Embroidery will look really good and be much easier to execute. I have a good book which helps with embellishment ideas, it is "The Magic of Crazy Quilting : A Complete Resource for Embellished Quilting (2nd ed.) author, J. Marsha Michler.
You don't have to be an expert to create little creatures to "hide" in your work, just master a few lazy daisies, stem stitch and french knots and you'll be sweet. When you do tiny things, don't overthink it, a spider can be created by using satin stitch for the two body parts, a couple of french knots up the head end and a couple of straight stitches pointing the appropriate ways for legs, you can also use beads and other bits and pieces. Have a play and I'm sure you'll be an experti in no time.