learn to cross stitch

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

I have a secret to tell you about cross stitching. The only two things you really need are a pattern and patience. That's it!

Cross stitching is a great craft to try out because of the low entry cost. No expensive supplies or special machines - just get yourself a hoop, some fabric, a needle, and some embroidery floss and go. There are tons of lovely patterns available for purchase, and plenty that are shared for free too!

Patterns: Wigglytuff, Tattoo font, Joker & Harley

 These are some of the cross stitch projects I've done. They look pretty good to me, and I really just jumped in a total beginner. It's been a lot of fun, though as a word of warning, recognize that a more complex pattern might take longer than you expect. I almost squinted my eyeballs out of my head to get that Wigglytuff done in time for the birthday!

When looking for a pattern, it's best to find one that's marked suitable for a beginner, though if you can get a look at it and see what kind of stitches it requires, you should be okay. If it's all the basic full stitch, no matter how complex it looks, just keep making Xs and you're good to go! Just take your time and keep a close eye on the pattern. I'm partial to this one for sale on Etsy, but there are also a lot of great free patterns collected on this Pinterest board. A lot of cross stitch patterns easily available are a little more old-fashioned/country-style than my personal tastes run to, but just keep looking! There's a great community of crafters who have created patterns suitable to all tastes.

Pick out a pattern today and start today - a cross stitch is a great decoration and a great gift.

summertime (and the livin's easy)

It's finally summer! Which means it's super hot in my apartment...hooray? Whatever - at this point in the summer, it's all such a welcome change after winter that I'm happy to deal with a stuffy apartment now and then. That's what fans are for!

Hello, blog! Long time no see! As you may have heard in the previous paragraph, the weather in Wisconsin is finally getting warm and, believe it or not, I've been doing things. Occasionally even outside-things! Still, I miss blogging and have made a goal to make it part of my schedule again. If I have time to watch Shark Tank, then I have time to write a blog post.

There are a couple cool things I've been doing lately - I'm really enjoying my new job, and it just happens to both put me in touch with a lot of great things going on around the area and sometimes we even do fun things as an office. For example: this Thursday we went on a cruise down the river as a staff outing!

I'd actually never been on a boat in the Milwaukee River; I went on a similar sort of trek in Chicago, but it was great to see the skyline I know and love from a new perspective! Plus, floating down the river, enjoying fancy appetizers in the warm sun instead of being at my desk? That was pretty awesome too.

And I went to Bay View Gallery Night, where I strolled the streets, saw cool art, and ate some chips. It wasn't as fun as it could have been, since I didn't end up connecting with the people I was planning to meet there, but it was still pretty cool. I didn't get too many pictures of the art because I was busy looking at it and wrangling a purse, my phone, and a cup, but trust me - there was some great stuff! My city is awesome.

Plus, cross stitching! Having a new hobby is fun! I've always had crafty urges, but a hard time actually finding a project I could stick with. This is my second cross stitch, and I think I may have found my craft! I have a bunch of ideas for new projects. My roomie is already worried that we'll run out of space for me to put my projects...I intend to bring that concern closer to reality!

That's what I've been up to! I'll try to have more fashion/home/all that good stuff content coming soon - what have you been up to at the start of summer?