Sale and New Creations

~SALE~

I am participating in the Christmas In July Sale on Etsy:

You can also use Christmasinjuly and CIJ as search terms on Etsy to find more wonderful sale items from other designers.

~New items~

As promised, here are my new 'Mina' creations:

This pair of earrings was tatted in white cotton thread and feature tiny transparent seed beads and Swarovski Crystal drop beads.

This necklace was also tatted in white cotton thread with beads. I've attached a length of white ribbon to each side and it closes round the back with a bolt ring and an extension chain.

You can also purchase these creations as a set here.

These are perfect for Medieval, Renaissance, fantasy and Victorian themed weddings and can be created in other colours. Please contact me either through Etsy or my email with your ideas.

More new creations to come soon,

Heather x

Currently reading: 'Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty'

Currently listening to: 'The Huntress' by Mediaeval Baebes

Busy, busy, busy

~Busy, busy, busy~

Good afternoon all and hello to new fans. You may be wondering what I've been up to for the past month or so. Well, apart from the usual listing of items (I'll talk more about those in a minute), I've also been working on my first ever wholesale order! It has pretty much taken up most of my time but today I finally finished it. It's been a great experience and I'd love to have the chance to do it again one day. If you would like to order wholesale items please contact me either through my email: tataniarosa@hotmail.co.uk or through my Etsy shop.

Whilst that was going on I had lots of fab ideas for other pieces and now that it's finished, I can try some of them out. There's a Christmas themed coaster and a gothic / medieval inspired coaster, the latter I've just started. I've also had ideas for more napkin ring patterns. Speaking of patterns, I've been thinking about selling some of my own. I was going to do it a few weeks ago but haven't had the time. It's definitely high on my list of thing to try and I'm hoping to have some listed before Christmas.

~Anniversary~

Today is my 3rd Etsy Anniversary! Wow has it really been three years since I started my business. Amazing how time flies. Thank you so much to everyone for all your support. To celebrate I'm going to be running a giveaway / sale from this Friday (I'll give you all the details right here in this blog). I hope you can participate. Don't forget to tell your friends.

~New listings~

My Etsy shop has been gradually filling up with new creations. Here are some of my recent pieces:

Top row: Red decoration with red beads, silver decoration with silver beads

Bottom row: Gold decoration with gold beads, red and gold decoration

In the next few days I'll be listing some more Christmas decorations.

I've also added some gothic creations:

Top row: 'Eva' black bookmark, Limited Edition Halloween bookmark

Bottom row: 'Eva' black napkin rings, 'Rosa' black and red bookmark

To keep up to date with all things Tatania Rosa, check out my twitter page and Facebook fan page.

Have a nice Tuesday,
Heather x

Currently reading: 'A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury' by Edith Pargeter / Ellis Peters
Currently listening to: 'Aion' by Dead Can Dance

Lots Of Updates

Good morning everyone. I've got lots of updates and news to share with you today. First of all, here are some of my latest listings.

~New~

'Rosetta' - I have now added more wedding coasters to my Etsy shop. Each was created, using my original design, in high quality ivory cotton thread.

Find the set of two here, and the set of four here. They would look great at wedding receptions and also make wonderful keepsakes for guests.

'Rosa' - the idea for a rose bookmark came to me a couple of months ago. I tried a prototype but wasn't happy with it, so put it to one side. I went back to it last week and tried again. This time it worked! The rose in the centre and the petals have been tatted in variegated pink cotton thread and the vines are in a lovely green colour. Available to buy on Etsy here.








I've also listed some Christmas decoration that I had in stock but weren't on Etsy yet. You can find them all here.

~Back in stock~

I've relisted some pieces that haven't been in stock for a bit.

'Katherine' black gothic Medieval inspired pendant available here.

'Elaine' black Medieval pendant with black glass drop bead. Find it here. 

Item Of The Week

~Item Of The Week~

A set of four 'Marion' gothic tatted coasters in your choice of colour(s).

Now 40% OFF

Available to buy on Etsy and Folksy

Offer ends Sunday 8pm UK time.

Medieval Coasters

~New listing~

Medieval coasters in tatting 'Marion' - in black and red available on Etsy here.

These tatted lace coasters were inspired by Medieval and Tudor tile designs. I love how they've turned out!

I also have gifts available featuring photography of this motif in my Zazzle shop here.

