Doodle Stitching Embroidery & Beyond: Crewel, Cross Stitch, Sashiko & More by Aimee Ray

One of the very first hand crafts I ever learned as a girl was embroidery. I adore it to this day.

From the back of the book:

In this follow-up to her first two Doodle Stitching books, Aimee Ray will set your embroidering off into new directions, whether it’s creating a modern geometric design with Sashiko or discovering a fresh spin on Cross Stitch. Using basic embroidery skills as a starting point, she pairs several fun techniques with her fresh, irresistible aesthetic.

 

I love the way this book is laid out. First you learn about a stitch and then there are several projects to make using the type of stitch you just learned about.

Doodle Stitching Embroidery & Beyond includes these sections:

• Cross Stitch & Decorative Stitches
• Applique & Color
• Redwork & Crewel
• Sashiko & Shisha
• Cutwork & Stumpwork
• Stitch Basics
• Stitch Glossary
• Variations, Patterns & Templates

More info:

• 119 pages
• MSRP $14.95 USD
• Templates & Patterns for projects – Most are correctly sized with only one or two that need to be re-sized
• 22 projects

I enjoy Aimee’s aesthetic and art throughout the book and in the patterns. The fresh, bright colors are whimsical but also on trend. Not only are there projects that just look fun to create but also projects that are USEFUL. Perfect to create for gifts or for your own home.

Doodle Stitching Embroidery & Beyond is available from the amazon.com widget below for $7.62. This is an affiliate link and purchases made by clicking on this link may result in my being compensated by amazon.com.

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I’ve had a fairy garden in the side yard since about 2007. I’m rather smitten with them.

I wrote this post Winter Fairy Garden in a Glass Cookie Jar  and Jewelry Box to Indoor Fairy Garden and even this one Plant a Fairy Garden to Experiment with Color.

Smitten I tell ya.

They fit in with my sense of fantasy and whimsy. My imagination goes bananas when I’m setting up my fairy garden in the spring.  So this year I’m putting in a new one. Right outside the window in the room where Warren and I walk on the treadmill. Because I want something fun to look at and daydream over while I’m pretending that I’m not walking on the treadmill.

And now, after cruising the internet for a while looking at other fairy gardens, I’m thinking I may need to finish up this big one so I can work on several smaller ones!

Fairy Garden In A Pot from Pink and Green Mama

These were made as teacher thank you gifts but I think anyone would like them!

Fairy Garden Flower Pot DIY from Punk Projects

What a fabulous way to use broken pots!

Water Fairy Garden from Rad Megan

I think this is the first water fairy garden I’ve ever seen. I love it!!

Kitchen Fairy Garden from Organized Clutter

This is a fairy garden that stays true to the gardeners’ aesthetic. Gotta love that.

A Mini Birdhouse Fairy Village from Little Blue Boo

Little doll houses are quite affordable and I love this whole little village. It looks like it’s ready for a fair.

Mini Fairy Garden from Nini Makes on Flickr

Fairy Garden from According to L

Let the kids make & tend to their own fairy gardens.

Bathtub Fairy Garden by Arlene Brenneman on Flickr

Look at her Fairy Houses and Gardens set. So many lovely garden fairy photos.

The Little’s Have a Picnic – Miniature Picnic Scene in a Glass Cloche

Fairy Garden With A Circus Theme

And this bit of circus fun is just KILLING me.

I think I have to do a circus or fair themed fairy garden after I finish the new one I’m working on. I just can’t resist!

Have you been bitten by the fairy garden bug yet?

The post Fabulous Friday: 10 Fairy Gardens to Inspire appeared first on Vicki O'Dell... The Creative Goddess. If you are reading this anywhere other than Vicki O'Dell... The Creative Goddess it is stolen content.

Warm weather is here and that means it’s time to change out the storm windows for screens. We’ve been putting it off but I think Warren finally got tired of me complaining of being too hot and decided to make time to put the screens in.

I mean, it’s bad enough to have hot flashes but then to have no way to open a window and cool off is just cruel and unusual punishment. Right?

Unfortunately, when he took this screen down it had several holes in it. He was going to just put the screen away and not replace the storm window in that window when I offered to repair the screen. The rest of the convo went something like this.

Him: You’ll repair it?

Me: Yeah, can I put hearts on it?

Him: You can put butterflies on it for all I care.

He started to explain that the RIGHT way to repair a screen was to cut a patch, fray the screen and then bend the wires on the patch to go through…

My eyes glazed over about this point and I can’t begin to tell you the rest of the process but I think it went something along the lines of this How to Repair or Replace a Screen.

I think.

Meanwhile I was all… Butterflies?

I thought I could stitch a patch on using embroidery floss but then I immediately nixed the idea for a few reasons. 1. embroidery floss would get all hung up on the frayed edges of the patch, 2. the stitches would have to be PERFECT or it would look really bad, and 3. If the embroidery floss got wet it would look like Hades.

Hmmm. I decided butterflies would be too intricate so I went back to hearts.

I ended up using pieces of metal screen that I had left from another project and Fireline fishing line (I ♥ that stuff!).

I cut a heart shape out of screen and stitched it to the screen over the holes. The Fireline worked really great because you can hardly see it and it didn’t get caught on the frayed edges… much. Also, it’s FISHING LINE. It’s meant to get wet. Unlike embroidery floss.

At some point the whole screen will need replaced but for right now we can still get some cool air.

YAY!!!

Maybe when I replace the screen I can stitch up something like this.

Only on my bedroom windows it will say, “SHHHH”!

But then the aliens will know where I’m sleeping so maybe not.

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