Chop Sticks

 Hi,


Yes we are back from a holiday in Crete,  you have been having the same weather as us in Crete,  sun,  blue skies and  blue of the Aegean Sea was a wonderful restful holiday,  just what we both needed.  The stress of the last six months in particular has been extremely great and I think both Vernon and I were totally worn out.
We had a lovely meal in a Chinese restaurant,  we do like Chinese food and this restaurant opened up in the resort while we were there,  the pale blue material ones were given to us on the first night and then when we had another meal we were given a pair each,  they are beautiful,  too beautiful to use, the photos don't do them justice and the colours of the patterns on the chop sticks have not shown up as well as I would have liked.  The material they are packed in is really gorgeous with Chinese designs embroidered on it.

 Before we left my Orchid was about to flower,  so I missed the first three flowers opening up,  but these pictures show you what they look like when I came home on Wednesday morning,   yes it was 2am when I had my first look at them.   It was a lovely welcome home.


I do have some good news to share,  four weeks ago I hinted that Vernon was ill,  in fact he was diagnosed with Prostate cancer,  although in the very early stages we have now been told since we came home that they are not going to do anything.   They don't think it will do anything and will not develop enough to kill him.   They want him to have an MRI scan in six months,   if nothing has changed it looks like he can get on with his life.   This is a  huge weight off our shoulders as we have been trying to get our head around it.  After everything that happen to me last year,  it just felt so awful to have Vernon facing an operation and so soon after he had retired in November.   It has not been the best start for his retirement with Mother, Peter and now being told he had cancer.


I did some tatting on holiday which I will show you soon,  I also took some wool to do some knitting for my shop,  the pattern said one 100 gram ball,  but I don't have enough to finish it,  the shop has ordered me some more,  so that's another item for you when its finished.


I am preparing a post about our holiday and day trip to Santorini they will be posted over the next week.
I hope you are keeping well and until we meet again Take Care
Hugs
Margaret

High on a mountain top .......

 Hi,


I am sure the title might get you thinking,   well my herd of Goats has grown, and I was thinking of the Sound of Music,   High on a mountain top a lonely goat etc. etc..


The black Goat went to Sheila and the white goat has gone to Janette in Blackpool,  both guessed that we were tatting a Goat on the TIAS this January,    I know this is a late post but they have been tatted over the last few months.


The black Goat was tatted with coats black no 20 with white eyes and the white goat was tatted with Lizbeth white no 20 and has black eyes.   I think the white Goat back leg went a bit curled I have no idea how it happen but when I pressed him the leg did go straighter.
So my herd has grown.   The other person who won my game called Sue never did get in touch,  so I was not able to make her a Goat.  If she reads this and remembers she guessed Goat please get in touch and then I will make you a Goat.


                                                                --ooOoo--

Look what my husband brought me,   I am delighted with the book and hope to make the peacock sometime soon but don't rush me I will get around to it.
Bethany was also in ore of the peacock so now all I have to do is tat him.   I have already decided which colour to tat him in.
There are some other lovely patterns in the book no wonder every tatter is buying the book.




This is the last scheduled post and we will be home soon.
Until we meet again take care
Hugs
Margaret

Introducing Taurus

 Hi,


This is my Taurus the Bull,   I was asked to tat a Bull,  well after looking for a pattern and not been able to find one,  I designed my own.


Well this is him,  the picture was taken before I had pressed him and the cotton left was used to attach him to a card,  which is at the bottom of the post.


Here is he in close up,   I used Lizbeth thread Gold and white no 20,  with two black beads for the eyes,  I used some threads for the tail I tried some long picots but it did not look right so I just attached the threads with a loop,  on a very small picot.


I have not written up the pattern yet although its written in rough and I will be putting the pattern in my esty store when its ready.


The card I used a backing paper that I also used for the tree card I did a couple of weeks ago for the Sunday CD Challenge Trees and Shrubs.  I sewed Taurus on a pale green card although in the picture it looks blue but it was pale green and pale green spot paper,  the edging was green/gold peel offs to finish off the card.


