Sunday 6 January 2013

Epiphany - Giveaway

Today is the Feast of Epiphany and so I thought it was a very good day to offer a few gifts of my own. Although may I  ask you kindly to enter if you are a regular follower of my blog or comment regularly. Sorry to put this restriction on the giveaway,  but I do want those who genuinely would like to win the shuttle to enter and not people who try their chance for the sake of it.   So please comment if you would like to win the pop-a-bobbin shuttle and the box at the same time adding your favourite all time gift, but it has to be an object and not a person!





The shuttle is made from plum cherry and this is what it looked like before it was worked upon.  Also the shuttle is unvarnished, sometimes this helps to show up the colours better. However, there are times times when the varnish enhances the grain.  Now the other side of the shuttle.



Last night I went to a 'Pies and Punch' evening to celebrate Epiphany and won this oil  diffuser, for those unfamiliar you place the sticks in it and they absorb the fragrance contained in the oil and make the room smell nice.  In front you can see a couple of bags with frankincense and myrrh and a gold decorated star.




There are many traditions associated with Twelve Night, Epiphany Eve (The first night of Christmas is December 25–26, and Twelfth Night is January 5–6), in England it was a time for mumming and the wassail. The yule log was left burning until this day, and the charcoal left was kept until the next Christmas to kindle next year's yule log, as well as to protect the house from fire and lightning.   

The Irish call Epiphany Little Christmas or "Women's Christmas" (Irish: Nollaig na mBan). On the feast of the Three Kings the women of Ireland in times gone by had a bit of rest and celebration for themselves, after the cooking and work of the Christmas holidays.




Another tradition at Christmas is hanging mistletoe, as seen in my previous post. In ancient times whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this has seemingly come the ancient custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill. The picture shows mistletoe growing on a tree next to one of the churches, you can just see a part of the building at the bottom right hand side.

So my friendship and goodwill is to offer you the shuttle and box and you have until Friday 11th January to leave a comment (which happens to be the same day as the start of Jane's TIAS).  I will then announce the winner (using a random number generator) sometime over the weekend.  I must also add that this is my 250th blog post.  So the best of luck to all my friends near or far.


46 comments:

  1. I would love to win one of your lovely shuttles.
    My all time favourite gift, was a watch from my husband on your wedding day, the strange thing was that my friend who started off as a penfriend got married about 14 months before us. I never saw her wedding ring or husbands present on the day, after our wedding she came and said to me "Lets see your hardware" I said to her I have never seen yours, which she agreed, we put both our hands together by the ring fingers and we had the same wedding rings with the same pattern and the same wedding present from our husbands, not only that we were both born in July, both crafters, and both have blonde hair, both husbands have a November birthday,and we both got married in a hotel. Both husbands consider us as twins, even down to having flu at the same time.
    I don't have a sister but if I did I would chose her.
    I enjoyed your post about christmas and the mistletoe. I am looking forward to starting the TIAS
    Margaret

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  2. Last Christmas I received a copy of The Oxford Book of English Verse - edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch! - I have been hunting for this volume for years and it was such a thrill to finally hold it in my hands.
    But I think this beautiful shuttle and box would be a very close second - tatting presents are the best ones! What an exciting giveaway.

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  3. Don't count me in the draw but I did want to say that's such a pretty box. Interesting traditions - wonder if future ones will involve online shopping as one of the traditions around Christmas? I can be SO cynical!!!

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  4. What a wonderful post! I would love to win your lovely box and shuttle but understand if you don't want to mail it so far away.

    I enjoyed reading about the traditions. The link for mumming didn't work so I looked it up separately. I was surprised to see they think it went back to Roman times- I often draw links between Roman Saturnalia customs and Christian customs for the students. (Doesn't change *why* we celebrate, just helps us think about where traditions come from.)
    The picture of mistletoe is wonderful- I didn't think it would get that big but now it makes more sense to think of it as a parasitical plant. Do gardeners then pull it out/down?
    I love Christmas gifts but I often get more excited about the ones I give than the ones I get. I loved giving my daughter a tatting shuttle with "chère fille" on it (I have a matching one with "Maman"), I told her when she has a daughter who tats, she gets mine. Her smile lit up North America briefly...

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  5. I enjoyed reading about the traditions. I got a collectors plate from my Great grandson last year for Christmas. Love the shuttle and the box. I do check the blogs each day but not a lot of time to comment.

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  6. I would be thrilled to win your give-away, although I am already the proud owner of several pop-a-bobbin shuttles!

