Michelle Miles: Crafty Crafts

I’ve been in a bad funk with the writing lately (mostly ignoring it) so I decided to turn my attention elsewhere.

Most of you know I do other crafts. I opened my first Etsy shop to sell my handmade cross-stitch ornaments. I stitch A LOT of Santa faces. They are so cute. But I’m expanding and doing other little ornaments.

Stuff like this:

And this:

Michelle Miles: Let's talk crafts

I had a hard time coming up with something to blog about. I’m not sure what my mental block is with blogging lately, but I literally stare into space and then … I got nothin’.

I thought about talking about the Oscars but, let’s face it, they were #OscarsSoBoring. I was glad to see Gary Oldman and Sam Rockwell win. The Shape of Water just looks weird to me and I doubt I’ll ever see it.

There’s not much else going on in my life other than writing, editing and stitching. I’ve started an Etsy shop and I’ve been stitching my little fingers to the bone. I make cross-stitched Christmas ornaments. If you follow me on Facebook, you likely have seen me post progress photos of them. They’re fun and they give me a sense of accomplishment because I can finish one in about a week.

I’m also trying to teach myself how to crochet. I have no idea why other than I saw the most gorgeous crocheted blanket on Facebook. It looks like this:

Michelle Miles: Creative Pursuits

I taught myself how to cross-stitch over a decade ago when I was young(er) and single. I discovered it was a relatively inexpensive hobby I could do on weekends when I was broke and had to stay home (i.e., I couldn’t go party with my friends). One year, I started stitching projects in January and made something for every lady in my family. It was a huge undertaking but I got it all done and everyone loved their gifts.

When my son was small, I stopped stitching because needles, small beads and floss don’t go well with a toddler. ;) But I picked it up off and on over the years. A couple of years ago I discovered these great kits for Christmas ornaments with beads. I thought I’d give them a try. Turns out, I really liked making them. Back in December, I ordered more kits and decided to try my hand at a Santa face stitched on perforated paper. I’d never stitched on that before but I actually liked it. It’s sometimes easier than stitching on linen or Aida cloth.

Anyway… Here is the result.