I hope you like him,  I am pleased with him,  it took quite a few hours to design him,  the front legs could have been a little straighter but I think hes got a cheeky face. I hope they like the card,   I did enjoy designing him,  one thing I can say he was all my own work,   if you think there is any part of him that's from another pattern,  all I can say he came from my brain. 
Until we meet again in blog land.
Take Care
Hugs
Margaret

Intatters Spring Tatting Exchange

 Hi,


This is the item which I sent my partner for the Intatters Spring Tatting Exchange.
To date I have not heard if she received it,  but its been some weeks so hopefully it did arrive.


This was tatted in Lizbeth thread  Purple Splendor no 20,   this is my pattern called Daisy Rose,  it has a silver bead in the middle and a silver metal leaf with a ribbon necklace in purple to match the Daisy Rose.


This is a close up of the pattern,  I have not had time to write the pattern out yet,  life been very hectic recently but  I will  and when I have add it to my pattern blog for you.
I hope she liked it and will enjoy wearing it.
Until we meet again take care.


Hugs 
Margaret

Mothers Blanket

Hi,

I did some months ago say I was knitting Mother a blanket.   I found the white squares in her bungalow when I emptied it.  There was not enough to make a blanket so I made so more.
 I knitted some coloured ones,  they are a different pattern (I have knitted this pattern so many times I could do it in my sleep)  the pattern for the white squares has been lost,  I will try and see if I can get a copy of it from somewhere,  anyway in the meantime I used up some wool I had.
The border I used the same colours and white.  I know the picture is not brilliant but I laid the blanket on the floor and photo it.   Mother likes it and its on her bed.

Take care
Hugs
Margaret

Ginny's New Book

Hi,

This is a scheduled post and all the following post will be until the end of May.  By the time you read this I will be in Crete.

A few months ago Ginny asked for test tatters,  well I volunteered to do test tat,  for her new book and here it is 12 Ornaments of Christmas Book 2.  Its just been published and its a lovely book of 12 beautiful designs.

This is Winnie it used 650 size 11 seed beads and 8 dangle beads,   it was a challenge but I think its a lovely pattern.

Bethany my Grand Daughter had a look at the book and was amazed by how many beads the patterns used,  she's only a beginner but I think one day she will be using the book for her own decorations.

Vernon looked at the book and was amazed,  he had never thought of using tatting for decorations like this.  He's learning about tatting although as yet he's not picked up a shuttle.

I recommend this book to anyone and there are some beginner patterns in it.   I hope its going to be a best seller for Ginny.
Thank you Ginny for giving me a copy of your new book.


Until we meet again take care
Hugs
Margaret

The Sunday CD Challenge - Trees and Shrubs

Hi,
Today its raining yet again,   we had a very bad night with high winds and heavy rain,   Somerset has had more than its fair share of rain.  The Somerset Levels are flooded and now they have brought in more pumps to pump some of the water off the levels,   The wildlife will be suffering as their are a lot of ground nesting birds that use the Levels at this time of year.  The water is being pumped off the Levels and into the River Tone,  so although we are still in drought conditions the water they say we need so badly is being put into the river to go down to the sea. I will say no more.
 Today I bring you my card for the Sunday CD Challenge,   I did like the challenge of trees and shrubs,  but I chose trees.  The backing paper is from a free CD that came with the magazine Papercraft Inspirations some time ago.  The Cd is called Digital Designing Favourites edition - Docrafts.   I did print this sheet off for the spots and dots challenge some weeks ago but I was not well enough to make the card.
The trees are embossed using a stamp my husband brought me some time ago and I love this stamp called Fantasy no 3880K by Penny Black.
I put green gems on the green trees and clear gems on the white tree in the background. and finished off with  silver peel offs.

These are two close up of the trees.  Its a quick card this week as we go on holiday so this will be the last card for a couple of weeks.






I hope you like my card,  and until we meet again in blog land, stay dry and take care




Hugs
Margaret

'Intatters' Spring Tatting Exchange

 Hi,


At least I can say today is a better day weather wise and the sun is shining at the moment,  long may it last.   My washing is out on the line so hopefully it might dry.  Although it is very cold for the time of year and a frost is forecasted for tonight,   I have a few plants I want to put out before we go on holiday,  so I hope it warms up in the next week.
Today as promised I am showing these wonderful earrings and pendant that was sent to me by Jarmila from Prague (her tatting name Frakvia)
I was hoping that the exchange item I have sent to Portugal would have arrived and I could have included both items,  but so far I have waited and waited and no word has come from her,  so I am showing what I received and when I hear from her I will post the item on here for you to see.

