Creating Me

Highlights from our trip to the UP of Michigan

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

We recently took a road trip around the UP of Michigan and I wanted to share a few highlights from our trip. We had the most beautiful weather and it was a nice break from the Alabama summer heat!

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We started our trip at Bronners Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth. It’s not in the UP, but we had to make a stop. They say they are the largest Christmas shop in the world and have just about any kind of Christmas ornament you could possibly want. There are lots of nativity sets and fun displays all over the store. And of course the giant Santa outside! If you love Christmas it’s a fun place to stop. Give yourself plenty of time to explore. 🎄

We went up to Sault Ste. Marie in the UP and took a boat tour with Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours through the Soo Locks. It was so fun and interesting to be on the boat as it rose or fell to meet the level of the water in the different parts of Saint Marys River and continue on along the coasts of both the US and Canada for a 90+ minute tour. The first photo below is the bow of our tour boat. The 2nd is the gate holding the water back as we were at the lower water level. The 3rd shows how low we were compared to the top of the lock. And the 4th shows our great captain keeping the lines taut as we rose with the water level – we were about half way at this point. I’m sure someone else can explain all the mechanics of how this works much better than I can – I just really enjoyed the tour and ride. 🙂

Our next stop was the Upper Tahquamenon Falls. By following a recently built accessible boardwalk through the surrounding forest, it’s an easy walk to get to the falls. The boardwalk has 5 switchbacks with landings where you can get different views of the falls. The brownish color of the falls is from tannins in surrounding swamps. This was one of my favorite stops!

We took a Pictured Rocks Cruise along the shores of Lake Superior. The tour lasted about 2 hours and took us along the shore to see the beautiful Pictured Rocks that you can really only see from the water. In the photos below you can see Miners Castle, Grand Portal, Flower Vase, Painted Coves, Spray Falls, and East Channel Lighthouse in Munising Bay (even though it looks like a church!) These photos a just a tiny fraction of the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. If you find yourself in the UP of Michigan, I highly recommend taking a cruise along the lakeshore! And if you’re adventurous, you can take a kayak tour along the shore.

On the Keweenaw Peninsula we found this unassuming bakery called Jam Pot. It is run by the Holy Protection Monastery, a Byzantine Catholic Monastery, and they make delicious baked goods, jams, jellies, candies and more. The individual caramels are amazing!! Definitely worth the stop!

We made a quick stop at the northern most point of Lake Michigan which was fun because we grew up on the southern shores of the lake. 🙂

There were beautiful flowers in bloom everywhere!

One thing we didn’t do on this trip was to take the ferry to Mackinac Island because we did that a few years ago, but I highly recommend visiting the island if you get a chance. You can read about our visit in this post.

Michigan is a beautiful place to visit filled with miles of lakeshore, fun little towns, lots of pine trees, and yummy pasties up north. 🙂

Anita

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Big Birthday Balloon – Handmade Card

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

This Big Birthday Balloon card is so fun! And it’s super quick and easy to make. 😊

You’ll need a 3 inch circle punch and a 1 inch heart punch. Punch a circle from patterned paper and attach it to coordinating pattern paper, overlapping the top left corner. Trim the balloon to match the corner of the paper. Punch a heart from the same paper as the balloon. Turn it upside down and attach it to the paper with the point slightly under the balloon. Attach this piece to a white card.

Tie a knot in a piece of red/white bakers twine. Glue the knot to the balloon and glue the twine in a couple of places on the card.

I stamped the sentiment with red ink on white card stock, die cut around it with these Scalloped & Stitched Sentiment Nesting Dies, and attached it to the card with foam tape.

It’s a simple and fun card that is perfect for sending big birthday wishes to anyone. 🙂

Anita

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Merry Little Christmas – August 2026 Christmas Card

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

For my August Christmas card, I inked up this discontinued little Christmas tree stamp from Amuse Studio. I’ve had it in my collection forever and it reminds me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I just love it! 🎄

Unity Stamp Company does have a stamp called Simple Little Wishes if you’re interested in a similar stamp.