    My favorite gift is a shuttle display case that my dad made for me the last Christmas we spent together. He told me I had to stop collecting shuttles when the case was full. That didn't work! My sister bought a 12 drawer chest, and my husband built me a lighted display case. I'm thinking of looking for yet another!

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  7. I would realy want too win that, partially because I love the bobbin I have and want to have onother one. And I think the box is sooo pretty!
    The best gift for me is my children, but if I have to pick one thing it`s a small Snoopy doll that I wished for years and finally got on my ninth birthday!

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  8. I would be thrilled to win as I am a BIG fan of the pop-a-bobbins...my favorites are the tiger striped wood and the special Maacki Chinesis (even if I can't spell it). My best Christmas present ever was my mom making it home from the hospital in time for Christmas the year my brother and sister were born on December 19th...I didn't even ask for toys that year.

    e-mail is susiearnholt@writeme.com

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  9. i follow you, i just don't comment much. I would like to enter in for your shuttle, I have never had the experience using a pop a bobbin shuttle.

    My favorite gift...man i have been given quite a few good ones over the years...a few years ago, my sister gave me a wii...particularly good for losing a bit of weight...but then last year my husband gave me a kindle fire. i use it everyday. so those would be my favorites.

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  10. I love reading about the Epiphany traditions. My family has one of our own. I collect nativity sets, and generally have at least a dozen of them on display each Christmas. One has so many pieces we use it as our Advent Calendar. These treasures are displayed Untll Epiphany when all but one are carefully packed away for another year.
    I have been given many wonderful gifts over the years, but the first one that jumps to mind each time I'm asked is a cassette of music by Suzanne Vega. I was 12 years old, and felt invisible in the way that only the middle child in a large family can feel. My older brother who I was sure hated me and would avoid me at all cost had drawn my name. I burst into tears when I opened the soft Gary leather purse he purchased, only to find this cassette inside. She was my favourite musician (next to Leonard Cohen) and my brother SAW me.

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  11. I would totally love to win and I do read your blog every day.
    Elizabeth

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  12. What a wonderful give-away. I read everyone of your post...very inspiring.
    Marie

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  13. Congrats to your 250 post!! A very generous giveaway and would love to have another one. My dog ate my shuttle and Sue Anna sent me one, bless her heart. have enjoyed tatting with it. Love your work!!
    Linda in NM

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  14. I have enjoyed your blog and since I have 2 sisters, i especially love to see/read about your
    relationship with Jane.
    I have never used or even seen one of your shuttles except online. I would love to be able to be the winner of your giveaway.
    My favorite Christmas gift was the baptismal gown my husband had made for our oldest son for his Christmas Eve baptism. Sarah

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  15. What a wonderful way to celebrate the Feast of Epiphany. A few years ago for Christmas, I did a series of writings for the Twelve Days of Christmas on InTatters, with a giveaway at the end. It was a lot of fun.
    As you state that the favorite all-time gift must be an object, not a person, then I must say it is a gift of books from my Older Brother. One is the two-volume French Cooking by Julia Child and the other is Hispanic Lace and Lace Making by Florence Lewis May; both lovely hardback volumes which I read over and over again. What a wonderful Older Brother, to give books (which I loooove) about two important interests in my life (Food and Lace).
    The box for your giveaway is lovely, and the wood of the pop-a-bobbin looks luscious.
    Happy New Year 2013!
    .

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  16. I have been trying to incorporate more of the traditions surrounding the 12 days of Christmas andEpiphany into our celebrations so was very interested in your post. I have found myself feeling overwhelmed by the commercialism surrounding the holiday in the past few years and have been looking to old traditions to counteract that and bring back grace and deeper meaning to our Christmas. Love your box and the shuttle is lovely, I would love to have one of course...such a beautiful wood too! I read all of your posts and find many things you share of interest, though I don't often feel that I have anything to contribute comments wise :-)

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  17. I'd love to win a shuttle and the pretty box, though, like Michelle, I'd understand if you didn't want to post it long distance. I enjoyed reading about the traditions. I took my Christmas tree decorations down yesterday. I always understood that Jan 6th was the last day of the Christmas festivities, though nowdays people seem to put the decorations up early and take them down before Epiphany.

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  18. Oh, Sally, such lovely gifts to celebrate the 12th day of Christmas!
    The best gift came this past week when my husband made a new nut for the T-bolt on my spinning wheel. The grands loved the T-bolt so much they had twisted off the cap of the bolt. Thanks to his smarts, lathe and milling machine, hubby made me another. Those garage type hubbies are pretty cool, bless 'em.
    Katie V in NC katie at r-v-r dot com

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  19. Congatulations on your 250th blog post.

