in scramble mode, pumping out hairclips and post earrings as fast as I can. My final craft show of the season is this Saturday and Sunday. I had two last week, and did pretty darn well, which means of course that I am way behind right now.....and tomorrow's adventure takes me out of the house for around 14 hours, so that leaves me Friday to get things done. I've been having lots of fun doing in person craft selling again, and I've got several custom orders in the hopper as well. Yay!

One of these days I'll do a post about things I hear most often at craft shows, my favorite being this: (said with a sceptical glance) "Do YOU do all the work?'' (as if I have a little granny filled lacemaking sweatshop in my garage. Trust me, this is the time of year that I really wish that were the case!)

Well, Ta ta all. Dye season is just around the corner. After this weekend I can pace myself well to finish out the custom work and work in a few batches of thread. First up will be another round of Wisteria lane, just to get back in the swing of things. After that I'll start on the prize winning colorways.

**** Thanks for the reminder Patti! To add to the list, Shuttlebirds teacher submissions are due by the end of the month lol! Could there be any more going on? I don't think so.

Visions of double stitches dancing in my head.....

2011-10-27T22:10:00.001-07:00

Whelp, here I am again..... it's crunch time! (It always seems to be crunch time around here. Hmmm.) Anyway, My first holiday show is in less than a week, so I've been tatting as much as I can manage, taking time out only to do school with my eldest, practice songs for church on Sunday, practice songs for my FIRST EVER LIVE GIG OF MY VERY OWN tomorrow....(I'll tell you guys more about that later)....and also catch up on the three days of laundry and dishes we were left buried under after the septic line was repaired. Darling husband has been an angel, keeping up around the house while also dealing with this hot mess of the line being backed up. The problem started with the washer line overflowing all over, and coming up into the tub and toilets..... and of course what does one do in such a situation? Well, I don't know what everyone else does, but I called a company to come snake the main line (which meant pulling up a toilet). Everything was just fine and dandy until the next day when it happened again. Gee, that must mean the septic must be full, or the drain field isn't working. Whatev. So we just spaced out showers and laundry loads throughout the day to try and bide our time until another paycheck. But then it got worse. So the dear one I am married to dug up the septic cap and peeked inside. Never having seen inside a septic tank before, neither of us knew if what we were seeing was good or bad or worse lol. Thank high heaven, our behind the fence neighbor knows all sorts of stuff about these things, and his comment was...."Gee, that's a lot of dirt in there!" Dirt? DIRT??? What is DIRT doing in there! I knew that the tank had been pumped and repaired when we bought the house.....this was not looking good at all. So, a little more digging, and the guys found some nice squishy soil, and underneath that they found a crushed plastic pipe that once was the line from the house to the tank, and under that they found a bunch of rotten wood. So our best guess is the wood rotted out, and the pipe sank and failed. There was about a foot of pipe that was completely closed off with dirt. Wham bam, a new pipe, and some quick set cement, and we are back in business! (after 24 hrs of shower at the neighbors and mad dashes thru the fence to use their potty of course). And only after we used every single dish in the house....did it occur to me that we could have gotten paper plates for the few days we were having issues. Hindsight being 20/20 and all.... anyway, what's a good story without pictures?!?!

At least the sun came out for my intrepid digger.... that is him standing in the hole he had to dig to get all of the rotten wood some moron put under the pipe.

This is the culprit after being cut away.

And this is how the front yard looked for a couple days while the cement dried and we double checked for leaks. We lost a lovely old rhododendron bush to the process, poor thing had wrapped itself around the damaged pipe.

I'd post tatting pictures, but really, it's mostly stuff you guys have seen before. I have a few new necklaces, but nothing world changing. I will take some pictures at the sale next week.

And I'll tell you all about my musical adventures as well. Another time of course, it's back to the tatting sweatshop for me right now :-)

The winners are .....

2011-10-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

In the end, after much fisticuffs, the Dr. and I came to our decision. And lemme tell you, it was anything but easy. In the end, there were 32 entries from around 20 entrants. The sights were so inspiring, and the contest did indeed to what I had hoped.... it has spurred me onward toward the arduous task of winding off all that thread for the Dr. to Dye! I am three weeks out from my major holiday shows at this point, so our dye season will start in mid november. I know it's been a long contest, but I promise- the rewards will be worth the wait!

On to the winning entries....

(did I mention how hard it was to choose? Every entry had something inspiring, and many factors were a part of our decision making process. I'm sure there are more than a few that come forth as future dye batches, however, these two are the prize winners)

Congrats to Beelizabeth on her entry of the Grand prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. The orange in this just grabbed me, and the transition to the deep blue should be fun to maneuver in dye.

Also, this entry by Cindy from Alaska. (Cindy, would you please email me? You didn't write your email on the back of your postcards...and as promised I am too disorganized to pair it up with the original email.) My photography of this card did not quite capture the subtleties in the pastels, and we are very excited about working in the deep deep blue/black with a graceful blend.

Again, thank you all so much for delighting me this summer with your participation! I will offer a cupon code for a discount on thread to everyone who entered. Details on that will come when the batches are ready to load in the shop. I hope you all enjoyed the contest as much as I did, The Dr. and I have high hopes for repeating it next year. Thank you again for being a part of this wonderful online community of tatters and for keeping me inspired!

The Last of the postcards :-)

2011-10-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the entries, I realized that I missed posting a few.

These are a few of what was sent when the DR. was in Argentina!

Monica was kind enough to follow a bustling Dr. Vonthreadmore around town to capture some of these lovely images for her, and send them with loving care. This particular sunset was seen from her front door. There is a particular luminosity that captured Dr. V.

These are Amancay flowers that grow in the woods of the southern Andes.

Again thanks to all, and winners will be announced tomorrow!

Rounding out her travels.

2011-10-11T15:27:00.001-07:00

Here is Dr. Vonthreadmore's commentary on the final entries in her Globetrotter Giveaway:

"These postcards are from my time in West Valley City, Utah. There were many sights to see, and Beelizabeth kindly let me travel with her family to Yellowstone. Satisfactory postcards that properly showed the true nature of the inspirational sights were not to be found, and Dear Beelizabeth kindly helped me create these. She appreciates my work. See the tatted heart we added? That thread is from one of my first batches of thread!"

"This card below was sent upon my visit with Tattin Kat, and more of our adventures can be found on her blog"

"Transportation was a nightmare in the more remote locations I visited. I found such wonderful natural things to use in my dyes, but had such a hard time in getting them properly shipped."

"in India, I met several wonderful creatures. This Elephant agreed to help by carrying several of my baskets to the border. He was very polite, and he worked for peanuts!"

"I had a splendid time in Singapore with Umintsuru. The architecture was delightful with colors abounding."

"One of my final stops on the return trip was again at Fox's. The evening lighted sky was so enchanting, I had to go back for another look!"

"So many of you have been so good to me in my journeys this summer, and I am eternally grateful. The world will be a better place because of the kindness you have shown.... there will be beautiful thread to come! (many of you sent packets of many cards, I have chosen my favorites from those selections to post, but all cards are valid as entries. Deliberations are in the works!)"

Currently, the Dr. and I are hemming and hawing over which to choose as the winners. So many inspiring things made it into my mailbox, that they all will live in a wonderful inspiration file (something that I have been meaning to start for a long time anyway!) to keep us dreaming up new colors of hand dyed thread. Final selections of the winners will be posted Friday, with the threads to be dyed this fall.

Here are the some of the final entries from the Globetrotter giveaway contest!

Well....

2011-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Please pardon my technical difficulties.... but I seem to have misplaced my camera.

I was going to post the last of the postcards, as well as the contest results, and I assure you I will do so as soon as I locate said digital aparatus.

I now return you to your regular scheduled broadcast.

Just to say Hi....

2011-09-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Just dropping in to say howdy, and let you know that Dr. Vonthreadmore has made her way back to the US.... many postcards have arrived and I'll post them in the coming days.

Until then,

Krystle

The tatter from Gloucester

2011-09-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

We recently had a surprise visit at the lace guild. Linda, from Gloucester, dropped in with all sorts of beautiful tatted goodies to show off! She even brought along a project to share.... beautiful ornaments made with edgings and cereal box cardboard and fabric. I've saved the supplies so I can make a tatted ornament for the christmas tree this year :-) Several ladies from the guild are in this picture that Linda just sent me. Linda is on the far left, and the Shuttlebirds attendees reading this may recognize two of the younger teachers (Sarah N, and Jessica S) in the back row center.
This visit from Linda was a surprise for me, otherwise I would have had my camera to take pictures of more of the beautiful things she had made.

Sunday should bring another tatting meetup for me, a tatter from Australia who has purchased thread from me is in Seattle this weekend, and I plan on heading up there tomorrow to visit with her.

The sights of Alaska.

2011-09-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Cindy in Seward Alaska was kept quite busy by Dr. V as they saw many of the beautiful sights. The doctor was reportedly flightseeing, and actually took off her mask (after much prompting) to breathe in the fresh air. The northern lights must have been spectacular, because it takes something extrordinary to render Dr. Vonthreadmore speechless. (trust me, I've tried :-P)

Rocky mountain way

2011-09-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure she frolicked when she saw this lovely field of wildflowers. Dr. Vonthreadmore might tell you otherwise, but I have on occasion caught her in a shameless display of delight. She was spotted in Ohio not too long ago..... I wonder where she could be headed next!

A quick stop in Canada

2011-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Caught contemplating the beauty of the Sunset over lake Ontario, Fox was kind enough to send off this card on behalf of Dr. Vonthreadmore who was enjoying the dining experience atop the Tower.

A little birdie told me....

2011-09-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was informed via postcard this week that Dr. Vonthreadmore made a stop in Minnesota. She spent some time chatting with Cindy chatting up various parts of her decor, while sipping Ginger tea. Dr. Vonthreadmore also enjoyed the outdoor Salsa garden.

More from Dr. Vonthreadmore's travels tomorrow and all this week!

It's not too late!

2011-09-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

The official deadline/cutoff for the Globetrotter giveaway is September 30th when selections will be made...... and Dr. Vonthreadmore says she might have a few more quick stops to make on her way back home. So you still have time if you'd like to participate!

Good afternoon

2011-08-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

I spent some time today taking pictures, updating a few listings and adding some new necklaces to the shop. It was quite the adventure, as the sun kept peeking in and out of the clouds.....the white balance on my camera couldn't keep up! I took about 200 self shots wearing several necklaces, and ended up keeping about 10.

Right now the girls are watching the movie Tangled, and snacking on popcorn. I'm on my way to the garage to retrieve my tatting supplies (they got unloaded from the van after the market this weekend and haven't been brought in to be used yet). I'll need to catch up on earrings this week, probably need to make 10 or so pairs to fill up the rack. I keep promising myself that I am going to get started on making pumpkin and snowflake earrings early this year.... yeah, that'll never happen!

From all around the globe.

2011-08-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Postcards have arrived! Dr. Vonthreadmore seems to be making excellent time in her travels, quotes from the postcards that have arrived so far are beneath the photos.

These first three came all together in an envelope. It would seem that Dr. V is not completely without scruples as she allowed them to be sent together to spare Miranda the postage for multiple cards.

From the first : "While she was here, Dr. V naturally had to visit all the art museums in Santa Fe. Her favorite was the Georgia O'keeffe Museum in Northern New Mexico.........we were both struck by the way O'keeffe gently blended her colors, much like the Dr. does on her threads. (if she does say so herself)."

From the card in the top right corner, "Dr. V wanted you to see how many different colors of chile peppers there are...."

and the bottom card, "Do you really get sunsets like this all the time? asked the Dr, in awe. I assured her we do, this is one reason why it's called the land of enchantment.

This card was sent form across the pond with the note that Dr. Von may have been at Barnstaple enjoying a cream tea at the Cafe. Thank you for keeping an eye on her when she is so far from home! I love the pretty roses on those cottage windows!

