Tatting around with Tatanis Rose

This week it's Etsy Craft Britannia team member, Heather Buckman and her shop Tatanis Rose.

Heather is the only person I know who tats, not in the 'messing around' sense, tatting is a form of lacemaking using a shuttle.

I found an explanation of tatting on an internet site called Ring of tatters, which says
this:

"Tatting is a handmade knotted lace formed with thread, usually No. 20 or finer, and a small shuttle of 3" or less in length. The shuttle works as a thread-holder and, as with a weaving shuttle, it moves between the threads on the loom of the hand - but that is the only similarity with weaving. Many shuttles have an embedded hook which is used for joining elements together. If the shuttle has no hook a separate crochet hook is used."

An example of tatting with a hook

An image of tatting work using a shuttle, photo courtesy orange bloom

Tatting seems very different the the lacemaking I tried a few years ago, the technique I used, had threads pinned onto a cushion and wooden bobbins were used to weave the thread together into patterns (a bit like platting hair).

An example of threads and shuttles used for tatting 

                                                  Image courtesy of Ring of Tatters.

Some examples of Heather's beautiful and intricate lace work.

Beautiful lilac and white tatted earrings.

                                   

Variegated lilac pendant.

Grey tatted lace necklace

Another view of Heather's grey lace necklace, this shows more of the delicate detail.

Heather makes a range of tatted lace items, not just the jewellery I've featured here. She has a range of housewares, bookmarks, Christmas decorations and wedding pieces. Heather can also make custom orders in your choice of colour.

I do hope you'll visit her Etsy shop, she has lots of beautiful items to browse through.

You can find Heather through the links below:

Heather's Craft Britannia SOTW interview is here.
Heather's Etsy shop is here

On a more personal note, my shop is still undergoing some changes, I've yet to amend my CRAFTfest stall links and Google is being a '%$£@' (insert word of choice here!)

because my blog and old email are linked, so I can't add my new email address or identity to sign into Google. I'll figure it out eventually but it's been the hardest thing to get around so far. Oh and my banner has been tweaked but I'll be creating a better one when I have time.

I'm off to do some decorating now, it's nice to have a spot of cooler weather so I can get on with painting our hallway. 

See you next time! 

Katie x

I'm in need of cake!

 Hello readers, crafters and anyone else popping in for a read of my latest wafflings. 

The reason for me popping in here on a Saturday, is that I thought I'd better let you know, that my Etsy shop, blog, Twitter and everything else associated with the name 'My Small World' is going to be changing very soon. 
This is because of an email I received yesterday, which in a nut shell told me I can't carry on using 'My Small World' as my shop and blog name, the reason being is because the name was registered as a Ltd company name back in 2010. 
I'd started using the name on Etsy in 2007, then as an Etsy seller in 2009, at that time it wasn't a problem as I hadn't come across anyone else on the Internet using the shop name I had chosen (although the business sharing my shop name have told me they set up in 2005).

It's a shame to see the old name go, but I think I've been ready for a change for some time and let's be honest, the name 'My Small World' is very common on the Internet - I can hardly find my own shop or blog in amongst all the other people who've also decided that it's a good name to use for their blogs, so it's definitely time for a new identity for me & my creations.

"Well what's the new name?" I hear you ask. 
It took a few hours of umm-ing and ahh-ing to decide on something that's quirky, personal and is well, me! So my Etsy shop and blog will soon be called 'Kipper Tie and Cake'. "What?" I hear you cry, "that makes no sense at all..."
 Well, let me explain a bit more about myself. I'm a Black Country girl, being born in the old county of Staffordshire, which later became the West Midlands. 
My accent is more than a bit 'West Midlands', and one thing I like to do with people on the Internet who've never met me, is to tell them how to 'speak Black Country', one saying that's always been my favorite is "kipper tie...... with two sugars please" (translated as cup of tea with two sugars please). 

So that combined with my love of cake, tea shops and my accent, has turned my shop name into 'Kipper Tie & Cake', which is quirky enough for my tastes and gave me & DH a good giggle when I told him what I'd decided. 
We've been coming up with ideas for my new blog banner and of course my Etsy banner too, which is my next big change, along with my shop name and twitter and Crafting Connections, CRAFTfest and.... oh dear I still have so much to do, so I think I'd better get on with it then.

And after all this frantic typing I think it's definitely time for a nice kipper tie now, shame I don't have any cake though ;)
Katie.

The end of a great weekend and the start of another week...

I can't believe it's Monday morning again! We've had a crazy, busy, amazing weekend (me & DH that is), it seems more like a week full of doing things, rather than just two days, so this is a bit of a departure from my usual Craft Britannia shop of the week (which will come after my usual, but longer than usual ramblings).

On to what we've been up to at the weekend... We drove to Wolverhampton (and back home) twice over the weekend, visited the in-laws and then there's the main reason for our trip to and from Wolverhampton, the Marston Sunbeam Club and Register's, Sunbeam motorcycle centenary event! So my Etsy shop and crafting had to be put on hold over the weekend, while we were busy with other things.

My DH is the club magazine editor, so I get the title of 'unofficial official club photographer', personal assistant and any other job title you'd like to give me! 
Saturday morning we set off for the centenary event and I volunteered for the job of manning the magazines stall (in other words standing behind the corner of a small table handing out the latest magazine and ticking off the members who came to collect it). This turned into helping out with selling club merchandise and trying to answer questions if I could, amongst other things. On Sunday, I went back to my 'usual job' of taking as many photos of the event as I could, my DH only picks a few for the magazine, but it's good to get as many shots as I can because he can always use a bike photo or two for an article in a later edition.

It was pretty amazing to see all the old Sunbeams meeting up outside Sunbeamland (which is in the background and now owned by Urban Splash). I wonder how long it's been, since this many 'Beams were at the factory?

