Happy New Year!

I've decided to do a little update this week. My top films and albums of this year will be up by next week.

This evening I reached 201 shop hearts in my Etsy shop. Thank you very much to those who have hearted my work. It means a lot!

I've been hard at work on some new designs for 2010. I created about four pages of doodles the other day so I've been going through them to see what works. Most of them are large motifs so I may be able to make them into chokers. I've already given you a glimpse of one of my new ideas (the tudor tatting prototype from two posts back). I hope to create others similar to this. Watch this space!

Lastly I've been included in a fantastic treasury. It ends Thursday so you'll have to be quick if you want a look. Here's the link  

Happy New Year!

Heather x

Happy Christmas

Hello. How is everyone? I was pleasantly shocked today on my Facebook Fan Page. I was approaching 50 fans this morning and I'm now on 115. Wow! Thank you very much if you have become a fan. If not, check it out. There may be some surprises happening on there at some point!

This will probably be my last blog for a few days. I'm thinking of doing a blog post for my favourite films of the year sometime next week. Stay tuned for that!

Have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for following this blog. It's nice to know there are people interested in my thoughts. I've only been doing this for a couple of months but I've made some great friends already :)

Thank you,

Heather xx 

Tudor Tatting: A Work In Progress Part 3

I've finished it! Something as big as this takes a lot of concentration. I did make a mistake earlier on but thankfully I was able to rectify it without having to go back too far. I love the final piece and I hope you will too. Here it is:

What do you think? I've attached it to a sheer organza black ribbon. I'm tempted to tat an extra ring at the top right and left to make the sides more rigid but I'll have to think about that. The great thing about tatting is that it is so light, so even though this motif is quite large, it still weights next to nothing.

I'm trying some new thread out at the moment and if it works I might even do this in that colour. This is another thing to think about.

I'll continue creating things tomorrow. Enjoy the snow if you have it.

Heather x

Snow and pastel elegance

Good evening. How is everyone? We had a lot of snow here on Friday evening, so much so that it took a long time to get through Dover the following morning for a family meal! Oh well what can you do? It was great fun seeing kids throwing snowballs though. This was taken on Saturday morning. Our road was like an icerink over the weekend so we just stayed indoors for most of the time. Anyone else had snow?

I've been sewing up my tudor motif today and I might even be able to do part three on here some time tomorrow. I also managed to grab a treasury spot today. It's called Pastel Elegance. I'd love some view and comments. Here is the link. It ends Wednesday so plenty of time.

I'll blog more tomorrow.

Heather x

Tudor Tatting: A Work in Progress Part 2

Good evening. Brrr it's cold. We are hopefully getting some snow soon but who knows. I shall now continue with my work in progress.

The outer motif 

I've decided to use claret and black for the outer motif. Here is the start of it. The black really gives it a nice border. As you can see, I've used the same motif as in the middle.

Here is where I am up to at the moment. I decided to add glass teardrop beads to give it a truly Tudor feel. This motif is quite large so it will definitely have to be a choker rather than a necklace.

What do you think so far? This would also look great in black. Once I've finished the prototype I shall do it in other colours. 

Have a great day.

Heather x

Tudor Tatting: A Work in Progress Part 1

Hello for the second time today. I'm in the process of tatting a large Renaissance/Tudor motif that I shall hopefully be making into a choker. I thought it would be nice to share pictures with you as I create it. I've no idea how many parts this will stretch to but I'm looking forward to sharing with you some of my thoughts. Here goes:

The inner motif:-

I had the idea a few months back for a small motif. This started as a doodle and when I tatted it up the design worked first time. This motif became my Elizabeth pendant and necklace (I already have a few colour variations of this in my Etsy shop). I then thought I could go further with this pattern and soon realised I could do an outer layer. I decided to add some floating rings to the four outer chains. Here is a quarter of this inner motif:

As you can see in the picture I'm using two different reds. I'm thinking of adding another colour to the outer layer but more on that later. For those eagle-eyed people amongst you, yes the bottom colour is new. I received this gorgeous colour (I believe it is called claret) yesterday. I really like how it looks against the other red.