    My favorite all time gift would be something my husband did for me about 15 years ago, but since it has to be an object let me see.

    I don't sleep good, I wake up during the night and my mind races with thoughts ... meaning I can't fall back to sleep until it stops. Reading is my sleep aid, but I can't turn on the light because it wakes up my husband. A couple of months ago he got me a Kindle Paperwhite ereader. Since it is blacklight (or something like that .. light shines down onto the words rather than up) I can read until thankfully sleep returns.

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  20. I remember my Mom saying we had to have the tree down by the 6th of January and there was something else that we did then, but I don't remember what it was. I guess I will have to ask her and see if she remembers. I love hearing about traditions and the story behind mistletoe is fascinating.

    My favorite gifts are always things that I love to use - like the set of knitting needles my Mom gave me last year or the books my sister gave me this year. I also love the ipad I got this year because it will hold all my patterns (tatting as well as knitting) and I can carry them with me where ever I go.

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  21. Blessed Epiphany Sally,
    That is a very pretty gift box and shuttle. I have about 8 of these, so will not enter the drawing.
    I do read your blog each time you post.
    My favorite gift is an object(s) I love the hugs from my grandkids.

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  22. Congratulations on 250 - what a milestone!

    Gotta try for another pop-a-bobbin!
    No such thing as too many

    Thanks for your generosity

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  23. I'd love to win the shuttle (and your beautiful box). I keep missing the new shuttles when Jane puts the in Etsy. My favorite all-time gift is a picture my niece drew for me years ago. It's supposed to be me reading -- but my nose is inside the book. Her balloon captions reads "Marty with her dose stuck in a boog". She was about 8 then and she's 28 now!

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  24. Hi Sally!

    Love the box and the shuttle. I don't think I've ever actually 'commented' on your blog, but I've been checking it (daily, just in case you added something) for about the last 2 years. Please enter me in your drawing, if possible.

    My all-time favorite 'gift' was the time my husband (a brass player) completely disassembled my trumpet and cleaned it (which needs doing once in a while, and I hate doing it) - all the parts were laid out on a clean towel for me to grease and put together when I got up one morning. We both have our own favorites, and rather than use something I don't like, he left it for me to use the stuff I like. I don't mind putting it back together, but I really hate taking it apart and cleaning it thoroughly. Since it has to be a 'thing' as a gift, though, my favorite (so far) is a pair of one-piece flannel pajamas Mom made for me - they were pink, with strawberries on them, and had feet on them, like a little kid's pajamas....and a button up 'trap door' in the back so you didn't have to 'strip' if you needed to get up during the night.
    Stephanie Wilson

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  25. I would love to be a part of your contest.

    My all time favorite gift is a pin, a shiny Christmas wreath given to me by my grandmother.

    There's a story attached. My grandmother taught 2nd and 3rd grade way back when. She'd put all her children's Christmas gifts on a card table in the front room. Her grandkids were not allowed in that room unescorted.

    She brought me and my mother in and we admired all her gifts. She pointed out this one pin as really gaudy. I was about 12 and I said I thought it was really pretty. The next year, I got it for Christmas.

    My mother's caution was to be careful what I admired from the school childrens' gift table!

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  26. I love the box and the shuttle and would love to have either of them; however, I do not tat so don't enter me in the giveaway, thank you. I have always wanted to learn to tat but it is the one thing that I've not been able to learn on my own and have never known anyone who tatted who could teach me. :(

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  27. vlemmon@embarqmail.com9 January 2013 at 13:15

    New Tatter and new to your blog. Reading about traditions is always interesting. Shuttle is very nice. TI'll be back...

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  28. Love Your box, my favorite color. I think it matches my bedroom! Would love the shuttle - unable to get one from Jane's shop. Follow your blog and check in daily. Been trying to think of my favorite gift but it's been so long since I got one. My DH and I don't exchange since the kids came along. I guess I would have to say hubby's generosity, let's me buy what I want. I keep saying no. Someone has to count the pennies. Please count me in on the draw.

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  30. It's so interesting to know how kissing under the mistletoe came about! Whenever Christmas songs are played and decorations went up, I always wondered why folks say "kiss under the mistletoe". And the twelve days of Christmas, it didn't occur to me that the days are counted at the beginning of Christmas! My DH tried to tell me, but I wasn't sure he was right. LOL As you know, celebrating Christmas is not quite a tradition here and many facts about the culture are not quite known. Thanks for sharing them.