New Zazzle Gifts

~New Zazzle gifts~

Row 1: Fridge magnet feat. photograph of 'Rosetta' tatted motif, Red rose ornament

Row 2: Medieval mug feat. tatted motif, Lilac rose art iPod Touch case

Row 3: Lilac rose art postcard, Gothic purple iPhone 3G/3GS case

Row 4: Fuchsia rose mousepad

I've been busy

I've decided to set up a new online shop. This one is on Artfire. I aim to list mostly items that will only be available in this one place. You do not need an account to buy on Artfire so they don't keep your details. Below are some of the pieces that I have already listed.

                                     

One of a kind silver dangle earrings here

Limited edition white and gold pendant here

Black and gold pendant here

Lilac and white medieval cuff here

What do you think? The silver dangle earrings look a while to create as the chains were pretty fiddly but I love the result. I've only made one of these so once it's gone, it's gone! The white and gold pendant is number 1 of 2 so this is pretty unique. The other two can be created in other colours. Please contact me with your request if you would like a custom piece.

I've also listed some more piece over on Etsy:

Black and purple mini top hat here

Black medieval cuff here

One of a kind white and steel grey pendant here
Lilac flower pendant here

White medieval pendant here

I've had a couple more ideas but that's for another day.

We are less than three weeks away from the epic Game of Thrones premiering on HBO and Sky Atlantic (amongst other stations)! HBO are spoiling us with loads of videos and they've even got a food truck going around NYC this week and LA next week. Wish I lived in America! They've also been giving us enjoyable puzzles over the last few weeks. Follow this link to join the fun!

Have a nice day,

Heather x

Do you love sparkly jewellery?

Do you love sparkly jewellery? I certainly do! As you've probably noticed, I seem to have developed a love of Swarovski Crystals. They are so wonderful to work with and come in many interesting shapes.

The first item I'd like to show you today is a sinple yet stylish gothic bracelet called Narcissa:

I started off with the inner part of my Guinevere cuff and, instead of adding the extra layer, I decided to sew jet Swarovski Crystals onto the tatting. This is so sparkly and would work really well with an evening dress or gothic outfit. You can buy it here.

The next new item is a bridal necklace called Helena. The design comes from my Eleanor Royale necklace. I turned it 45 degrees and took out some of the floating rings. I then added Swarovski Crystal pendants to hang around the central part. One bicone crystal completes it at the center. I really love how it turned out. This would look so beautiful with a white Medieval dress. See it here.

I recently listed some tiny earrings using amethyst, light rose and clear crystals. My newest one in this design is for all you goths out there. I used siam crystals on a black tatted base. Check them out here.

These would work really well with a corset. I'm working on the jet version at the moment. I'm also in the process of tatting a gothic necklace. I'll show you some pictures soon.

x

Ever been to Ightham Mote?

Have you been to Ightham Mote in Kent? If not I thoroughly recommend it.

I've been wanting to go to this place for quite a while now (my parents keep telling me we went when I was very small, but I don't remember it!), so on Monday my family and I started our journey across Kent. When we have a family day-out we usually end up on the Kent and East Sussex Railway (steam trains), stop off at Bodiam Castle and come back the same way. This time we thought about doing something different.

Our first stop was Old Soar Manor near Sevenoaks. It took a while to find this place as the signposts were very unhelpful. Here it is:

It was built in 1290 as a knight's dwelling. As you can see it's rather small compared to other Medieval properties and beautifully preserved. Below shows the large room at the top of the spiral staircase:

I'd love to live in a place like this! It just needs a few tapestries and some furniture. Anyway I digress.

We then got back in the car just as it started chucking it down and headed off to Ightham Mote. On the way we past loads of Oast Houses, as you'd expect in Kent, and when we finally got there it was packed. After a spot of lunch we headed off down the path and suddenly through the trees appeared this beautiful Medieval moated manor house. Ightham Mote is spectacular! It was started around 1330 and has been added to over the centuries.

This is the east side:

The top half of this side was added in the 15th Century. As you can see the moat is quite small. There are small streams around the grounds that supply the water it needs.

Once through the side door you are greeted with a charming courtyard that boasts the only Grade I listed dog kennel in the country.

We spent the next hour wandering through the house and then went to have a look at the lake past the lawn. It's so peaceful in this place and is a great place to visit.

I did have a reason for wanting to come to this place. I'm in the process of reading Green Darkness by Anya Seton and part of it takes place here. There is a story of a Lady or servant who was walled up somewhere in the house and this is the central theme of the novel. It's a terrific read. I must admit I did feel something as I was walking through the Great Hall. Who knows!

If you ever find yourself in Kent, go and visit Ightham Mote. It's well worth it.

More Tatting!