Once I knew the two colours would go together, I continued tatting and have now completed the inner motif. Here it is:

Tomorrow I hope to start the outer motif. I shall take photos as I go and write up the second part in the evening. I hope you have enjoyed this.

x

  

Facebook and a new treasury

Afternoon. This is the first of two blog posts I shall be doing today. I'd like to tell you about some discussions I've started on my Facebook Fan Page. I'm always interested in seeing other people's Etsy shops, Twitter, Blogs and Facebook fan pages, so if you are an Etsy seller, head over there! Become a fan and post your URLs in the relevant discussions. It's also a great way of keeping up to date with my goings on.

I grabbed a treasury spot earlier on today. It's called 'Gorgeous Browns' and ends Friday. Enjoy!

x

New item in my shop

Evening. As promised I have listed an item in my Etsy shop today. I tatted Mystica in red cotton thread and added Eight Swarovski Crystals. Here it is:

It is so sparkly in real life. I lreally ove Swarovski Crystals and I may even buy some different colours this week. Here is a pic of me wearing it:

Tomorrow I might tat a necklace version of my Nimue bracelet. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Heather x

Tudor inspired tatting

Good evening. We are in the process of tidying up in preparation for our Christmas tree. I feel so Christmassy, I might have to drag out the Christmas music!

I have listed two items today in my Etsy shop, both are Tudor inspired. The first is a black pendant of my Isabella pattern. The Swarovski Crystal at its centre adds a lovely sparkly touch. I really do love this design as it looks so much like a Tudor Rose. Keep checking for the necklace version of this!

The second listing is for an Elizabeth necklace in red with a pink AB teardrop glass bead. This would look lovely at a Renaissance / Tudor faire or ball or even for evening wear. I've just thought of a variation for this pattern so stay tuned for more details on that!

I have another pendant that I shall be listing tomorrow and I shall do a blog post for that then. Have a lovely day.

Heather x

Update to Etsy shop!

Good evening. It's listing time on Etsy! I bought some ribbon yesterday and it came this morning. This meant that I could get on with creating. The item I have listed today uses my Mystica pattern but I've added some black seed beads to it. I decided to make it into a necklace and chose black Czech glass beads up the sides of the organza ribbon to keep the colours co-ordinated. The finished item has such a Renaissance/Tudor feel to it. I'm very happy with the result.

As you can see in the second picture, I've started using a tripod. I spent quite a long time today playing with the settings on my camera to get a good picture of myself wearing the necklace. I love how this looks so I think I will try it with my other pieces.

Tomorrow I hope to list some at least one necklace or pendant. I have quite a few in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled!

Have a lovely day, I'll be blogging more soon.

x

Ethereal Elegance

Evening all. Anyone had snow yet? I'd love some down here in Southern England. It's cold enough so we shall see. I've been buying some different colours of crochet cotton today (I'll talk more about this when they come). I can't wait to try them out and see what goes with what! I've also found another online bead shop but I must resist buying things. I've purchased enough today!

Treasury West opened up yesterday evening so I have another treasury to show you. As you can probably tell, I really enjoy creating these. There are so many beautiful items on Etsy. Sometimes I end up with too many choices and can't fit them all in! So anyway, here it is. I've called it 'Ethereal Elegance'. It ends Friday. Enjoy.

I had a lovely surprise yesterday. I've been accepted on Craftgawker for the second time. I submitted the Elizabeth bracelet and it's given me some more views, which is always nice.

I'll blog more tomorrow. Have a nice day/evening.

x

My weekend with Black and Pine

Evening all. How was everyone's weekend? I've have had a busy few days. As you are aware I did a craft fair on Saturday. It was an interesting experience. I received quite a few lovely comments and gave out some business cards but no sales. I did, however, have a lovely surprise when I came home to find an order of some items from my Etsy shop! I'm in the process of completing that now.

I've been thinking of ideas for new designs and I hope to tat some of them later on in the week. When I do I'll probably post the pics on flickr and some on here. I'm also thinking of buying some new colours of cotton thread soon so expect more versions of my designs soon!

I've been included in a beautiful treasury entitled 'Black and Pine' by Yael Berger of The Joy Of Color (ends tomorrow). I really love this collection of items. Check it out! Thank you Yael!

Have a great day,

Heather x

A milestone and some treasuries

Good evening. How is everyone on this cold day? I reached a milestone yesterday - 100 shop hearts! I know this may seem small but it's quite a big thing for me. My shop has been open less than two months and I'm very touched by the reception i've had so far. It really is lovely to know there are people, like yourself, out there who like what I do.

