acorn habitat

I made a new NŌM habitat! It's a tiny acorn house and is only 2 inches high. NŌM #519 lives inside. (Available at my shop. :)

♥ aimee

new NŌMs and owlets today!

new NŌMs and owlets today!
Originally uploaded by merwing✿little dear

Friday Flickr Faves: Monsters!

1. U is for Undead, 2. ".....just let me do the talking.....", 3. Ruff!, 4. Some Mummies Prefer Strawberry Ice Cream, 5. For a Girl I Franken Love!, 6. Dracula Print

It's almost Halloween and there will be a monster movie marathon at our house this weekend! I've always loved ghost stories, and more recently have developed a love for cheesy old monster flicks. I recommend nothing less than 40 years old. I especially love the old Draculas with Christopher Lee. (I really love anything with Christopher Lee.) Vincent Price is always a favorite too and nothing beats the classic Universal monsters. I hope you find some fun and scaryness of your own this weekend!

;) aimee

big box o' books!

If you've been waiting for a signed copy of my new book, wait no longer! A big box arrived on my doorstep yesterday and they are now listed in my shop. :)

Check out these cute stitched motifs from the book that popped up in the Doodle Stitching flickr group! This is the first project I've seen from it so far, I think they turned out great! I can't wait to see more!

by ilil ziv

vote!

I've designed a woodland creatures fabric for this weeks contest at Spoonflower, and I would love it if you voted for me! There are lots of awesome entries this time, I think it will be a tough competition. You can vote Right Here. Look for my design, click it, then click through to the last page to submit your vote.

If you're not familiar with Spoonflower, it is a custom fabric company! You can design, print and sell your own fabrics there. I'm working on a few designs besides this one that will be available there soon.

You will have until next Tuesday to cast your vote (for me I hope! ;) Thank you!

♥aimee

felt cutout dresses

felt cutout dresses
Originally uploaded by merwing✿little dear

trying out a new technique, I made these felt cutout dresses for Blythe! They are completely sewn by hand.
available in my shop: http://littledear.etsy.com

Green Smoothie

Here's something different but still somewhat creative that I do every day, make a green smoothie! I'm a total natural food nut and mostly vegan, so this is a staple of my diet. :) It may sound and look strange but they are really good! This one is a standard, and good for a green smoothie newbie.

Blend:

A BIG handful of spinach

two bananas

two or three oranges

half a bag frozen peaches

Flax seeds or nutritional yeast for extra vitamins (optional)

2-3 cups of water

I have a high powered blender that will grind up anything but if you have a regular one you might want to skip the seeds. You can make up your own smoothie recipes, I often use frozen berries (plus always bananas) or substitute kale for spinach.

Here's my smoothie! This one is very green. Berry ones are more of a murky brownish purple but they still taste great!

Like my newly acquired Muppet glass? I thought Kermit was appropriate. ;) In case you were wondering, I took these pics outside because the sun was going down and it was too dark inside! You can see I'm still growing a few greens in pots on my front walk.

If you're interested in learning more about green smoothies, check out two of my favorite food sites:

www.greensmoothiegirl.com

www.happyfoody.com

♥ aimee

new NOMs!

Here are some new guys available for adoption this week! (Once again, you'll notice a definite color palette here, I can't seem to get away from that! haha)

These two are extra special, they've got tiny, hand crocheted hats to keep them warm this winter! Their hats are removable, and of course, they are wearing regular painted hats underneath. NŌMs are never seen in public without a hat on!! ;)

You can adopt any of these guys at my shop: www.littledear.etsy.com

xo aimee

painting NŌMs

painting NŌMs
Originally uploaded by merwing✿little dear

I've been busy painting this weekend, new ones will be coming this week! :)
NŌMs are made from paperclay, an air drying, paper based clay, and the only clay I know of that takes watercolors, which I love! It's like painting on 3-D paper. This gives NŌMs a unique look. I would love to sometime make them from ceramic clay with glazes! Well, that will happen one day when we set up our pottery studio and get a kiln. (one of the many creative dreams for our future. ;)
Keep an eye out for these new guys!

♥ aimee

Weekend Clearance!

Weekend Clearance!
Originally uploaded by merwing✿little dear

$10 Weekend Blythe dress sale!
http://littledear.etsy.com

Friday Flickr Faves: fall colors

by Laurie York

by *omnia*

by coneybeare

by Zeb Andrews

by Camilla Engman

Painting with Thread

Painting with Thread

I had a lot of fun stitching up my animal totem embroideries, and I was really pleased with how they turned out. As I was stitching, I realized that there are a lot of different techniques I use to achieve this look, so I thought I'd make a tutorial so you can try it too! You can find my totem patterns in PDF form at my etsy shop, or use these tips for any of your embroidery projects.

