Botanical Shabby Blogs

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Nothing New Except TIAS Day Three

 I am starting to think my choice of thread was very wrong.  Maybe because there is so much gray or maybe it's the shape, but I am thinking it will be an elephant (which would make my sister very happy since she collects them).  

Since I had the cell phone out and my computer was updating, I opened my tatting tin to see if there was anything I hadn't photographed.  I had no idea that there were four rings in there.
The two colorful ones are both Marilee Rockley's design, Remembrance Ring.  The orange one is the first round of the same ring, and then just chains to finish it off.  The flower is beaded, not tatted.  


This snowflake (which is on its side) is another December Motif designed by Joelle Paulson.  While making snowflake after snowflake, I realized that I never make anything for my wonderful husband, so I grabbed obnoxious orange thread and blue beads to make a New York Mets-colored snowflake.  He didn't care, but ... whatever.  Thought that counts and all that jazz, right?

Hope you're all having a great week thus far! 

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Country Side

I just learned that it's really easy to name a post when you've used the same thread for everything.  In this case, it's LizBeth 117, Country Side.  It's one of my favorites! 


 This is Jane's Bookmark Cross designed by Grace O B Tan.  This is my third attempt, and I still messed up because I didn't read everything so I didn't add enough thread for the tail. *sighs* Oh well.  I'm just happy that I finally managed to make the cross!  

 Since my last post, I have been using Jane's hummingbird doodle to make earrings.  I still don't have a matching pair.  

Of course, though, the one that I finished when I didn't have an earring wire by me could pass for a match with one of them. This is  a post of sigh after sigh!  

I am putting my project count at 18.  That means, so far, I'm ahead for the year with my 15 projects a month plan!  Go me!  (At least I'm not ending with a sigh!)

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Friday, January 9, 2015

A Day for My Cousin

Before I start today's ramblings, I totally meant 'owls' yesterday.  I find the typo too funny to correct, so it's staying.  Those tiny purple critters of flight are definitely owls, not butterflies.  Oops.

When my cousin saw the owls, she said she wanted one.  She used her manners and said, "please," so I went to work on one for her today.  Of course, they're tiny and work up quickly, so I ended up making two.


A few days ago, I started a hummingbird for the same cousin.  I didn't want to continue it with two extra ends to hide, so I went to work emptying the shuttles.  Thank goodness Jane has her fun little doodles available to us!  I grabbed my turtle pattern and...
 realized that I forgot to string on a bead when I got to the head. -_-  I decided to just close it and move on with my life, but when I close it, I saw a "Stitch" head so I had to add a body.  It made me giggle.  I might just play with this a big more.  I didn't think to make the body a SCMR.  

After that debacle, I went back to work with Jane's hummingbird doodle.
I actually made three.  One (the one on the right), I forgot to move the bead on the shuttle thread instead of my hand, so I ended up with a beaded picot instead of just an inner "eye."  The other two, the thread messed with me big time.  I chose a green bead and, of course, the head ended up at a green colorway.  I strung a blue bead and... Yeah, that would be the one on the left.  There really is  a bead there, I swear!

Guessing that it wasn't my day to doodle, I decided to tackle the other hummingbird (also one of Jane's patterns). 
I'm not sure how I feel about it... I think it would definitely be better if I did it in one sitting instead of days between the parts.  I'm not sure if I'll sew in the final two ends.  Might just leave it as something to be hung... 

Well, that's it for the day.  Project Count for 2015: 13 (14 if I find the other hummingbird). 

Hope you've had a wonderful week! 

♥,
Stephanie Grace
I told you I made three.  He flitted his way to the bottom of my tatting tin. >.<  Also, the blue one is the one is the one with the green eye.  You can't tell, but it transitioned to green.  It was the opposite with the bottom one.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Okay, okay... Here goes nothin'...

I never finish.  Hopefully, this time will be different.  I present to you TIAS 2015 Day 1. 

 I snugged too much to the button on the first ring, but I already knew that ring would be messed up because I am just plain horrible with tiny rings and my hands felt too oily to tat.  I dove right in, though, and I promise there really are two rings there.  Hopefully, I'll get to scan after the next bit is released. :-)

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Happy New Year!

I've kind of challenged myself to do fifteen projects each month this year.  I'm sure if it will really happen, but I've completed eight thus far.  I am counting even tiny things otherwise there is no way I could even consider the thought.  

Without further rambling, here is what has been finished so far.
January Third - Women's Peaked Cap

 I actually hate the hat. :-/ I told myself that I was going to do the challenge set forth by The Crochet Crowd, though, so I did it.  It's just not something that I would choose to make.

These butterflies (Projects 2-6) were tatted with a special meaning which is not my business to talk about, so I'll leave it at that. 


Yesterday and today were both dedicated to making these bookmarks.  It is Fall Bookmark designed by Ms. Wanda.  They need tassels, but I figured they would just annoy me when I open my tatting tin, so I'll add those once I decide who is getting the bookmarks or go to use one. :-)  I love the pattern!  There are a lot of ends to sew in, but it's worth it.  For each inner motif, I used about 2-1/5 yards of shuttle thread.  For the outer round, I loaded four yards on to the shuttle and was left with about 3/4 of a yard left, so I'll try 3-1/2 for that next time.  Oh, thread... I used Lizbeth size 20, 658 and 663. 

Well, I hope you're all having a wonderful new year so far!  Type again soon! ;-)

♥,
Stephanie Grace