Another thing happened yesterday - I found I was in two treasuries. Yay! I've never been in more than one at a time so it's quite exciting. The first one is entitled 'Purple Dandelion'. It expires early tomorrow morning so you will have to be quick if you would like to have a look. Here's the link.

Thank you very much to the wonderful Amy of AREjewellery. Check her shop out!

The next one comes from Margaret of MissElany (a fellow Craft Britannia team member). Check out this bright treasury (ends Saturday):

I too managed to grab a spot. Here is mine. It is entitled 'Beautiful Blues' and ends Sunday:

Right I think I'm going to get back to the sorting out for the craft fair tomorrow. Wish me luck!

x

I love Craftgawker!

Evening all. I had a lovely surprise this morning. I did my usual check round sites on the internet and found that Craftgawker has accepted one of my entries! I'd submitted my Nimue bracelet recently and it is now on the front page along with some great finds. I love to 'gawk' at this site as I'm forever saying 'ooh that's beautiful'! I'll see what happens with this.    

I'm still running around like a headless chicken for this craft fair I'm attending (I've put the details up on the right hand side of this blog). Don't worry, I won't be closing my shop on Saturday! I've been creating items specifically for this fair and whatever doesn't sell will be listed on Etsy over the weekend. I'm so looking forward to it but I'm also quite nervous as this is my first one.

Have a great day,

Heather x

Loads of updates!

Good afternoon. I'm sitting here listening to Mediaeval Baebes and feeling very Christmassy. How is everyone? I've got loads of things to talk to you about.

Firstly, I really enjoyed doing the sale over the weekend. It was a great experience and I had a sale out of it. Yay! I might even do one again but not for a bit.

I'd like to announce that I shall have a stall this Saturday, 5th December, at St. Leonard's Social Centre (opposite St. Leonard's Church) in Deal, Kent for their Cristmas Craft Fair. It starts at 10am and ends at 2pm. This is my first fair so I'm really excited. At the moment I seem to be running round like a headless chicken trying to make sure I have everything. If you are in the area on Saturday, pop in. There will be loads of stalls selling paintings, cakes, handmade crafts and so on. There will be a raffle, tombola and also face painting. It should be a fun day.

Next, I'd like to say a big thank you to CJ Grand of The Grand Design. She is a fellow Metaphysical Etsy Team member who has featured me on her blog over the weekend. Take a look. As usual I've also put a link on the left. She makes the most amazing jewellery in her Etsy shop. Check it out!

I managed to grab a treasury spot last night. It is entitled 'Elegance All Around' and ends Thurday. Have a look.

Have a nice day. I'll be blogging more tomorrow.

x

Cyber Monday!

Good evening one and all. Happy Cyber Monday for those of you in America! How was everyone's weekend? I've had a very productive time and I shall write a big blog tomorrow morning.

In the mean time I'd like to say that my Sale is still going on in my Etsy shop. 20% OFF throughout my entire store. Hurry, sale ends tonight!

Have a lovely day, speak more tomorrow,

Heather x

SALE SALE!

Come one, come all! I am having a sale - 20% off throughout my entire shop (excluding shipping). I have already adjusted the prices accordingly. This sale will run until Monday so order now to avoid disappointment!

Thank you,
Heather x

SALE and new listing

Good evening and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in America.

I'm having a 20% off Sale in my Etsy shop starting tomorrow and ending on Monday 30th. This is my first major sale so I'm really looking forward to it. I think I'll blog tomorrow morning with any details I have forgotton to mention at the moment. I'd also like to take this opportunity so say that if you are outside of the UK and would like your order by Christmas, the cut-off date is December 1st. If you live in the UK the cut-off date is December 15th. 

Today I have listed the Katarina bridal necklace I mentioned last night. It is located here.

I'm really pleased with how it has turned out and I am now raring to go on my next project. Seed beads add a certain elegance to this kind of item which is great. I've decided to tat my Mystica pattern using some of these beads and I think I shall make it into a necklace. I might finish it tomorrow if I'm lucky.

x

Tatting with seed beads

Good evening. Apologies for the lack of a blog post yesterday, my computer has been playing up. Today I've been finishing off my seed beads project I mentioned recently. It's taken quite a while but I love the end result. Here is a sneaky peak:

The design is my Katarina pattern and I've added some gorgeous seed beads. You will see the full item tomorrow afternoon.