    Ah, another pretty box, and a beauty by 'im in the garage! Please enter me in the draw!

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  31. I have just found your blog and signed up to follow you. Your shuttles are so gorgeous!!! My favorite gift was a birthstone bracelet my husband gave me on my birthday the first year we were married. He was on a business trip, drove all night to be home on my birthday and after a few hours had to drive back to the business meeting. That was totally unexpected.

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  32. When I was a child (and that has been many many moons ago) I spent summers with my Aunt Mae and Uncle Dean on the farm. Down the road, an elderly lady named 'Mrs. Mowery' lived. It was my daily deal to go check on Mrs. Mowery and spend time visiting with her. I never got impatient or tied of listening to her stories. She taught me how to tat the summer she turned 102. I would love to win this to put with the tatted piece that I still have from that memorable summer. Thank you for a chance to win.

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  33. I would love to win some tatting supplies. I have never seen wooden shuttles before. They are so beautiful. I want to learn to tat, i have it on my bucket list of things to do before i die. Thank you for offering the give away.

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  34. I love to tat recently i have been teaching myself the needle tatting method but there is nothing quite so wopnderful as a wooden shuttle the box is heavenly and i am imagining all the wonderful treasures I can put in it, as for my favourite gift of all time was a hand knit teddy at a time when i was feeling very down would love to be able to follow your post via email dont see that option however Maureen murray tgif@toughcountry.net

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  35. I would love to win the shuttle and box. I have just recently started tatting again (my grandmother taught me when I was about 5 or 6). My favorite all time gift would be the Kitchen Aid Mixer I received this Christmas - I've always wanted one but could never justify spending that kind of money on myself.

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  36. Did some tatting years ago, but never with a wooden shuttle, especially one as beautiful as the picture.
    ehughes003@embarqmail.com

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  37. I would love to win the pop-a-bobbin shuttle & box. Since I just found your blog I am now following you. I'm an avid crochet artist & want to get involved in working with a shuttle.

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  38. Both the shuttle and box are very lovely! and yes, you are in my regular blog reader list. (google reader - I don't follow you through blogger) The most fantastic gift ever was a silver tatting shuttle that had been commissioned specially from a renowned jeweler, just for me!

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  39. That shuttle is beautiful :) I'm usually a needle tatter, cause I find it easier, but I did learn how to shuttle tat. And while I find it more difficult, I do love the results more!

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  40. I believe my favorite all time gift was a bicycle. It gave me my first taste of freedom. My long gone grandmother worked with me on learning how to tat. I have her tatting shuttle. I would love to win this pop-a-bobbin shuttle and that box could really hold some nice treasures.

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  41. Good morning! Please add my name into your drawing. I have a few pop-a-bobbin shuttles + think they are so beautiful. When the Tollway Tatters gathered, I was gobsmacked by your beautiful box + shuttles that you gifted Sue Anna. Always a delight to gather with friends to tat and chat, and share. I visit your blog often.

    My favorite gift was an origami bag / pouch made by Diane (Lace Lovin' Librarian) as I have used it nearly every day since I've owned it! I may even need to replace the draw string cord.

    Always, L

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  42. I have recently learned to tat and would love to upgrade to a wooden shuttle. I do very much enjoy looking at your site for inspiration. Seeing some of the amazing projects you have made keep me inspired when I get frustrated on some of the easier projects I am working on.

    One of the best gifts I ever received was from a friend on Orthodox Christmas at her family's house. Neither she nor her mother are into crafts so they gave me her Grandmother's sewing chest full of great embroidery supplies. I still use a thimble regularly I got from that chest. It also had a bin full of old star tatting thread which inspired me to try tatting myself.

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  43. January 6 is my birthday, this would be an absolutely lovely desired late bdy gift if I'm lucky enough. I did discover your blog through
    Craft Gossip. Will visit from now on, thsnks for the opportunity to compete.

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  44. I have just started tatting and I joined In Tatters. I am so glad I found your site. My grandmother tried to teach me how to tat when I was very young but I didnot take advantage of it. My most precious gift is a hand crocheted bedspread made by my Grandmother Hester Moreau, given to my Mother and in turn was given to me. I will pass it along to my daughter. Thank you for this wonderful giveaway. Marlene mplemel@yahoo.com

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  45. They are both so beautiful - thank you for the chance to win!

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  46. Of course the day I don't read.... Well if I can still enter count me in.

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