My First Doily: Progress

More chains! One more row to go till this round is done.

Sweet Shot: Lady Bug

Thought you all would enjoy this photo I took today too.  Such a cute little Lady Bug hiding in my Daylily leaves.

Sweet Shot Serendipity

Gotta love it when right as you are taking photos and have everything just right...wildlife lights upon that very spot!  This is what's called a 'Hummingbird Moth'.  Not a hummingbird but a moth, a large one that is mistaken for one when first seen, they hover and sip nectar too. LOL  I even love how its wings are lit up...so cool!

I remember the first time we saw one of these we didn't know what in the world it was and tried and tried to get a photo of it to see what it was!  They are really common here in the desert and they love all the nectar plants, and usually come out in droves in the evening! LOL  Today I looked out my kitchen window and saw my yellow climbing rose all blooming...made me really happy!  Gotta love that I got roses blooming in March!!!

My First Doily: Progress

After a long pause...lol...I have finally resumed progress on my first doily.  Here's the pattern!  It's such a pretty pattern.  Not sure where the finished doily will end up but, my goodness it will be finished and I'll have finally made one!  LOL

Operation Snowflake: March Snowflake Finished

Finished with the Tatted Snowflake by Nancy of Be-Stitched!  Yay!  It's my biggest one so far! 

Now I'm going to work on the doily I mentioned the other day that has been sitting since 2008!  I had to print the last couple rounds again because who knows where the pattern which I had printed disappeared too! LOL  At least it's still up online!

Operation Snowflake: March Snowflake Almost Finished

Almost finished with the Tatted Snowflake by Nancy of Be-Stitched!  This one's a whopper with a 4 inch diameter!

New Stash!

Just came in the mail yesterday from Flights of Fancy!  I joined the monthly Trim and Treasure Club!  Yay I really love this month's package!  Gotta love the pretty honeybee trim!  That's the kind of bee graphic I like too...I don't care for the cutesie versions out there, give me vintage etching!  LOL

Operation Snowflake: March Progress Halfway

Gotta keep tatting on...LOL  This is a Tatted Snowflake by Nancy of Be-Stitched.  These larger ones take more time to get done, they are like tatting 3 snowflakes in 1!  LOL  The bad thing is my fingers are really sensitive to the harsh thread so it's hard for me to just keep going till it's finished.  I have to pace myself.  I might need a shield for my other hand too for pulling rings closed.  It's almost like tatting a doily! HAHAHA well it could be the start of a doily, they usually start with something like this and just keep going with rounds getting added.  I still have never completed a whole doily!  I still have my first and only one waiting for the last couple rounds to be added! LOL  WOW could it really have been waiting since 2008? SHEESH!!!  I will finish that thing!!!  LOL  I think what kept me back was all the chains to be done in the last rounds but now that I have my finger shields that shouldn't be too bad anymore.

CQJP 2013: March Block Finished

Here is the finished block!  I'm waiting to turn it into a page.  I may do it differently but I want to collect a few more before I go ahead.  I'm just not feeling the inspiration for turning it into a page at the moment. LOL

Operation Snowflake: March Progress

Here is a little update on the progress of my snowflake for this month.

CQJP 2013: March Block Feather Stitching

I added a bunch of feather stitching in three different shades of metallic thread. I also added a hand charm and a sweetheart rose in its fingers.
I feel like this block could be finished. I will have to sit on it and see.

CQJP 2013: March Block More Beading

I have added a few more beading components, a piece of lace, and a bit of silk ribbon embroidery.  After this I'm feeling a little bit stuck, not sure what's next!


I've added a few 4mm sweetheart roses here and there.  I also added some different colors and sizes of pearls.  I made little flowers using bead caps with a spacer in the middle, and added some pressed metal leaves.










Here's the vintage lace butterfly I added.  I think it's a perfect little touch!

CaptureYour365 POTD: Daffodil Bouquet

Yay the daffodils are blooming in my garden!  I used to hate how for the flower of the month things, with March being my birthday month, that the daffodil was always the one represented!  I always wished for Sweet Peas, Violas or some other more romantic flower.  But now after missing my garden flowers in the winter, it's the Violas and the Daffodils that are cheery and happily showing themselves!  They make you happy to see something finally, and symbolize the return of the garden!  I also really love these light yellow more ruffly variety too!  This photo just says springtime, cheery, bright, and fresh!  And they smell so good too, it's a green-light-fresh smell and it makes me happy!  Now I'm wishing I had more Daffodils planted!

New Phone Pouch

I made a new phone pouch for my new phone with it's new pink glitter case!  I've made these pouches ever since I learned how from Lilla!  Lilla has a tutorial on her blog for how to make a folded fabric pouch!  They are so easy and cool and you can make them in any size!  I've made tons for cell phones and some for tablets, and then a few random sized pouches for odds and ends.

I went to make one today, and the first one was a little small, so instead I will use it as and odds and ends pouch in my purse it will probably hold lip gloss or something.  Then I made a second one which fit the phone perfectly!

I like doing different things with the flaps, so I tucked in the corners just a little and top stitched them into place.  Then I added a few reclaimed beaded appliques.  The larger one for the random pouch, and a smaller one for my phone since I get it out way more often.

I don't add any closures  to these pouches, they just don't need it most of the time.  I would only do it if I knew whatever it was would need it, or was not staying inside without it.  But for a cell phone, a closure is just annoying and makes you take longer to whip the phone out, this way it just slips right out and back easily, but is protected by the fabric when it's put away!

Can you see the photo of my recent new stash addition is now my lock-screen photo!  It's perfect for it!

CaptureYour365 POTD: Best Birthday Ever

CQJP 2013: Adding Bling

I am adding some bling to the tatting to create a nice focal motif. I still have more to add but here is what I have done so far.

First I cut a rhinestone bracelet into a few pieces and swagged them and sewed them on using clear thread.






Next I found a different cameo that I could use on this block!  It's a button that has a silver edging all around it.  Perfect!


After adding the button I played with a few ideas and the next thing to come about was to add some tiny size 15 brown seed beads inside the rings of the tatted flowers.  So far I am happy with the results.  Now to try and figure out the rest! LOL

CQJP 2013: Block for March

Here's my block for March!  Of course the piecing of the block didn't go like I expected it, and I used different fabrics than I thought I was going to.  And then to top it all off the cameo I used for inspiration will not work on it!!! LOL  But hey I still love the color inspiration and I was able to use a piece of my new trim I got yesterday!






You see that bit of tatting I stitched in an arch to the side of the cup?  Well that tatting I had salvaged back in 2007 when I was at a tatter's meeting and the lady next to me had to cut out a portion of her work!  I blogged about it here: Tatting Heartbreak!

So finally after saving it for a few years in my stash it has finally found it's home!  As you can see I was only able to keep the thicker portion.  I cut away all the hanging strings and cut rings and then I ironed it and closed the flower rings, which had rings cut out, to look like smaller flowers.  Then I simply hand stitched it into place.

I'm going to embellish it further with beads and such to make a nice luscious motif!

New Stash!

Just came in the mail from Flights of Fancy!  I joined the monthly Trim and Treasure Club!  I didn't even get everything into the photo!  Oooo the next month's is going to be pretty too!