Great Start to the Holiday Weekend

Shabby Vintage

Good evening, dear readers!

 

I have had an absolutely wonderful day!  After a leisurely morning of project organizing in the Atelier, I met my handsome husband for a lunch date at our favorite local restaurant.  Then I spent the afternoon shopping with our daughter.  We especially enjoyed visiting with Brenda & Travis at the Chartreuse Pear.  They never fail to have oodles of wonderful goodies and inspirational eye candy!  My current favorite product they carry (aside from the fabulous Lollia hand crèmes) is "French Velvet" linen spray.  You can use it on your linens, but it deodorizes like a dream!  Even wet doggy odor!  I spray it in my Jeep after taking Rosie Fey to the park.

 

After picking up a few items at the grocery store and seeing to Rosie Fey, I finally picked up the tatting needles.  Here is the next step on the motif I'm experimenting with:

 

 

I'm pleased with its progress, so far.

 

Kelly commented on my previous blog post concerning the thread/bead experiment about using beads and variegated thread.  This can be tricky to do, design wise, but should not hinder one from trying.  Pay careful attention to the intervals of color changes within the thread.  Some machine dyed threads are very regimented in their variegation, which I personally find repugnant and totally useless for my purposes.  Valdani threads are all ARTISAN HAND DYED.  This makes all of the difference.  There are also some gorgeous HDT to be found on Etsy- check out LadyShuttleMaker and YarnPlayer!  They have beautiful threads.

 

Another factor to consider is what size beads you choose to use.  With the silk thread, I am using size 11/0 seed beads.  These are small, light weight and are in colors that compliment the thread.  A contrasting color combination would look nice, too.  My advise it to tat with threads and beads in colors that make YOU happy. 

 

This is Memorial Day weekend here in the USA.  We take this time to remember all of those who have given their lives for our freedom.  Our family will celebrate by remembering the fallen heroes/heroines, cooking out and exercising our freedom by shooting on the target range and off-roading in the Jeep.  I hope to fit in some tatting time, too.  May you have a wonderfully creative weekend & until TUESDAY~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Autumn in the Piney Woods

Good morning, dear readers!

 

Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend- ours was great.

This is my favorite time of year.  The temperatures are cooler and my Piney Woods are ablaze in glorious color.  Jim and I took a number of walks in the woods and enjoyed the scenery.

 

 

As you can see from the image above, there was much in the way of artistic inspiration.  Such lovely colors and textures to spark new tatting ideas!

 

After I composed the image collage, I went to the Valdani site and perused their wonderful pearl cottons.  So many are perfect for this time of year.  They perfectly reflect the colors in my Piney Woods that I love to use for my one of a kind tatted art.  Here is my suggestion for those of you who have asked for artistic advise:  Go out and look at the colors around you.  Take some images with your digital camera or phone, then go to the Valdani website and see what thread colors strike your fancy.  Let me know what colors particularly appeal to you!  I really want to know!!!

 

Jim is off today & tomorrow so we will be doing various family activities.  I do plan to get in a fair bit of tatting later, but right now Lily Fey is giving me one of her "looks" and Jim is sitting at the dining table very expectantly.  Guess I'd better get Mr. Grumpy Britches his coffee and take Lily Fey on her run.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Creative Process

A comment on the Rosalie Giveaway post got me to thinking.  Olga asked about my creative process.  What inspires me to create?  How do I get ideas for my work?  Shortly thereafter, another reader emailed asking for tips on how to develop her creativity.  How could she better her creative process?

These questions are very difficult to answer.  So much inspires me and ignites the creative spark.  I'm easily stimulated by many things with all of my senses coming into the inner conversation. 

I try to convey on the blog a bit of my day-to-day creative endeavors.  The in-house Atelier is where I create a good portion of work.  It is filled with LOTS of threads, beads, buttons, pearls, vintage jewelry, antique jewelry, vintage treasures and Maxfield Parrish prints.  I LOVE the colors found in Parrish landscapes!  The Atelier is also an olfactory experience.  I burn candles that are pleasing to my mood, wear perfumes that make me happy, use handcremes that moisturize and please the senses.  My iPhone is usually plugged into speakers playing a wide variety of different music genres.  (Let's just say my tastes are eclectic!)

The tatting environment is very important.  Whether it is the Atelier or within the Piney Woods.  We are fortunate to own a few acres of gorgeous Piney Woods in the gently rolling hill country of North Louisiana.  Jim has provided me with a number of outdoor "spots" where I can retreat for peace, quiet and artistic stimulation.  The scent of the woods, the sounds of the wildlife, the changes of the seasons- all of this fills me with wonder and makes my fingers itch to tat/bead/crochet/embroider.  Trips to the mountains, off-road outings in my Jeep, walks in nearby Lincoln Parish Park inspire me in various ways.

Going antiquing/junquing can almost be sensory overload!  There are several stores and shops that send my creative side into overdrive.  The Chartreuse Pear in downtown Ruston, LA, is a wonderful experience.  Lovely antiques, jewelry and fabulous Lollia and Tokyo Milk handcremes along with some of the most wonderful scented candles I've ever smelled make for days of artistic creativity.

I guess, the key is to figure out what you really love.  What is your passion?  What makes you really feel?  How exactly are you stimulated?  Are you more influenced by visual, auditory, olfactory, taste or tactile stimulation?  To help you figure out what you really love and enjoy, I suggest you use a neat online service: Pinterest!  Create boards of things that stimulate and inspire you.  This is a tool I personally use on a very regular basis.  Follow others who pin things that pique your interest- there is no telling what you may discover!

Always keep your mind and hands busy- looking for the next "a-ha" moment.  Think outside of the box.  If you are tatting a pattern and think of something different to try, just do it.  It is okay to color outside of the lines!  Do you enjoy running your fingers through a jar of buttons?  How about the feel of silk thread sliding off the needle?  The taste of a gourmet chocolate bonbon?  Relish each sensation and use it to help "spark" your inner creative fire.

 I hope I've not freaked you out with my rather quirky artsy side.  Afterall, some of you did ask for it!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE ROSALIE GIVEAWAY POST FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!!!

Well, I am off to the Atelier to clean and get ready for a weekend of carpet steam cleaning.  I do not know if there will be much in the way of tatting to share, but the winner of the giveaway will be announced first thing Monday morning.  May you have a wonderfully creative weekend doing whatever it is that makes your soul sing!  Until next week~

Happy Tatting!