Modern Embroidery

In honor of the upcoming World Embroidery Day (July 30), here are 18 modern embroidery art pieces and patterns!

1. Travel memories.

Charles Henry and Elin Petronella (a.k.a. “Le Kadre”) embroider scenes from places they travel.

2. Intricate blooms.

Brannon Addison of Happy Cactus Designs does spontaneous freehand embroidery of tiny flowers, leaves, and ferns. Doesn’t this piece just look so joyful?! (h/t Brown Paper Bag)

3. Geometric heart.

Busy Being Jennifer explains how to design your own “geo style” embroidery art, like the heart she made.

4. Solar system on a string.

Alice of Cut and Rum created this fanciful piece that shows the planets on cat’s cradle strings. She teaches hand embroidery classes on Skillshare.

5. Artist trading cards.

iHanna made these sunny embroidered artist trading cards on fabric with painted backgrounds.

6. Coffee

Emily Lewin, whose travel photography we featured in a previous post, uses embroidery to embellish her photos with subjects ranging from landscapes to latte art.

7. Fabled.

Another find via Brown Paper Bag were these fanciful embroidered interpretations of Aesop’s Fables by Mika Hirasa.

8. Stitched paintings.

Marna Lunt uses stitches like brushstrokes to create her detailed, one-of-a-kind works.

9. Embroidered maps.

Mary Bryning makes embroidered maps of places near her home in the U.K.

10. Pineapples.

These pineapples were stitched by Yumiko Higuchi, with help from her cat, Bona. To see more of Bona on Instagram, check out hashtag #樋口ボナ or #BonaHiguchi.

11. I love you.

Make + Do Crew offers this embroidery pattern of the ASL sign for “I love you” free to subscribers of their email list.

12. Donutotoros!

Phoenix artist IggyStarpup whipped up a dozen donut-shaped Totoros!

13. Mountain scene postcard.

GrannyAbell upcycles paper grocery bags into postcards with designs embroidered onto them. There’s white cardstock on the back, so your writing will show up clearly!

14. Fox.

Helen Richman of The Bluebird Embroidery Company creates original embroidery of lovely, realistic-looking forest animals.

15. Winged heart.

Constanza created this puffy heart with couched embroidery, ribbon, fibers – and two days’ work.

16. Swallow galaxy.

There’s a magical quality to this swallow with a tail of stars trailing behind it by Juno Embroidery.

17. Tiny feather necklaces.

These cute little embroidery hoops by Jenny Vantland might get lost on your wall, but they’re a great size for necklaces!

18. We’re all human.

Sarah K. Benning designed this pattern with a simple and powerful message. It’s available for purchase, and all proceeds go to RAICES Texas.

Photos by respective artists.

July 19, 2018July 17, 2018

A Dozen DIY Planters

Part of the fun of container gardening is actually the containers themselves! There are lots of ways to form, fold, build, stitch, tie, repurpose, and personalize new homes for your plants.

Here are a twelve pots and planters that you can make!

1. String Garden

Create a hanging garden in the Japanese kokedama style with low-light houseplants, moss, peat soil and bonsai soil. / via Design*Sponge

2. Clay Pots

These little succulent pots are fashioned out of oven-baked clay. I think the small ones are super cute, but you could probably enlarge the plans if you wanted to make them for bigger plants. Tutorial and templates are on sayyes.com.

3. Mason Jar Wall Planter

This would be a great way to put an herb garden in your kitchen without taking up counter space! / via Not Just a Housewife

5. Kitchen Garden Colander

You can also repurpose flea market finds, like kitchen items, by planting a small garden in them. This lettuce-filled colander could double as a centerpiece on an outdoor table. / via House of Hawthornes

6. Newspaper Seedling Pots

With a few folds, you can make your own biodegradable pots for starting seedlings! I first saw these at Phoenix Chile Fest and later got to make my own at CraftHack.

7. Paint Can Planters

Dress up any old can with some colorful fabric for a cheery place for a houseplant to live. / via Design*Sponge

8. Coconut Plant Pot

This is actually carved from a coconut! There’s also another coconut planter project in the same post on the Jungalow.