I've got some more tatting in the pipeline that I shall be listing over the next few days; one of which is a prototype for a Renaissance style choker. I'm still working out the number of double stitches required for a part of it but I'll get there eventually. I will be blogging again tomorrow.

x

A lovely treasury and more tatting

Good evening. First of all I'd like to say a big thank you to Sandra Darling for including me in her new treasury. It really means a lot to me. Check out her shop. She mostly does fine art and potography. I found her shop a few days ago and I love all of it. Her prints have an elegant and ethereal touch to them. My favourite has to be Sub Rosa III . It is looks so delicate and makes me think of medieval and gothic stories. They really are beautiful.

Today I've been working on my seed beads project. I've finished the motif and now need to work on the beads up the necklace. This process does take quite a long time but it is incredibly fun to do and the finished product is so elegant. I shall try to put up some sneaky peek pictures tomorrow.

I've also been tatting a prototype today for a Medieval/Renaissance-style necklace / choker. At the moment I can't decide whch period it fits into as it seems to go across several eras. This motif is quite large so it may take a white to tat up. I shall keep you updated on my progress.

That's all for today, more tomorrow.

x

New gothic bracelet

Good evening. I've listed the gothic bracelet I have been working on for the past few days. I used forty black seed beads in this design and I thnk it looks really effective. I wanted another medieval-type name so I went for Nimue (who is part of the Arthurian legend). Here it is:

I might be tatting this in other colours as well, you shall have to wait and see!

I may be able to list some more items tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet. If I don't then I shall wish you a lovely Sunday.

x

A small update

Hello. I've had a semi-productive day today. I've been continuing on with my seed bead project. It's getting there but I still have lots to do. I had intended to list my new bracelet but, with the weather being what it is at the moment, it was almost impossible to get good photos. We shall try again tomorrow.

That's pretty much it for today. I shall blog when I list the new bracelet.

Seed beads and gothic reds

Good evening. I've been shopping today and have bought some gorgeous silver lined seed beads. They are perfect for my tatting and I have already started incorperating them into one of my designs. It looks great at the moment and I may show you a sneaky peek tomorrow.

Speaking of seed beads, I've finished off the bracelet I mentioned yesterday. I hope to list it soon. I really like this pattern and might do it in different colours. I'll blog when it is up.

I was so busy last night I forgot to mention that I had bagged a treasury. It ends tomorrow morning. This one is entitled 'Gothic Reds'. When I do a treasury, the theme seems to nearly always be gothic. I really do love dark elegant items. It's difficult to explain why but I suppose it's in my nature. It's part of who I am. Anyway have a look at these fantastic Etsians. Here's a screen grab of it.

Blog more soon.

x        

It's all about the bracelets!

Good evening. I seem to be in a bracelet phase at the moment! I've listed the light blue and white version of my Katarina pattern on Etsy. Here is is:

I love this design. It's so simple yet effective and looks great in different colours. I might do a black version next to match the black pendant.

Today has also been spent finishing off a gothic bracelet. I have used quite a few seed beads in this design. It took ages to tat up but it was fun to do and I love the result. I shall photograph it tomorrow and have it listed by Friday.

That's all for today, blog more tomorrow.

x

New tatted bracelet

Good evening. Goodness me isn't it getting cold outside! I've had an exceptionally busy day today. It included tatting, tatting and more tatting. I finished off my two new bracelets and have listed the red and ivory version on Etsy. This goes with my Katarina pendant. I will be listing the other one tomorrow.

I've had an idea for another bracelet design and I shall probably do a prototype towards the end of this week. I don't know if it is going to work yet but I will soon find out. Stay tuned.

x

New items in shop and a Treasury

Good evening. I've had a very busy weekend. I listed another bracelet on Etsy yesterday. Recently on Flickr, I showed a prototype of a bracelet I was working on. It is the same design as my Christina pendant. I finished my own version and then made a larger version to sell. Here it is. It reminds me of filigree metalwork.

This item required a lot of patience to make but it looks great when it's finished. The ready-made version is 6 1/4 inches long and includes an extention chain that adds a further 5 cm to the length. I have also listed a custom fit version.

