Creating Me

Crochet Chevron Baby Blanket

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Anita

I so love crocheting blankets for new little babies. It’s so fun to pick out the pattern and colors I’m going to use each time. This one is for a sweet little boy that will be here soon.

I fell in love with this pattern by Leelee Knits as soon as I saw it. I love the soft waves of the chevron pattern – so different from the normal chevron pattern. I followed the pattern to get started, but changed the stripe sequence and added more rows to make it more of a square. My finished blanket ended up to be about 36 by 39 inches.

I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in Grey Heather, Soft Blue, and White with an H hook. I started with the blue and crocheted 9 rows. Then I continued with 9 rows of each color. The color order I used was blue, white, grey, blue, grey, white, blue for a total of 63 rows. Then I crocheted a border of 3 rows of single crochet in grey.

I love the way this turned out! It’s big enough to cover a car seat or to lay on the floor for tummy time. I hope the new mommy likes it, too. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Crochet, Gifts | 8 Comments

Crochet Kendall Square Infinity Scarf

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Anita

A sweet friend asked if I would make her an infinity scarf. She lives in northern Indiana and it gets quite cold up there in the winter so I was happy to make one for her!

I chose this free Kendall Square Infinity Scarf pattern by Kristina Olson that I found on Ravelry – which is a great place to find all kinds of crochet patterns! I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby in Gray Mist with a K hook.

Here’s a closeup of the pattern…

I really love the infinity scarves that are long enough to double up and keep you snuggly and warm!

I hope my friend doesn’t mind that I tried her scarf on to make sure the length was good. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Easy Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Anita

I love any and all things with cinnamon! This is a super quick and easy cinnamon swirl loaf – and I’ll bet you have everything you need to make it in your kitchen right now.

The recipe can be found here on the Love Foodies blog. It really is super easy to make and your kitchen will smell wonderful!

Note: to substitute for the buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a measuring cup and then add regular milk to measure 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes. This recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups buttermilk so I added a little more than a tablespoon of vinegar and then added my milk to measure 1 1/4 cups.

Here it is just before I put it in the oven…

And this is fresh and hot from the oven…

After I drizzled it with the sweet glaze…

Sliced and ready to eat!!

This is so yummy with a cup of hot coffee or tea – or maybe a big glass of cold milk for a special breakfast treat! 🙂

Next time I think I may add a little cinnamon to the glaze – because you can never have too much cinnamon. 😉

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Crochet Messy Bun Hat

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Anita

I finally jumped onto the band wagon and made my first Messy Bun Hat. My soon-to-be niece requested one and I decided to use this pattern from Repeat Crafter Me. I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby in black and antique white and an H hook.

I followed Sarah’s pattern but added a couple of extra rows to the band to make it just a little longer.

I hope it will keep her toasty warm. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Crochet, Gifts | 2 Comments

Hobnail Glass Candle Holders

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Anita

So…I was in Target perusing the Dollar Spot (such a fun place 🙂) and found these hobnail glass candle holders for $3 each. Although they are so pretty just as they are, I couldn’t help but think about altering them! They are a really thick, heavy glass and with all that texture I thought they would be great to paint.

I got out my white chalk-finish paint and painted them with 2 coats – making sure to let the paint dry thoroughly between coats. After the paint was completely dry, I dry-brushed them lightly with brown antique wax to soften the color a little. To finish them off, I took sand paper and lightly sanded the candle holders to distress them a bit. You can spray them lightly with a clear matte sealing spray for a little added protection if you’d like.

I love the way they turned out! It’s hard to see in the picture, but they look so pretty with a votive candle flickering inside.

They would also be great with flowers or greenery tucked inside.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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have the funnest birthday ever!

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Anita

Is this not the cutest little chick?? 😊 She’s from the Bringing Booty Back set from Unity Stamp Company and I think she made a fun birthday card for a sweet little 4-year old.

I stamped the chick with brown ink on white card stock and colored her with Copic markers. Then I sponged the bottom of the piece with green ink and the upper portion with blue ink. The sentiment (an older stamp from Amuse Studio) is stamped with brown ink at the top of the piece. The piece is layered to purple card stock and attached to a white card

I punched 4 balloons using the Balloon Bouquet Punch from Stampin’ Up from different colors of card stock. Then I embossed each balloon with a different embossing folder. I attached the orange and pink balloons directly to the card. The blue and purple balloons are attached with foam tape. I used a fine tip black marker to draw the balloon strings and attached a tiny blue ribbon bow.

A little chick delivering 4 fun balloons to a special 4-year old girl! 🎈🎈🎈🎈

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Reflections on 2016

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Anita

It’s 2017 – how did that happen?!?! Time flies by so quickly – 2016 was no exception. It was a year. A year with ups and downs, joys and sadness, life and love. Just like every other year has been, filled with so many people, things, and experiences.

2016 was the first full calendar year since we lost my Dad on June 20, 2015. It’s been a year of adjusting to the new normal. Of going home to visit and not finding him there. Of the first visit from my Mom to our home without him. Of having all the little things I remember about him hitting me out of the blue and causing the tears to flow. I miss him more than I can say. It is said that the cost of love is grief, but I wouldn’t give up the love we shared for anything. This emptiness that I feel in my heart is worth every second I had with him. And I do have great joy remembering all the wonderful memories I have of him!

