Creating Me

Merry Little Christmas – January 2024 Christmas Card

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

It’s time to start making a few Christmas cards each month to be ready when the season comes to send them out. 🙂 This will be my 3rd year of doing this and it’s made such a difference! I hope you’ll join me this year in building up your Christmas card stash. 🎄

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.

If I’m being honest, I wasn’t feeling much Christmas inspiration this month so January’s card is clean and simple. 🙂

I used the Ornamental Greetings stamp set from Unity Stamp Company to create a simple ornament for the front of my card. The set includes 4 different stamps for making ornaments. My set also included 2 circle dies and the ornament topper die – but I’m not sure they are still available. 🤔

I stamped the sentiment with red ink on white card stock and die cut it with a 2.5 inch circle die and layered it to a 3 inch circle die cut from red card stock. (This is a great set of circle dies.) I die cut the ornament topper from silver mirrored card stock and attached it to the top of the circle. Then I tied on a piece of red and white bakers twine for the hanger. You can also punch a hole in place of the ornament topper and turn it into a tag instead.

I embossed a piece of green card stock with a berry branch embossing folder and attached it to a white card. This embossing folder is discontinued, but any “Christmas-y” folder will work great – I think this one would be pretty. Then I attached the ornament to the card with foam tape.

Sometimes just getting into your craft room can get your creative juices flowing. I like the way this card turned out! It’s a simple and quick card with a heartfelt Christmas wish. And it can be made with any simple Christmas sentiment or image stamp that fits into a circle. 🙂

Looking forward to making more Christmas cards in 2024! 🎄

Anita

Posted in Cards, Christmas, Stamping | Tagged Cards, Christmas, Stamping | 11 Comments

Sending Warm Valentine Wishes (Handmade Card)

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

This sweet snowman with his little heart patch and heart balloon is perfect for Sending Warm Valentine Wishes. ❤️ He’s from the Unity Stamp Company stamp set called Love to My Heart and that cute tiny penguin just adds to his charm. 😊

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 stamped the snowman with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on white card stock and colored him with Copic markers. I used the Scallops & Arches Nesting Dies from Unity Stamp Company to die cut around the image. The sentiment is from the Snow What Fun stamp set also from Unity. I stamped it with red ink on white card stock, punched it with a scalloped circle punch, and layered it to a scalloped circle punched from pink card stock.

To make the card, I embossed a piece of red card stock with a heart embossing folder and attached it to a white card. My embossing folder is discontinued, but this one would be cute. I attached the snowman image with foam tape and then attached the sentiment piece with foam tape onto the snowman piece. To finish the card, I added Diamond Glaze to the balloon for a little shine.

This is a little different twist on a Valentine card, but I love how it turned out! Take a look at your stamp collection and see what you have that you can turn into a Valentine card. ❤️❤️❤️

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping, Valentine | Tagged Cards, Stamping, Valentine | 6 Comments

Super Easy Crochet Valentine Wreath

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

This is such a fun and easy way to make a sweet Valentine Wreath for your front door – and to use up some scrap yarn! 💕

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.

You’ll need a wooden wreath ring, some size 7/jumbo yarn (I used Sweet Snuggles in Pink), and an N/9mm crochet hook.

Crochet a simple chain to wrap around your wreath form. Mine measured about 18-19 feet, without stretching. Using hot glue, attach one end to the back of the wreath and wrap your chain around the form being careful not to twist it. Continue around until the wreath form is covered and attach the other end with hot glue. If your chain isn’t long enough, just add a few more stitches as needed.

Make a smaller chain to tie around the top to hang the wreath. I added a little hot glue to the front and back to keep the hanging loop in place.

You can also use a styrofoam wreath form to make your wreath but you will need to make your chain longer.

Now it’s time to embellish your wreath! I had some wood heart cutouts in my crafting stash in 2 different sizes – you can find them at Hobby Lobby or Dollar Tree in the seasonal section. I traced around the large heart on red card stock and the smaller hearts on patterned scrapbook paper and cut them out.

Using Mod Podge with a foam brush, I adhered the paper to the wood hearts. I also brushed a thin layer of Mod Podge over the top of the hearts to add a little shine. I glued the small hearts to the large hearts with hot glue and then hot glued the hearts to the wreath.

I created a bow using various ribbons and hot glued it to the top of the wreath.

