Pig Poop
Very clever advertising!

Oh, this is fun! Go to The Pink of Perfection and click on the video to watch how to reupholster a 50's style vinyl chair. Not that I want one....at least not a RED one! LOL! But they make it look so easy!

Scroll on down on their site to see more crafty videos. I might have to add them as a link!

I started this entry several days ago - life got busy and I got sidetracked. As I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog, my lace group demonstrates at the annual Feast of the Hunter's Moon, which was last weekend, and a good deal of my free time was spent in relation to that or working around it getting other things done. Just the normal stuff - and trying to make arrangements (cats, mail) before I leave for Kerrville, TX on Thursday for a long weekend visit with an aunt and uncle. I got a stupid Crafter's Choice package that I had to return today. They would save a whole lot of money if they'd only send a selection if you requested it. That reminded me to go online and decline my current choices before they send me yet another package. The post office has told me time and again that it's a scam and they get umpteen packages to return - as long as you don't open it, it's CC's cost to return. I do like to browse through their selections and I might even be more inclined to order from them if they didn't operate the way they do. I can usually find the books cheaper elsewhere.

Okay...now to the good stuff! It was largely last minute all the way around. I found out Pam M. from Cork, Ireland (a fellow tatter) was going to be in Chicago with her husband at a symposium last weekend but I only found out a few days before she was to leave so there was a flurry of last minute emails about how we might get in touch. I didn't know my Feast hours at the time and she wasn't sure where she would be when so it was hard to preplan anything. Then I got so busy that I kept forgetting to try to call her. Turns out my calling card would not process calls to their cell phone. And there was a problem using their wireless laptop so until they got access to the hotel public computer, we weren't in touch. I found out Sunday night that they were coming Monday. On Monday, they had lots of mix-ups about the rental car they hired...but eventually arrived here at 4:45 p.m.! Pam's blog shows the beautiful tatting and beading she did for her daughter's wedding and you can get an idea of her talent. I got to see 2 different pairs of earrings she has tatted from Nina Libin's patterns and the beginning of a bookmark she is tatting from Mark's pattern that resembles bobbinlace. Beautiful work! We went to Von's Beads in Chauncey Village and Bette, a lace group member, fellow tatter, AND employee of PU joined us there. Afterwards, after drooling over beads and feeling utter overwhelment over what to buy, we went to a Greek Restaurant, The Parthenon, nearby and had dinner and talked the rest of the evening away. We learned all sorts of stuff about geckos from Alan, Pam's husband, who is also a delight. I was so tired from the weekend and a poor night's sleep that I started flagging earlier than usual but I held out as long as possible. Pam gave me a booklet which highlights an award winning exhibit put together by her lace guild! I wanted to visit a lace museum in Cork during my last visit in 2002 but had to abandon it as we ran out of time. Obviously, I have to go back! And now that I know a tatter there, you better believe I will.

I am so pleased and honored that Pam and Alan went out of their way to come visit me. If I weren't leaving for TX on Thursday and already crunched for time, I would've tried taking a day off and showing them around more. I hope they enjoy the rest of their visit. Pam took lots of photos - or rather, Alan did - so look for them to show up eventually, either on her blog or here. (You were going to send me one, weren't you Pam?)

My house is such a wreck! I plan to spend a lot of time cleaning when I return from vacation. I haven't tatted hardly at all...not sure how much to take with me to TX. Oh...I was going to see how far away the Texas Bluebonnets were.

So..chances are....there won't be any entries til I return. Oh but hey - want to see my group at the Feast? A new member, Kelli, took some wonderful photos! Thank you Kelli! And yes, she caught me being a wanton woman by not wearing my head covering - I put it on afterwards. LOL!