Creating Me

A Look Back At 2025

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

The year always goes by so fast!! 😳 I love to take a look back and remember all the fun, creative things I’ve been able to share with you throughout the year. You can find a few of my favorites below. 🥰

Disclosure: Some of the links on my site are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I created 19 new crochet patterns in 2025. Below are a few of my favorites. 😊 All of my crochet patterns are free here on the blog and most of them have links to free PDFs as well. Click on each photo to go to the post for each project. If you type “crochet” in the search bar on the right, you’ll find lots of crochet inspiration from me as well as projects from other talented designers that I’ve made.

If you’ve followed CreatingMe for a minute, you know that I love making cards! I have a crazy amount of rubber stamps and other supplies so I have to put them to good use. 😉 Here is just a sampling of what I made in 2025. Click on each photo for all the details on each card. Type “card” in the search bar for lots more card making inspiration.

You’ll also find other crafty projects that I created this year. Again, click on each photo for all the details. 😊

I shared a few recipes, too. 😋

We found time to take a Gatlinburg Getaway in May and another short weekend there in October. The bear sighting was in October – so fun! And yes, we kept our distance!

My husband also went through radiation treatment for cancer this year. It went well and we have every reason to believe it was successful. We will find out for sure in January and it will be good to put that behind us.

2026 is sure to bring a lot of changes for us since my husband retired! We just got back from a 3 week celebration road trip around Florida ending with Christmas in New Orleans – I’ll share more about that soon.

I’m looking forward to creating lots of fun, beautiful, crafty projects to share with you in 2026! I hope you’ll take some time to be creative along with me this year.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉

Anita

Posted in Cards, Crochet, Gifts, Recipes, Travel | Tagged Cards, Crochet, Gifts | 2 Comments

Easy Black Bean Salad

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

This Easy Black Bean Salad is a great quick dinner when you don’t feel like cooking. 😉 It comes together in just minutes so it’s perfect for even the busiest of days!

Here’s what you’ll need…

1 lb lean ground beef

1 (15.25 oz) can black beans

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

your favorite bagged salad mix

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

Simply brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain. Add the black beans and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until heated through. Place desired amount of salad mix on serving plates. Top with the black bean mixture. Sprinkle with desired amount of cheese and add a dollop of sour cream.

It couldn’t be easier! You can season the ground beef with taco seasoning for even more flavor. Or if you’re more adventurous than me, you could add some jalapeños to spice it up! It would also be great over sliced avocados instead of the salad mix.

It’s a simple recipe to double – and it freezes well. So make up a batch or 2 to have on hand for a quick dinner when you need it.

Anita

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Crochet Ridged Color Block Baby Blanket

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

I shared this Crochet Ridged Color Block Baby Blanket pattern a few years ago and thought I’d share it again. It will be the perfect project to start off the new year and will keep you warm as you’re stitching it up on those cold January days. 😉

I used Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek yarn in White, Light Gray, and Sage with an H/5mm hook to stitch up my blanket. The finished blanket measures about 29 by 30 inches. You can find the pattern below and I’ve included a link to free PDFs – one with photos and one without – for easy printing.

Crochet Ridged Color Block Baby Blanket

Worsted Weight Yarn – I used Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek in White, Light Gray, and Sage (approximately 6 ounces each of White and Light Gray and 7 ounces of Sage)

H/5mm hook

Stitches used US terms:
Chain – ch
Single Crochet – sc
Foundation Double Crochet – fdc
Double Crochet – dc
Front Post Double Crochet – fpdc
Back Post Double Crochet – bpdc
Slip Stitch – ss
Back Loop Only – blo

Pattern repeat is multiples of 5 plus 4

Note: ch 2 at beginning of row counts as 1st dc stitch.

Begin with White.

Row 1: Work 94 fdc. Turn. (94 stitches)

Row 2: ch 2 (counts as 1st stitch). Skip 1st dc, dc in each stitch across. Turn. (94 stitches)

Row 3: ch 2 (counts as 1st stitch). Skip 1st dc, dc in next 3 stitches. fpdc in next stitch. dc in next 4 stitches, fpdc in next stitch Repeat from * to * across to last 4 stitches. dc in last 4 stitches. Turn. (94 stitches)

Row 4: ch 2 (counts as 1st stitch). Skip 1st dc, dc in next 3 stitches. bpdc in next stitch. dc in next 4 stitches, bpdc in next stitch Repeat from * to * to last 4 stitches. dc in last 4 stitches. Turn. (94 stitches)

Rows 5-22: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 Nine times. (94 stitches)

Change to Sage.

Rows: 23-44: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 Eleven times. (94 stitches)

Change to Light Gray.

Rows: 45-64: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 Ten times.

Row 65: ch 2 (counts as first stitch). dc in each stitch across. (94 stitches)

Do not turn after last row.

Change to Sage.

Border:

Begin working in Rounds. Do not turn at the end of each round.

Round 1: ch 1. sc crochet evenly around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with ss to first sc. Do not turn.

Rounds 2-3: ch 1. sc in blo of each stitch around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with ss to first sc.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finished blanket measures about 29 by 30 inches.