This one came from Rockingham N.C. Tina and Dr. V take us back in time with this lovely vintage card.

More entries to show you in the next few days... until then, there is still plenty of time in case you too spot Dr. Vonthreadmore in her travels. You can read more about the contest here. Many thanks to those who have taken the time to assist her by sending an inspiring postcard my way.

And now for something NEW!

2011-08-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ta Daa!

Introducing post style earrings from Krystledawne Fine Lace Jewelry!

I've had several requests online and at the Farmers Market, so, ask and you shall receive! I have four pairs up and listed as of this blog post, and I hope to have 12 or more pairs ready for market this weekend. I've updated some of my displays so I'll have to take along the camera and show you what I've been up to every weekend. :-)

I've chosen surgical steel posts. I know lots of ladies are sensitive, I get itchy ears from silver in fact, so hopefully these will be comfy for all.

In other news, I've received several postcards this week! Dr. Vonthreadmore seems to be making good time getting from one corner of the globe to the next..... I'll show each postcard to you all, starting sometime this week. If you would like to read more about Dr. Vonthreadmore's Globetrotter Giveaway, click HERE. You can win some of my hand dyed thread or custom jewelry!

A weeks work

2011-08-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe 4 days....I tend to take Mondays off from tatting after a long weekend at the market. And as you can see, the work isn't quite done. I need to put studs and chains on the flower rosettes so they can become necklaces. The earrings need hooks too.

Then I will tag everything.... the earrings go on cards that I make on my Cricut machine. I think I also need to put my rubber stamp on some more jewelry gift boxes to make sure I am all stocked up on market essentials.

The three flowers in the top right of are lapel pins. I expect a few of my "regulars" back this week... there is a group of Red Hat ladies who requested a selection. A few of the pieces on the tray are custom orders that will go in the mail today.

Traipsing about Minnesota

2011-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

She has been sighted!

Dr. Vonthreadmore is super excited about "her" plan for sending home inspiration....(she always tries to take credit for the good ideas). She's got quite a few more places she wants to visit, and says that the inspirations are a plenty and can't wait for the first postcard to arrive here to me.

On that note, I've sent emails to all who asked to participate..... Except I think blogger ate one. If you are interested in participating and have not yet received an email from me with my mailing address, PLEASE comment again! You have until the end of September to help Dr. Vonthreadmore capture her inspirations by sending a postcard of something she has seen on her travels. Details of the contest can be found here

Globetrotter giveway, please read!

2011-07-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those who have already commented with interest in participating in the givewawy outlined in my previous post.

Please do be sure to leave your email address in your comment! I'm a crazy disorganized girl, and I would hate to have you miss the fun by me neglecting to scrounge it up from the web or the dregs of my inbox. To ensure that you get the email with my mailing address you must leave your email address in your comment. I am deleting the comments once I send the contest emails to each recipient. If you've neglected to leave an email contact I will publish your comment so you know to leave another for me... (unless, as I suspect, some of you already have my address from numerous packages of HDT coming your way :-P)

Also PLEASE BE SURE to include your email address on your postcard. Don't trust me to my own devices in contacting you if you should win!

Globetrotting Contest

2011-07-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, Apparently Dr. Vonthreadmore read my last post....

I received a message from her earlier this afternoon, confirming that she is indeed making her way around the globe in search of wonderful combinations of color and inspiration. Unfortunately, the flighty Dr. V did not plan her travels well. She says she has been able to get by, but she neglected to bring a camera or anything at all to capture all of this wonderful inspiration! She is very distressed, and is worried that her travels will be for naught without a method of recording the needed information. After our chat, I did manage to come up with a plan. Dr. V mentioned her desire to visit some of the Leprechauns, and perhaps some other tatters that we know via the blogs. Anyway, I thought that you, our dear friends in Tattingland might lend the Dr some assistance if you happen to see her in her travels. If you do indeed come across our intrepid traveler in search of her muse, perhaps you could help her record her findings by sending a postcard on her behalf to my home address. The Dr. would be happy to reward the kind souls who participate by offering a prize to a winner chosen from the postcards that we receive. At least two postcards will be chosen as inspiration for the color or theme of a new batch of Dr. Vonthreadmore's fine dyed threads, and those winners will receive skeins of thread from their winning submission.

So, to summarize the "rules" for this contest:

1. Spot Dr. Vonthreadmore on her travels

2. Comment on this post with your email address, so I can provide you with my mailing address (comments will remain unpublished)

3. Send a postcard that shows/communicates an inspiration for a hand dyed colorway, and include Dr. Vonthreadmore's comments as to why she found it so inspiring. Include your email address on the postcard so that we can easily contact you.

4. Be sure to have your submission mailed by September 1st. Postcards received before September 30th will be considered, as Doctor V assures me she will be home by that date......international entries are welcome!

5. Upon her return, we will consider the entries and send off three skeins of thread to the two winners, in the size of their choice.

6. Multiple submissions are welcome, each on a single postcard. We'd like to chronicle Dr. V's travels well, and show the postcards here on the blog. You never know where that girl will turn up, so keep your eyes peeled!

(::wink::wink::disclaimer::)

Long time readers of my blog are well aquainted with Dr. Vonthreadmore, who is indeed my alter ego/imaginary friend..... if you'd like to learn more about her, you can click here - http://krystledawnetats.blogspot.com/search?q=Dr.+Vonthreadmore
to read some of my previous posts that tell of her antics. Tatting and Non-tatting readers are both welcome to enter.... if you'd like to enter but do not have a use for hand dyed thread, I would be happy to substitute a jewelry prize made from the inspired thread :-)

I'm still here!

2011-07-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

(my current tatting container. Glamorous, no?)

Yes, I am still here! Followers and friends on facebook are probably most updated on the current happenings around here, and if you don't count the washing machine that went kaplooey, everything is just peachy. As of late I've become a one woman tatting sweatshop, without any new and interesting things to show.... I'm contentedly relegated to making the same black pair of Spanish Dancer earrings that I can't keep on the shelf :-)

My tatting workstation has become mobile and utilitarian again as I've moved my goodies back into the monstrous box (I'd link you to the previous post, but blogger's editor is being a bugger grr)For the first few weeks of farmer's market, I was moving thread and tools in and out of my corner twice a week...needless to say I now just park the big tote in front of my chair in Tat corner between market days. My cute little owl tatting bag (I never showed that, did I?) that I got from DS9 designs while at Shuttlebirds is not seeing as much use unfortunately. I end up bringing all of my chain and findings (I stock 5 finishes now), most of my beads, as well as my wire tools and it's served me quite well as I've been able to customize earrings and necklaces on the spot, shortening a chain or changing earring hook styles. Gained a few sales by being flexible I suppose :-)

Anyway, I'm off to go hose out the rest of the soapy laundry that was in the the washer before it broke.... I'll be back once the copy and paste functionality returns on blogger's editor.

P.S. Your comments keep me going guys! I'm so thankful for my tatting friends! Dr. Vonthreadmore has gone on vacation for the summer. She has assured me of her return after market season, but she sends her best. Off traveling the globe in search of inspiration I suspect....

A full tray

2011-06-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

21 rings locked and loaded for the market this weekend! I've been working so hard these past few weeks to get ahead.... I've been able to "catch up" between shows, but I had a weekend off and took advantage to stock up on small things like rings and hairclips. My earring rack is full again (4o pairs) and I hope to get another 10 pairs done before Saturday. Need to assemble several of the flower bead necklaces, and I should be in good shape! Somehow, I've managed to maintain sanity, and a weekly rehearsal with a musical friend. The good weather has been a help, as well as all the work hubby has done in the back yard, as we have been able to spend some afternoons outside. The girls have a playset and swings, as well as a good patch of dirt that still needs grass seed :-) so we have a nice arrangement as I sit and tat and they run loose like hooligans. Of course, it requires a bath immediately afterwards for the little princesses.

One matter that I soon seek to rectify is the honoring of the great patience of the winner of my bloggerversary giveaway. She was sweet enough to inquire in case I had sent something that might have gone missing in the mail, but alas.... I've been wrestling with the obligation of making things for the market and I don't want to just throw something together for her, I want it to be special and made with joy! So, I'll make my color and material selection and pack the supplies for the market. I get there extra early each time to ensure a good spot, so I have an hour before the market opens, and the first hours are slow anyway. That I think, is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the process of making something to brighten someone else's day :-) So, Brigitte....I thank you for your grace and patience. It will make me very happy to make something just for you. Know that it will come with much sunshine and happiness in each stitch!!!!

Quick update

2011-06-05T11:23:00.001-07:00

For those interested in the continuing Farmers Market Saga, I am pleased to tell you that the fair maiden tatting princess, upon her return to the market has pulled the veritable sword from the stone with two VERY successful weekends. The tent was further secured, the weather held, and I am breathing a little easier over the whole experience. My big fear was that I would have invested a bunch of time and money into the venture and not sell enough for it to be worthwhile. All I can say now is that fear is completely gone, however it has quickly been replaced by the realization of how much work it is going to take to keep up! I come home just thrashed from the physical work of doing all the set up and teardown of everything myself.... but hubby is really excited about the sense of teamwork we are developing as he stays with the girls and keeps the house together for me on market days. He even fixed dinner yesterday after I was home, and he let me nap while he took the kids outside to play, and he bathed them too! woo!

The above picture is a new necklace design that has done well for me at the market. I have a few listed in the shop, and hope to get a few more listed this week in between mass producing earrings and such for this coming weekend. If you don't hear from me, it's because I'm tatting lol! I have my twitter updates in the left column, sometimes it is easier to just drop a sentence in there on how things are going....so you can keep up with my day to day a little more closely that way.

Be Blessed my friends!

To market, to market.

2011-05-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I braved the local farmer's market for the first time.
.

And it was a hot mess :-P

I'll Start at the beginning.

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, lived a fair maiden who charmed the world with her beautiful laces and creations. Much prosperity was promised to the princess, if she would only come with her wares, to the market to sell on Mother's day weekend. "It's the best weekend of all!!!" enticed the rulers of the market square. "Subjects from all the lands come to be merry and spend their gold on fine goods such as yours!"

Enthralled by the prospects, the maiden spent many hours making lace, preparing fine displays, purchasing tables, linens, and CPAI-84 regulation flame retardant canopies (not so easy a task as you might think! Only one merchant in the entire KINGDOM could provide her with such a rare and unusual item. Sidewalls had to be sent for, from far distant lands!).

For weeks, she slaved over her Cricut electronic scrapbooking cutter, making tags and cards to compliment her adornments. She monogrammed, personalized, and labeled all of the fine packaging....and with the help of her Fairy Godmother, and her prince charming, the wagons were loaded and everything was finally readied for her to depart.

Awakening at dawn on that fateful day, the maiden and her fairy godmother set off for the town square. The sun shone like glory from heaven itself! This day would be a dream come true! She just knew it! But with as the miles were traveled, the dark doom beset them. The clouds swirled with malice as they neared. Working fiercely, the tables were set and the tent was tied down with 25lbs per leg, according to the laws of the land. As the evil weather taunted them with with a sad slow drizzle, the intrepid maiden and her companion huddled in the cold and waited.

The tower bell tolled.

Another hour passed. And another, each marked solemnly by the tower's deep haunting chime.

A few small items were sold before the deepening clouds engulfed them. Villagers scattered as suddenly, hail and torrential rain poured down! Like pieces of shattered dreams, it fell on her carefully prepared displays. The wind, angry and destructive, tore things from her grasp, leaving her treasured creations soggy and in danger of staining from the wet ink on her fine parchment cards. In it's final attempt to destroy her, the wind grasped her leaking canopy and wrenched it's bars with such force that it bent the structure of her only shelter in the tempest.

Wet and bedraggled, and surrounded by wilting lace, she conceded her defeat. Packing away her treasures, as quickly and carefully as possible, the pair of women made their way back to their small village and home.

