100 Random Thoughts Contest

I interrupt the A to Z Challenge because...
Wow!

I've made it!

100 Random Followers!

And, as promised, in honor and celebration of YOU I'm holding my very first contest. (Aren't you just thrill?)

There are the rules. (I know, I know, I'm not all that keen about rules either, but without a few there'd be bedlam.)

Since this is about the auspicious number of 100, and writing is all about words this contest is going to be about writing a

DRABBLE!

(No, not a dribble, a drabble.)

For those of you who may not know what a drabble is, let me 'splane.

A drabble is a 100 word STORY. It CANNOT be 99 words or 101 words. HAS TO BE 100 WORDS

EGG-SACT-LY!

So....

Rule Number One:

Write a drabble of exactly 100 words. It can be about anything. It can be a true story or totally made up. It can be fantasy or humor or sci-fi or drama. It can be for kids or adults. Anything! Just, PLEASE no foul, awful, nasty, vulgar language. No sex or violence. I'm just not into that kind of stuff.

Rule Number Two:

Leave your drabbulous drabble in my comments section, or if you're shy, email them to me.

Rule Number Three:

You have one week from TODAY to post your drabble. Which means this contest ends on April 30th. Your drabbles will be read and judge by my husband and me. We will no doubt argue and fuss over who wins, but that will be the fun part.

There will be THREE winners. Well, actually, a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. They will be announced no sooner than May 1st and no later than May 7th (because who knows how long it will take me and my sweetie to agree?)

And what do you get for winning the drabble contest?

First, I will post the winning drabbles on my blog with links to winners' blogs.

But here's the real deal. Most everyone has books to give away. Alas, I do not. What I do have is something to go with those books you read. Something unique and one of a kind. (What, what is it you ask? Be patient, my drabblers, don't get your drabbles in a wad.)

One of the things I do is tat. (No I'm not offering tattoos!) Tatting is an old form of lace making made on my hands with a shuttle. It is ALL done with half-hitches. (That's knots for those of you who don't know your knots.)

So, to grace those books you read, I thought I'd give the winners some choices between these six tatted bookmarks! 1st place gets first choice. 2nd place gets to choose from the remaining five and 3rd place gets to choose from the remaining four. How's that grab ya?

Beautiful Butterfly

Sally Seahorse

Florence Flamingo

Leonardo Lion

Peter Peacock

Flowers

And to give you an idea...here is a drabble from yours truly.

WAITING

“Come on!”
Peering into the mirror she checked her hair, make-up.

“What’s taking you?”

She turned slowly looking at her reflection.

Downstairs he paced, becoming so angry his lip whitened. He wondered why he put up with this; her always being late, his always waiting.

He yelled from the bottom of the stairs, “We’re going to be late!”

Then suddenly she appeared. Light illuminated her; a golden aura. She beamed soft rays of warmth.

His anger melted into puddles on the floor.

“Now I remember why.”

“What?”

“You’re beautiful.”

She smiled. These humans are so easy to control, she thought.

Thrift Shop Finds

Occasionally I like to go “thrift-shopping.” Particularly if I’m looking for something specific, like of late, silk shirts for my sweetie.

When I go thrift-shopping I sometimes find something interesting, something unexpected. This has been the case the last two time I’ve gone hunting for silk shirts (I’ve found two so far.)

These precious pieces of vintage tatting were had for a song.

This edging appears to have been cut from a piece of linen. It is 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep. There are some stains (possibly roach poo) and some breaks. All the rings are there and most of the picots. If anyone has any idea on how to get clean it and or make repairs, I'd appreaciate it.

But the real find was this beautiful tatted baby's cap. It has not stains, no breaks and is modeled most nicely by a doll my mother made.

Tatting

One of the things I do besides writing is tatting.

Tatting is an old form of lace making, made on one's hands using a shuttle wound with thread. I don't know much about its history. But it's old. Some say it goes all the way back to ancient Egypt. Other's, that it's a more recent development, two or three hundred years old. The "golden age" of tatting was during the Victorian Era. Because it is time comsuming, it was mostly the well-to-do ladies who tatted. They would gather for tea and, like a sewing or quilting bee, sit around, drink tea, talk and tat. Women would even take their tatting to church with them during the long Sunday services. It is a hand-craft that, compared to crocheting or knitting, is small and easy to carry around.

Basically tatting is half-hitch knots, like macrame. Fishermen who knotted nets using large shuttles may have been the original tatters. Unlike crocheting and knitting when you make a mistake you can't simply rip it out. You either have to untie each knot or cut out the mistake and start again.



Tatting isn't really difficult, but it does take time to produce a small piece.



Wherever and however it started, tatting makes a lovely delicate lace with infinite variations. I had my one and only tatting lesson when I was in my early 20's. A woman (who I thought was old - she was probably as old as I am now) showed me the basics of holding a shuttle and tying the knots. I never did anything with it until about four years ago. I taught myself what I know from books. I consider myself still a novice; there are techniques I have yet to master, patterns that are still too complicated and difficult for me to follow. But, what I do make I enjoy making. And, once a month for about 7 months out of the year I take my "stuff" to a craft show and sell it. I make enough to "feed my habit," in other words, enough to buy more thread and books.



Me with all my STUFF! I have greeting cards, book marks, edged hankerchiefs, earrings, necklaces, hair barrettes and a christening gown, to name a few items.










A Bible marker - I make these in many different colors
















A peacock book mark



















A seahorse book mark - I also make book marks that look like a pig, butterfly, alligator, snake, swan, snail and lion