9. Square Hanging Planter

This is a project that’s simple to make with a chic result! / via Fall for DIY

10. IKEA Hack Planter

We actually have more of these IKEA Gorm shelf units than we are currently using, and I’d love to turn one into a planter or garden storage box. / via IKEA Hackers

11. Flower Pot Cozy

These folded fabric covers are like coffee koozies for your plants! / via Sotak Handmade

12. Address Number Planter

A sign with your house numbers and a little planter is such a welcoming touch for an entryway! To keep costs down, you can use succulent cuttings and scrap wood. / via Shanty 2 Chic

April 19, 2018April 19, 2018

Craft More, Waste Less!

With Earth Day coming up, here are some DIY ways to make things you might normally throw out into things you can use!

Plastic bottles into planters

Cat planters via BruDIY
Cactus planters via A Beautiful Mess

Glass bottles into…

…lamps

…birdseed or hummingbird feeders

The bird seed feeder tutorial also has detailed instructions in how to cut a hole in the glass using a diamond bit drill, while the lamp project recommends using a dremel with a tungsten carbide head to make a hole for the cord.

Also, make sure you’re making safe hummingbird nectar without red dye or food coloring.

More glass bottle DIYs on Redbook.

Envelopes into journals

You don’t even need to use new envelopes for this – even the ones that arrive with junk mail inside work great!

Tins into…

…craft supply storage

…tiered trays

…travel embroidery kit

Depending on what size tin(s) you have, you can store yarn or beads or fancy scissors. Also, check out the craft organization ideas I shared in a previous post.

Greeting cards into gift tags

Even though my example is holiday-themed, you can use any kind of card with art you like on it to make gift tags to use year round.

Plastic bags into a lunch bag

You can make “plastic yarn” or “plarn” from shopping bags and crochet it into all sorts of things, like a floor mat, tote, jump rope or shower shoes.

Coffee sleeve into a flower press

Of course, it’s great if you can opt for reusable coffee cups or sleeves, but, when you can’t, you can at least make the cardboard sleeve part of a craft project.

Rotisserie chicken container into a mini greenhouse

This will help hold the moisture in when you’re starting seeds.

Bicycle tubes into bracelets

The rubber from bicycle inner tubes can be used as a vegan alternative to black leather.

More bicycle inner tube crafts.

Melted chapstick into into lip gloss

If you live in a hot climate (***waves from Arizona***), you’ve probably ended up with melted chapstick or lipstick at some point. And noticed it does not go back to its original state after it cools off. This is a way to salvage it instead of leaving it stuck inside the tube.

Vintage appliances into Little Libraries

How cute is this vintage bread warmer?!

You can find more ideas for setting up a Little Free Library on their site.

What are your favorite ways of reusing things instead of throwing them out?

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018

Black + White Love #ColorStory

Red isn’t the only color of love.

The classic combination of black and white can also have a romantic feel.

You can see it in this month’s color story with elegant DIYs, destinations, art, interiors, and objects in black and white.

1. Venice mailboxes 2. L’amour print 3. Printable geometric heart gift wrap 4. Boyce Thompson Arboretum 5. Black steps

6. Sandnes, Norway manhole cover tote 7. Black sesame cappuccino 8. Ceramics by Inger Södergren 9. Bridge of Sighs, Venice 10. Stay True poster

11. Black Cloud (Nube Negra) detail by Carlos Amorales at Phoenix Art Museum 12. DIY eraser heart stamp 13. Windmill Winery, Florence, Arizona 14. Traditional bookbinding patterns 15. Minimal open wardrobe DIY 16. Bee Mine card

17. Peggy Guggenheim Museum Café, Venice 18. Hand carved block printing stamp 19. Farmhouse in Woodend, Victoria (Australia) + rental cottage 20. Punkpost thank you card

Bear hugs to all of you! (Illustration by Daryl Hochi)

Images via respective sites.