The young, beautiful, intelligent maiden had lost her glass slipper that day.

But do not fear, fine gentlefolk.....

for she will return tomorrow to that fateful market square to seek her glory again! Her wagon is readied, her heart (and tent) will be strongly fastened and prepared for the dangers and perils that await.

To be continued.......

this is a (mostly) true story. names have been changed to protect the innocent. displays and EZ-up canopy products were harmed in the making of this tale.

Come and gone

2011-05-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today is a happy/sad day. Mom is on a jet plane headed back home...... we are so happy she was here for the past weeks, very sad that she is gone. We hope to have you bless our home with your presence again soon Nana Karrieann!

Shuttlebirds, sans pictures.

2011-05-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've come to grips with my loss of pictures from my recent trip to Shuttlebirds tatting workshop, and I'll push through my reluctance to post about it without pictures, to tell you a little of my adventures!

Our initial plans were to drive all together: myself, my Mom, Gram, and our friend Barb. Due to unforseen circumstances, Gram wasn't able to make it after all though. We were terribly sad to not have her company, but we drove to spokane without event, or speeding tickets. After last year's episode, religious use of the Cruise control was prescribed and adhered to.

At the event, I was given a table to sell my wares. I brought along all those batched of thread I had slaved over in the preceding week, as well as the kits and patterns for my classes, and small selection of my jewelry. I was on the fence about bringing jewelry to put out, but in the end I sold more of that than I did thread! Go figure! All of my things were well received, and I even took a custom order for a set of jewelry.

My first class was with Karey Solomon. She offered a pattern for a small tatted bag built onto a large button. It is all chain work, very relaxing. (honestly, this being my first year as an instructor, I was saving my energy for the classes I would be teaching, not knowing exactly how things would go). Once I get the bag finished from that class, I will show you.

Next that day was my first session teaching my Sweet Pea earring pattern. I had around 5 or 6 students, making it an excellent first attempt at sharing a technique with a group. We laughed, they caught on real quick, and most students finished one of their earrings....some even came the next morning wearing a complete pair! Nothing makes you feel quite so good as seeing your "students" succeed!! That was it for friday sessions, afterword the "tat off" competition was held. I chose to abstain this year, but I will join in next year for sure.

Many vendors were there, and I had to behave myself in order to be a responsible business owner and show a profit after all was said and done.....but I did pick up some Lizbeth from Debbie @ DS9. And a little yellow owl print drawstring tatting bag. Pictures to come. :-)

And Lauren Snyder just happened to have the most perfect horn shuttle at her table. It had my name on it, I swear! (well, after I stuck a lable on it for her to hold until the end of the day for me :-)

Saturday brought a class taught by Jessica Spaulding. She had these awesome little purse frames, and was teaching the pattern for a coin purse. Tatting directly onto the frame was the biggest challenge, so I didn't get all that far in the class....but I do intend to finish it and put it to use.

After that I taught Sweet Pea earrings to another group, this time 10 or 12 tatters. Everybody had good things to say about the class, I am so thankful!

My last session was teaching my rhinestone swirl bracelet. Now that class was a hoot! Everyone did well with the technique.... now there will be blingy wrists with tatted lace and rhinestone everywhere! I was a little worried about having been scheduled in that last time slot of the event, brain fatique caught up with me last year by that time... but the pattern/idea wasn't too complicated and it turned out to be a pretty relaxing project for the end of the road.

All in all, I had a great experience. I plan on going back with new patterns and techniques next year!

Mucho dissapointo

2011-04-29T17:24:00.001-07:00

I am SO unhappy right now. The memory card that contained ALL of my Shuttlebirds pictures, AND all of our easter sunday egg hunt video/pictures quit on me today. It's a brand new card, the first pictures on the card were taken at shuttlebirds in fact. Kinda takes the wind out of my sails on posting about shuttlebirds..... Sigh. I need to mourn the loss of the video clips and pictures of the little ones in their easter dresses for awhile and then I will at least take pictures of my projects from shuttlebirds. Next month at guild I should be able to get a copy of the CD that the event photographer has......there should be pictures from my classes in there.

Groan. Sigh. sorry, I'll get over my lost memories and be less melancholy soon. I have been doing an insane amount of tatting to get ready for the farmers market, and I will be taking some pictures of the new items and designs before they go, so I will have some cheery bright photos to show.

It's ready

2011-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

ALL the thread available is listed in the shop. I'll be contacting those of you with thread on hold tonight, if you see anything else in the shop you want, let me know!

Thread...

2011-04-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm listing all the avaiable thread today, wait until I give the all clear to order though. I would just hate for anyone to place an order and then see something else they want come up a few hours later. I should have it all listed by tomorrow morning, but I will let you know here for sure. Here is a sneak peak of one of another new colorway that came out of the dye pots just before we left for shuttlebirds:

We are back!!!

2011-04-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

News to come, just wanted to let you all know that I will be a few days in getting back to those of you who have thread on hold. I did end up doing one more batch that I will post about before it all ends up in the shop this week.

Shuttlebirds was a blast! With religious use of the cruise control, we managed to go without speeding tickets this year.

I'm now in full tilt getting ready for the market mode. Sigh. Can't slow down for a minute it seems lol!

Before I go.....

2011-04-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

I had to say goodbye! Mom is flying in tonight, the kids are all dressed in their feetie pajamas for the late evening trip to the airport. Kits are made, patterns are printed, signage for the table is coming along. Skeins are all wound nicely! Everything is coming together, albeit at the last minute. But that's just the way I roll. So, in case I don't get the chance before Thursday's departure.... SHUTTLEBIRDS OR BUST! And no speeding tickets this year. I promise. :-) Bye!

For miss Antsy Pants.......

2011-04-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, Bev. I mean you. Dr. Vonthreadmore saw your comments, and insists that I not keep "her public" waiting any longer! So, a quick snapshot of what is done so far is posted here just for you! From the bottom, we have Of Berries and Fairies, above that is Vineyard at Dusk, and finally, the as of yet unnamed batch.... deep bluey green blending into wisteria and creamy yellow. It's quite floral. If anyone has a suggestion on a name, let me know :-) Feel free to shoot me an email - krystledawne@gmail.com if you desperately must have some of this thread. I won't be listing any until I return on the 18th, but I can set any aside for you until that time. I have sizes 10, 20, 40, available in all the colors you see above, and I have size 80 in Vineyard and the new one.

Oh the thread of it all

2011-04-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Dr. Vonthreadmore is pleased, and I am in pain lol.

(Probably 70+ done skeins so far, another 40 or so coming tomorrow)

Winding. Mixing. Painting. Rinsing.......and the cleanup! Wshew! Let me tell you from EXPERIENCE that Hand Dyed Thread sellers earn every penny. And I'm not saying that to toot my own horn. I'm saying it because I love every skein of hand dyed thread that I have myself bought from the other gals.....love it even more now after a year or so doing it myself! I know the painstaking dedication it takes. (emphasis on pain lol, anybody have some extra Ibuprofen???) Some of you may remember the days of the 'oops' thread.... those days are thankfully over after much practice, and much patience.

This week so far I've finished a bach of Vineyard at Dusk, Of Berries and Fairies, and a new batch as well. Aren't you 'Dyeing' to see it Mwahahahahaha!!!!!! (I keep telling Dr. Vonthreadmore to stay out of my blog posts, but she keeps sneaking in :-)

I thought I would show you this pair of custom earrings that I made for one of our tatting blog friends, I've been so busy that it took me quite awhile to get them finished, but I'm quite pleased. She is too, and that makes me even happier. :-)

Sweet dreams to you all, I'm off to finish my final handout for my bracelet class next week... Once I am back in town I should will be tatting like a madwoman to get ready for the Farmers Market. May 1st is my debut!

If you want some thread......and a tester found!

2011-04-05T11:45:00.001-07:00

For any of you that are hoping to get some HDT, I will make sure you have the opportunity!!! I won't have time to get it listed on ETSY before I leave, but I'll put up my email address and a list of what is available, and I can set some aside for you to purchase when I return. Does that sound like a good plan?

Also, I am putting together some handouts, and could use a set of eyes to try them out for me. Specifically, I need a tatter who does NOT know how to cover a cabone ring with stitches. I am making a picture tutorial, and I want to test it out on someone to see if the instructions are clear. if you meet this criteria, and are able to finish testing no later than Thursday Night this week, send me an email at krystledawne (at) gmail.com. Your help would be so appreciated! The first draft will be sent out to my tester this evening. (edited to add- my tester has been found! Thank you all for your willingness to help out, I couldn't do it without you!!! If I have anything else that needs a look over, I'll be sure to let you know.)

I must be crazy!!!!

2011-04-04T18:59:00.001-07:00

Good old Dr vonthreadmore found out that I didn't intended on bringing any of her thread with me to ShuttleBirds.

She's been having a fit for days now.....

If you don't hear from me before shuttlebirds.....you'll know why. I will be up to my elbows in dye an thread for the next week at least.

If I do have a spare moment I will update you all with a post about the wonderful surprises I have gotten from some dear tatting friends.

International Tatting Day

2011-04-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have officially raided the potty treats jar to get my required dose of chocolate for "tatting day"! And to celebrate the auspicious occasion, use the code aprilfools at checkout in my etsy shop to save 10% Happy tatting day to all!

The line that blurs.

2011-03-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

The latest pieces I've added to the shop! I have to say that the line has definitely gotten blurry between tatting and jewelry design.... I made jewelry for myself as a teen, so it's kind of nice to make use of those skills and techniques. It's remarkable really, how so many of my interests have all come together at this point in my life.....

My interest in photography has definitely been useful, all sorts of craft supplies are once again being used.....(I've got beads and tools from many years ago), even my Cricut machine gets used. I haven't done any scrapbooking with it lately, but I do make hang cards for my earrings with it! All this is to say how wonderful it is that I can see how God is able to use my scatterbrained interests over the years to support my family at this point.

Parade of New.

2011-03-23T18:53:00.001-07:00

Celebration!

2011-03-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please....

I finished my quickbooks accounting mess, and filed my state business taxes !!!!!

YAY! Many of you know what a weight this has been....and how frustrated I've been...and I can confidently tell you that I would not have been able to dig through it without the help of some special tatters. Elizabeth is one of the smartest and most generous people I know...she let me pester her via ETSY convo incessantly these past few weeks. This of course just goes to show that tatters are some of the coolest folks on the planet. So many of you have given me encouragement... in blog comments, on facebook, and really you guys have put up with my whining like troopers.

Now that I am feeling a bit more freedom, and my posting will return to chipper, non tax-related accounts of my tatting exploits. Shuttlebirds is right around the corner, and I need to get some handouts readied for my classes. Dr. V has started a one woman/alter-ego campaign to get some thread dyed.... but I've also been accepted as a vendor at the Puyallup Farmers Market, so I need to stock up on jewelry for that, as well as purchase a tent and tables etc, and set up credit card processing. Blah blah blah..... so much for things easing up after my tax/accounting project :-) I'm also settling in at our new church, playing with their band once a month or so. I had hoped to keep the I lead worship at my last church cat in the bag, but one of Jim's coworkers spilled the beans so I've been asked to lead a few songs here and there. Don't get me wrong, I love leading worship.... I guess I've lost my "need" to do it. I'm just really happy supporting this leader and his team in any way I can. I'm also working with a friend to get some songs together to do a few coffee shop gigs, and I am practicing guitar an hour a day to get myself back in shape on my instrument. My oldest child is learning her numerals, the baby (almost two now, can you believe it?) is talking in full sentences. My husband supports me in everything I do..... he even volunteered to take the kids to their play group last week! Sales have picked up a little this month, nobody in the house is sick right now....all this to say that my life is TRULY wonderful.

Retail therapy, business style.

2011-03-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Are those EZ-bobs? Why yes, they are. They are in fact wound full of chain in all sorts of colors and styles. And they now reside in my drawer.