When you start out with a line art embroidery pattern, the possibilities are endless. I purposefully don't specify which stitches or colors to use where on my patterns, I want to leave that up to your creativity! But, I do realize that can be a bit daunting, especially with a large, detailed pattern like these are. Here are some tips and techniques that will help you create a unique, visually interesting art piece.

Color

This is the first thing I think about when starting a new embroidery project. I've done lots of embroidery on white, and I knew I wanted these to be on colored fabric. If you stitch on colored fabric, it's best to choose one that is a flat color, or with just a minimal, tone on tone pattern. Each of the fabrics I used for these patterns has a simple textural pattern, so the fabric pattern won't interfere with the embroidery and make it look too busy. Also keep in mind that the color of the fabric will show as negative space. If you're stitching a human face you might not want to use blue fabric. ;)

You might want to pick out a thread color palette before you start as well. I decided to use aqua blue, green, brown, and orangey pinks for these pieces, but I used several different shades of each throughout. I find sticking with a few colors rather than an unlimited palette keeps my designs looking neat and cohesive. I didn't decide beforehand where to put each color, but I did try to balance the colors well. For instance, if you find yourself using a lot of blue at the bottom of your design, be sure and add some at the top as well.

Stitches

Embroidery is all about stitches, and there are hundreds to choose from! If you need some good stitch diagrams, either of my Doodle Stitching books is perfect! ;) Or, you can find lots online. My favorite stitch library website is www.inaminuteago.com

It is easy to stitch an entire pattern with all one stitch, and that does have it's place. But, you will add lots of dynamic interest by using a variety of different stitches. You can see in this picture how many different stitches I used in a small space. Some are good for line work, others are more decorative.

Shapes and Texture

Besides varying your stitches, think about using various line thicknesses, solid shapes, and textures. Look at your pattern and decide which lines should stand out the most. I wanted the head outlines of these patterns to be the thickest lines, so I used dark colors and heavy lines. You can vary your line width by dividing your floss and using fewer threads for thinner lines, or you can stitch multiple lines side by side for thicker ones. You can see here how I added additional lines along the jaw and in the eyes in a darker or lighter color to add dimension.

Another way to add dimension is by using texture. Scattered straight stitches make great fur. A group of French Knots stitched close together also makes an interesting texture. You can see here how I used Straight Stitches along the top of the head and bottom of the ear to make a texture and shading effect.

Areas of solid color stitching, like the Satin Stitch, help add interest as well as focal points to your work. You can also outline Satin Stitched areas with a line, such as the Back Stitch, to help them stand out.

Another technique I like to use is a gradient color line. This works best using the Back Stitch. Stitch a few Back Stitches, and then a few Running Stitches (stitch: space: stitch: space, etc.) Then go back with a lighter or darker color, fill in the spaces between your Running Stitches and then a few more Back Stitches in the new color. Continue this with 3-4 colors until you have a gradient line. You can see the brown lines here were stitched using this technique.

You can also buy gradient dyed floss which will do this for you, but I'm a bit of a color control freak, so I like doing it this way. ;)

This is definitely one of my wordiest blog posts but I hope it helps you out! Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading and have fun stitching!

:) aimee

new embroidery patterns

It's been awhile since I've created new embroidery patterns for my shop (well, besides the 400 motifs in my new book, haha ;) and today I have a set of 3 for you! I really enjoyed working on these and I love how they turned out. I hope you do too. :)

Inspired by Native American mythology and imagery, I created this unique series of animal totem designs for you to stitch and enjoy! Their Hopi names are "Kotori" (owl spirit) "Honaw" (bear) and "Moki" (deer.)

Autumn always makes me want to read faerie stories, and one of my favorite modern faerie tale authors is Charles de Lint. Many of his stories are set in a fictional modern city and he uniquely combines Celtic and Native American mythology and animal spirit characters. I highly recommend reading some of his books!

You can get these PDF patterns by email from my shop, either individually, or the set of all three at a discount. Also, I have created an extensive, free tutorial I'll be posting here tomorrow, featuring the techniques I used to stitch these embroideries, so don't go away! :)

Happy stitching!

