Where do I begin?

The past ten days have been fabulous! I've had so much fun, I'm feeling a tad guilty... not much, just a tad.

Denise wasn't able to attend the Twin Cities Tatters retreat this year, and Dave didn't want me driving to Minnesota by myself. So, we headed north on Saturday morning. We were able to watch most of granddaughter Lily's last game. We were able to see her catch a fly ball for an out, and we saw her hit a double. It was very exciting! Unfortunately, Lily's team lost. We were not able to attend any of Ella's games. Ella's team wound up getting second place, and they were very happy!

Dave headed home early Sunday morning, and Joanne and I went to Stillwater with the kids. We visited an adorable yarn shop and came home with plenty of goodies!

Joanne drove me to Timberhaze Retreat on Monday morning.

One of the things we love about Timberhaze is the lovely work room. There's plenty of space to spread out all of our supplies; the lighting is fantastic; each work station has everything we could possible need. Of course we each have a couple of little tweaks we would make to perfect Timberhaze, but overall I can't imagine a better place to gather.

I thoroughly enjoy seeing what others are working on. It gets my creative juices flowing. Kathy also does bobbin lace. I love this little bird she's working on!

Kathryn was working on this beautiful bookmark. Her new David Reed Smith shuttle let to quite a discussion about the different shuttle makers we've purchased from over the years.

Katie worked on some beautiful bells. I love this one in blue!

Katie wanted to experiment with buttons and beads. I showed her the little bit that I know, and she went to town!

Michelle decided to try her hand at creating a sachet. She found some fiber fill which helps show off the lovely tatted edging.

Kathryn brought along some gorgeous yarns to wind into cakes. They all went well with Michelle's dress!

Heidi gave us each a piece of felt, which came in quite handy for photographing. I love the snowflake she's working on!

Cindy is the queen of containers! She always brings along beautiful bags that she has sewn, and this year she brought along a book box that she decorated with a decal from Shauna Wachs. She also tatted, but I apparently neglected to take a picture of her tatting!

My favorite activity at the retreat was decorating shuttles! Kathryn gave each of us a shuttle to decorate, and she brought along nail decals for us to use, as well as Mod Podge spray. I love the way they turned out. Katie brought along a pack of Clover shuttles that she couldn't make work for her, and I was the lucky recipient!

Here are all the shuttles we decorated. I kind of have the urge to do some more!

I did a lot of little tatting this trip. It had been a while since I'd tatted around buttons, and Katie was interested in giving buttons and beads a try. I didn't tat with beads, but I did give her an idea of how I tat around buttons. You can see our beautiful commemorative shuttle with a mother and baby loon, created by Frivole and hand-delivered by Michelle. The shuttle alone is worth the trip!

My friend Julie admires my tatting, and I decided to try and tat a motif that could be used as a motif in Liz Metallic. It's okay, but not exactly what I'm going for.

Here's another button motif with the first shuttle I decorated. I liked the way the shuttle turned out when I did it, but I think I may go back and add something to the center so that it looks a little more balanced. I can do that, because Kathryn gave us some extra stickers!

I also worked on a motif from Eva Antonucci, a pattern she shared on Just-Tatting on Facebook. I had three false starts with this pattern. It is not difficult to follow, but I was having too much fun visiting to pay attention to the pattern! The shuttles are two of my favorites from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.

I think this is my favorite button. I love the plaid! The shuttle is one I blinged a few years ago with thin clay pieces and Mod Podge. After using the spray on Mod Podge, I can tell you that spray on is the way to go for me!

The main reason I tatted around so many buttons was that I was able to tat without thinking too much. That's very important for me when everyone is laughing, chatting, and tatting! The shuttle is one that I blinged with scrapbooking paper a few years ago.

Our greatest achievement as a group was putting together a collage of tatting to leave at Timberhaze. We've left our mark!

To say I had a wonderful time at the Twin Cities Tatters retreat is an understatement. I couldn't ask for a better group of ladies to spend time with, and the inspiration we get from each other is fantastic!

Daughter Andrea picked me up from Timberhaze on Thursday morning, and I stayed at her house until Friday evening when Joanne picked me up. Saturday was a down day for me, which I needed after so much excitement. Joanne, the kids, and I headed back to Illinois on Sunday. Monday was filled with grocery shopping, walking, and laundry as we tried to get back into a somewhat normal routine. Joanne and the kids will be visiting for about a week, and I plan on getting some crafting done!