It turned out so cute! 💕 And it was a great way to use up that last bit of yarn I had in my stash. 😉 This is a fun project that will add a little bit of love to your Valentine decor. 💕

Not a crocheter? No worries! You can just wrap the wreath form with the yarn and then add your embellishments. The texture will be a little different, but it will still be very cute. 💕 You can see my Yarn Wrapped Valentine Wreath in this post.

Anita

Posted in Crochet, Decor, Valentine | Tagged Crochet, Decor, Valentine | Leave a comment

Cozy Crochet Granite Stitch Baby Blanket

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

My oldest godson and his sweet wife had their second little boy in November 2023 and of course this precious little one needed his own special blanket! 🙂

The Cozy Crochet Granite Stitch Baby Blanket is made with Baby Bee Snugs & Kisses yarn which is super squishy and snuggly when it’s stitched up. The Granite Stitch (aka the Moss Stitch) is a great stitch for beginners and seasoned crocheters alike. It’s a simple repeat of single crochet and chain stitches and the texture really shows up using this super bulky yarn.

I used an N/9mm crochet hook (sometimes labeled size M) to stitch up my blanket. The Baby Bee Snugs & Kisses yarn is a 6/Super Bulky yarn that is so soft.

The pattern is below along with a link to a free PDF if you’d like to easily print it.

Cozy Crochet Granite Stitch Baby Blanket

Baby Bee Snugs & Kisses Yarn (6 Super Bulky)- Soft Snowflake – 2 (8 ounce) Skeins, Blueberry – 1 (8 ounce) Skein, Baby Jade – 1 (8 ounce) Skein

N (or M)/9mm crochet hook

Stitches used in US terms:

Chain – ch

Single Crochet – sc

Slip Stitch – ss

Back Loop Only – blo

With Soft Snowflake ch 68.

Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook. *ch 1, skip 1 ch, sc in the next ch* Repeat from * to * to the end of the ch. You should end with a sc in the last ch. Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 2: ch 1. sc in the 1st sc, sc in the next ch 1 space. *ch 1, sc in next ch 1 space.* Repeat from * to * last sc, sc in the last sc. Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 3: ch 1. sc in the 1st sc. *ch 1, sc in next ch 1 space* Repeat from * to * to the last 2 sc. ch 1, skip 1 sc, and sc in the last sc. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 4-9: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (3 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 10: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches)

Change to Blueberry.

Row 11: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 12-19: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 20: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches)

Change to Baby Jade.

Row 21: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 22-29: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 30: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches

Change to Soft Snowflake.

Row 31: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 32-39: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 40: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches

Change to Baby Jade.

Row 41: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 42-49: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 50: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches

Change to Blueberry.

Row 51: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 52-59: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 60: Repeat Row 2. Turn. (67 stitches

Change to Soft Snowflake.

Row 61: Repeat Row 3. Turn. (67 stitches)

Rows 62-69: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (4 times). Turn. (67 stitches)

Row 70: Repeat Row 2. Do not turn at the end of this row. (67 stitches)

Continue working with Soft Snowflake.

Begin working in rounds:

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

Rounds 2-3: ch 1. sc crochet 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 28 inches by 32 inches.

Here’s the link to the free PDF…

Cozy Crochet Granite Stitch Baby Blanket

This is a thick and warm blanket – perfect to place on the floor for tummy time! You can make it striped like I did or it would also be so pretty in one solid color. Or maybe a solid color with a different color border. What color will you make your Cozy Crochet Granite Stitch Baby Blanket?

Anita

Posted in Baby, Crochet, Gifts | Tagged Baby, Crochet, Gifts | 1 Comment

Birthday Cards for Little Ones

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

I have a few cards below that I hope will inspire you when making cards for the little ones in your life. They are all the same basic layout, but look so different from each other. They all come together quickly and are sure to bring smiles. 🙂

I created these cards a couple of months ago and since I made them the stamp sets and dies have been retired over at My Favorite Things. 😞 I still wanted to share them with you because some of you may have the stamps in your collection or have something similar. And…My Favorite Things has tons of other cute stamp and die sets that you may want to check out!

All of the images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white card stock and colored with Copic markers.

The stamp set used in the card below is called Birthday Squeeze and has matching dies. After stamping and coloring the birthday girl, I used the matching die to cut around the image. I stamped the sentiment with pink ink on white card stock and punched it with a scalloped circle punch.

