The Story Of Matilda

I hope after my last post you took the time to go to ginger's blog - bearbits - to see how she created Matilda *just for me*  :-)  

While there you got to see ginger's post about Matilda, now it's my turn.



how can a box be so exciting?



I have been a follower of ginger's for quite some time, her bears are beautiful and some what mischievous at times.  Her friend Sebastian is quite the adventurer, so it's fun to read the posts to see what everyone is up to over there.  Sometimes Sebastian even gets in on the blogging and shares his own posts.  

(note after I had finished the writing of this, I found it to be quite lengthy, and maybe not as interesting to you as it is to me, so I condensed it down and added the pictures thoughout the post so you'll see them along the way.)



Out of the Box



When I started communicating with ginger I asked if she would be interested in creating a friend for me to be my tatting (and Temari ... but I've never told you I create them as well) spokesperson/bear.  To my excitement she agreed.  She asked if I would be interested in making some tatted collars for her bears.  Of course!!  I love to share tatting, so I made some samples and sent them off, which ginger showed you in her post.

I gave her a few ideas of what I envisioned my bear to look like, such as I wanted a girl, I would like her to have light colored fur, what size I hoped her to be and I asked if she could be jointed.  However mostly I didn't want to put a hold on ginger's creative freedom, I wanted my bear to be fun for her to make.  I was happy to hear that she creates her bears jointed, not a problem.



Air Intake Tube



While ginger was doing her thing, and I was working on the tatted collars I was also thinking about naming my bear.  One morning I spent going threw baby name sites on the internet, I know I know silly right, but I did and it was fun. 

At this point let me say, I know that due in part to the internet - tatting is making a strong come back, but to me I will always always call it an old school art.  

For that reason, and because I love the "old" names, I wanted my bear to have a lovely name from my grandmother's era, you know like Agnes, Ella or Opal, all wonderfully beautiful names. 

Anyone who knows me knows I don't make these important decisions well, so I asked ginger her thoughts on my names and if she had any suggestions.  One of her idea's was Matilda.  I like it!! and since ginger brought her to life it was great that ginger had named her as well.

A short period of time later (but it seemed like ages as I waited *patiently*) Matilda arrived on my door step.  Litterly.  I knew she was coming and had left the door to the garage unlocked, but for some reason the postman left the box outside, which he NEVER does.  And let me tell you I was glad I got home when I did because within 15 minutes of getting her box inside it pour rain on and off for 2 hours, and I do mean poured! 





Thankfully ginger had lovingly packaged Matilda for her trip to me.  Even if she would have gotten stuck in that heavy rain she would have been ok. 



Here she is, Matilda, with one of the collars I had sent ginger.  You will see her often, because she will become a vital part of my blogging process.  She will help me to show you what I have been creating.  

 

Matilda at home



Let me end with a couple question for you.  My blog's name is "Bonnie's Tatting Blog".  But with Matilda, and me now creating Temari as well, how would you feel if I moved to a new blog with a better suited name?  Would you follow?  Or is it better for me to stay here where I am established with all of you?  Would you mind if I included some of my other ventures on this, a tatting blog?  Although I have done it in the past, I've never felt quite comfortable showing you my other crafts unless they involved tatting, such as my fabric postcards, here and here and here.  The reason being you may be here to just to see tatting, not other crafts or even to hear of my life experiences.

Please do take a minute to answer as you are important to me and I wouldn't want to loose any of you, due to a name change.

Thank you,

Bonnie

The Big Reveal

Thank you to everyone who sent me encouraging words regarding my new job, both in the comment section of that post and those that emailed me.  Indeed Life Is Good.

On that post entitled:  "Personal Post - Not Tatting Related"  I ended it by saying ........ 

"Thank you for listening, and I promise next time to have something exciting to share with you. Or maybe I should say ...... I promise it will be tatting related ........ but it is exciting, or at least to me it is. :-)"

Go here to see what it is all about, then check back this weekend and I'll tell you all about ......  Gadzooks I almost gave it away.......

Personal Post - Not Tatting Related

If you have read my blog for very long you know that my work life has not always been easy. (I talked about it some here.) But I enjoyed what I did, so I trugged threw it.

For the last 11+ years I have worked for the Department of Social Services (DSS) and due to the very important work we do for our community, I wanted to remain a part of that dept.

Earlier this year, my supervisor retired, which created a promotional position to open up in my unit.  It was a position that I qualified for, but sadly I didn't get.

However after some movement within the Dept and a promtional job opened in a different unit that I qualified for and was interested in. After weeks of waiting, going threw the interview process, then more waiting ......  I was offered and accepted the position. 

I still work within DSS, so I feel like ultimately I still help the community I live in.  And the new position is in the same building as my previous one so I know alot of the people who work in this unit and know it to be a good work environment.  I am thrilled with this new challenge. 

There is one draw back though.  I am paidly hourly and I went from 40 hours a week job to 35 hours, so even though it was a promotional position, I bring home less money because I work less hours. When I first expressed an interest in the job, I spoke to my husband about this and he was all for it. He said "How can you not, it's a promotion".  I am very grateful for his positive outlook on this. ...........  So we'll change our way of life, no more buying frivilous things, such as tatting shuttles that are just to gaze at not to use, or HDT until the skeins I have are exhausted (which I'm not sure can possibly happen in this life time) *sigh*, you get the idea.

Of all of the postions I qualify for, if I could pick one of them to do daily, it would be this one! God watched out for me once again.

Thank you for listening, and I promise next time to have something exciting to share with you.  Or maybe I should say ......  I promise it will be tatting related ........  but it is exciting, or at least to me it is.  :-)

Have a great day, Everyone!! 

Let Us Remember

My Fellow Americans,

Please join me in remembering

those who served our country

and gave the ultimate sacrifice.

God Bless Their Families

A Note Card's Embellishment

Recently I sent some tatting to an online friend, and I wanted to include a note card.  You know me, it couldn't be just any note card,  I had to embellish one.  Here's how it turned out.  (this is separate from the tatting I sent her, but more on that later...........)

The butterfly was made from Mary's Butterfly's pattern, using Yarnplayer's size 50 nicobar pigeon HDT.  The flower was made from Lizabeth thread size 20 Latte Foam.

In reference to my 2012 UIU Project (use it up project) both threads were a part of my stash, so this will be counted as project # 8.  (#7 was the Hearts I sent to the Fringe Element Tatters, but I forgot to list them as #7.)

Have a good day!!