After a small sort of maybe I should quit trying and go flip burgers sort of cry on the phone with my hubby last night, after which I was thououghly re-encouraged, we decided that I needed to be out of the house for a break. I have had some wonderful ideas dancing in my head for months, so this morning I set sail for Shipwreck beads. This bead megastore is about 45 minutes from my house, so I usually wait until I have a good list of things I need before I go all that way.

My husband really is the best, and a few minutes on the phone usually sets me right in my times of emotional crumble. I'm blessed in the fact that he has a job where I can generally call him whenever I want/need. He's good at letting me vent a little steam and then helping me set my feet right under myself again. His emotional rescue, and today's retail therapy (all in the name of business of course) and I am fully inspired and ready to tackle the world, as well as my still looming, but in progress accounting project.

I came home from the big bead store, amazingly enough, without a single bead. Hubby was almost beside himself when I called on my way home and told him such a thing. Tee hee! No beads, but lots of other things lol. I bought yards and yards of different colors of chains. Silver, Copper, Gunmetal, and antiqued brass and silver. Woo! Of course, I needed matching earwires, jumprings, and assorted findings in each color.

I won't tell you how much I spent.

Anyway, I have these plans for some chain-y deconstructed designs, with tatted linking motifs....it's all still in my head, but I will be pulling out my dear friend the mannequin body for some layout assistance...

The Winner.....

2011-03-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

Congratulations and many thanks to Brigitte Tats for your commenting and following this little blog here. Your name has been drawn for my bloggerversary prize! I still haven't decided what that will be, but I will collect your address via email today and soon send a surprise your way!

Thank you everyone, I'll be back soon with another post. I'm still elbow deep in paperwork, but I soon will see the light and rejoin society.....if it doesn't kill me lol!

Stress Stress, ahhgh Stress!

2011-02-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

One of a kind flower hair comb with tatting

Sigh. Two Quickbooks consultants have failed me this week. I'm starting to wonder if I've entered my own personal Groundhog day in which my taxes are never completed, the kitchen counter still has crumbs all over, and I'll never ever sell another piece of jewelry again. Pardon the forthcoming small business owner rant..... but seriously. One of my items was even featured in the "related items" section in this ETSY.com blog post. (You'll also notice our friends Totusmel and Ladyshuttlemaker in that mix) With the several hundred extra views that feature sent my way, I was hoping to gain a little momentum, encouragement via sales....but nada. It's a lovely article. But I'm absolutely not sure what I'm gonna do other than pray if February ends and I still have only one jewelry sale for the entire month. (please don't take this as a plea for anyone to hurry up and buy my jewelry, this is just my personal vent time....)

I'm sure God has things all figured out, but I'm just bewildered because it seems as if my sales have just vanished in thin air. I haven't had a month with such low sales in a year, and at this point last month I wasn't workin' nearly as hard at it. And the electric bill was astronomical this month. (breath, Krystle, breathe!)

Anyways. My drivers license is still unrenewed. The weather took a hard turn and I decided it was not best to be drivin in the early morning on ice rink streets. My taxes are unfiled as I've yet been unable to get my software up and running to process my information. I contacted two consultants, the first cancelled and referred me to a directory of other consultants, and the second failed to show at our appointment time today. Turns out she was stuck with another client, but I was pacing the floor with palpatations for two hours waiting for her to come, trying to figure out when I would make it to the grocery store to pick up food, because of course there is "nothing to eat" and we have a birthday party tomorrow. Have I ever told you how I really can't handle party planning or hostessing? It stresses me out more than taxes. I don't know why, and I wish it weren't that way. But it is.

So. In the midst of all my tumult, I did take a tatting break. And instead of making anything I "had" to make, I put together one of my favorite projects (pictured above). The hair combs are so much fun, because I just let the design grow as I go. In fact, I had a completely different set of beads and crystals picked out for this comb. The ones I did end up using were part of a bridal crown, given to me by a friend who was sad to see it sitting unused and wanted it to have a new life. No two combs will ever be alike, they are like little canvasses, my own artwork where I can just let my brain go and not bother to count stitches. (you can click on the picture or the link to see the other pictures of it in the etsy listing.)

Now I bid you adieu, I am off to unwind myself so I can set aside my stress and be ready to fully enjoy what I know will be a wonderful princess birthday party tomorrow. My little big girl turns 4 years old! How grand is that. I am feeling better already just thinking about it. I think I'll go stuff the pinata, using that as an excuse to sneak a little of the candy for myself :-)

Filing. I've resorted to filing.

2011-02-22T13:49:00.001-08:00

Sweet Tweet necklace

Today, is avoidance day. Avoiding the inevitable amount of video based tutorials I'll be watching to get this quickbooks thing rolling. I don't want to deal with this so badly that I have resorted to something I hate almost worse than taxes.......filing. In truth, I probably do my filing once a year. during that year I fill drawers and cubbyholes with paper that I'm sure I'll need in the future. So today, goodness knows what posessed me, I grabbed the nearest hot mess of paper and started sorting on my office floor. Currently, there are about 15 piles of documents that need to be put in the file drawer. I'm avoiding that right now by bringing you this blog post :-)

Above you will see a little snapshot of an idea I had last year during the hectic craft show season. I plan on further developing this little bird charm idea with different colors, sets with earrings, etc. For now, one little necklace is up and listed in the shop.

Big Thank You to those who have recently made hand dyed thread purchases....It has had the desired effect of making Dr. Vonthreadmore pester me incessantly to get her thread wound.

Because my brain needs a break.

2011-02-21T20:04:00.001-08:00

Earrings in soft orange with cream, and shell drops

So today that was supposed to be tax day, turned quickly into oh no this software isn't going to do what i need it to day. So off we went, my four year old and I, to exchange the software and buy a pinata for her party. That was the high point of the day, and then, it turned into oh dear Lord what have I done my brain is fried from watching Quickbooks vidoe tutorials AHHHHH day.

This blog post is so I can get my brain to think about something else before it completely shuts down. How about that interestingly orange thread you see in the picture above this post? It's Lizbeth #696..... soft orange or something like that. Anyway, it's a strange color. I saw it in person at IOLI last year, and swore I'd never buy it. Ick. So, looking in my drawer last night, I found it....unopened, and honestly I cannot remember what posessed me to order it! I think, generally, I have a good knack for color coordinating in interesting ways....but this was just staring at me .... laughing at me. Finally, I had to call in Dr. Vonthreadmore. I had been approaching the color from a floral mindset.....and it just wasn't happening. I held it next to every single drop bead and seed bead within my collection. Nothing looked right. Well, Dr. Vonthreadmore, as helpful as she can be, let me stew over it a bit longer before dropping a vial of creamy pearl seed beads in my hand. Without a word, she stalked off into the night. (she's not talking to me agian, I promised her an etsy shop of her own last year, and she knows that I have been rethinking that idea) After staring darts at the back of her head (really, I get enough attitude from the girls... Dr. V just needs to put on her big girl panites and move on) I took a glance at her selection. Badda bing she was right! Instead of tryint to push a pink or a green on this orange thread, the pearly smooth color she had indicated was perfect! A creamsicle pairing! Delicious! Now, I think we have a winner, and a use for this interesting and no longer awful thread color! So, thank you Dr. V. I'll do right by you soon, I'll have a whole batch of thread wound and ready for dye.......as soon as I figure out how to set up Quickbooks. Maybe our next thread should be called "death by taxes".

Where did this month go?

2011-02-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

Spanish Dancer earrings in "Stardate" by Yarnplayer

Tee hee, sorry I've been gone so long folks!

One commenter on my rather lackluster bloggerversary post got it partially right. The kids have been sick, and we've had a wonderful time discovering allergies to antibiotics. Now that it's over, we are preparing for the 4th birthday of my eldest. She has chosen a princess theme this year, and a quick trip to the dollar store got us all set up with fine princess decor. My dearest husband has even chipped in on the planning (there are few things I detest more than event planning, paperwork being one of them...) so I have actually enjoyed the process. I even got the invitations out two weeks in advance! That is a major accomplishment for me right there. I've been unfortunately neglectful of some of my ehem, responsibilities lately. My Drivers license is expired, and of course did I remember that before I got carded at a club? I'm not the barhopping type mind you. My dad and I follow a few musicians in the area, and he'll take me for a coke and potato skins while we enjoy some fine tunes. Anyway, imagine my joy when the 6 foot bouncer at the irish pub gave me the evil eye....apparently he's not supposed to let anyone in with an expired license. Who knew? Well, he let me in out of the kindness of his heart I guess, and we enjoyed the musical delights of Jerry Miller (Moby Grape anyone?) So, needless to say, I will be in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles promptly Tuesday morning. Really, I just forgot. Then I was sick. Then I forgot again, and then the kids were sick...you know the drill.

The other area I've neglected is taxes. GASP! HORROR! This being my first year as a business owner, I cannot tell you how confused I was.....there's the IRS, the DOR, and they both want different sets of information from me. Did they bother to mention any of this to me when I got my license? The "pamphlet" that was included with that license was less that usefull. Anyway, I am an annual filer with the state of Washington, so my DOR taxes were due January 31st. I had scheduled a class with a local accountant to help me understand the hot mess, but, of course that was on the calendar while I was sick..... after recovering and rescheduling, I managed to attend recently, but am still facing the process of actually extrapolating the information I'll need....as well as set up a correct and useable record keeping system. Sigh. Really, I just want to make some earrings people. I'd choose dental work over bookkeeping. Seriously lacking motivation but Jim is home tomorrow for President's day, so I'll have no excuse to not shut myself in the office and get 'er done. Pile on top of that my miserably low sales in the etsy shop so far this month, I'll need some serious chocolate to make it through the day tomorrow!

Back to the Bloggerversary. I had planned on a big to-do over it, I've been blogging for two years now. Many changes have happened in that time around here.....arrival of daughter #2, purchase of our home, transition into jewelry business, quitting my day job. Now that it is several weeks past, it no longer draws me with the same charm to celebrate. BUT. I did want to do something special to say thank-you for all of your support through these two years! SO. Leave me a comment on this post, and let me know you'd like to be placed in my drawing and I'll send something special (I haven't decided what yet) to one of you. International entries are welcomed! I am so happy to be connected to this wonderful community....and for those of you dedicated enough to make it to the end of this post, I'd love to send a little friendship your way! Just remember to make sure I have a way to contact you, either an email address or a link to your blog.

Thanks everyone!

Ahhh, whoopse! Bloggerversary time!

2011-01-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

I MISSED MY BLOGGERVERSARY!

IT WAS YESTERDAY, the 28th!

Tune in soon for a proper celebratory post....

Sunshine on my doorstep

2011-01-26T14:44:00.001-08:00

Have you yet met Ann with a plan?

She is a wonderful gal who makes such wonderful things as her own tatting press.....

and then wisks them off across the globe to surprise unsuspecting tatters like ME!

The little box arrived a few days ago, and when I opened it I was almost BLINDED by the amount of lovingly created sunshine that was contained within!

It is indeed the cheery yellow that was so needed to cheer me from the flu that has struck around here as of late..... we are on the mend, but nothing like a little surprise from a friend to bring some joy to the coughing and weary!

Now, mind you, I have no idea what i have done to be given such an honor of having my very own beautiful tatting press..... your kindness has brightened tatting corner for many days to come! Thank you from the bottom of my heart ANN!

Update

2011-01-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings all, from the land of ick, misery, and the shoulda got my flu shot blues. Hubby came down with it on MLK day last week, and I fell prey on Friday. I can't remeber the last time I was sick enough to warrant Nyquil, but I've definitely needed help getting some Z's. Enough moaning and groaning for now, on to brighter things.

