Embroidered LOVE Letter Dress

I have a confession.

I love embroidery.

If I notice a blank canvas, or if you standstill long enough, something is likely to be embroidered.  You have been warned.

This proved to be the case with a dress I had bought Grace, from Goodwill (a dress that I think is actually a women's top...sigh).

With a water soluble pen in hand, I decided to sketch out LOVE, written in faux school lined paper.

With a needle and thread, I embroidered over the lines and 'Love' using a back stitch.  If you've never embroidered, I promise you a back stitch is SO easy.

Of course, if you don't want to embroider a 'Love' letter dress yourself, you can always purchase one at Anthropologie for over a $100. 

Or you can find a blank canvas of your own and add your own personalized embroidered touch for a fraction of the cost.  In my case, $2.99.

Embroidered Favor Bags

Fall parties are in the air and a party is not complete without goodies.  Why not set the tone for the festive goodies you plan on giving by putting them in a one of a kind favor bag.

Embroidery...it's not just fabric anymore.  These embroidered favor bags are made out of brown paper bags.

To make your own embroidered favor bags go grab some brown paper bags.  In pencil, draw out a design you like centered on the front of the paper bag.  Thread embroidery floss into a needle and knot the end.  Start embroidering with the needle inside of the bag. 

As I was embroidering the intricate spiderweb design, I grew weary...weary of all the detail and surprised at how time consuming it was.  So...

The second bag I embroidered had a more simple spiderweb design.  Inside of using small dashes to complete the intricate spiderweb, the simpler web took only 27 straight stitches and took less than 12 minutes.

The embroidered bags, though cute, were missing something...a spider. 

Folded the top of the paper bag over.  Punch 2 holes in the top of the bag.  String orange ribbon through the holes.  Tie the ribbon and then secure a spider ring to the bottom of one side of the ribbon.

Intricate spiderweb...

 or simple spiderweb...

these Halloween goodie bags definitely make a statement.

Brown paper packages tied up with ribbons and spiders.  That's how that song goes, right?