I stamped the tree with Memento Rich Cocoa ink on white card stock and added color with Copic markers. Using these Scallops & Circles Nesting Dies, I die cut around the image and layered it to red card stock cut with the same die set. I stamped the sentiment (also discontinued from Amuse Studio) with red ink on white card stock, die cut around it with these Scalloped & Stitched Sentiment Nesting Dies, and layered it to red card stock cut with the same die set.

To make the card, I die cut red card stock with these Deckle & Stitches Nesting Dies and attached it to a white card. I cut patterned paper using the same die set and attached it to the card. The tree and the sentiment are attached to the card with foam tape. To finish the card, I added 4 red sequins to add a little shine.

Even though I used discontinued stamps, a cute card can be made using any smaller Christmas stamp with your favorite sentiment. Look in your collection, pull out those stamps you haven’t used in a while, and get creative!

Anita

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Crochet Pan Protectors

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

Do you stack your pans together in your cabinets? I do and I’ve been meaning to stitch up some crochet pan protectors for a while.

I found this pattern by Nana’s Crafty Home for these fun flower pan protectors. It was just what I was looking for – practical and cute! The pattern includes 5 different sizes and it would be easy to adapt the pattern to whatever size you need. Each of my pan protectors has six petals except the largest one which has nine.

I used I Love This Cotton yarn in several colors with a G/4mm crochet hook to stitch up my pan protectors. This is a great pattern for using up yarn you may have leftover from other projects. After I finished them, I lightly ironed them with my steam iron to block them and flatten out the petals.

These Crochet Pan Protectors work up quickly and are easy to make. I think they would make a fun gift for a bridal shower, housewarming, or even a college student for their apartment. You could stitch them up in various colors to match their kitchen or make them all one color.

Anita

Posted in Crochet, Gifts | Tagged Crochet, Gifts | 2 Comments

Sending Birthday Flowers – Handmade Card

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

I love this Blossomgram stamp from Unity Stamp Company! The image is a large 3.75 by 3.75m inches and is all you need to make a lovely card.

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on white card stock and colored it with Copic markers.

Using these Scallops & Rectangles Nesting Dies, I die cut around the image and layered it to salmon colored card stock. The piece is attached to a white card. I stamped the sentiment (use your favorite small birthday sentiment stamp) with black ink on salmon card stock and punched around it with a label punch. It is attached to the card with foam tape. My label punch is no longer available, but this die set would work great.

This is such a fun stamp to color and you can color it up in so many different ways. It will also be great for so many different occasions – thinking of you, just a note, or even a sympathy card done in pastel colors. You can also completely leave the sentiment off.

Anita

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Broccoli Slaw Recipe

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

This Broccoli Slaw is so tasty and it’s great for end of Summer BBQs or just about any other gathering any time of the year. 😋

It comes together quickly – just make sure to mix it up a couple of hours before you are ready to serve it so the ramen noodles have a chance to soften a bit.

Recipe for Broccoli Slaw

3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
dash Worcestershire sauce

Whisk the above ingredients together well.

10 – 12 ounce package broccoli slaw (in the produce department near the bagged salads)
2 packages ramen noodles
3/4 cup slivered almonds
4 green onions, chopped

Break the ramen noodles while still in the package. (I hit them a few times with my meat tenderizer.) Discard the seasoning packet or save it for another use. Toss together broccoli slaw, broken ramen noodles, almonds, and onions. Pour dressing over all and mix well. Refrigerate and let it sit for a couple of hours for the noodles to soften.

I have also used Splenda in place of the sugar and it works wonderfully if you need to cut back on sugar.

Serving a lot of people? This recipe is super easy to double so there will be enough for everyone! 😊

Anita

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Crochet Small Canvas Makeup Pouch

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

I found these little black canvas zippered pouches at Hobby Lobby and thought they were the perfect size for a makeup pouch for my purse. But of course I needed to dress it up a bit! 🙂

I created a crochet pattern for the pouch to slip into. Then using this Surebonder fabric hot glue, I put a thin line of glue around the top of the bag a little at a time to attach the crochet piece to the bag. Be careful to not get any glue in the zipper! I also have this Surebonder Mini Hot Glue Gun that I use just for the fabric glue so it doesn’t mix with my regular hot glue.