Sweet Pea earrings by Krystledawne on ETSY

These are a repeat of one of the very first pairs of earrings i listed on ETSY... almost two years ago. It is this design that I will be using to teach how to do stitches over a cabone ring at Shuttlebirds. I am offering the kit with earring findings, or a metal hook bookmark finding, so my students can choose to finish either one or two of the motifs.

Shuttlebirds is bound to be exciting this year, (even though I am scheduled to teach during the same time as ALL of the classes I was hoping to take myself!!) If you will be near Eastern Washington this coming April, I hope you will check out the Shuttlebirds website and take a look at all the fun we plan on having this year. You surely don't want to miss it!

Now I am off to wallow in my sorrows and drown them in cough syrup..... with a good helping of Mary Poppins on the side. After all, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!

Calling all Celtic tatters......

2011-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

I've been asked to help in location the owner of the picture of this beautiful cross, in the hopes that we can find the pattern. If this is yours, or you recognize it, could you point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Even more of the same!

2011-01-17T16:13:00.001-08:00

I'm not tired of makng these yet, which is good I suppose in light of the upcoming farmers market season :-) I like making these earrings so much that I went and got some nicer swarovski hotfix crystals in several colors. Big grin.

In other news, I've started working to lose the last few lbs. of "baby weight". Truth being told, I lost all the weight while nursing the baby, but after she quit I gained back a few..... so really it's just a turn to swing the scale back in the other direction before it gets out of control. That being said, the first few days are the hardest while I've been a tad cranky from depriving myself from my usual indulgences. Poor hubby, he's handling me with grace and kindness. bless him.

The big news in tatting around here is that the registration for the Shuttlebirds Workshop is open! I am teaching two different projects, and I will do a proper update soon with pictures and such, until then you can visit http://www.shuttlebirds.com.
just click on Workshop.

Something else new

2011-01-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

I've been a little more motivated than usual today, getting the housework done early. I actually ended up with a little extra tatting time this afternoon, enough to create and list the following -

Pink flower earrings - on ETSY

They are dangly, and I've made them double sided. They are "reversible", so that when the dangle and swing from your ears, there is never a wrong side in view.

Rhythm

2011-01-06T16:01:00.001-08:00

Life takes rhythm. And no, I'm not talking just about musicality --- getting things done takes pace and cadence sometimes... and I totally let go of my "work at home making jewelry" rhythm over the holiday. Alas, I have been productive as I had promised myself, slowly working myself back into the rhythm that I know will be necessary to maintain my stay at home mom status.

Spanish dancer earrings in black and bronze

(made with Lizeth 20 black and the mostest beeeeautiful delica beads!)

Sanity takes rhythm I think. My natural habitat would cosist of artistic chaos if I would allow it, but in this season I am a mother, and children need lots of love and care by golly! So I work my rhythm to include crayons and cuddling baby dolls. And those most precious of children create an inordinate amout of laundry.....it borders on the obscene what little girls can muster and mash into their cotton apparel. So, my rhythm calls me to the laundry room to stir the home again with the soft rhytmic rumble of the washer and dryer.

Happy Birthday to me :-)

2011-01-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

I am a whole 'nother year older today. For some reason 27 feels a whole lot older than 26..... but I can still make fun of my hubby, for he will soon be 32. Bwahahah!

Our wonderful little celebration consisted of the morning with the family, Hubbs took the baby to get me a cake. He also surprised me, he had a gift for me (usually I don't expect much for my birthday, we tend to have spent all the money on christmas and our anniversary in december) but he got me a standing jewelry armiore that I had been wantin.....in fact he bought it more than a month ago. I don't think he's ever done that lol! He's a sweet boy, prince charming when he wants to be. I should tell you all how he proposed someday.

Anyway, I failed my newyears goal already! I tat any jewelry yesterday, but rather than beat myself up I'll just make some time this evening. And I'll make something I WANT to make lol!

So, no pictures today sorry! I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with my girlies and avoiding housework (it's my birthday after all!) and I'll check in tomorrow with proud pictures of my tatting accomplishments.

Back in action

2011-01-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the new year is here! I am excited to return to the world with renewed purpose and excitement after a hiatus. (hiatus meaning throwing my hands up in the air, screaming a little) Lol! Let's just say I have learned some lessons on how to quickly and frightfully stress myself out, and I plan on avoiding those situations. Priority one around here is to build my business in a way that I can sustain it.... joyfully and successfully. That means getting the shop stocked up again. There are quite a few things that need to be made (I've relisted some of the items that are easy to pull of and get sent out quickly) and after the holiday shows I'm rather short on stock. So I a purposing to make one item each weekday. I've taken the past few weeks to rest my brain and refocus, and now I am setting a reasonable pace to reach some goals this year - one of which is to sell at the farmers market this summer, one weekend a month.

Much to come friends, I'll check in tomorrow with that one item I've promised to make today (my making time is after the children go to bed of course :-)

See you tomorrow, with pictures of my progress!

New Years Resolution...

2010-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

newest earring design

I'm crazy right? Christmas is not even here yet, and here I go spouting off about the new year and whatever it is that I plan to resolve.

It's a symptom of my new found businesswoman status.

I've spent the last few months playing catch-up, and figuring out the hard way....you know how it goes. The short of it is, that my early entrepreneurial experiences have motivated me to a more proactive mindset. Measurable results of that mindset have yet to be achieved of course. But, hey, you gotta start somewhere.

You see, I am definitely a seat of the pants kinda girl. I thrive in the moment, and shine at the last minute. I find myself immensely frustrating sometimes.... but that is a whole other blog post. I have been learning to appreciate this side of myself in some ways, but in the realm of well strategized business plans, I tend to stress myself out and wait until 6 hrs before a craft show to try and pull it all together. I think I get a few extra gray hairs every show I do lol!

The new plan for the new year, is to give myself the rest of December to enjoy making holiday gifts, while filling orders on etsy of course. My guess is that the online shopping season is nearing it's end anyway. In the new year, I plan to make one item a day, for the month of January, and I'll start by restocking things that are listed in the shop. After holiday shows, at this point I could potentially be left with an empty shop so I have been leaving things listed that are easy to replicate and turn around quickly, like the snowflake earrings. Anyway, after two months of this behavior, I think less than half of what I have in the shop is actually made at this very moment, and if I plan to grow my business, I could easily get myself in trouble by not having ordered items available in a reasonable time frame.....so I will fix that forthwith after the first of the year. And I will ask you all to help keep me motivated and accountable....because it's always much more fun to make what I WANT to make instead of what needs to be made lol! So, with eyes on the prize of being well stocked and prepared for farmers market season, I will begin the new year.

Where does the time go!

2010-12-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

Why it seems like just last week we were on a quiet sleigh ride throught the Wenatche National Forest.....

Oh wait, that WAS last week! Must say we had a most fantastic Thanksgiving holiday. We were able to take off for a few days to spend time with my Dad and his wife. Never having been to Lavenworth, we were just giggling with oodles of glee when we pulled into town! It is the best christmas town in America you know, according to HGTV.

Leavenworth is a little Bavarian village nestled in the mountains. We had to cross two passes to get there, only had to chain the tires once. We were in fact glad to be away from the dreaded memories of the frozen pipes, car repairs, and general mayhem of the days prior to our little excursion.... and our thanksgiving trek did just the trick.

There was sledding, a sleigh ride, and much frolicking in the snow. Me and Hubbs even escaped to town on foot for a much needed "date". Nothing says romance like hot cider and an international cheese tray appetizer in "cafe Motzart".

The littlest one had a fountainous runny nose upon arrival, so she and daddy opted for a nap instead of the wonderous sleigh ride.... but general merriment was had by all. We checked out many of the small shops, and yes, I did put the viking hats on the kids...just for pictures of course.

There's nothing quite like the look of "mom. is this completely necessary? really?" upon your darling child's face.

Well, upon our return, general mayhem resumed. I hate how mayhem can be so prompt. The rest of the family got the nasty crud that the little viking had the week before, and our serendipitous decision to buy christmas lights for the house resulted in another vehicle breakdown. sigh.

Alas, my wings are clipped as we are currently a one car family.....the problem with my purple-people-eater- of a minivan is one of those intermittent electrical gremlins chewing on the wires type of problems, and barring a winning lottery ticket, it will likely not be replaced any time soon. So I am stuck home when hubby is working. And I'm an out and about kinda girl, so when the general call for "girls night" went out via text message in my circle of aquaintance, I sent the "please come to my house I am STUCK HERE" plea and was graced with the presence of two kind friend bearing pizza and cookie dough---half of which we baked, and the other half, well......

now they are gone, and I am left alone in peace and quiet to work on some christmas presents. Thankfully I am all caught up after "Black Friday" and all that, so the shop can wait whist I create some pressies for the girlies....

Amigurumi. I didn't know that was a word. Anyway, being that my children are of the three and under genre, I can still get away with making them cute stuffed whatnots. We don't have cable or an antenna so they thankfully are spared from the onslaught of toy commercials, and are delighted by anything made of pink yarn. I actually found a bunch of free patterns for crochet playfood.... so I am busting out my yarn stash. Sadly, after straying for a few years from yarncraft, I pared down to one small bin of yarn. And it seems I didn't keep much plain worsted, but a quick trip to the craft store fixed that. Vanna's choice 2/$5? can't beat that. I'm gonna make play cupcakes, and dollies. And whatever else I can get my hands on patterns for.

I did a market research test of course before major crochet toy production began, and upon receiving this more traditional amigurumi cat, my daughter promptly asked for another kitty with legs on it. And eyebrows. (?) so I will be filling that order as well. I'd like to also make an amigurumi nativity. My mom had this cool plastic canvas one when I was little. It was nice to have a non-breakable baby Jesus. I always appreciated that, so maybe it's time I passed on that tradition to my wee princesses.

Anyway, 17 points for making through that post. Tomorrow we visit Santa at Home Depot. It's probably a ploy of theirs to get us to buy a tree while we are there, and, well.....it will work I can tell you that. :-) And while the budget doesn't allow for new LED lights for the tree (I am looking for a set of LED in twinkle lights....haven't seen such a thing yet.) We did end up purchasing a small amount of lighting for the outside of our house. Now. It's still early, and this is our first year on this block, but we are the only ones who seem to have made the jump into the new and mighty bright LED christmas light technology. Amidst the few houses lit with old-school bulbs, our house has a mildly radioactive appearance. Them things are seriously bright! I think I hear airplanes circling.

Today only....

2010-11-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Free shipping on Jewelry today....

www.krystledawne.com

(and the little secret is that the ten percent discount code THANKFUL10 is still good today! Stock up on gifts!)

I'm happy to ship directly to your recipient.... just let me know at checkout, I'll include a personal note and giftwrap.

Because I am Thankful....

2010-11-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

The powers that be at ETSY have bestowed upon us the useage of cupon codes! Yay! Just in time for Black friday/Cyber monday...whatever the heck tomorrow is..... Anyway, we are having a party around here because the school district is giving everyone an emergency day = an extra paid day off because of the weather. We have several inches of snow, and the roads are a skating rink. More about the weather tomorrow. Today's post is to tell you that because I am feeling so very thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life----like you tatters all around the world--- I am offering 10% off purchases from my etsy shop now through Monday. Just use the code THANKFUL10 in your order. Yes, that includes thread! I don't have much in the way of HDT to offer in the shop right now, and Dr. Vonthreadmore has resigned herself to the fact that we probably won't be doing any more thread until after the holidays.....but she is content to sit and scheme...ehem, I mean plan for the grand opening of her own etsy shop. It's not often that you will find our hand dyed on sale, so grab up a little of what's available this turkey day season. And always know that I am ever so grateful for every bit of encouragement and support that you give. And my husband is ever so grateful that I have found an outlet for all of my tatting enthusiasm that doesn't involve him listening to me babble on about it all day :-) So thank you blog land! Happy thanksgiving my friends!

Let it.....oh no!

2010-11-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for my nice temperate Washington weather.....