These beautiful earrings and Pendant are in gold thread,   gold Czech thread called Zlatka,   in the Czech language gold is called Zlata.


The pictures do not do them justice,   they are totally Wow as my Grand daughter Bethany said when she saw them,   They have three tiny blue beads in the middle,  they are a Celtic design which Jarmila designed herself.  My husband said they look like fine gold chain and not tatting,  but they are tatted in the most finest gold thread possible.


Jamila has very kindly sent me a copy of her pattern,  thank you and all I can say is they are the most beautiful items I have ever received.   They have cheered me on a very difficult time that my husband and I are facing,   as many of you know Vernon retired last November,  since then we have had so much to deal with including my Mother going into a nursing home,  she still has not stood up or walked.  Now we face another challenge,   I will tell you more when we know what treatment he has decide to have until then we are going on holiday, the hospital says we can go so we are going,   hes not in any pain,  neither is he on any medication,  and he feels fine.   


Until we meet again in blog land,   take care and have a lovely weekend.
Hugs
Margaret

The Sunday CD challenge - Chocolate, cream and one other colour

Hi,


Gosh so far today no rain,  and the sun popped out,  it did not stay out very long so its still up there. Guess what more rain again tonight,  some more flooding is forecasted,  we are still in drought mode,   how can anyone say we need more rain here in Somerset when we have had so much.   Beats me.  We are officially the wettest part of the UK.
Mothers blanket is finished so I will take a picture before I take in to her for you all to see.



This weeks Sunday CD challenge is chocolate, cream and one other colour,  someone must have been thinking of chocolates,   or sweets, perhaps they have a sweet tooth.
Well thinking of chocolate and cream this image from Joanna Sheen's CD, the Royal Horticultural Society CD Collection and I used CD number one.
This image shouted at me cherries,  and I love Cherries so I used the one other colour as the colour of cherries,  a deep grape colour with matching ribbon, although it looks brown in the picture it is a deep grape colour,  matching the tulip flowers in the image and surround of the image.
I matted the image on embossed miri cream board,  cur some brown card and place it in the corners and then place a gold peel off to break up plain card.
The card used is shades of brown and cream card that came from stock.


I hope you are managing to stay dry and not flooded out.
Until we meet again take care.
Hugs
Margaret

1st May, lilly of the Valley Day, Rain rain go away

Hi,


Convallaria Majallis,   or Lilly of the Valley,   in France it is a tradition to buy Lilly of the Valley today.  I love Lilly of the Valley and had some in my wedding bouquet (Silk as it was August).
Lilly of the Valley was the floral emblem of Yugoslavia and is the national flower of Finland in 1967.
It is also associated with the virgin goddess of spring Ostara in German mythology.
Lilly of the Valley are highly poisonous woodland flowering plant found in the cool temperatures of the Northern Hemisphere,  in Europe and Asia.
In the Language of Flowers it signifies the return of Happiness.


Well the photo is my Lilly of the Valley growing in my rain washed garden,  this is all I could find in the rain,  so I hope you will enjoy my few blooms I have.  There's plenty more to come out but until then I am sorry this is all I have to show you today.


Rain Rain Rain go away,   here in Somerset we had three inches over the weekend, we have had more rain in the last week than in the last four months every river in the county is on flood alert, most have burst their banks,  there are a lot of floods,  surface water on the roads and a lot of water running off the fields,  we are awash.  But hang on we are in drought mode,  the ground is hard!!!! and we don't have enough water in the rivers.  We have more rain forecasted over the next few days.   So far we are not flooded but I am live in the Mendip hills and if I was flooded up here then most of the UK would be under water.
I hope where ever you are you are keeping dry and if you need any water just bring a tanker down to Somerset I am sure we can find you plenty for your garden.


In the meantime take care,   
Hugs
Margaret
Information about Lilly of the Valley from Wikipedia