Breaking Up with Blogger

This is not the first time I have attempted to maintain a blog here on Blogger and after some thought and a rather thought provoking post by another Tatter on Facebook, I realized: she is right, why am I trying to maintain two blogs?  because essentially this blog is harboring the same content as my Facebook page (the eco-activist posts and attempts and getting healthy posts not withstanding)


So here it is, I am breaking up with Blogger.  I might come back to this at some time (perhaps where they fix the app and I am able to instantly upload images with my posts) but for right now, I will stick with an easier to access and easier to use social media platform:  Facebook.

Come and visit me here:  Erronious Lace on Facebook

Cheers,
Erronious Lace (A.K.A Erin)

Dedication

It takes a certain amount of dedication to your talent, to hold down a full-time job, wear the "hat of a wife" and remember all the social media platforms you use to "peddle" (or at the very least shamelessly self-promote) your talent.

I love creating tatted lace, I even enjoy just sitting down with a cup of coffee (or tea) and just "doodling" away until I get an end result that I like.  I even love all the tatted lace garterbelts I have made for co-workers, but sometimes I forget how important it is to: Self-Promote.

Dedication.

Self-Promotion.

Two very important aspects of my craft, its not a full time job, and in truth I would have to be living with a rather financially well off man to do that.  But I didn't choose my partner for the size of his wallet, (I chose him for his heart, his tenacity and his never-ending patience) I don't have the mindset to be a trophy wife.

Dedication.

This is not a full-time job, it is a hobby, in which I would happily take money from people in exchange for fine handcrafted lace.

Hobby.

Dedication.

Self-Promotion.

The toughest aspect of a hobby you wish to share with the world, there is a fine line between self-promotion and the desperate plea of someone wanted to make enough money, fast enough, to allow them to stay at home.  Not my deal. 

Hobby.

I'm rambling, and it is clearly time for sleep.  Please enjoy an image of my latest project:  a tatted lace border for a cross-stitched table cloth.

Back to Patterns

Sometimes I need a break from patterns, mostly because I struggle with following them, but lately I have needed some inspiration.  And since tomorrow is #WowWednesday I thought I would shine a light on Jon Yusoff and her blog: Tat-A-Renda as well as her books (which you should purchase, if you haven't already).

First off let me admit to the heinous act of taking my pattern books apart (I know my Librarian Friends are probably freaking out) but lets settle something carrying one page of a book in my purse is far easier than carrying an entire book. 

Right now I am enjoying some pages from Jon Yusoff's tatted snowflakes book.  This Milky Way snowflake and the "Twirly Whirly" one have become my recent favourites. expecially since I have figured out how to add red beads to the Twirly Whirly snowflake to make it look like a peppermint twist. (Pictures to come later)

You will need to learn split rings to work most of these patterns but they are clearly designed with love, care and a passion for Tatting.  

Again, check out her website:  Tat-A-Renda and see what she has been up to, and if you are interested in her books they can be found in a number of places, but if possible, purchase them directly from her (through her website I image) since there is not middle man to take majority of the money.

Christmas is Coming....

Sometimes I find it so frustrating that the retail industry puts out Christmas items before Remembrance Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving; that frustration can't be any more evident when walking into Micheals!  Micheals.

Winter is coming, Christmas is coming; it's inevitable.  How we witness each Holiday as it passes, is what matters.  It doesn't matter that Micheals is stocking Halloween and Fall items along side Christmas.

No.  What matters is that we Remember on November 11th, and that we are Thankful for all we have that first Sunday in October and that when Christmas comes we hold our family members dear and remember those who needs us more than ever.

We should remember everyone and help them when they need a kind word or a helping hand.

Sometimes

It's September 3rd and usually I do all I can to avoid noticing this day.  But sometimes it sits there in my peripheral vision, a nagging reminder of eleven years, eleven birthdays.  Eleven.  Today, it's different, I don't miss you like I used to, there is a knot of reminder in my stomach, but I don't hold the knot the same way.

In the past I would hold this knot, caress it and wonder why I don't feel myself.

Well today: No. Today I will invite this knot to tea, have a conversation and send it on its way, with blessings and love and light.

There is no room here for the knot of September Third anymore.

Bead Shop Mayhem: The Struggle is Real

After today's wonderful moments of "inter-web" catastrophes and reminding myself that a wonderful walk on a beautiful sunny Sunday (after a stormy Saturday). I really can't complain about a bead shop having the wrong business hours posted on their Facebook page.  I will however lament that this did not go over well for me since this was my first attempt to visit this store (given that it was local and only a short 20 minute walk away from my house) and at time time is not inciting me to check out the store again any time soon.

I did however take the 45 minute leisurely stroll down to my favourite bead shop just off Johnson St, on Broad (I believe: Victoria Bead Town) in downtown Victoria only to discover some new beads that I "really-really" had to have!  There was one little glitch, I realized when I got home that it meant I would have to re-do a garter belt.  Am I sad?  No not really, because to be honest, the initial garter belt was "not sparkly or fancy" enough with simple glass beads on them.  I wanted sparkle! I wanted something the Bride will be happy to hold on to for her daughter or future daughter-in-law to wear when she walks down the aisle (Something Old, Something Blue)

And I have yet to be disappointed by the selection or even the wonderful service I always receive at Victoria Bead Town Designs, and 10% off VIP card is always a nice treat!  

Back to the initial bead shop, it was a moment today that I am starting to considered that maybe my cousin is on the right track with the idea of recycling old glass beaded jewelry she finds at garage sales and in Thrift Shops.  Not only does it reuse what will otherwise eventually end-up in a landfill, but it removes the dismay when faced with other shops being closed on a sunny Sunday.

Summer is Almost Over...

As summer ends and I sew in the ends of the last few octopi I have made for children at Kids Klub I feel excitement and some vague sense of "bittersweet"; partially because summer is ending and the long days spent splashing in the water on Beach days or the short moments teaching the children how to make felted animals or simply play a few rounds of Uno are shortening just like the time the sun spends in the sky is shortening.

Already I am making plans for the years and months that lie ahead.  We (my partner and I) know what is up with my health and we are taking the steps to get me better while I take on the challenge of finally going back to school. (YAY)

It's going to be busy, but I will learn to budget my time and at least post here once a week, even if it is just pictures of what I am getting up too in the tatting world.