Dearest husband of mine is working an overtime shift today, there is a church that meets his school (he is an assistant chief custodian currently) and once a month he gets to work on sunday. 8 hrs of doubletime pay, plus, the girls and I go to that church when he is working so we get to say hi and see him a little. It softens the blow when he has to be away on a weekend day.

Anyway, my darlingest one called me early in the morning....."just checking to see if my alarm was set"....really he was too excited about the white stuff on the ground. Really, he forgot that the church has two services and I was planning on sleeping in as the children had a rough night and I find myself lacking in the zzzzz's department today.

So, as lovely as the snow looks, (this is the baby's first snow!) I now have the pleasure of getting it off my minivan so we can drive to church. Yay. Lol....I haven't pulled out any winter gear for the under 3 crowd around here, I guess that task is now at hand. After Coffee. And a shower.

Snow Snow Snow!

At least maybe now I will feel more inspired to get some more snowflake earrings made for the next holiday show in a few weeks.

It gets me through

2010-11-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Isdihara called it. In her comment on my previous post....

The last thing I wanted to do last night was tat.

(gasp!)

I absolutely love tatting, and I am sooooo thankful that it's providing for my family right now. But the factor that has changed, is the reality that tatting is no longer "me time". It used to be that if I needed some time off from the kids, or life,.........I would want to sit in my corner and tat. Now, there are good portions of the week where I have to sit and tat. It's no longer optional when an order has been placed for a custom item :-) Compounded by the holidays of course---it's a smart business choice to offer snowflake and winter items that are easily reproduceable.... but one can only make so many white snowflake earrings without going a little nuts (well, me at least lol). I think the biggest part of it is that all of this high production time that I am focusing on (I have another holiday show in three weeks) I am left without "creative" time. I haven't designed anything new lately because I have been busy filling orders. I thrive on the in the moment, the improvisational, and the unexpected. That's just my personality, probably where the performer in me comes from. Expression of self is key to my sanity.

Anyway, I was in a funk about it last night, until I made the realization that a little "me time" would probably fix me....... so I called upon an old friend.

His name is Gibson.

Most of you know that in my previous job I was the worship director for the church we were attending. For those who aren't used to the churchy lingo, that means that I led and directed the team that plays all our music on Sunday mornings at services.

Now that it's no longer my day job, I have teamed up with a friend of mine who has a home recording studio. We are working on some cover tunes, stuff we can play in coffee shops etc. and he lets me come dink around in his soundbooth and sing to my hearts content. So, my creative outlet has again taken a musical swing, and last night in my need for creative release I took out my Gibson ES-135 (for non-guitarists, that just means I'm a spoiled girl and daddy gives me awesome guitars). It's a sweet guitar. We were made for eachother really. (The inside of the case is hot pink after all...) After a mad and fruitless search for headphones, I resigned myself to an unplugged solo jam session on the couch. Headphones would have allowed me to plug in to some fun noisy guitar pedals. Although after a mention of my lack of headphones on facebook, several friends offered me a pair and I will be thankfully accepting a pair this afternoon so I can have some fulfillingly-plugged-in "me time" this evening.

After the orders are filled of course.

The show must go on

2010-11-16T14:32:00.001-08:00

It's a crummy cell phone picture, but you get the idea of my setup at the first show.. I had two craft shows, the first on Friday night which I mentioned briefly in the last post. The weekend was quite a whirlwind, as I arrived home from fridays show at 10pm, and had to sort and price tag all of my hand dyed thread for the next morning's show. I don't usually take thread to shows, but this one was the guild's Lace Day event. I offered to be a vendor in hopes that maybe I would sell a few skeins of thread, and I took my jewelry along to maybe at least show a modern use of lace techniques. I wasn't really hopeful that I would bring home much bacon, cause that really wasn't why I was doing this event. Anyway, my expectations were GREATLY surpassed --- as soon as I sat down from setting up my stuff, I was swamped with sales.....both jewelry and thread! I was so honored and touched by how well my work was received. Several of the ladies who do wonderful bobbin lace work took home some jewelry as gifts. I sold almost all of my larger (more expensive) necklaces and bracelets... and a whole load of thread. It just blew me away! In fact, my sales total from the lace day event, is more than the past two shows combined. And after a very slow two weeks on etsy, things have suddenly picked up and I am doing custom work and filling orders and loving every minute of it! It's funny how success can bring it's own sets of problems, I have an aunt who sells jewelry at gun shows and she wanted to take several pieces on consignment......well,..... I sold all of those pieces....so now I am trying as hard as I can to fill remaining orders as well as do some larger pieces for her to take, as well as some more snowflake earrings. One thing I know, is next year, I will start making snowflake earrings in june lol!

Horray for the holiday sale---And the Dr. wants her own shop

2010-11-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

I made enough at today's craft show to make the whole ordeal worth my while for sure. Yay! I sold a couple of snowflake items, and several of my flower necklaces. And some wonderful folks have pulled Dr. Vonthreadmore out of her funk by generously purchasing some thread.... in fact she is so far out of her funk that she INSISTS that she should have Her very own shop on Etsy. Her reasoning? Well, if I am doing craft shows more regularly, why should her threads then be unavailable to the rest of the world ? (I put the shop on vacation mode when I do sales for obvious reasons)..... after all I don't take my thread with me to shows. And, when I go to guild meetings once a month, I take my thread stock with me.... so I of course shut down the shop so I don't sell something that sold at the same time online...but that takes my jewelry out of the mix two, because deactivating a few listings for a few hours is a real pain. And, she argues, she only gets one category in our current situation... the jewelry takes up all the rest of the categories. There just isn't room she insists! So, I gave in. After the first of the year I said, she could move into her own Etsy storefront. Right now I just don't have time to make her a banner....do all the setup and move all the listings..... but we will be sure to inform you all, in the Dr.'s ususal insistent manner.... when she indeed has made the switch.

Gulp.

2010-11-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

Thread sales seem to have dried up. And, admittedly, revenue from my HDT addiction is a big part of what keeps us afloat around here.

Dr. Vonthreadmore won't even speak to me right now.

She is sulking because I have been so busy making jewelry and whatnot that she hasn't been given the opportunity to work since our last batch called "velvet". It was a large batch for us, on the heels of much thread success in the past two months.....and so far we have only sold one skein.

I keep encouraging the Dr, and trying to reason with her..... really I am sure that tatters everywhere are just tightening their spending habits for the holidays. The hope is that jewelry sales will pick up a bit during the gifting season should hopefully (prayerfully!) balance things out, and her fans should be back in force in the spring.

Of course, none of what I said meant anything to her. But when she saw that I was making some flower hair pins in her latest creation, she insisted that I give you all a look at them.

(really the color is hard to capture....this is under my daylight lamp. The purples are deeper and more rich than I am able to show)

Tatted in size 10 "Velvet". These little bobbies are on their way to another Bazaar tomorrow evening/afternoon. I know, another weekday show----weird right? It's even in a dental office lol! But they sought me out, have been advertising well, and expect traffic of 300-400, so here's to hoping for the best.

I hope you all are having a wonderful time whipping up holiday gifts of tatted lacy love! As always, you are all sooooooo encouraging and I appreciate every comment and bit of advice or cheer that you leave for me here, My fabulous friends! I sent in my application this week to teach some jewelry classes at next years Shuttlebirds workshop, so hopefully I will have good news about that soon. Wouldn't that be a blast!!!!

Snowflakes are falling.....

2010-11-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

I've been tatting up a flurry over here! Had my first Craft sale of the season last wednesday, and did pretty well! I sold two necklace and earring sets, a pair of snowflake earrings, one of my more expensive chokers, a bracelet, and another of my dimentional flower necklaces....and a couple other pairs of earrings. Not bad for a midweek, 10am - 3pm show. :-) So now I am gearing up for an evening show this friday....making up some of what was sold etc.

Pictured above is some of the result of the tatting craziness...I've done my snowflake earrings in vintage silk thread, an icy aqua blue and a silvery grey. I think they are kinda classy :-) So far I have sold 3 pairs of the snowflakes, which is great for the first week that they've been available. The crazy thing that has happened to my brain since I became a business....is I find myself thinking about planning for valentines day and spring designs already!!!!! That is out of character for me to be thinking that far ahead, in any aspect of my life. But I won't say no to positive change lol!

Brrrrrrr!

2010-11-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

The snowflakes are here!

Now I know that snowflake jewelry won't be all that amazing to a bunch of tatters,

But I am definitely hoping to catch the eye of some etsy shoppers this season :-)

I started designing jewelry years before I ever learned how to tat, so my goal is to make wearable and updated pieces that appeal to today's fashionista.

Yes, these snowflakes are rather uncomplicated, but I took over three weeks and heaps of prototypes to get them to fit perfectly in the hoops, as well as be easy enough to make (I started with such a complicated desing that took an unreasonable amount of time for what I like to charge for earrings..... lol) that I will be able to fill orders in ample time as well as keep them affordable.

So there you have it, I also will be working on some pointssetta earrings....probably my Five Star design in red and white. Right now I have a date with my Cricut machine to make some earring cards for this weeks craft show!

No snafoo this time :-)

2010-10-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

We managed to get all the math right in this, our latest batch of thread called Velvet.

The usual is available, sizes 10, 20, 40, 80, and collections in 20 and 40.

You can find it HERE :-)

I'd love to hear what you have to say about this color

I'm so glad.....

2010-10-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

.....that I took the pictures before my darling baby wiped her snotty nose all over my shirt. Be thankful for the small things I say!

The next few days will be spent in a flurry, literally....as I try to get some stock made up for the upcoming launch of my winter 2010 jewelry, you guessed it --- snowflakes! I have a necklace, and a couple different earring designs. I'll need to get pictures taken this weekend, as well as make a bunch of earring cards and try to get some pricing done for a craft sale next week. Got to line up a babysitter too!

A wee snafoo

2010-10-26T00:42:00.001-07:00

Upon closer inspection, Dr. Vonthreadmore and I discovered, much to our chagrin, that we had wound an entire batch of thread at 40 yards, instead of the regular 50 yards per skein.

Well, phoey for us, but yay for discounts! I have listed the thread at a price to reflect the shorter skein length, so if you would like to get your hands on some of our newest round of Midsummer Night's Dream, then head on over to our shop. We have sizes 10, 20, and 40 available, with color collections in size 20 and 40.

You should note, that there are a few differences (good ones!) in this batch, from the original version of Midsummer Night's dream. I wound the skeins longer to better accomodate the number of colors, and I have improved the blending between some of the colors as well.

The coordinating colors in the collections are "wine berries" which you will have seen in other batches, as well as a very subtly changing green. Soft and delicate color changes, so they can't be called solids....but perhaps "barely varigated's"

Anyway, we hope you enjoy this latest installment from the Laboratory. I will have a table set up at our lace guild's community event, so you will probably see a few batches come through the blog in the next few weeks as we prepare.

Ta ta!

Blingity bling bling....

2010-10-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

The girls are headed to a birthday party tomorrow (my hubby generously agreed to take them... while I escape to lace guild....) So I whipped up some little sparkly hairclips. It's late at night so the pictures are lousy, but I'll need to wrap them up and have them ready before I head out the door in the mornin. The budget really only allows for handmade gifts at this time, so be forewarned - if you invite me to your birthday, you'll get some tatting. Oh, and christmas? ... probably some tatting. Our yearly gift exchange? Perhaps some tatting.

Easter? Graduation? Baby shower? Bar Mitzfah?

Until I find gainful part time employment,

You're probably gonna get some tatting.

Disclaimer: no tatted lace was harmed in the making of these hairclips. Hotfix crystals were carefully applied to complete the look, in a safe and humane manner. Thread is Love Potion No. 9

Huzzah for the curtains!

2010-10-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well all, I did manage to finish the curtains this past weekend, one set at least. So now my Living room is darker, but probably warmer. I see one hem that needs tweaking but I am so not interested in fixing that.

