Boxes, little boxes!

Now these little boxes are as rare as hen's teeth to find - well, for me!!!  They're OK just as they are but of course I can never, ever leave things alone and always 'see' tatting involved!!!!  They're sturdy little things so worth some effort to 'tat them up'!!!!!

Here are two I had two years ago and what I finally did with them.

More on what happens to these over the next week or so!!!!

Sadness is ........

The cardboard middle of a ball of thread!!!  Specially when it's one of your favourites - RIP dear Lizbeth Rainbow Taffy.  

Good job I've got another one, isn't it?  As the song goes 'Always look on the bright side of life'!!!!

Another celtic snowflake

Here's another of the Celtic type of snowflakes I've made for presents - just like the one I did yesterday.

Threads used are Lizbeth 664 (Ocean Teal) and 125 (Sea Scape).

You can see again the difference between the ball and the actual tatted piece.  The best place to judge what a thread will look like is by the little butterfly that Barb puts next to the colour on the Handy Hands site OR look in her gallery here.

Having done these two flakes I'm now in the mood to open each of my new Lizbeth balls to try them out!!  I need a pattern, though and I think I know which one I'm going to use!!!  It'll serve as a dual purpose - I need to check out the instructions and maybe even do new drawings as this may have been designed before I took the big step from Microsoft to Apple.

Oh, how I mathered over that step for years but I'm SOOOOO glad I did it.  OK, it cost a lot to make the move but by now I'd have had to replace a PC as I do rather 'over use' them.

The iMac?  Well it's working as well as the day I bought it and I LOVE it.  No, I've NOT been offered a job in an Apple store (don't you just LOVE the atmosphere in those stores - both here in England and in the U.S.A.) but am just a happy old git!!

Sort of Celtic snowflake

This is the first of a couple I'm making for presents.  Also this post follows on from yesterday as I'm using Lizbeth Rainbow Splash (number 184) for the main colour.  It still doesn't look as good on my photo as it does in 'real life'.  It does really zingadingding.  I've also used Mocha Brown Light (number 690) with 'random' beads!!!

Don't the two parts of this pattern look funny on their own?  Put them together and look what happens down on the third picture.  No sewing, no hassle!!!!   Oh, the pattern is here if you want it.  Rings, chains and a few SR's plus beads thrown in.

It's also easy to extend the 'arms' of the snowflake by an extra ring and chain at each point.  Must try that again some day!!!

Part 1

Part 2

Both together!

NEVER judge a book by it's cover!!!

Now when my wonderful box of threads arrived from Handy Hands recently I must admit that I was a tad disappointed when I opened it and saw the Rainbow Splash that I'd suggested.  It didn't look half as pretty on the ball.  More to come on Rainbow Splash in a day or two.

I then took myself in hand and reminded my other half (BC3) of something that happened a few months ago.  An online friend who was then running an online craft store here in the UK emailed me to say that she was selling the business and did I want any Lizbeth threads at a reduced price.  Well I had a look and bought £20.00 worth (to get free postage) and was pleased when they arrived - having chosen carefully, of course.

Life moved on for another month or so and she wrote again to tell me that she'd just got a few left and that they were even more reduced.  I looked and thought for a while about the colours left.  None really appealed to me.  Anyway, I thought 'what the heck' and ordered the rest of her stock.  I realised that they'd come in useful for trying out new ideas anyway.  Well, when they arrived they weren't as bad as I thought they'd be - in fact they were delicious.  So I'm now firmly convinced that you can't judge a ball by it's looks!!!

This is Rainbow Splash on the ball.  Wait til you see it made up.  Your eyes will pop!

Done and dusted.

I just HAD to try the Fandango Coaster again to see what would happen with the centre when four motifs all the same colours were joined together!!!  Now I know.  A pretty flower emerges.  Oh, I love surprises like this.  Now who thought I'd designed this with that in mind?  Wish I was as clever as that but now I can 'see' what's happened it's given me other ideas!!!!

So, finally I took BC3 in hand yesterday and told him this pattern just HAD to be finished and put on the internet.  We both spotted a couple of missing abbreviations and (if you've been following) you'll know how many times I've worked this pattern and I STILL had something not quite right.  These are the times you saw it being worked but believe me - there are at least four trials that went in the bin before that!!

Whooops, before I forget and wander off to start another Monday - here's the link.