Today I have been working on two bracelets. These use the design of my Katarina pendant. One is complete and shall be listed tomorrow. The other one I am two thirds of the way through and shall be listed on Wednesday.

I have been included in a treasury. Margaret aka MissElany has created one featuring UK people. Check it out (it's open till Wednesday).

I shall blog more tomorrow.

x

Updates to Etsy shop

Good evening. I've been working all day on my products. I finished some items this morning and then took photos this afternoon. I've decided to list two today and (hopefully) two tomorrow. The first is a unique and elegant Bridal pendant called Christina. Previously I had done the gothic version and I then thought it would be a good idea for my Crystal Wedding Collection too. I replaced the black glass teardrops with clear AB teardrops, used white cotton thread and voila! Here it is:

The second item is a new design that came to me two days ago. I was doodling and noticed that my Katherine/Katarina pattern could be adapted further. I realised it would work as a simple pendant with a flat drop bead dangling from the bottom of the motif. Again this design is very medieval. I tatted it up yesterday and worked out the price but was unable to think of a suitable name. Today my mum thought it could be called Elaine. This works really well as Elaine was King Arthur's half-sister (if you believe wiki). I don't know if this is true but it ties in with my medieval/fantasy designs, so kudos to my mum! Here it is:

I think this design would look wonderful in any colour so I might do just that. Watch this space!

I shall try to blog again tomorrow.

x

More updates

Good evening. I've been tatting and sewing practically all day today. I finished another pendant this morning and shall be listing it tomorrow along with the items I did yesterday. I shall do a blog post when they are all up on Etsy.

That's it really. Sorry for the small blog post, I hope to have more to say tomorrow.

x

A little update

Hello. Just a little blog today. I've been working on some items to list in my Etsy shop. I have tatted a white version of my Christina pendant and have also done a new design. Expect to see these items in my shop in the next two days. I'm also working on a bracelet. Once this is done I can also list a custom fit bracelet of the same design (for people with a different size wrist to the one already made up).

We didn't catch any more mice today which is good but we will keep baiting the trap just incase there are more.

I shall blog again tomorrow.

x

New treasury and mice

Good evening. I've had a non-productive day today. I had wanted to continue tatting my bracelet but my finger has gone down. I hope it gets better soon.

I got a treasury yesterday. It's called Brown and Gold. It's open till Wednesday. Enjoy!

As I mentioned yesterday, we caught a long-tailed field mouse. We caught one this morning too. They really do seem to like our house! Here are a few of the pictures I took. It was quite difficult getting a shot as it was moviing too quickly. I love this kind of mouse, they are so much prettier than house mice.

As I can't tat at the moment, I might go and sketch something. It will keep me occupied I suppose.

My weekend and experimental tatting

Good evening. I've had a busy few days. On Saturday I set about tatting up a gothic version of my Katarina pendant. Here it is. I managed to list it in the evening.

I also listed a bracelet. I used my pattern for the Elizabeth pendant and extended it. I think this design works well as a bracelet. I have listed it as custom fit. This saves me having to tat up bracelets of different sizes when I only need to tat them as needed. What do people think of these items? I shall be adding more bracelets to my shop soon.

Saturday evening I did a Saturday Night Special in my shop. I didn't receive any sales but it was fun nonetheless. I might be doing an SNS again but not for a bit.

I decided to have Sunday off from tatting and so my mum and I finished watching season 7 of 24. All I can say is WOW. I think this is my favourite season so far. It still manages to engage you emotionally in every episode. I can't wait to see season 8.

Today I've been experimenting with a different style of tatting. I've been trying inverted tatting. I'm thinkng of doing something with it but I won't say too much about it yet. It's still in the prototype stage. I may put some pictures up tomorrow.

This morning we caught a long-tailed field mouse. It's soo cute. They alway find their way into our house and start nibbling on the soap in the cupboard under the sink. I did take a few photos of it before we let it out into the wild and I shall be posting them tomorrow. I shall blog more then.

x

New photos and a Saturday treat.

Good evening one and all. Well today I've been doing lots of work on improving item photos in my shop. I set up my lightbox first thing this morning and was practically taking pictures for most of the day. As you can see in my shop, a few item photos have been changed. I've been experimenting with different colours for backgrounds. My light blue and white Elizabeth pendant is now on a lilac base which I think looks better than the blue base it was on before. I shall change my Eleanor pictures tomorrow.