I die cut a piece of patterned paper with the Scallops & Rectangles Nesting Dies from Unity Stamp Company and attached it to a white card. I die cut a circle from white card stock using Scallops & Circles Nesting Dies, also from Unity, and attached it to the card. The girl and sentiment are attached with foam tape.

The images in the 2 cards below are from the Eat Lots of Cake stamp set from My Favorite Things. After stamping and coloring the images, I die cut them with the matching dies. I used the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Dies, Scallops & Squares Nesting Dies, and Scalloped & Stitched Sentiment Nesting Dies, all from Unity Stamp Company, on both of the cards for the backgrounds and sentiments. The images and sentiments are attached with foam tape.

Even though these stamp sets are retired, 😞 I hope these cards will inspire you to play with the stamps in your collection. A different stamp and a different color scheme can turn the same basic layout into fun cards for everyone on your list!

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping, Uncategorized | Tagged Cards, Stamping | Leave a comment

Pink Valentine Candles

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

Dollar Tree always has these white glass jar candles. Using my Cricut Explore Air 2, I decorated them for Valentine’s Day in this post a couple of years ago.

I was so excited to find the same candles in pink at my local Dollar Tree! I don’t know if they have them everywhere or all the time (they are available on their website), but I brought home a couple to decorate and add to my Valentine decor. ❤️

I used the Cricut Design Space along with my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut my hearts and letters from white permanent vinyl. I used the Typewriter font for my letters – they are 1.25 inches tall. The solid heart is sized it at 2 inches, 1.75 inches, 1.5 inches, and 1 inch across. The layered open heart is about 1.25 inches across.

After cutting the images, I used my weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl. I applied transfer tape to the images and applied them to my candles, using my scraper to make sure they adhered to the glass.

A super quick and easy Cricut project. And these candles are so fun to create with! You can decorate them for any holiday – and at just $1.25 each you can make as many as you want!

Anita

Posted in Cricut, Decor, Uncategorized, Valentine | Tagged Decor, Valentine | Leave a comment

White Bean and Ham Soup

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

It’s been a while since I shared this recipe for White Bean and Ham Soup. It’s the perfect soup for these cold January days. It’s one of my husband’s favorite things and we just made it again with the ham bone leftover from Thanksgiving that I kept wrapped tightly in the freezer. Here’s the post that I shared a few years ago…

This is comfort food at its best – and it’s so simple to make! You just put everything in your slow cooker, turn it on low, and go on with your day.

There are lots of different ways to make this yummy and filling soup – here’s what I did.

White Bean and Ham Soup

Ham bone left from our Thanksgiving Honey-Baked ham – I kept in the freezer (or about 1 lb ham cut into chunks)
1 lb dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and sorted
Carrots peeled and chopped into chunks – whatever amount you want – I chopped about 5 carrots
1/2 to 1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
Salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and dried oregano to taste

Put everything in your slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.

I didn’t even soak the Great Northern beans overnight. I rinsed and sorted them just before I put everything in the slow cooker! I also used a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easier. This is such a forgiving recipe when it comes to the amount of each ingredient – just fill your slow cooker about 3/4 of the way full and your soup will be wonderful!

Add some fresh, hot cornbread and you have a hearty meal that will warm you up on these cold winter days. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized | Tagged Recipe | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday Gnome (Handmade Card)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

Are you ready to start building up your birthday card stash for the new year? This cute little guy will make the perfect birthday card for just about anyone!

He’s called Happy Birthday Gnome and you can find him at Unity Stamp Company. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the set called Hugs, Kisses & Birthday Wishes also from Unity Stamp Company.

I stamped the gnome with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white card stock and colored him with Copic Makers. I stamped the sentiment with green ink at an angle and then die cut the piece using the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Dies Set from Unity Stamp Company. I die cut a piece of turquoise card stock using the same die set and attached the stamped piece to it. Then I attached the piece to a white card.

