Christmas in July

Last Month, I planned to stitch mermaids, and I did: 
June 1-8 Off the Deep End-- She has a tail and an alphabet, as you can see here. (Click here to see how she looked before.) She tried to go for a swim. (It is so disgusting outside, I have no idea why anyone comes to Florida in the summer. It is surely the grossest time of year to be here. And it it weren't for my parents I'd never come after April.) (Just to emphasize the point, my parents have a pool, and I didn't even pack a bathing suit!)
June 9-15 Ornament SAL--done! 
June 16-22 Emerald Mermaid--She's really coming along. (Can it be I really haven't shown you this one since January 2011?)
June 23-30 Teresa Layman, A Fish Tale--I couldn't find the color chart. Sigh. 

I also finished Boris from Plum Street Samplers. Thank you all for your kind comments on that! 

For July, I'm doing Christmas in July!

July 1-6 New start! SamSarah's Shining Star
July 7-13 Shepherd's Bush's Black Snowman
July 14-20 Ornament SAL/ Tall Guys' Christmas
July 20-27 New Start! Blackbird's Tis the Season

I probably shouldn't be making new starts since I have plenty of Christmas projects to fill my dance card. However, one of my aunts asked me to make a Christmas stitchery so she could have one to pull out every year and think of me. How could I say no? She's getting "Tis the Season." The other new start is for me, which means it will be done in about five years. I've been collecting the thread and waiting and waiting and waiting for the Morris blue fabric which arrived (at last!) last month.

And a Finish!

I'm missing my doggy while I am down here with my dad. But I was able to finish my version of Boris, which is has been translated to look a little more like Stella.

Yesterday I popped over to Needlepoint Ivy in town to replace my missing scissors. (I am really hoping I've left them behind.) And got a cute pair of Emily Gingher's. I also picked up a Mill Hill Buttons and Beads kit and one of those magnetic wands. I think my dad really liked that one, so I'll have to keep it in mind for Christmas. (He's super hard to buy for.)

Tiny Bit o' Stitch

I have been working away on my ornament because it's due tomorrow. And I was so pleased...down to two colors of Belle Soie...where are they? Do I not have them? Instead of racing all over to find the colors I need, I cleverly call my local thread dealers. One has one of the colors but is closed today. The other store is open today but has neither color. Oh for want of one strand of Eiffel Tower and another of pecan pie! Apparently Hurricane Sandy has had a significant impact on Crescent Colours. And we are not getting these colors in time for my ornament to be completed tomorrow.

Anyway, when I hit the road block, I picked up Boris. I didn't get terribly far. I'm not even sure this is worth showing you.

I made my SIL a birthday card...I love the yellow and grey combo that is showing up everywhere these days.

Stellaboris

Thank you all for your comments about my grandmother. She's a gem. (Or something.) I will ask my aunt to keep us up to date on their outings and her "interactions" with other people because you do seem to enjoy them so much. Her birthday is in three weeks, if you want to send her a card. I'm not collecting them this year, but I'm happy to send her address to you back channel.

I made real headway during my three days with Stellaboris. I added a tail, and did my best to replicate Stella's broken tail. (Shown below.) How did I do?

Also, be sure to vote whether I should undertake to make a craft a day every day in March, National Craft Month.

Boris

Here is my final Crazy January start, Plum Street Sampler's Boris, which I am stitching on a slightly darker fabric (I think it calls for Light Exemplar and I'm stitching on regular Exemplar) with the called for colors. It's really intriguing how much this animal resembles Stella. I'm going to change the striped socks Boris has to white toes and make his tail curl like hers.

Here is Stella seeing how much of the couch she can take up while wearing her winter weight. Girlfriend gets faaaat once the weather cools down. In the summer, she is less interested in food. Probably because she spends all that time in her bikini. We're going to have to talk to the vet about what to do.

This weekend I was happy to throw a moustache party for my niece's 13th birthday family celebration. She wanted moustache cupcakes. I went to pinterest, but all I could really find were paper moustache cake toppers. I wanted something more integral to the cupcake. I found a candy mold for moustache lollipops and made them in chocolate and peanut butter flavors. I was going to stick the lollipops into the cupcakes, but the way the stick is offset, no matter how short I made the stick, the cupcake couldn't support it. I thought about cutting the sticks off but the dude said it would be more fun to have lollipops. And he was right.

I went whole hog. I bought moustaches for everyone to wear. I bought her a moustache cookie cutter and moustache paper from Paper Source to use for our craft day, which I put in a bag that I added a paper moustache to.

The fascination that girls this age have with  moustaches is perplexing to say the least. (Don't think it's a trend? Search "moustache" on amazon. Moustache mood ring? Hot pink socks with little moustaches?) But she's a teenager now, I guess we aren't supposed to understand!