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 the pattern.

Crochet Small Canvas Makeup Pouch

Worsted weight yarn (4) – I used I Love This Cotton in Turquoise, Ivory, and Bright Citrus

H/5mm crochet hook

Little Black Canvas Zippered Bag (measures about 6.5 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall) – I found mine at Hobby Lobby

Fabric hot glue

Stitches used in US terms:

Chain – ch

Half Double Crochet – hdc

Slip Stitch – ss

Back Loop Only – blo

Third Loop

Chain 24 with main color.

Round 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across to the last ch. Work 3 sc in last ch. Turn your work to work on the other side of your ch. sc in each ch to the last stitch. Work 3 sc in last stitch. Join with ss to first sc. (49 stitches)

Rounds 2-4: ch 1. hdc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first hdc. (49 stitches)

Rounds 5-6: ch 1. Working in third loop, hdc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first hdc. (49 stitches)

Change to accent color.

Rounds 7-11: ch 1. Working in blo, sc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first sc. (49 stitches)

Change to main color.

Round 12: ch 1. Working in blo, hdc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first hdc. (49 stitches)

Rounds 13-15: ch 1. Working in third loop, hdc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first hdc. (49 stitches)

Round 16: ch 1. Working in third loop, sc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first sc. (49 stitches)

Round 17: ch 1. sc in same stitch as ss and in each stitch around. Join with ss to first sc. (49 stitches)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Slip little canvas tote into crocheted piece and hot glue around the top edge to secure.

Here are the links to the free PDFs…

Crochet Small Canvas Makeup Pouch pattern with photos

Crochet Small Canvas Makeup Pouch pattern without photos

I hope you enjoy this pattern!

Anita

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Simple Sympathy – Handmade Card

Posted on August 12, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

Sympathy cards aren’t the easiest to make and you usually need them quickly. I like to keep a couple on hand so I will have them when needed.

This card is simple to make. I used an oval masking stencil and applied turquoise ink to a piece of white card stock using a blender brush. I stamped the flower from the Meadow of Memory stamp set from Unity Stamp Company with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink in the center of the oval.

Using these Scallops & Rectangles Nesting Dies, I die cut around the image and attached it to a white card. I stamped the sentiment with brown ink on white card stock, die cut around it with these Scalloped & Stitched Sentiment Nesting Dies, and attached it to the card.

By changing the sentiment, this card would be great for other occasions like birthday, thinking of you, or just a note to say hello.

Anita

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Easy Cheesy Baked Spaghetti

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

Want some yummy comfort food for dinner that’s easy to make? You need to try this Cheesy Baked Spaghetti! 😋

You can find the recipe here at Passionate Penny Pincher. I made the Cheesy Baked Spaghetti in a 9×13 inch baking dish even though the recipe calls for a 10×6 inch baking dish and it turned out great! I did leave the green peppers out (I’m not a fan 🙃) and I cooked my onions along with the ground beef while it was browning.

The cheesy goodness comes from cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. My husband called it “crack spaghetti” because he went back for a big second helping! 😂

This can also be put together – except for the French’s fried onions – wrapped up tightly and put in the freezer for later. Simply thaw it in the fridge the day before and bake according to the recipe, adding the fried onions during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Add a green salad and some garlic bread and you’ll have a tasty weeknight dinner! 😋

Anita

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Crochet Goose Lovey

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Anita

Hi friends,

My godson and his wife recently had their first baby! Before she was born, they were calling her Goose. So when they asked me to stitch up a goose for her of course I said yes. 🙂

I found this sweet crochet goose pattern by Amigurumka on Etsy. It is a paid pattern, it’s written well, and easy to follow – and it’s available in 4 different languages.

I used Baby Bee Snugs & Kisses Yarn in Soft Snowflake and Bernat Blanket Brights Yarn in Carrot Orange with a J/6mm crochet hook to stitch up my goose lovey. You’ll also need a bit of Poly-fil for stuffing just the head and the beak.

The body, legs, and wings are not stuffed making it easy for little hands to cuddle up with. The yarn is so soft and squishy and the eyes are embroidered on so there’s no need to worry about safety eyes falling off.