Here are the links to the free PDF…

.Crochet Ridged Color Block Baby Blanket pattern with photos

Crochet Ridged Color Block Baby Blanket pattern without photos

This pattern works up quickly and you can easily adjust the size you want to make your blanket. You can make it in color blocks, stripes, or even one color. What color will you make your blanket?

Anita

Posted in Baby, Crochet, Gifts | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas 2025🎄

Posted on December 25, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Sending warm wishes for a Merry Christmas to all of you! 🎄

I hope your day is filled with lots of love, joy, and laughter. ❤️

You can find the details for this card here.

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Anita

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Christmastime in Key West

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Key West, FL in December was amazing! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the Key Lime pie was 😋😋!

They also go all out with the Christmas lights and decorations! Here are a few of my favorites. Not only are the lights and decorations beautiful, the houses and buildings are just stunning! I hope you enjoy these photos.

Merry Christmas Eve! 🎄

Anita

Posted in Christmas | Tagged Christmas | 4 Comments

Connect with Creatingme! 😊

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

I just wanted to pop in really quickly during this busy holiday time to let you know that when the days settle down a bit in January (hopefully 😉) I would love to connect with you on my other social media pages along with here on the blog. I know that we all have tons of things pulling at us from all directions, but I hope we can all take a little time to be creative in 2026!

If you’re not already following my blog, you can enter your email in the box on the right and you’ll receive an email each time there’s a new post available. You can also follow my Pinterest account here where I pin my own things along with tons of inspiration from others. I have a Creatingme Facebook page here and an Instagram account here.

This is a tiny sampling of my previous projects – looking forward to sharing many, many more fun projects with you!😊

Anita

Posted in Cards, Crochet, Decor, Gifts | Tagged Cards, Crochet, Decor, Gifts | Leave a comment

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars 😋

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Looking for a dessert to add to your Christmas festivities? 🎄 These yummy Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars may be just the thing! 😋

I found the recipe here at Mom on Timeout. Butter, chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk with cocoa powder mixed in, and pecans – I mean, it has to be good right?!?! You’ll make them in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan so there will be plenty for everyone.

The bars have a buttery shortbread crust baked for a few minutes…

Then topped with chocolate chips and pecans…

And then the chocolate sweetened condensed milk is drizzled on top and you’ll pop them back in the oven…

This is how they look after baking…And they smell Ah-mazing!!!

But they taste even better!!

These tasty bars will be great for any gathering over the holidays or even for a special after school treat. Thanks to Mom on Timeout for this delicious recipe!

Anita

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Last Minute Christmas Gift Tags

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Still need a few Last Minute Christmas Gift Tags for wrapping those last few presents? 🎁

These tags only take a few minutes to make and you can use any small Christmas stamp you have in your collection.

My little Santa penguin is from the Chilly Chatter stamp set from Unity Stamp Company. I stamped him with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him with Copic makers.

I punched around the image with an oval punch. I layered it to a scalloped oval punched from red card stock. I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch a hole in the top of the tag and tied it with red/white bakers twine.

Pull out your favorite little Christmas stamp and create those Last Minute Christmas Gift Tags you need. 🎄🎁

Anita

Posted in Christmas, Gifts, Stamping | Tagged Christmas, Gifts, Stamping | Leave a comment

Nights of Lights in St. Augustine

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

We were in St. Augustine, FL earlier this month and the historic district was all decked out for Christmas.🎄

The Nights of Lights begins in mid-November and lasts to early January. There are millions of lights everywhere! You can take a trolley tour, carriage ride, or just walk through the district like we did.

Here are a few of the photos I snapped during our stroll through the area. So beautiful – but it looks so much more amazing in real life!

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Anita

Posted in Christmas, Travel | Tagged Christmas, Travel | Leave a comment

Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloth

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

The Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloth works up so quickly! A set in red, green, and white makes a fun hostess gift or they also make great stocking stuffers. ♥️💚🤍

I used I Love This Cotton yarn in Red, Bright Green, and White with an H/5mm crochet hook to stitch up my dishcloths. You can find the pattern below along with links to free PDFs – one with photos and one without – if you’d like to easily print it.

Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloth

Worsted weight (4) cotton yarn – I used I Love This Cotton in White, Red, and Bright Green

H/5mm crochet hook

Stitches used in US terms:

Chain – ch

Single Crochet – sc

Slip Stitch – ss

Chain 23

Row 1: sc in the back loop of the 2nd chain from hook and in each ch across. ch 1 and turn. (22 stitches)

Rows 2-20: sc in first stitch. *Skip 1 stitch, work 2 sc in next stitch.* Repeat from * to * across to the last stitch. sc in last stitch. ch 1 and turn. (22 stitches)

Row 21: sc in each stitch across. (22 stitches)

Do not turn at the end of the last row.

Border:

Begin working in rounds.

Round 1: ch 1. sc evenly around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with ss to 1st sc.

Round 2: ch 1. sc in each stitch around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with ss to 1st sc.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finished dishcloth measures about 6.25 by 6.25 inches.

Here are the links to the free PDFs…

Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloth pattern with photos

Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloth pattern without photos

For gifting, I fold up my Crochet Christmas Grit Stitch Dishcloths and add a simple label wrap around them. I’ve created a free PDF for the label wrap and you can find it at the link below.

Crochet DIshcloth Label