as some of you may recall, a few weeks back i promised myself that i was going to learn embroidery this year! no if's, and's, or but's about it... this was going to be the year of the stitch! i scooped up a great book, embroidered effects by jenny hart, and i started studying. after reading and rereading that fabulous little book, it was time to try my hand at some stitching. my nieces upcoming 6th birthday was the perfect occasion for me to get in gear and get to work! here is the finished product which i gave to her at her birthday party this past weekend...

the little birds were iron on transfers that came with the book and the rest of the design i did myself. having the birds already drawn out definitely made this project less overwhelming...

95% of it was done using the "split stitch". the little red berries were made by using the "french knot" technique. which, by the way, i'm in love with!

i hand painted and distressed the embroidery hoop as well, so that it too is part of the art...

all in all i think it came out pretty darn ok. it was my first attempt and i loved every bit of it. not every stitch is perfect, but i put a whole lot of love into it, and after all, that's really what gift giving is about, isn't it?