Hello. How is everyone on this beautifully sunny day? Well it's been a very busy couple of days for me. I have quite a few new pieces in the pipeline, most of these are earrings. I recently bought some more balls of crochet cotton. I now have a dusky pink, a mid blue and a brown. I've also bought my first skein of hand dyed thread from a fellow tatter. I'll probably tat a one of a kind item in this. At the moment I'm just trying to think of a suitable desgin. I'll keep you posted.

Remember the fantasy cuff from the previous blog post? Well I finished it off and listed it (and on Folksy too).

I added quite a few Swarovski Crystals to give it a nice sparkle. This would look so beautiful at a wedding or at a prom! I'm working on the gothic version at the moment.

I've also listed a bridal necklace on Etsy:

Yesterday I thought up a pattern that might work. The picture below shows how it is at the moment. What do you think? I'm trying it out as a bracelet but I think this design also has potential as other pieces of jewellery. Oh and yes that is one of the shuttles I like to use.

I hope this idea works!

More items coming soon,

Heather xxx

Busy, busy, busy

Afternoon. It's been a busy week. I was asked to create a gothic bracelet for a wedding. I already had an idea of what I wanted to do. It was just a case of tatting it up to see if it worked. After a few times of redoing sections I finally got to a point where I was happy with the pattern. I'm really pleased with this so I shall be listing it this evening for anyone to buy.

I also finished and listed a simple yet elegant red tatted bracelet over on Etsy:

This uses the same design as the lilac bracelet but I chose not to include the seed beads. This would look lovely with a Medieval or Renaissance outfit. 

I'm thinking about doing something special on Monday. Watch this space!

x

A few updates

Hello. How are we all on this cold morning? I've listed the gothic version of my Elaine pendant on Etsy. I decided to add several red seed beads to make it stand out. Click here to see the item.

I've started on the necklace that matches my Lillian earrings and bracelet. I shall hopefully be able to show you soon. I'm also working on large project that involves lots of ribbon and beads. It may or may not work but we shall see.

Right back to the tatting for me. I may be listing a pair of gothic earrings later so I shall blog again later today.

x

Black and red

Hello. I've got a few things to talk about today. First of all, I listed another item in my Etsy shop yesterday. Similar in size to Elizabeth Royale, this one uses my Eleanor pattern. I decided to tat four together and this was the result. I've named it Eleanor Royale. What do you think? Click here for the listing.

I really love how it's turned out. It feels so Medieval. This would look great in other colours too.

I received some beads yesterday so I've been trying out some new patterns using them. One of these looked good on paper but in practice it's not working. I'll have to figure out a way round my problem.

Do you love treasuries? I certainly do. Especially when I've been included. Thank you very much to Tiffany of Room3designs for including my custom fit Elizabeth bracelet. Click here for the link to the treasury.

I shall have to finish my top films of 2009 post at some point. I had planned to do it over the weekend but other things came up. I'll blog more tomorrow.

Heather 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

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

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

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

Devon

Hello. I've just returned from a few days down in Devon with my family. We had a great time and the weather wasn't too bad either.

On Sunday we made a trip to the coastal town of Dawlish and then up to Haytor on Dartmoor. The former place is unusual as it has a river flowing through the town and straight into the sea. The latter was great. I have been to Dartmoor before but this was the first time we've found the remains of the tramway at Haytor. This was built in the 1820s and transported granite that was used in the costruction of London Bridge (the one that went to the USA). On the right is a photo of part of the tramway.

On Monday we went to Dartmouth. This is a very pretty town situated on both sides of the River Dart. It has quite a few niche shops and loads of steps (thankfully, though, we didn't need to climb them). We managed to spend the whole day there, wondering round the shops and visiting the impressive castle. This shot of the castle looks quite eerie and gothic to me. We found a wonderful jewellery shop and I've decided that one day, when I have some spare money, I shall come back down here and spend, spend, spend.

There was also some great architecture dotted around the place, like The Cherub (right). This pub is a wonderful overhanging building. I love this kind of structure. Earlier on this year and last year we went to the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire. This place is almost entirely this style of construction and feels very medieval.

On Tuesday we went to Bickleigh Mill. This is a restaurant combined with a small shop full of knick-knacks. We then made our way over to the town of Tiverton. There is an enormous factory located there full of fabric. I believe we spent at least half an hour browsing.

We travelled back yesterday and on the way we stopped off at Stonehenge. I've been here more times than I can count but it's still a beautifully magical place.

It was nice to have a few days break and now I can get back to working on my online shop feeling refreshed.

x