A Cross Stitch Here, A Cross Stitch There

If you haven't tried cross-stitch before, you may be surprised to discover that it's easier than you think. I fell in love with the adorableness of Stitch People, and pretty soon found myself stitching up entire family portraits (for my and my husband's side of the family) for Mother's Day. 

The process was fun, relatively quick, and totally painless (except for a few needle pokes here and there). Since making the initial family portraits, I've made a few as gifts for friends and some other non-portrait cross-stitched pieces for other projects.

If you're new to the art form, Lizzy makes it easy with super simple starter kits and tons of patterns and inspiration, some of which are entirely free. All you need to get started is some Aida fabric, a hoop, some floss, a needle, and some scissors. Then just like that—you're a cross-stitcher!