A Cute Idea for a Cross-Stitched Scene

I was poking around on Etsy recently, as I do, and I came across this cute little cross stitched scene made to go in a mint tin.

The one I saw was this seasonally appropriate ghost tin, but the designer, Murder Puffin, as of this writing has nearly 20 of these cute little projects, ranging from crytpids and aliens to gnomes and mermaids.

This is such a cute idea and would be a great way to present a tiny cross stitch world to a little kid or an older person who loves whimsy.

To go back to the ghost project in particular, this one uses 14 count fabric in black and white depending on the part of the project. It uses 23 colors and is sized to fit a regular Altoids tin. (Raise your hand if, like me, you’ve got a stack of these you’re sure you’ll find a project for some day? This just might be the project!)

On this project there is a nighttime graveyard scene that sits in the inside of the top of the tin, and a little skeleton in its coffin for the bottom. The ghost, its blanket and RIP pillow are all removable, and there’s a little piece for the top of the tin that says Beware. The skeleton and the ghost can be worked with glow in the dark embroidery floss to make them even creepier.

I love these little projects and all the details that are included, and it would be a super cute way to give a gift of cross stitch to someone. You could even still make it a little sewing kit or art kit (which is a classic Altoids tin reuse) but line the tin with cross stitch minis or other little designs. These would be fun to do for different holidays, too, and you could change out the display every month or with different holidays.

Don’t you just love it when random scrolling turns inspirational? What kind of cross stitch would you do in a mint tin?

[Photo: Murder Puffin]

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20 Snow Globe Cross-Stitch Patterns

This time of year I always start thinking about vacations, and while I don’t think I’ll be seeing the beach this year, I could stitch up one of these beach themed cross stitch patterns, which would be perfect if you live near the beach or have a beach house to decorate.

First there are these teeny projects from Bella Rose Craft. This set of minis includes a seagull and a starfish, and they are each shown in their own 1.5 by 2 inch/3.8 by 5 cm frames, though the pattern has them together on one chart. The gull is 17 by 20 stitches and the starfish is 16 by 16.

Speaking of seagulls, I love this little seagull sampler that also includes anchors, sailboats and a life preserver, among other summer symbols. This one is from Bees on Toast Shop (would love to know the story of that name!) and uses only full cross stitches and 8 colors. The sample is shown in a 6-inch hoop.

If you want to get literal with your beach stitching, try this project that says beach and includes sand, sea, sun and lots of other fun stuff within the letters. The design is from Stitchrovia and measures 252 by 85 stitches. On 14 count fabric that would be 18 by 6.1 inches, or 45.7 by 15.4 cm. Sizing for other fabric counts are included if you want to make yours smaller. The pattern uses 21 colors.

Stitch up a project that says “wish you were here” or “wish I were there” with this one from The Little Art Veranda. It shows two chairs on the beach in front of what I’ve decided is the sunset (which kind of looks like an egg, but I like it). It uses 9 colors and only full cross stitches. It’s 140 by 140 stitches and fits perfectly in a 10 inch hoop if stitched on 14 count fabric.

Or make the beach modern art with this fun wave design from Box and Fox worked in three shades of blue. It measures 110 by 10 stitches, which is 7.8 inches or 19.96 cm square on 14 count fabric. Despite the dramatic look this would be a great option for someone new to cross stitch.

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