Hallelujah

I thought the iMac had died... but it didn't!!!!

When we got back from our Fourth of July weekend in PA, the Mac wouldn't turn on. It tried and tried. It would make the lovely little start-up noise but the screen would stay black. I thought it was kaput. I figured Jeremy would be on the phone with tech support all night long. I guess it just took a little persistence because after attempting to turn it on again a few more times yesterday it finally kicked on! I don't know how it happened but my bank account thanks you, Mac.

Now that I'm back up and fully operational I get to post my seventh TUSAL! Thanks to Daffycat, my ORT jar is filling up nicely.

You also get a little sneak peak at my progress on Mermaid's Folly. Her tail is growing... and so is my love of stitching this piece! Corny, I know, but it's true. I think what makes it so fun is that what you're stitching is actually the background. The foreground is the fabric. So you're stitching along, filling in a big block of black and then all of the sudden a flower begins to appear. Yep - I love it.

I hope your 4th was wonderful and filled with fireworks!

Number Sixxxxxx

Here is the sixth installment of Daffy Cat's Totally Useless Stitch-a-long. Please don't mind the green growing on my porch :) The green is also growing in my ORT jar.

And I have some progress to report on Mermaid's Folly...

I can't stand how much I love stitching this chart! Whoop whoop!

I Heart Pinterest and More Progress

Pinterest is my new favorite website. It's like a virtual scrapbook. Remember my Idea Book I posted back in 2009? I paged through all of my old magazines and clipped my favorite things - clothes, interiors, gifts, ideas, projects, recipes... Well Pinterest is just the same except everything is housed online as "pins" on your very own organized page. You can search, browse, or repin other peoples pins and even make friends and network. It's pretty fantastic. Take a look at my Pinterest page and see for yourself. If you'd like an invitation just leave me a comment with your email :)

Oh yeah, and check out the progress that I've made on Mermaid's Folly. I am just LOVING this project!

My dad is in the States for work this week and next so he'll be at our house over the Memorial Day holiday!! Hopefully there will be some warm weather activities, cookouts, and lots of cocktails :) What are your plans?

Trade-o-rama!

I completed my first trade this morning! I was able to trade 2 charts from my stash for Raise the Roof's "Hang Ten" button pack. I had ordered the Hang Ten chart and forgot to get the buttons to go along with it. This way I got them for free and someone else has 2 new charts to add to their stash. Thanks for the trade, Jacki!

If you're interested in trading, take a look at what else I've got in my For Trade set over on Flickr!

New Stash, Some Progress, and Another New Start

Oh man, did I get some awesome mail yesterday or what?? Look at all these goodies. Starting from the top is "May I" (All Through The Night), "Gnomes in the Garden Row" (Bent Creek), "Fiesta Nicola Sabiel 1818" (Samplers Remembered), "Ruby Notes" (Kathy Schmitz), "Welcome Y'all" (Annalee Waite Designs), and "Hang Ten" (Raise the Roof). I bought them all from ABC Stitch Therapy during their 10 year anniversary sale. 20% off, baby! I can't wait to get crackin'.

There is also a little progress to report on Kitchen Blessings. As you can see, I finished the dark emerald portion of the border and am moving on to the lighter color. I plan on making this into a door hanger so I need to start planning that out. What you think - backing or no backing?

And I think you can recognize these...

They're boobs! Side note: boobs are fun to stitch :)

I just couldn't wait to finish up Kitchen Blessings before starting on this big ol' project. It's called Mermaid's Folly and comes from the Courtney Collection. It is a massive undertaking. The stitch count is 565 x 225. I decided to stitch it over 1 on 28ct linen. This brings the finished size down to something reasonable. The fabric is hand-dyed and so is the floss. I'm using the Week's Dye Works lovely color Kohl. It's basically black with some grey variation in it. It's really beautiful. I can't wait to show you some more progress!

Wanna Trade?

Last night I took the time to photograph all of my cross stitch and needlework stash that I'm ready to part with. I'm trying to keep my collection to one relatively small Rubbermaid container. Once that container is full it's time to weed. Now that's not to say I'm not open to a trade :) Take a look at my "For Trade" set on Flickr and let me know if you see anything that you like. If you see something, either send me an email through Flickr or kateandicecream at gmail dot com. Maybe we can arrange a little swap-eroo!

Here is quick peek at what I have to offer:

Happy searching!

TUSAL #5 and some progress

Whoop whoop! Progress all around. I got some good strangs in my TUSAL jar this month. Just ask Daffycat what it's all about.

And I made more progress on my kitchen blessings project. It's been a little while so I'm posting 2 progress pictures.

Dig it!

TUSAL #4 and a New Start

Behold the fourth Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long photo! Check out Daffycat's blog for more info.

You'll notice all of the yellow threads on top. I started a new project last week. It's called Kitchen Blessings by Enchanting Lair. I changed the colors a bit. I'm using this lovely mustard color for the lettering and two different shades of emerald green for the border. I'm stitching on an 18ct oatmeal aida. Since I'm making this into a door hanger I went with a more hearty, rigid fabric. So far I am loving stitching this project.

Stay tuned for updates!

This is where it's at!

No, really. See that little red house? Under the goose on the left and above the little pine trees? Ta-daaa! My house!

I finished Greeneframe's map of the Delmarva Peninsula a few days ago and am in love with it. I think I'll make it into a pillow for our teardrop. I just have to have to find a stash spot for it so my pup doesn't tear it to shreds when I'm not looking.

Hmmm, what fabric should I use...

Decisions. Decisions.

It's Been a While

... so here's a stitching update!

Last week I finished up a bookmark. I made this because I needed it and bought the pattern ages ago. Don't like it very much but it does the job :)

Pictured above is Whiter Shades of Pale, the new book from Stuff White People Like author Christian Lander. I bet I know who's going to be in the new new book... Charlie Sheen. Come on, what white person isn't completely obsessed with CS right now? Winning!

I also have a long awaited progress picture from my Delmarva Peninsula WIP. I've finished Delaware, the upper Shore, and most of the mid-Shore.

I am really loving stitching almost entirely in backstitch.

Well, I hope you all had a lovely weekend and aren't too soaking wet with all of the rain we got yesterday. Take care!