Today we made an excursion to the Goodwill today to procure some sweaters. I looked through everything I have, and the kids clothes, and realized that we didn't really have very many sweaters or sweatshirts for the ladies of the house. I don't think we needed them before we moved here, the mobile had forced air and I kept it pretty contant and warm with the kids being little. Now here I just turn on the little wall heaters in the morning for half an hour, the baby (not-so-baby, she is almost 18 months now....) is the only member of the household who doesn't keep her blankies on her at night, so she gets heat overnight. So I took a $20 and managed to come home with an almost new Old Navy sweater for myself, a play sweatshirt for the baby, a sweatshirt, a fleece pullover, a long sleeve shirt, and a chinelle turtleneck sweater for sundays for Ivria. Not bad for twenty bucks.

Some great news on the Etsy front, I've made my sales goal for the month already (which means I need to set a higher one that will actually support us, scary!)..... which is great because I haven't been able to find a part time job yet. If I can keep things rolling the next week or two, I will have enough put away to sustain us through next month. I have two craft sales next month, and my aunt might take a few things on consignment to a show she is doing this weekend. So, we will see how things pan out. I have had several people inquire about wholesale, but looking at my pricing structure, I don't think that's in the cards right now.

So things are going well here. I can feel myself losing focus sometimes, it takes an immense amount of willpower to have cut back our spending. Even a candy bar purchase has to be analyzed at this point. The amazing byproduct of the situation is that we (and not just I the bookkeeper) are together more keenly aware of our finances. I didn't really notice before this how much we frittered away on little thoughtless stuff. Meals out are out of the question, so I've learned to pack peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches when we will be gone more than an hour or so. I'm using the fresh foods I buy more diligently, knowing that half a head of lettuce wasted each week, over a year, adds up to the cost of a couple of oil changes potentially. This new awareness brings a sense of power. :-) We have so much less money, but so much more unity and teamwork in our marriage. And the great part is, because we made this choice, we don't feel ashamed about our situation. I'm proud of us. Feels kinda like we needed to leave the nest in a way, even though we are in our late twenties and early thirties. I'm spending time developing friendships, because without my ministry involvement, I realized that I had no social life. I'm spending more energy on the quality of time I have with the girls. Before, they were always with me even at work/church, but even today I just sat and watched Ivria building a house for her imaginary pet "bugs". It's amazing how you can be around your kids all day, but lose sight of appreciating them. When my energy was going so many different ways, I didn't have any left to step into their worlds and play imaginary games. Last night before bed we pretended that we were the Wonderpets (kids tv show). We rescued baby crabs, and flew in our airplane. And I again realized how amazing and wonderful my life is. And I'm crying right now because I am just so happy to be me. I have stretch marks, and my body is not perfect, but I have a husband who can't keep his hands off me, and I know that he would never leave me or cheat on me. I have the most amazing little girls who are the constant light of my life, even when most of what was the previous meal is all over the floor.... one sweet game of "kiss me through the crib slats mama" makes that all dissapear. Sigh.

Wow that was a long sappy post. I need to go wind off some thread for a dye batch tonight, but I'll be back soon. Ten points if you made it this far :-)

The Slippers.

2010-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

The children's feet are officially warmer after the welcome treat of handmade slippers..

And of course I couldn't let them out of tatting corner without some Tatting attached, now could I? These blue slippers belong to my eldest, and she got ahold of them after I had added one flower, and it took a day for me to get them back to attach the other. The baby has some purple ones that are more like booties. They have ties, and the amazing news is that she cannot get them off! So she even has guaranteed warm feet at night. Sigh. It's a good bit of comfort for me to know that their little tootsies are toasty!

I feel bad.....

2010-10-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

...if I don't have pictures to show, or if I only show pictures of stuff going to the shop.

That's why you sometimes see me go several days without a post.

Spanish Dancer in Lizbeth Autumn Spice

I've had a busy week, filling some orders etc. I've had a special order for size 3 crochet thread in my Midsummer Night's Dream colorway, so I will reprise that shortly in tatting sizes as well. I'll be lengthening the skeins to a yard and a half this time, to have the color changes be a little longer.

In other news, I am making a short but necessary foray back into crochet. In my current state of joblessness (been handing out resumes like candy) we are doing all we can to save moola. That means leaving the heat off as much as possible.....we have those darned expensive wall mounted fan things. (the only thing I miss from our former mobile home is the forced air...) So the kids feet have been a little cold. They won't keep socks on their feet (mostly because I don't wear socks I think :-) but they cannot resist the novelty of mommy-made-slippers. In fact, my eldest (3 yrs old) came running out of her room after she woke up..... and ran straight to my tatting/sometimes-crochet corner to see if her promised slippers had been finished. I wanted to put some tatted flowers on them for her, but she won't give back the slippers for a hot second. I'll have to do that while she sleeps I guess, but I think I'll have to sneak in her room and steal them from her feet while she is zonked out. There is a certain satisfaction I gain from her approval of the slippers I must say. Hopefully the baby will like the pair I'm making for her.

Anyway, both are sleeping right now, so I should get to work on the house some. We plan on taking the girls to a cafe to hear some live Jazz played by a friend tonight. (hopefully the cafe staff won't mind that we will be sharing a cookie between the four of us) I am definitely looking forward to a little family fun. Saturday will be spent on the chore of hemming curtains. I purchased them when we had more income, and I was going to have a seamstress do it for me. BUt now I've opened my big mouth and promised hubby that I'd finish them myself this weekend. There are four panels, triple layered, so I'll have to somehow cut them straight, undo the side seams at the bottom, and hem all three layers. Ugh! I cringe at the thought of it. But, the extra insulation on the windows might help the heating bill too...so I can't really argue that. It's because of those darn heaters that i have to do all this hemming anyway......some lazy goofball who lived here before didn't bother to reposition the heaters to logical places when they switched them out from baseboard heaters.....so the curtains all have to be hemmed to the windowsills as to not catch the house on fire.

Anyway, my ramble is over. I'll hopefully be able to show you the slippers with tatted flowers tomorrow, and report on my success or failure with this curtain project. Wish me luck!

Ever get a song stuck in your head?

2010-10-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well I've been singing Love Potion Number 9 in my head for like 36 hours.

So Dr. Vonthreadmore and I named our latest batch thusly.

It's a very interesting batch. Usually we don't use leftover dye more than a few hours after it is mixed..... the colors shift and change over time if left out. I've heard refrigeration helps, but it's more predictable to just mix new each time to attain expected results. This time however, Dr Vonthreadmore neglected to wash out her dye cups for a few days. She begged and pleaded that she's been dying to try some new blending techniques..... I brought up the fact that it had been a few days and we would have no idea what would happen--- That's when I saw that flash of mad scientist in her eyes so I quickly exited the scene.

We only did a few skeins in this colorway, and it was mixed in a way that is completely unrepeatable..... so if you like it, get it before it is gone! I think it turned out great, it fades from a pearly gray to rasberry, with a touch of light lavender.

This pair of earrings is made with one of the solids from the "Of Fairies And Berries" batch. It has the faintest color intensity change to it, you probably can't even see it in the photos. I absolutely love colors like that though, where the change is so gentle that it doesn't interrupt the design in any way, but gives it that extra depth.

These earrings also showcase some new Delica beads that I have aquired. And yes Elizabeth, I am now addicted.

Of Berries And Fairies

2010-10-09T15:08:00.001-07:00

Dr Vonthreadmore's newest,

Of Berries And Fairies

Hand dyed cotton thread, now available here in sizes 10, 20, 40, 80, with color collections in sizes 20 and 40. The size 80 from this batch is in Lizbeth this time around as well!

Vineyard at Dusk in crochet!

2010-10-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/58286032/olive-purple-sage-fine-thread-crochet

Here is what someone has made in crochet with my Vineyard at Dusk Hand Dyed thread! Isn't that cool?

I might have to start playing christmas music

2010-10-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am having such a hard time working on snowflakes! I promised myself this year, that I would have some snowflake jewelry designed and made this year....early...to be ready for the season and holiday shows etc. So I spent a good portion of my tatting time last week prototyping, and I think I have it down. But our weather has taken a definite turn towards Autumn, and I am having trouble resisting the new Lizbeth I ordered.

I didn't even look at whether or not these coordinate when I ordered, but I got the new green leafy varigated in size 10, and Leaf Green Light in size 20. I don't think I realized until they were finished that the colors were a match lol.

It's funny, 'cause I've really been gravitating towards some of the same colors all year. My walls are a light green, I have orange accents in the house, and if you look at the business cards I made, as well as my thread pallate as of late, and then also my current blog background with the little orange owl lol.....

ehem..."business" expenses

2010-10-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, at least that's what I told Dr. Vonthreadmore as we opened our box from Handy Hands this week. We had ordered a cone of Lizbeth 40 in white for the Dr, and her eyebrow raised slightly at the sight of these...

"Really." she said. "did you really need more shu....." I chimed in with an emphatic YES before she could finish.

"And what about all this?" She frowned upon having found a ball of Lizbeth Autumn Spice in size 10, and another one in 20.

"Isn't my thread good enough for you anymore?" She almost couldn't look at me, she was so disgusted. "I had a coupon" I replied. She just rolled her eyes and walked away. Good thing she hadn't seen the three or four other colors of lizbeth I had ordered hiding under the packing peanuts. Anyway, I found the new autumn spice so enticing that I stayed up way too late last night making some earrings and hairclips, even a ring.

After watching her sulk around all day, I had to lift her spirits and prove to her that her threads were indeed valuable to me. So I made myself a pair of earrings. "After all" I said, "They have yet to make Lizbeth in a decent Teal. You know how much I love teal." I caught her peering over my shoulder a few times while I made these for myself. "You should make a pair for the shop too while you are at it. The people must have opportunity to experience the magnificent color that I have created as well. You shouldn't keep it all for yourself. Art like mine should be accessible to the masses and I......" Her voice trailed off in some mumbling paragraph about the value of her work and her impact on the world or something like that.

She is eccentric, I'll admit. Without her however, I would not have the "perfect teal". That to me is worth the occasional bout of nonsense.

(for those of you not familliar with my alter-ego, the illustrious and industrious Dr. Von threadmore, you can read more about our history together here)

Da winnah

2010-10-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Tattips! You've won!

I've sent you an email, if you'll send me your address, Dr. Vonthreadmore and I will be sending your package soon.

A big thanks to all 70 people who entered..... it's cool to see all the lurkers come out. SO don't be strangers anymore! I love all of your comments. Always makes my day friends.

Wooooo!

2010-09-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

My new business cards have arrived, and let me say, Gotprint.com is the way to go. For about $40 I got 1000 doublesided glossy full color business cards, plus 500 of my care and keeping cards, and that includes shipping! You don't have to be a graphics whiz either. they have an in browser designer for the cards, drag and drop, totally easy.

And happy am I to receive such a wonderful response to my giveaway, and I have decided that it is just much simpler to not post any of the comments at all.....easier to keep track of. Anyway, there have been 56 entries as of yet, (no Mom, family is not disqualified). although, some of you are not leaving your email addresses! This is your warning, if I you don't leave your email addy, and it's not easily found on your blogger profile, I'll draw another name! I'm not kidding! I don't want to hunt you down. I don't have the patience for that. Just leave me your email address, or no soup, I mean thread for you. One Year.

Oh, and international entries are most welcome.

clarification

2010-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Something that Yoda did not make clear about the giveaway is that One winner will receive all four sample skeins.

A giveaway shall I do? Hmmmmm?

2010-09-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

For some reason tonight, I'm thinking in a Star Wars Yoda voice.

So perhaps, young Jedi, some Hand Dyed thread you would like?

Hmmmm?

Receive some you shall, If strong in the force you are.

In comment, leave your email address. Win Sample skeins you could.