:) aimee

felt buttons

I found another way to use up felt scraps! I made these little pins to give away with my mail orders. (did you know you get a free gift with every mail order from my shop? ;)

I'm very much into fall colors right now as you may have noticed.

What do you do with your fabric scraps?

♥ aimee

a winner!

A random number has been chosen, and the winner of my Doodle Stitching giveaway is Sarah of madame button!

Sarah says: i have never embroidered and have been eying off your book to teach me a thing or two! i would love to stitch a little fox for the wall of my children's clothing store- named hennie and fox!

That sounds perfect! Congrats Sarah!

I LOVED reading about and seeing all of your embroidery projects, you are all so creative! Thank you all so much for commenting!

PS, those zinnias are from my flowerbed, I've got a few still growing! I love zinnias, they're such pretty, bright colors. I've collected enough seeds this year to plant a whole field of them next year. ;D

♥ aimee

Happy 500!

I've made it to 500 NŌMs and it's time for a party! In January 2006 I made a few little gnome figures because I thought they were cute, not knowing whether any one else would, I put some up for sale and they sold right away! Since then, I've been making them regularly, NŌMs live all over the world now! No two are alike, and I just finished #500. (wow!) That doesn't even include Big NŌMs or NŌM friends like owlets, froglets and toadlets. I have no intention of stopping any time soon! Here's a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who loves my NŌMs and has bought them over the years!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

(In case you were wondering, that is #500 front and center. I'm keeping him for someone special.) ;) To celebrate 500 NŌMs, I've just listed a new batch of Autumny guys in my shop and ALL NŌMs are on sale this weekend only! Regular NŌMs which are normally $10 are now $8, and Big NŌMs and NŌM friends are on sale too.

In addition, I've made this cute Autumn diorama which you can download for FREE, right here.

Just cut and fold and set it up on your shelf behind your NŌM collection. :)

Enjoy and have a happy weekend!

♥ aimee

Friday Faves: Animals

Happy Friday! Animals are one of the biggest inspirations in my artwork, and I think they inspire lots of others too. I've got some awesome animal art for you today! Enjoy. :)

by Michal Wright-Ward

by oso_polar

by berkleyillustration

by leontine

by Skunkboy Creatures

by May Ann Licudine

♥ aimee

another owl

I made Tinder a little friend, his name is Acorn. :) Aren't they cute together? Both are in my shop.

It's acorn season! I've been picking them up on my walks. Guess what these are going to be? :)

xo aimee

more freebies!

Hey there! If you've got my new book already, Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection, you may have noticed a couple of large embroideries in the front and back, Circus Elephant, and Spring Sampler. 

Here's a fun fact: Each of these designs is made up of individual motif patterns that appear in the book! You can use the digital pattern files on the included CD to combine motifs and come up with your own patterns! 
 You can grab these full patterns for FREE right here: Circus and here: Spring

Remember, if you stitch up any of the patterns from my books or my etsy shop, I love seeing them! Come join our Flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/doodlestitching/

♥ aimee

I made this custom fatkitty recently to look like a pair of twin, real life kitties! I love orange stripey kitties, this is the first fatkitty one I've made! Here are the real ones, aren't they cute? :)

Lori's kitties

Fatkitty custom orders are open! Just visit my shop for details.

♥ aimee

Bunny Quilt

Remember this little bunny quilt I made? It is featured in the book, Pretty Little Mini Quilts. Well now you can get the PDF pattern for this quilt free: Right here!
What better project for fall than a cozy quilt? (Even if it's a tiny one!) I think it would look great made in orangey, browny, autumny colors, don't you? :)

Enjoy!

♥ aimee

Giveaway!!

My new book is officially out now and I know a few of you already have it! I'm excited to see it out in the world! If you're new to embroidery, or an experienced stitcher, this book will give you everything you need. It contains beginners instructions and stitches, 17 easy sewing projects, over 400 embroidery motif patterns AND a CD with the patterns in digital form so you can create your own designs!

Want to check it out? Here's your chance to win a signed copy free! Not only that, you'll also receive this set of hoop framed embroideries done by me, which are featured in the book. (they're a little bit famous! ;)

All you have to do is leave a comment here and tell me what your favorite thing you've ever embroidered is. Or, if you've never embroidered anything, what would you like to stitch? :)

I'll pick a winner at random one week from today, Monday October 18.

Good Luck!!

:) aimee

PS, don't want to wait or test your luck? I've got a few signed copies in my shop too: http://littledear.etsy.com