I'm still learning on the photography side of things but I think I'm getting there.

As I said last night, I've started reading The Princess Bride. I am enjoying it immensely and I might read some more tonight.

That's it for today. I shall blog again on Monday. Oh and you might want to check out my shop tomorrow evening (Saturday 7th November). Just saying!

x

New prototype and what I'm reading

Hello. I finished my prototype off today. It  has no name at the moment but I'm sure I shall think of something. The photo below shows most of it. I used sixteen Swarovski Crystals in the design. I really like how it has turned out, I just need to adjust it slightliy. I'm thinking of putting this in an evening wear collection. It took quite a long time to make but it was worth it.

On another note I have been rearranging some bits on my blog. I've added a few flickr links and just done a bit of general tidying up. I hope to include more buttons and the like in the next few days.

This evening I found some time to pick up a book. I've decided to start reading The Princess Bride. I first saw the film last Easter and immediately loved it but i've only recently been able to buy it. I hope it's as good as the film. I shall blog again tomorrow.

x

New Listing and Darren Hayes

Good evening. I listed the black version of my Mystica pendant today. What do you think?

As you can see I've been experimenting with my pictures. I like how it looks on the flower. I shall try to get some different colours soon so I can try it with my other balls of thread.

I've always had a passion for gothic jewellery. It's so great to be able to make it myself. Over the next few days I shall be doing some more gothic items. I wasn't able to finish my bracelet today so I shall get on with that tomorrow. I have started to do a new design which I shall be posting on Flickr this evening. I might get on with that tomorrow too, I'll see how I go.

As I've mentioned before, I'm very passionate about my music. I have wide tastes, ranging from gothic to acoustic, from rock to medieval. One of my favourite artists is Darren Hayes. I have been following him since he was in Savage Garden. I've seen him live six times and he just keeps getting better and better. At the moment he is creating his next album. Today he uploaded a video blog about this process. It's so exciting to be able to hear some of his new songs (even if it was a few seconds). Here's part one:

And here is part two. He really is an incredibly talented artist who deserves to be heard.



I'll get on with that tatting tomorrow. Blog more tomorrow.

x

Bits and bobs

Good evening. Well I've had a semi-productive day today. I started off the morning by trying out my new design I told you about yesterday. It didn't work. It ended up being way too flimsy for my liking so I have abandoned it for the moment. I might come back to it later if I find a new way of working round the problem.

I have tatted up a gothic version of my Mystica pendant. I shall take pictures tomorrow and then list it on Etsy. After that I shall probably get on with making a bracelet. I had an idea for a choker this afternoon but it shall have to be put aside for the moment as I need to order some ribbon for the design.

That's all for the moment. Blog more tomorrow.

x

Busy, busy

Good evening. I am very happy to say I have been included in a blog post by Wychbury. Thank you Lesley and Paula! I included their Medieval Floral Heart Necklace in my newest treasury. Check out their shop. I really love all of their items. I've included a link to their blog on the left hand side.

I've been very busy today. This morning I sent off my first order and then got straight down to some tatting. I have an idea formulating at the moment but it's only on paper. I think I shall try it tomorrow and see what happens. Sometimes these ideas work first time round, other times they need adjusting.

I was able to tat up part of a bracelet that matches my black Christina pendant but then I made a mistake. Oh well that's life! Tomorrow I shall try again and, hopefully, this time round it will work porperly. I'm now off to watch Flashforward. I shall blog more tomorrow.

x

Etsy news

Good evening and Happy Halloween! I made my first sale this morning. Yay. It was a great piece of news to wake up to.

Apologies for the lack of a blog yeterday, I was tatting all day and then ended up watching the first few episodes of the new series of 24. I love that show and every time a series is released we always end up watching it within a few days!

I managed to list some items on Etsy yesterday. I finished off my gothic pendant and also another bridal pendant. Here is the gothic version of Katherine. It took quite a long time to tat up due to the 35 seed beads but I love the result. I shall blog again on Monday.

x

New tatting

Good evening. I've had an eventful few days. Yesterday my mum and I went to a shopping center near us. We had intended to see UP at the cinema but we realised there would be loads of kids, being half term and all! We, therefore, decided to do some shopping instead and went straight to the newly opened Hobbycraft. Wow what can I say, that place is fantastic! They have practically everything a crafter could need. The only things they were lacking were tatting shuttles but I'm sure they will have them in at some point. We ended up spending nearly one and a half hours in there! It was great fun.