(sample skeins are what happens when I find a knot/slub in the pre-dyed thread while winding it into skeins. I cut the thread to get rid of the stuff you wouldn't want in your lovely HDT purchases, and short sample skeins are the result. This giveaway is for 4 sample skeins of Vineyard at Dusk, they are anywhere between 20-40 yards. One each in sizes 10, 20, 40, and 80. Leave your email address please! If you'd prefer me to not publish your comment, let me know and I'll be happy to do so while still entering you in the drawing. I just don't want to have to chase you all over the internet to find out where to send the thread should you win)

So Enter quickly young patowan. On October 1st will the name be drawn.

May the force be with you.

So much to do, so little time

2010-09-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

sigh. I'm exhausted. The big transition is happening this week, as of the 30th I'll be unemployed. This past week has been taken up wit handing over the reigns to the person coming behind me.....and even though this whole thing has been hard for me I've been given peace about it finally. I had to go through a mourning process, finding out how much I've identified myself by my position in the church, I think it will be good to spend some time out of the spotlight. The decision we made to step down was for many different reasons, and only after we made the choice have I come to realize how long I have been just running on steam. The season is changing, and now is the time for me to step away from captaining that ship. The team needs to grow and move forward, and I just don't have that in me right now. So, we'll see what I do have in me as God lets me in on whatever it is that he has planned. Now, I don't want to scare anyone away here, but I do speak openly and honestly about my life on my blog, and a big thing for me this week is that I've had an awesome miracle in my life! I've been having anxiety problems for weeks since we started this transition. I mean, I'm throwing away a third of our income....... no job in sight going forward. It worried me alot, and started manifesting as borderline anxiety attacks. I was even starting to think about seeking clinical solutions.....and that says alot if you know me. I don't usually even bother with cold medicine. The only prescription I've had in ten years is birth control. So, for me to even start thinking about seeking medication means that it was really bothering me. I was starting to get mad at God too (good thing he is big enough to handle it). There is supposed to be peace in your heart when you are following his direction.....and the anxiety I was feeling was the antithesis of peace. I could't force myself to calm down and breate evenly....really freaked me out. And I cannot tell you how confused I was, because we had confirmation in many ways that this was what we needed to do! My husband had complete peace about the situation, and I was getting rather jealous. So finally I got really upset in my journal. (that's how I talk to God a lot of the time). I cried out for release from this unchararistic panic feeling, and then I went to bed. The next morning I got up early like usual to go into church and start setting up etc, and I grabbed my bible during breakfast. Long story short, God gave me the perfect scripture, and on the radio on the ride to church there was an author speaking and he was talking about just what I was feeling and going through. And strangely enough, driving alone early on a sunday morning, the anxiety was gone. And I mean gone. The prase came into my mind, that my mourning was over, that He was turning it into dancing right now. And I feel like myself again since that moment!!! Not a single trace of the anxiety symptoms, and it's been almost a week. Miracles still happen in our lives.

So, I am still exhausted, but at least it's peacefully exhausted. :-) Part of my exhaustion comes from trying to balance the work I already do for the church with the work of bringing the new leader up to speed, with all the extra growth from the ETSY shop, with everything that needs to be done at home. Couple all of that with the fact that Hubby is on nightshift this week and hasn't been getting home til almost midnight, I haven't been getting the sleep I should be getting. I've been staying up late doing things like designing business cards on a cranky in browser program...... at the beginning of the post you can see a screenshot of what I was working on. I hope they turn out ok, because I ordered 1000 of them. tee hee.

Well, thank you for making it to the end of that long and dragged out post. I appreciate you all so much, your kind friendship has been amazing.....I covet and am grateful for your encouragement. Tomorrow is a fun filled day with a lace guild meeting, a trip to the fair, and Heart live in concert. My dad takes me to a rock n roll show once a year, and tomorrow evening I'll be screaming the words to Magic man and Barracuda at the top of my lungs. Great way to let off steam. :-) In fact I'll leave you with a little Ann and Nancy. Because they are so cool.

And did you know they like Etsy? And I totally just bought a jacket like that at ross last week.

Wshew. It's listed

2010-09-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Took me all night, and part of the morning to get the new Vineyard at dusk thread listed. I got distracted working on a new business card design, but it's finally done. You can find it here.

Vineyard at Dusk part deux

2010-09-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

After much wait and debate, Dr. Vonthreadmore finally had her way.

I wasn't really in the mood for a batch of thread, but she finally won me over with her pouty lip and a dose of "It's for the children!" Ever since she caught wind of my desire to support the family with the Etsy venture, she has been using that against me. How can I say no when she piles on a guilty helping of "You don't want to feed them nothing but ramen next month, now do you?????"

We did learn some things from this batch. The previously puzzling blue has been narrowed to the dilution of a certain color of dye (that I bought on clearance, now I know why!). It separates into the most unique blue, and now that I know that I wish it was a little more controllable. This batch ended up with a little mottled bluey brown, and honestly I really like it. The separation is a little stronger on the larger threads, but at this point I'm considering it a naturaly variation for this colorway. Also the green at the lightest end of the spectrum is a little brigher than I've been able to show in any of these pictures.

I tried to capture to the best of my ability the solid purple for a bloggy friend of mine who has been waiting ever so patiently for this batch to be done.... It is ever so lighty varigated, I leave just a touch of tonal change in my solids. Gives them depth and texture.

You will be able to purchase some of this thread from my etsy shop soon, I will probably not have time to get the listings done until late tonight, so check in tomorrow if you have a hankering for some HDT. I have sizes 10, 20, 40, 80, as well as limited edition color collections in 20 and 40.

In the background you'll see my final aqusition in props, some awesome metal patina leaves. You'll see more of them soon.

The Dr. Sends her salutations!

I'm a cool kid now

2010-09-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.indiespotting.com/shop-showcase/meet-krystledawne-fine-lace-jewelry/

I've been featured on indiespotting! That's pretty cool. I feel special.

New design and Dr. Vonthreadmore

2010-09-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

I really like to make tatted jewelry that has a contemporary feel to it. Here I used antique brass studs for the centers of my dimentional flowers. I love these long dramatic earring hooks. I am so bad about keeping things for myself, but I think I need a pair of these. or four. What do you guys think? Sometimes I get really excited about a design, I wonder if it has the same appeal for you as well? (the background for these is the inside of that vintage box I used in my moonstone necklace pictures.)

And I'm still on the quest for feature friendly photos. I've been working alot on editing.

I've found that a few tweaks can take photo like this,

And turn it into a photo like this:

To me the second version is much more striking, and will stand out more. I'm also having a blast with my props. This vintage trivet has become my prized posession as I feel it really adds mood and depth to the pictures.

Dr. Vonthreadmore has of course been waiting patiently for a break in my week so she can work up another batch of Vineyard at Dusk. She patiently reminds me that her "fans" are waiting, and I suspect that should I not provide her with the opportunity to create this evening, there might be unfortuanate consequences.....

The Estonian Bride

2010-09-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased to have received pictures from Moonika, she was the bride that I did the custom set for back in July. And, she has given me permission to share them with you!

How cute is she! Ah-dorable! It was a traditional Estonian wedding, her dress was handmade and I'll bet is was an absolutely gorgeous and special wedding.

Congrats Moonika! And thank you again for asking me to be a part of your special day.

That brings up another question...

2010-09-17T15:20:00.001-07:00

Scale.

How does one artfully show the proportions of an item, without using a ruler?

(I'll admit to having done that...)

I won't try on and model all of the earrings for two reasons.

I don't want to be icky, so I would have to switch out the hooks on every pair after trying them on and that would be too much
I would have to do my hair and makeup for the pictures....and that is too much on most days too :-)

So, do you have any ideas? I thought about getting a mannequin head, but I haven't found anything in my price range that would do without being weird. I've held them in my hands in some shots, done the ruler thing, running out of ideas.

Any thoughts?

No worries

2010-09-16T15:46:00.001-07:00

Just a note to all of you who have been so kind to (or are thinking of) chiming in on my experimental photography and props- I come from a great environment at church/work where critique is regular and encouraging, so I assure you, I wouldn't ask for your commentary unless I was prepared for it. Keep it coming guys! Don't feel bad about offering an opinion!!!! You have my permission as well as my request :-)

I believe that you all have my best interest at heart so lay it on me!

More ideas

2010-09-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

One think I am really focusing on right now is making my etsy shop "feature friendly". That means many things, like creating a cohesive feeling in my shop as far as banner, avatar, listing photographs, etc. I want my items to be shown well, but the photographs that get features on the front page, in treasuries, are definitely photographs with character and that tell a story.......or evoke a mood or feeling.

In my great quest I have recently aquired (or scrounged) a few items that fit my bill. The background object used in these first two is a brass/copper trivet purchased from etsy. Now, all of these pictures I'm showing you are just the first trial phase with my new props. I'll be taking more refined images in better focus to improve my listings.

I do think this trivet is effective in that it carries a lovely patina, and if done right, doesn't distract too strongly from the earrings.

This next object is a little box that I retrieved from my husband's grandmother's estate. It is lined with satin and frames the earrings well. The photo above is with the earrings laid across the top of the box, I'm still deciding if it's too busy.

These pictures are taken with a little vintage makeup purse that I fell in love with on etsy. It had to come home to me whether or not it made the cut as a prop.

It offers several different options for arranging the jewelry,

As always, I love it when you weigh in with your opinions on all of this. I love to hear how people look at things differently.

Love ya!

MoOnStOne

2010-09-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

This is the necklace created after the defeat of the previous version's broken crystal.

I just LOVE this chinese moonstone crystal, and I think it does soemthing wonderful with the gray thread. It's Lizbeth 20 in silver. Lovely shade of gray, on of my favorite colors to work with right now.

I could use some opinions on the listing for this necklace.

I'm trying to step up my photograps, so I'm working on staging and modeled shots etc. When you list an item on etsy, you get five photos per listing, and the first one is what is shown as a thumbnail....and I'm trying to decide which is better as that first pic. It's the picture that needs to grab people and make them want to see more, so maybe if you have a second, you could take a look and leave your opions. I've been featured in a few treasuries, and I got a lot of traffic from that, so I'm working on staging the photos to be more interesting and appealing and artistic. I've ordered a few vintage things like a small mirrored purse, to use in staging the jewelry, so you'll probably see my photographic experiments here in the future.

That's better..

2010-09-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Initially I had struggled to capture the colors of my newest Hand Dyed Thread. This is a much better representation of "Sea Glass"

I made a bracelet to show how it works up, and here is a little three year old aspiring hand model helping me out :-)

Really I started dying my own threads because I just love color. This batch well covers one of my favorite color "stories" of teals, greens, and ocean blues.

I have another batch of "Vineyard at dusk" planned, but it might not happen until early next week. I've been so busy on the computer between my transition at work/church and my Etsy shop, that poor hubby has been feeling neglected. I solmenly swore that I'd turn off my computer when he got home today, and leave it off for the rest of the night. So that's why you can see the unfinished ends on the bracelet in the hand model shot, I wanted to post the pics before he gets home (just heard the car door...) :-)

Something TOTALLY new.....

2010-09-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

I've braved the big world of pattern making, and after much test tatting, good advice, and revision, I am proud to announce the release of my first tatting pattern! Click the above picture to find it in my shop.

A special thanks to all my test tatters- Crazymom, Jane, Hope, Josie, and Kelly.

I hope to make a few more patterns available soon.

Sea Glass

2010-09-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sea Glass is a newer rendition of the previous batch so lamely named "blues and greens". It's a little different this time. It's not continuously varigated (doing that is a pain in the NECK!) so I lengthened the wrap to 1.5 yds to accomodate the number of colors in the original batch

Right now Sea Glass is available in sizes 10,20,40, and 80, with color collections in size 20.

The deep teals and greens are much more vibrant than these pictures show, I am going to try again tomorrow to properly capture the colors.

Slots are filled!

2010-09-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my testers, I've sent out the pattern via email!