Exciting News and New Earrings - motif #8

Its been an exciting week which is hard to have when you are on IV antibiotics for a staph infection and a second antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection. Now that I am tatting in silver, I found out I have to be judged in a new category in the Craftmen's Guild even though I am still tatting, my new work is in a new medium. Well, Saturday I met with the head of the committee that judges the member's work. We met at her studio/store and she was so impressed with my work that she offered to mentor me and spent over two hours teaching me how to make earring findings, jump rings and clasps. She then went on to offer to host a trunk show,with advertising just like a gallery show and wanted to carry my tatted jewelry year round in her store. She also asked if it was OK with me if she could raise my prices about 75 to a 100 dollars, she was confident that her clients would pay it. Needless to say I left her studio walking on air. The fun didn't end there, Sunday night I decided to try out a technique she taught me on how to turn pearls into dangles and added a 7mm cultured pearl to a motif from Patti Duff's "Mini Tats". I finished them Monday morning about 12 noon, at 2:00 I had a Doctor appointment, within minutes of showing them to the nurses they sold! I took a quick picture with my cell phone and pocketed her check. I may not be selling anything in my ETSY store but it is selling locally. I'm also, tatting up a bunch of horsehead earrings to be taken on consignment to an equestrian show in south Florida, wish me luck.
Here is the picture of the earrings I mentioned.

Silver and Pearls motif #7

I recently received a very generous gift from a fellow craftsman in the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild. They had ordered some small pearls that were too small for the type of wire wrapped jewelry they make so they sent them to me as a gift to encourage me in this new direction of tating in silver. They are seed bead size and fit perfectly with the wire I use. I spent days just looking at them before deciding how to use them. I finally came up with a heart pendant using 9 pearls (Tri Heart pattern by Susan Taliaferro) and Marilee's "Keyed Up" pattern for earrings, each have 6 pearls in them. I tatted the heart in size 20 thread first and then did the silver one, they were almost identical in size. I may have found my tatting niche (ha! ha!)












I haven't sold anything on ETSY yet but have sold several pendants and earrings while waiting in the Doctor's office and to friends. Still holding out hope for my ETSY store though!

Attack of the "Cuteness" motif#6

It was bound to happen sooner or later, I succumbed to all the cuteness. I knew eventually it would overflow into my tatting someday. How could I expect live in a home filled with puppets , clown props and balloons and not have it happen. My wife and I even have a giant 4 foot long clown fish that looks like Nemo currently sitting in our living room (recently returned from a visit to the local library's teddy bear sleepover). Well I guess its OK since I make part of my living as a clown. I finally gave in to the "cuteness" and made a set of teddy bear earrings in silver wire from the book, "Mini-Tats" by Patti Duff.