The Classic White Doily...

It doesn't get any more classic then a white doily : ) and this project is only half done! It's going to be a HUGE center piece for our dining room table. The flowers are from our gardens around the farm. Daisies and a yellow Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria for all my Horticulture savvy buddies).

Work has sure kept me busy! not to mention I'm taking a 30-day 'Media Reduction Challenge' with the girls from my Bible Study. We're being challenged to spend less time on the Internet and watching TV and movies and spending more time in the Word and with family. I've also been outside gardening and thought I'd share some pics with you all.

The farm table: complete with all my planters

Dad's Hosta corner

Front of our house with Stella de Oro Lilies

Pump house garden - Hostas and more Loosestrife

The shed garden

I got my dad a Mock Orange Viburnum for Fathers day, next to the 'Man Cave'

My mom and I share a rock garden, we each have one side :)

May all your tatting journeys be splendid!
Allison

P.S. THANK YOU all sooo much for the awesome comments on my last post! I just had to share that tip with you all and I'm glad that you found it useful! Too fun!

A tatting hint!

Ever made a ring only to realize that there is a mistake in it? too many stitches? forgot a picot? I found a hint/tip that will make undoing a completed ring that doesn't cause the last stitch to flip, no matter how tight the ring is pulled. I learned this hint from Mary Konior's book and have used it so much in the last few days that I'd love to share it with you all. It's best if I show you by pictures and explain below each one then try to tell you step by step...ah, the complications of a visual learner :)

Insert the hook into the backside of the last picot you formed. if you pull it apart a little, you can see the inner thread. Pull that inner thread up and towards you.

Keep pulling....

keep pulling until it's long enough to work with

Now, at the bottom of the ring, pull the thread from the left down and towards you

"this is where you pull from"

TA-DA! your ring is open!! Now you just gotta pull out however many stitches to get to the 'problem' area :)

Hope that helps you guys! I've used it numerous times!
Be Blessed this week! :)
P.S. these pics are also a sneak-peak of my next 'stained glass' project ;)

Gone so long!

My Goodness it's been a while! I'm sorry I haven't been on here more but our current version of Mozilla FireFox is having issues with Blogger : / Grr!

As for that special project here it is! It's the Black magic bookmark from Mary Konior. I used two shuttles; one with the black and the other had the color on it. For as pretty as it is, it was a LOT of work! I had to empty my color shuttle each time to switch colors! But I think the effect in the end is pretty cool. I just love the black with bright colors! Time for another doily maybe......

But I liked the pattern so much I made another one :) This one is in the Lizbeth 40 'Boysenberry.'








Other then these projects, I've been pretty busy with work and being outside gardening. I'm planning on finishing a HUGE white doily this summer. My goal is to be done with it before school starts up again at the end of August...can I 'git 'r' gone?' I hope so ;)
Blessings to ya'll!
Allison

Just a little musing...

I had to empty my shuttles for a fun up-coming project (that I'm keeping a secret until I'm finished) so I looked through all my books and found some fun patterns that only require one shuttle. I made three little medallions with variegated threads that where all rings and Josephine rings. They're cute and will make fun little snowflakes or flowers. My wonderful job and gardening outside at home has been keeping me super busy. A good kind of busy, but I do miss tatting. So last night my family and I watched a movie and I got to sit and work on my project :) Pure Bliss! Oh and I brought my tatting to work the other day and got to tat during my lunch break! A fellow co-worker and I got to talking about tatting and crochet. It never ceases to amaze me how tatting is such a conversation starter!
Have a great evening everyone!
Allison

Etsy

I ordered a custom pair of earrings from KrystleDawne Fine Lace Jewelry and oh my goodness are they STUNNING! She also has a BLOG. Be sure to check out this incredibly talented tatting artist! I've bought a pattern of hers on Etsy as well. Highly recommend her! Krystle has some stunning pieces!! Thanks for the earrings Krystle!!

These earrings also match a favorite dress of mine that I hopefully get to wear to a friends wedding this summer...a perfect match! Can't wait!
Be Blessed! 
Allison

The joys of gardening...

So I started a new job at a local garden center/florist and I am soo loving it. The people are just great; I love working with every one of them, which is a huge blessing in the workplace. God is good. There are different tasks to go everyday, from planting containers and mixed baskets, watering plants, moving Shrubs and trees, shaping, pinching, removing early flowers, the list goes forever on. Oh, it's so fun. The only downside to this amazing job is that I come home every day with very dirty hands and that doesn't mix too well with pretty white thread. Needless to say, I haven't been tatting a whole lot. But I'm thinking about what patterns and colors I'll be using this spring. Hope the weather is fine and dandy where this quick blog post finds you.
Be Blessed!
Allison

P.S. I have a new gardening blog that documents all of the crazy experiments at home and what I've learned from school! Check it out at The Garden's Path Blog.