Christmas Storms

Most of us are over committed and under-motivated to change when it comes to the holidays, so what is sweeter than a heavy blanket of snow over a glaze of ice to stop us in our tracks, allowing us to take new paths, even neglected paths. The soles of our feet and the souls in our chests smooth out as a reprieve from our busy lives gives us moments to realize just how beautiful stillness, a cup of hot coffee, the woosh of snow gliding over a front porch and the sight of a bobcat meandering through the low woods behind our house can be. We were made to experience this simple awe. To have time to catch our breath and take our mates hand while a dog snuffles at our feet. At times like this I put my self on leave from production style projects and take up my tatting letting some simple pattern lull me into peacefulness. It doesn't matter if I finish it before the roads open again. I will remember how wonderful the fine cotton thread felt and how moving through the motions of lacemaking at a more leisurely pace enriched the experience. May you have a gentle day, snowed in by the fire, content, drowsy, full of nothing more than hot soup and beautiful memories.

Tatted Note Cards

Design ideas can come from anywhere. Always keep a little idea notebook and pencil with you and a camera. What is thought to be an unforgettably wonderful idea will soon be overpowered by the bustle of the day or the week. One idea that delights me still is my new little birdie. I wanted a signature birdie for my cards. The bird came in the form of a deflated balloon. It was the perfect bird shape with shading provided by the back light of the waning sunlight in a local park on the 4th of July.
The finished card brings so many comments and sharing the story of my birdie makes people smile. So be an image hoarder this season. Take pictures of unusual shapes and subjects. Who knows maybe the spark of shine from a Christmas ornament will be the star in your next project. I love to take pictures of flowers and other brightly colored objects. I use crop to take out a swatch of color, move it into one of my photo programs and use some of the features to create a one of a kind background for my cards or for scrapbooking or other craft applications.

Have you heard of Sure Cuts Alot? It allows the user to cut out svg images without the need for buying a Cricut cartridge for your Cricut to cut it out. Fabulous! And if you choose to buy a file of svg images it is usually between $4 and $12 for the really nice ones. Much cheaper than Cricut cartridges. Makes me wish I'd bought the larger Expression Cricut because it allows the most access to the svg files. Cannot wait to get started with doing new cards with SCAL (Sure Cuts Alot).

Tatted Gift Bags. My new passion. I make the gift bags and tags adding tatted motifs to the front or make a tatted edging and add it to the upper edge of the bag. They are darling using all kinds of papers. I make a second gift bag template out of card stock and glue to the outside paper for the gift bag giving me instant classy interiors on all my bags. They take your gifts from Thank you to Oh my, what a gorgeous gift and they haven't even opened it yet. I also make two gift tags and leave one blank so that the recipient can use the bag again, using the new tag for that.

Happy Holidays, my tatting friends....

Let it snow!