Old, New, Nothing Blue

I was going to call this post flashback Friday, but then realized that it is in fact Thursday and that is not nearly as catchy so yeah. Why, you ask? Well, do you recognize the piece there? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. For one it was nowhere near done when I took the picture and two, I stopped making it like a year ago. This piece was one of my first choker designs. The first one that was not built on an edging. I made it back in 2008 and the instructions for it were published in the Autumn issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry which I blogged about eons ago. I decided to revisit it and likely several other older pieces that would benefit from my current skill level. Meaning I really wasn't all that great then and even though I hope I'll get even better, I'm much more confident now.

Along with the way back machine up there, I also went for something new. I used one of the lapel pins with the ting at the end to tat this new design. I was basically about how many stitches I could fit around the ring and making it all up from there. This is actually the third iteration as I cut out a third layer, then thought I leave it small, then added the second row to the back layer. Funny, now that I look at it in the picture it kinda reminds me of a button. Now I remember there was someone asking for tatting that looked like a button, but who, I have no recollection. Anyway, the lapel pin is listed and the Grand Victorian Daisy choker is finished and will be getting a fresh photo shoot today and get listed as well. I might dig through my archives today and resurrect another piece, but we'll see where the day goes.

One last little piece of news to share. My first online ad is up at HauteMacabre and the lovely ladies who run the site give a brief feature to their advertisers. So that means my work was also featured there yesterday evening. So go check out the feature. The ad is toward the bottom right side and you really don't need to check that out as you're already here. The feature doubled my views for yesterday and it wasn't up until like five or something. I also received a few new twitter followers from the exposure and hopefully between that and the print ad in Coilhouse, a copy of which I have just been informed I should be getting soon so I'll post the ad page page it gets here, I should see a bit of new business. Boy all this tatting business was easier before it was a business and I actually needed the income. I'm still supremely lucky to stay home with my girls and make lace for a living, supremely lucky.

Slowest Week EVER

This has been the slowest moving week in recent memory. Maybe it's because I'm getting so much press lately coupled with no sales, maybe it's because my favorite holiday is sitting at the end of the week or maybe it's because I'm all nervous about my things being sold in person at SteamPowered even though I won't actually be there. I'm sure it's a motley combination of all these things, but I feel like the weekend should already be here. Let me back up a bit though and explain the press comment.

The week started out with me receiving my artist comp copy of Belle Armoire. My most recent article contains a pattern for my tatted cuffs and I got all giddy when my article had a cover mention. The cover art was from Bonzie, also of etsy fame. Then after I published my free tatted scarf pattern, it was picked up by the needlework editor of CraftGossip which sent me a little extra blog traffic. Then last night I was informed that I was the featured etsy shop on Fashion Me Fabulous. I thought that was plenty, but this morning I got a message that one of my tatted masks was featured on Rare Bird Finds. What makes all of these mentions so great, is I did not know about any of them except of course Belle Armoire. They were complete, pleasant surprises and I'm quite shocked at the convergence of so many fortuitous events.

I was going to complain about the lack of sales as well as how nervous I am about the afore mentioned convention, but I've decided to accept the trade off for the unexpected attention. I do have a funny little story to tell today though, an anecdote if you will. I found myself sitting in the dentists office yesterday for a half an hour. I reached into by bad to pull out my tatting needle and thread only to discover that while the small ball of thread was present, the needle was not. I decided that since the ball was small enough to act as a make shift shuttle, that I would again attempt to shuttle tat. The result of this was a string of sadly formed rings and a not so subtle reminder of why I am a confirmed needle tatter. The moral of this little tale is that while I receive a occasional accolade for my tatting skill, I have so much more to learn. When people tell me that they could never do what I do, I just think that there are probably many things they can do that I cannot. I will still try to 'get' shuttle tatting and eventually I might succeed, but for now I will stick with what I'm good at.

Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink

I have been floating in a sea of productivity and recognition for the last few days. Prompted by my acceptance to Lollishops, I have been working on new pieces for that future storefront, my etsy shop as well as another set for a Steam Punk convention in the fall. In fact I had been so busy creating, I took me a few days to realize that I haven't made a sale in a while. Just when that was starting to get to me yesterday, I got a couple of nice surprises. I was mentioned in the lovely blog by Amy Esther. It's listed on top of my feature list on the left. What was even nicer than the kind writeup were the comments left at the end. I am always uplifted by those comments from strangers who confess to being fans of my work. I'm always surprised to find out that people have heard of me.

Then the mailman brought me my early copy of Belle Armoire Jewelry. It contains my second article for the publication. This one features my tatted chokers and I write out the pattern for my Grand Victorian Daisy choker. Of course I was not actually surprised by my article in the magazine, but what did surprise me a little was that I was not the only artisan using tatting in the issue. I was the only actual tatter, but there was a feature on two different artisans that use vintage tatting in their work, one does gorgeous assembled necklaces and the other makes cuffs. While the magazine is not what I would call a mainstream publication, it does appeal to an entirely different demographic of jewelry creators, exposing the art form to a new audience.

I made a ridiculous claim months ago that one of my goals was to make tatting the next crafting craze. I never in a million years thought that we were truly at the beginning of a resurgence of this amazing art form, but if this magazine is any indication, the world might be ready for tatting! Check out the magazine when it hits shelves and be sure to tell me that you saw it so I can feel all famous and stuff even if I'm not making any sales.

Super Secret

I have a secret, well several actually, but it's not the secret that I wish to discuss, it's the reason I'm keeping it that has me concerned. A scenario, if you will: You've been asked by a magazine to feature your creations and to write an accompanying article for which you will be paid. Do you scream your good news from the hilltops to anyone who will listen on and offline? Do you tell everyone you know, but restrain yourself from announcing it all over the Internet? Or, are you like me and barely tell your significant other for fear that the opportunity will fall apart and you will feel like an idiot explaining that to everyone?

I wasn't always like this. It took quite a string of disappointments before I reached this point of extreme skepticism. Several opportunities were presented to me and then fell apart some time later, leaving me feeling like a chump. This has left me, well, a little gun shy about sharing. To be fair, I've had quite a few good things happen in recent history that never fell apart including the above scenario where I was published in the Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine, but I still refrained from sharing the news until the article was in print.

I happen to be sitting on quite a few pieces of information right now that have the potential to be great news. Even though I find this venue to be a wonderful place to say anything that I need to get out, I still can't seem to get the news out. Am I the only one that has not only a fear of failure, but also a fear of premature celebration? I can't be, I mean where did the whole, don't count your chicken until they've hatched thing come from? The guy that came up with that one must have had some next level disappointment befall him, so I'll take solace in the fact that I'm at least not the first person to wait for confirmation before being happy about something.

I bet that right now you're really annoyed that I'm going on and on about secret news that it seems I won't be sharing. Sorry about that, but I promise I'll let you know just as soon as I'm sure I won't have to later eat my words. Suffice it to say there is good news for me and you will eventually know what it is, I promise.

Why Do I Procrastinate Now?

I hate being late for anything. When I'm given a project, I generally start it right away and finish long before I need to. The exception to my virtually flawless on time record occurs when I'm faced with too many projects at once. They don't have to be big projects with the same deadline, just one too many will do me in. I simply can't decide where to start and as my husband would say, I BSOD.

So here I am with one day left to finish my entry for the Spring Beading Challenge and what am I doing? I'm stalling. It's almost as if I've already decided that I'm going to fail. I have Mother's day gifts to make, an article for Belle Armoire Jewelry to write and I really should make something new to list in my shop, none of those things are due tomorrow, but I've spent far more time on them than on this bloody beaded necklace.

I'm going to get on it now, I swear. Maybe I'll even finish it on time. The funny thing is, as soon as I finish these project, I'll probably have weeks of free time. Flood or famine...damn, I'm stalling again.