In my daily browsing of Etsy shops, I have discovered so many creative and adorable things.  I love the whole ‘handmade’ aspect of that site!

The other day, I stumbled upon a little shop called Nea that totally inspired me to pick up an old hobby I used to have — cross stitching. My mom and Grammy taught me the basics back in the day and I remember how much fun I used to have making little projects and gifts.  My mom actually still has something I made for her when I was 7 years old hanging in her kitchen. She must really love me or something, because that little stitched strawberry is a tad ghetto.

Anyway, my mom dug out a bunch of old floss she had and I bought some Aida fabric at Michael’s and decided to try my hand at it once again.  I whipped up this little bird on a branch while watching The Office last night (pattern found online at Martha Stewart).

In keeping with the whole semi-homemade gift giving concept, I’m thinking my Christmas gifts are going to get a little crafty this year.  I can’t wait to get started!