In the evening we went to see The Imaginaruim of Doctor Parnassus. I thoroughly enjoyed it. All the actors' performances were fantastic. Heath Ledger shone, as he alway did in each of his films. He brought so much to this and I'm so glad I went to see it.

I've been doing quite a bit of tatting today. I finished off a prototype bracelet I've been working on. The photo is on my Flickr page. I've also nearly finished a gothic version of the Katherine pendant. Here's a picture. The beads I've added really make it gothic. I hope to list it tomorrow in my Etsy shop. I'll blog more then.

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New listings

Good evening. I've listed some new items. The first is a bridal pendant called Mystica. I had the idea for this design a few weeks ago but it wasn't quite right. I went back to it today and found a way around my predicament. I love this design, it feeels so medieval.

The other pendant is called Christina. I had the idea at the end of last week. After doing a prototype I felt it needed something extra so I added three glass teardrop beads to the bottom. It gives it that extra medieval feel. I hope you like them.

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I'm in my first ever treasury!

Hi. Just a quick blog to say my black and red Elizabeth pendant is in a treasury by nemeton. Yay! It is a wonderful collection of items.
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Treasury, twitter and geekery

Hello. I didn't get round to blogging yesterday. I had intended to do it in the evening but I ended up in the Etsy UK chat room instead. It was great fun and I think I was in there for about two hours. Speaking of UKers, I got a treasury. It features great UK artisans so check it out. It's there until Monday.

A wonderful thing happened on Twitter yesterday. I started following Yours Truli, the creator of vintage style jewellery, who then gave me a #FollowFriday link. It was a nice surprise and I thank you for it. I've put her blog on the left and her main website on the right. Check her out, her creations are beautiful.

Today saw the start of filming for the pilot of HBO's Game Of Thrones. Being completely obsessed with these books I immediately went on twitter as soon as I got up this morning. I soon found fan pictures of the crew setting up. It's wonderful that it has finally started. If you like your medieval fantasy books, I'd strongly reccommend you look at Winter Is Coming (this blog is on the left). All the fan info has been pulled together and hopefully we will get some more updates soon. I cannot tell you how exciting this is! Anyway before I start going on about this too much, I will leave it there and blog on Monday.

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What I've been up to

Hello. I've been busy again today. Unfortunately I couldn't list anything because one of my fingers is slightly swollen and tatting is quite impossible at the moment. I know how it happened and it should go down soon. I therefore decided to do some promotion online. I've set up a Flickr account (the link is on the left). I shall be adding works in progress and finished items to it. I've also got a Treasury ready. I thought Treasury Main was going to open up this evening but it opened earlier. I shall therefore hopefully get a spot tomorrow sometime.

Well that's it for today. I shall blog more tomorrow and hopefully include a link to the treasury.

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My day

Good evening. I woke up this morning to a very dark sky and it then decided to rain all day. I'm so glad I made a lightbox yesterday as I was able still able to take pictures. I listed two items today. The first was the black and red version of my Elizabeth pattern. I really like this design and, much like Medea, it came to me out of thin air. I jotted the idea down, tatted it up and, wonderfully, it worked first time. I love it when that happens.

My other listing was Isabella. This reminds me so much of the Tudor rose and again I just plucked this out of nowhere. I decided to add a Swarovski crystal at the center to add some sparkle to it.

Hopefully I shall add some more tomorrow.

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Medea and Twitter

Hi,

I've had a productive day today. I managed to finish making my homemade lightbox and then photographed a few more items (some of which I shall be listing tomorrow). I managed to list an item today. Here it is. It's called Medea. This design just came to me out of thin air. I do that sometimes. It usually happens when I'm not thinking about creating patterns. Anyway this gothic pendant was photographed using my lightbox. What do people think? I'm quite impressed with how sharp the picture is. I think I shall play around with this box tomorrow morning.

I've decided I love twitter. I've been on it for only a day but I've already found loads of interesting people. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time on there from now on.

Tomorrow I shall take some more photos and hopefully list a couple of items. Talk tomorrow.

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