This is a simple, quick card that can be made in any color combo – Pastels, Brights, Pinks, Purples, Orange and Green for an October birthday or even Red and Green for a December birthday. 🙂 You can also add Diamond Glaze to the balloon to make it shiny. Wish I would have thought of that sooner! 😉

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping | Tagged Cards, Stamping | Leave a comment

A Look Back at 2023

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Anita

Hi friends,

Another year has flown by!! The time passes so quickly and it’s fun to look back on the year to remember all that happened. I was busy creating fun things to share with you, along with all the other things we all have to get done. 😉 I love making fun and pretty things to give as gifts, to decorate my home, and to inspire creativity in all of you. 🙂 I hope you have found a thing or two this past year to recreate and make your own by adding your personal touch.

I created 18 new crochet patterns in 2023! These are just a few of my favorites. I also crocheted some fun projects from other great designers. If you’re like me, there are so many great patterns available that there will never be enough time to stitch up all of them!! 🙂 Type the word “crochet” in the search bar on the right and you’ll find tons of inspiration for your next crochet project.

Card making will always be one of my favorite creative outlets. The possibilities are endless! Here are just a few I created in 2023. You’ll find lots more ideas by searching the word “card”.

Crafting and creating decor for my home or to give as gifts is so fun! I have lots of great projects for all the different holidays that I created last year. Here are a few that I love.

I also like to share a recipe that I’ve tried every now and then. Here are a few I shared in 2023. You can search “recipe” to find some tasty veggie, main dish, and dessert recipes.

By far the highlight of our year was our trip to Scotland! It has been on my bucket list for years and we finally got to go last April. These are a few of my favorite photos – although it was really hard to choose just a few. Scotland is absolutely beautiful!! I’ve shared more in a few blog posts. I’ve linked them below…

Scotland – Our Castle visits

Scotland – Ports, Beaches, Lochs, and Waterfalls

Scotland – A Few of My Favorite Things

Thank you for following along in 2023 and I hope you’ll continue along with me in 2024! I’ll be making lots of cards – including a new Christmas card design each month – more crafty projects, new crochet patterns and crochet projects from other great designers. I’ll be sharing new recipes I’ve tried and hopefully a post or two about any travels we are fortunate enough to take.

You can follow along with me here on the blog by entering your email in the space above. I’m also on Facebook here, Instagram here, and Pinterest here.

Looking forward to a creative 2024!

Anita

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Crochet Striped Infinity Scarf

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Anita

Hi friends,

If you live in the South like I do, sometimes a heavier scarf is just a little too much on the warmer days of Winter. But you still might need a little something to keep your neck warm. 🙂 This Crochet Striped Infinity Scarf is just the thing! It’s made with a lighter DK (3) weight yarn so it will keep you toasty without being too warm.

I stitched up my scarf using Yarn Bee Cotton DK yarn in Celadon and Almond and an I/5.5mm hook. Unfortunately, this yarn seems to be discontinued so use your favorite DK (3) weight yarn to stitch up your scarf.

You’ll find the pattern below and there’s also a link to a free PDF if you’d like to easily print it.

Crochet Striped Infinity Scarf

Dk weight (3) yarn, about 3 ounces each of 2 colors – I used Yarn Bee Cotton DK in Celadon and Almond.

I/5.5mm crochet hook

Notes:

(1) This yarn seems to be discontinued. Any 3 weight yarn will work.

(2) I used a larger hook than recommended for the yarn so the scarf will have a nice drape.

Stitches used in US terms:

Foundation Half Double Crochet – fhdc

Chain – ch

Back Loop Only – blo

Single Crochet – sc

Row 1: with Celadon, work fhdc until your row measures about 60 inches. You can also chain until it measures about 60 inches, hdc in 3rd ch from hook and each ch across. Turn.

The number of stitches is not important. Just make sure your first row measures about 60 inches.

Row 2: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Almond.

Rows 3-4: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Celadon.

Rows 5-6: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Almond.

Rows 7-8: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Celadon.

Rows 9-10: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Almond.

Rows 11-12: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Celadon.

Rows 13-14: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Almond.

Rows 15-16: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Change to Celadon.

Rows 17-18: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). hdc in blo of each stitch across. Turn.

Do not fasten off.

Fold the scarf in half, matching the short ends together. sc the ends together.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Scarf measures about 60 inches by 6.5 inches before stitching ends together.

Here’s the link to the free PDF…

Crochet Striped Infinity Scarf

You can make the Crochet Striped Infinity Scarf in any color combo or even in just one color. It might be fun to make in school colors, too! What colors will you make yours?

Anita