This year has been filled with so many little moments of joy. Like the little 2 year old who greets me with the biggest smile while saying “Hi Miss Nita” and running to hug my leg – with his almost 7 year old sister close on his heels, not to be outdone in the hug department. And the sweet 4 year old (who I hadn’t seen for a few months) that ran as fast as she could from the car to jump into my arms and give me the biggest hug her little arms could manage. And my Marine godson coming home for a short leave and spending a bit of that time with us. And the sweet friends who have been there to love and encourage me throughout the year. And my husband who is always there – no matter what! And countless other moments…

I was also blessed to cross something off my bucket list by taking a trip to New England in the fall. It was so gorgeous and I’m so glad we took the time to go! We also got to spend an evening on the trip with friends we hadn’t seen in years – so special!

I have the freedom to travel with my husband when he goes to conferences, so I was able to go to Austin with him and make a side trip to Magnolia Market at the Silos. A place I’ve wanted to visit, but wasn’t sure that it would ever work out. Another little joy that I was blessed with!

We’ve done all the normal things of living this year. All those mundane things like cooking, cleaning, laundry, paying the bills, shopping. We’ve also cried, laughed, and loved. We’ve lived another year, made memories, spent time with those we love. It’s been a hard year in some ways and a wonderful year in others. It’s been a year just like yours…

Wishing you a wonderful year in 2017 – filled with love, laughter, and life!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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White Chocolate Dipped Oreos

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Anita

Do you need a tasty treat for the New Year celebration? Here’s a fun, easy, no bake Oreo cookie option.

All you need are Oreos (I’m using the holiday kind with red creme – but the regular white creme is ok, too!), vanilla Candyquik (also known as almond bark), and sprinkles or crushed hard candy (I’m using peppermints and red sugar sprinkles 🙂).

Melt the Candyquick in the microwave according to the package directions. Then dip the Oreos into the melted candy to coat. Place on waxed paper and sprinkle immediately with sprinkles or crushed candy. The Candyquick will set as it cools.

And that’s it! Easy peasy! And tastes so yummy! Change the color of sprinkles or type of crushed candy and you can make these any time of the year. Oh, and they are really good with the double stuffed Oreos, too! 😉

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Christmas Thank You Card

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Anita

I can’t believe that it’s already the 27th of December!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Do you need to send a few thank you notes to some special people? Here’s a card that works up quickly – you can make several in just a few minutes.

The stamps are from the Festival of Trees set by Stampin’ Up and the embossing folder is from Sizzix. The tree and label punches are also from Stampin’ Up. The scalloped oval punch is from Marvy Uchida. Companies are constantly changing their products, so if you can’t find the specific stamp or punch just look for something similar – or look in your stash and use what you already have. 🙂

To make the card, stamp the tree with green ink on white card stock. Stamp the ornaments with red ink over the tree. Punch out with the tree punch and attach with foam tape to a scalloped oval punched from red card stock. Stamp sentiment with black ink on red card stock and punch with label punch.

Emboss a piece of white card stock with the snowflake embossing folder and attach to a white card. Atttach tree and sentiment to the card with foam tape.

This was a fun card to make! And if you really want to get a jump on next year, change the sentiment to Merry Christmas and you’ll have some Christmas cards ready!! 🎄

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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Our Visit to Magnolia Market at the Silos

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Anita

Earlier this month I was so excited to make a trip to Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, TX. My hubby had a conference in Austin, and since it is less than 2 hours from Waco, of course I tagged along – I wasn’t going to let him get that close without taking me with him! So glad we added some extra time to make the drive to Magnolia Market. 🙂

It was a gorgeous day, lots of blue sky and sunshine. We arrived just in time for lunch. There are several food trucks on the grounds with everything from gourmet grilled cheese to BBQ to coffee. They have lots of picnic tables set up so you can enjoy your lunch while watching families playing on the lawn – throwing the frisbee and football and just running around having fun!

We spent a little time after lunch enjoying the grounds. The swings were so much fun and this bench was nestled among fresh evergreen trees – it smelled heavenly!

There is a cute little building that houses Magnolia Seed & Supply. It is filled with fun gardening supplies including packets of seeds to plant your own garden. In the area in front of the building is a garden filled with beds for flowers and vegetables.

And of course we took advantage of this cool vintage truck for a photo op. 🙂

After playing it was time for some shopping! Magnolia Market is everything you would think it would be if you are a fan of Fixer Upper on HGTV. It is filled with gorgeous decor for every room in your home as well as t-shirts, mugs, and, this time of year, cute Christmas items. Joanna’s signature style is everywhere and Chip has his own corner with tools, hats, and other fun things. Here are a couple of shots from inside the store. I wish I had taken more – I was just so busy looking at everything!!! There is so much attention to detail – the displays are wonderful! And just so you know – there is a FedEx counter in the lower level. Made it much easier for us to purchase a few things without worrying how we would carry them home on the plane. 😉

We finished our day with yummy cupcakes from the Silos Baking Co. It was so hard to choose! Not only cupcakes but cookies and other sweet goodies with the attention to detail you would expect – all the way down to the cute way they wrap the cupcakes!

The Magnolia Market at the Silos is such a beautiful, relaxing place to visit. We spent some time just sitting, relaxing, and people watching. The people were so friendly and helpful – from the greeter as you walk onto the property, to the food truck vendors, to the employees in the store and bakery, all the way to the FedEx workers – they really made us feel welcome.

I don’t know when we’ll be back this way again, but whenever we are within a couple of hours of Waco, TX we will be making another trip to Magnolia Market at the Silos!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Decor, Travel, Uncategorized | 2 Comments