Author Archives: Dana Batho

About a week ago I wrote a post about the ArtRage app that I’ve been playing with over the last year or so. I’ve found it to be really helpful in allowing me to draw and paint again, even if … Read More

Hi all! I thought I’d share a wonderful app I stumbled upon a little over a year ago to allow me to paint and draw again. And I’m not getting paid anything to write this review, I’m not getting anything … Read More

Welcome to the beginner cross stitch tutorials! These two videos will help you start with the very basics of learning to cross stitch — the materials you’ll need and how to actually do a cross stitch.   Disclosure: Please note … Read More

For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to harness creative thinking, and how to help people who would like to add more creativity to their lives. Since starting this blog, I’ve realized that so much … Read More

Welcome to my art gallery!   These images are spanning the last two decades or so of my work, and show some of the variety of media that I’ve explored. I’m heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance and Ancient Greece, … Read More

I’ve always made things and come up with unique solutions to problems (in all parts of my life), but I know that for many people they’re just not used to thinking “sideways.” Thinking out of the box is definitely a … Read More

Try as I might, I just could not get comfortable stitching the past week or two. Maybe it’s returning to the ice and snow in Ottawa that’s exacerbating my pain, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, I needed … Read More

Floral? She said floral? Anyone who knows me knows I really dislike traditional floral pieces, I find them too dainty and girly (which I am not, Coco is far daintier than I ever could be). Even though I’m still working … Read More

Even though I’m nowhere near done, I’m pretty happy with how this Michelangelo cross stitch piece is going so far. I think the original drawing is being rendered quite nicely in cross stitch, and the motion and direction of my … Read More

  I bought my scroll bar frame about a month ago, and I love it so far. Right now the piece I’m working on will take a few months to do, but looking into the future I’m thinking I may … Read More

I’m really enjoying using my new scroll bar frame, but when I bought it I decided to not get it with the bottom lap piece. I’m going to be travelling with it so I didn’t want to end up carrying … Read More

      I’m not working from home at the moment, so I needed to figure out a way to follow my pattern. I usually upload my pattern to my iPad and use the Cross Stitch to Go app, but … Read More

My first post from my phone, I hope this ends up looking ok. So after several hours of playing with and redesigning areas of the pattern for my newest cross stitch piece, I was happy with what the drawing was … Read More

Well, it took me a lot longer than I thought it was going to (judging by how long it had taken me to do the two previous patterns I made), but I finally finished the first of my life drawings … Read More

Hello and welcome to my new site, Handy Little Gadget! This site is named in honour of my parents – speaking once to my Dad about some creative project my Mum was shoulder deep in (which isn’t hard, she’s tiny), … Read More