We’re wandering on over to Oakland, CA to check out The Institute of Mosaic Arts. They offer over 80 different classes over the course of their season. 80 mosaic classes!! That’s so cool! I want to go for a drive and expand my mosaic skills. Classes are offered to all levels of experience…beginner, intermediate and advanced. Such topics as Mosaic 101, Indirect Mosaic Techniques, Exterior and Garden Techniques, as well as a bunch of visiting art classes from artists like Josef Norris, Laurel True and Isaiah Zagar. There are so many interesting classes I’m not even mentioning. Go check out their site to find out more!!
Have you read?
Designer Spotlight: Rina Stitch
Rina Stitch, a Ukraine-based cross stitch designer, has a wide range of cross stitch designs to suit a lot of different tastes.
Of their more than 280 patterns as of this writing, 69 fall under a Christmas theme, but there’s also Easter patterns, boho designs, flowers, gnomes and more.
Since it is the biggest category and we’re still sort of in that season, let’s check in on the Christmas cross stitch section. There are lots of fun, classic motifs like a Christmas tree in the back of a red truck, a snowman holding a heart ornament, bells and lanterns and gingerbread houses. There are hot chocolate mugs and lots of gnomes, penguins and bunnies in holiday situations.
One of their patterns to first catch my eye, though, was this Easter egg stitched in pretty pastel flowers. The design is 67 by 93 stitches, which comes to 4.79 by 6.64 inches or 12.16 by 16.87 cm when stitched on 14 count fabric. It uses 11 colors and includes full cross stitches, backstitch and beading. (There are beads in the centers of the flowers, which you could omit but it’s a lovely effect.)
Another fun section to check out is the lettering section, which includes letter designs made with flowers, as well as a script font you can use on other projects. You can buy letters individually, say if you want to make a project for a baby’s room or make the initials of a couple for a wedding present, or you can buy the full set as one download.
If you like the boho look, there are some fun projects here for you, too. Mountains, succulents, llamas and more can grace your walls with these fun designs. I of course love the cat in the window with plants, but that’s because the cat is black and I have a black cat, too.
Check out Rina Stitch on Etsy for all this and more, and let me know if you know a designer I should put in the spotlight!
[Photo: Rina Stitch]