February 1, 2018February 5, 2020

Make a Difference with Things You Make

There are lots of ways to get crafty to do some good – regardless of your skill level!

Here are some DIY projects to make a difference.

Build a Little Free Library.

Make a place for a neighborhood book exchange! You can build it or repurpose a phone booth, mailbox, vintage bread warmer or other weatherproof container to house books in.

Organization(s):
Little Free Library

Good to know:

Crochet/knit a chemo cap.

Help someone with hair loss due to cancer treatment feel more comfortable.

Organization(s):

Good to know:
Before making a cap to donate, check the charity’s guidelines on best yarns and patterns to use. Many of them offer free patterns on their sites!

Make a composting unit.

You can reduce trash by composting food waste and turning it into something that’s good for your garden.

Good to know:

Make a card…

…for a child in the hospital.

Caitlin’s Smiles distributes handmade cards and “bags of smiles” with arts and craft supplies to kids in hospitals. You can make cards, tote bags, or donate art supplies.

Organization(s):
Caitlin’s Smiles

…for a cancer patient.

Make blank cards that will be personalized and sent to people with a cancer diagnosis.

Organization(s):
Card Care Connection

…for a housebound senior citizen.

While there won’t be an official Meals on Wheels campaign like last year’s “Love Letters,” you can contact your local Meals on Wheels program to find out about creating cards.

Organization(s):
Meals on Wheels

…for your congressional representatives.

Postcards may currently be the most effective way to let Congress know what issues matter to you.

Good to know:

Kids Art Congress has ideas for paint and collage, including using watercolor postcard blanks and kids’ art.
CollectiveVision gives tips on who, what, and where to write. They also have postcard sets you can order (if you don’t have time to DIY).
Postcards from the People has free downloadable postcard templates.

Make a blanket…

…for animal shelters (knit, crochet, sew, or tie).

You can knit, crochet, sew, or tie blankets for dogs and cats in shelters.

Organization(s):
Comfort for Critters

Good to know:

20-inch square is the preferred size.
They have free patterns and blanket ideas!
You can drop blankets off at a local animal shelter or ship them to their Illinois headquarters.

…for NICU babies.

Knit or crochet neonatal baby blankets.

Organization(s):
Knots of Love

…for veterans.

Organization(s):

Operation Gratitude gives care packages to veterans, as well as currently deployed U.S. Troops, first responders, and military families. You can make blankets, cards, caps, cool ties, drawstring bags, and/or scarves.
Quilts of Valor awards patriotic quilts to thank veterans.

For pollinators, make…

…a mason bee nesting spot.

Help save the bees! Solitary bees are great pollinators and don’t have painful stings.

Good to know:

Make a wooden pallet bee house
Build a small mason bee house
Drill holes into scrap lumber (National Wildlife Foundation)
UK tips

…a bat house.

Bats not only help pollinate plants, they eat mosquitos and other pests. As forests are cut down, they have fewer safe places to raise their young.

Organization(s):
Bat Conservation International

…a hummingbird feeder.

Hummingbirds need a lot of calories every day! They can fuel up on nectar at feeders or flowers like honeysuckle.

Good to know:

Make a hummingbird feeder from a glass bottle.
Make nectar for hummingbirds.
Tips for filling a wine bottle hummingbird feeder.
More about hummingbirds and their favorite flowers.

Craft for a Fundraiser

If you sell items you’ve made, you can give the proceeds to whichever charity is meaningful to you. Cash is the most versatile donation.

Stamp metal bracelets.

One fundraiser craft idea is hand stamped bracelets. MyIntent (who I received a necklace from) now sells a Maker Kit, so you can make your own custom jewelry. One fundraiser selling hand-stamped bracelets brought in over $4,000 in 3 weeks!

UPDATE: Found a discount code, so I wanted to share! VDAY25 will get you 25% off a MyIntent Maker Kit.

Organization(s):
MyIntent.org

What else can we make to make a difference?

PS While some of these projects are U.S.-specific, hopefully, they’ll spark ideas for anywhere you are!