Thankfully the rain kept off for most of the weekend, although quite a few members came back on Sunday, looking very very soggy after a planned ride out into the countryside.

Here's a small photo taster of the event...

A sample of the bikes that visited Sunbeamland in Wolverhampton.

Portrait of John Marston from the archives, with possibly one of the earliest Sunbeams

                                              

And now, onto this weeks Craft Britannia shop of the week!
Which this week is Fem of The Feminine Touch. Which, you'll probably be glad to read, has absolutely nothing to do with motorcycles or motorcycle events and clubs,

Fem, another of our Craft Britannia teamies on Etsy, makes and sells all manner of hand knitted and felted items, from sachets to tea cozies, hand warmers to scarfs and also cushions, some of which are made from recycled sweaters, like the ones below.

After the long weekend I've just had, I'd really love find a quiet corner and sink down on a couple of these cushions and have a nice nap, they look so soft and cuddly.

Recycled cushion throw.

When deciding which of Fem's items I'd feature, I was automatically drawn to the more earthy colours. I'm not sure how long our brief summer will last, and autumn seems like it's around the corner lurking somewhere, so the autumnal colours seemed a more natural choice for today.

Orange tea cozy.

                    How about a quirky hand knit cozy to keep your tea nice and hot?

Autumnal handwarmers.

And these handwarmers are just the thing for cozy hands, especially when the weather turns colder. Personally, I think a pair of these are an essential item of clothing, especially when it's nippy and you have to work on your computer or laptop!

I hope you've enjoyed today's featured Etsy team member? Please leave a comment below if you can, it's nice to see what people think of the items I feature (along with my ramblings!)

Oh and not forgetting, Fem's Craft Britannia blog interview can be found here and her handmade goodies are in her Etsy shop is here. Fem also has a blog if you'd like to keep up with what she's up to.

Well, that's all for today, I have so many things to catch up on after our crazy but fun weekend, so I'd better get started on my very large to-do list. 

Nature in all it's glory.

Recently we (my husband and myself), have been taking different routes into our city centre. We're lucky enough to be able to walk there, mainly because we live about a mile outside Chester city center, which is where we live. The past few weekends, we've taken the old railway walkway, which we've never tried before and it's made a nice change not to have any traffic (other than bicycles) nearby. It's made me appreciate how green our surroundings are compared to quite a few towns and cities we've visited, and also given me an another place to forage for edible goodies, as we've found quite a few wild blackberry bushes along the walkway. I must remember to take a bag with me next time we go along there, an essential for any forager!

This has, as usual, led me on to this weeks Craft Britannia Etsy team, shop of the week. This week is the turn of Laura, of Lauras Jewellery. Laura's shop is crammed full of her handmade jewellery, from beautiful butterfly and nature inspired pieces, to quirky Alice in wonderland and Wizard of Oz jewellery. I've decided to feature her butterfly and bird jewellery, mainly because of my recent walks to, and around our lovely green walled city. 


One of Laura's beautiful butterfly themed pieces, I especially love the vivid blue colour of the butterfly against the backing paper.

Blue butterfly cameo necklace.

This necklace is another of my favorites, it reminds me of the butterflies I used to see in my parent's garden years ago. Sadly, their numbers seem to be declining and in Chester we're lucky to see a few each year now.

Wooden butterfly necklace.

This sweet necklace has to be my favorite, I love budgies and especially love vintage images of them.

Budgie necklace.

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks feature shop and please take time to
Click to visit Laura's Etsy shop. And click on the link to read her Craft Britannia interview on the team blog

That's all for now.

Something old, something new...

something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence for your shoe.

This week's Craft Britannia Etsy shop of the week is Steph of Six Skeins.
I had a leisurely wander around Steph's shop today and saw that amongst her other handmade goodies and yarn, she had made some items for weddings.
This immediately made me think of my eldest niece and her wedding, which is at the end of this year.

It's a really special to have something handmade for a wedding, it's more personal than something just 'bought' from a shopand is a lovely reminder of the person who gave it to you, as well as a reminder of the day itself.

On to reviewing Six Skeins, Steph's Etsy shop!
Steph's handmade blue beaded garter, would be a beautiful surprise gift for a bride,
It's been crochet with blue and white silk beaded yarn and has co-ordinating satin ribbon ties, with 4 small white organza rose decorations, and it would be just the thing for the something new and something blue off the bride's list!

Blue beaded wedding garter.

And if the bride already has something blue, how about this garter?
Steph made this one from beautiful fine ivory 100% silk yarn, and she incorporated over 140 tiny glass seed beads in a pink/amber colourway around the lower edge.
The garter is threaded with pretty pastel hand-dyed ribbon, which I think gives it a vintage feel.

Beautiful cream beaded wedding garter

Steph's garters are presented in a keepsake gift box, so they can be kept as a memory of the bride's special wedding day. All garters can be custom-made to fit, just contact Steph to arrange the details.


For wedding accessories, she also has these handmade items, the first is a lovely crochet and beaded necklace, which I could see being worn at a very boho style wedding.

Handmade crochet bead necklace.

This scarf would be gorgeous to wear at a wedding, or any special occasion and the cream yarn would go with so many colours. It's been crocheted using fine pure silk cream yarn with mother of pearl chip edging and threaded with cream silk ribbons.

Crochet scarf with mother of pearl edge.

Of course Steph's items aren't just for weddings, you could wear them for any occasion where you want to feel a bit special and her shop stocks so much more than wedding items!

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks post?
On a more personal note, the tax elves did pay a small visit last week, and they lent a hand with my accounts, so the dreaded paperwork is nearly all done now (phew!).


You can visit Steph's Etsy shop here.
And the full Craft Britannia interview is on the CB blog here.