Creating Me

Maple Roasted Veggies

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

It’s starting to feel a little like Fall here in Alabama. 🍁🍂🍁 One of my favorite Fall (or anytime) side dishes is Maple Roasted Veggies and they are so easy to make! I used carrots, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, but go ahead and use your favorite vegetables – broccoli is great roasted this way.

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.

Prepare your vegetables by rinsing and cutting them into bite-size pieces. I cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts and then sliced them in half, cut the cauliflower into florets, and used baby carrots. Put your vegetables into a large bowl. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well – you may have to spray with olive oil spray another time or two to make sure all the vegetables get a light coating. Then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of maple syrup and toss to coat. I didn’t measure the syrup so I’m not exactly sure how much I used – just enough to coat the vegetables.

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil spray. Spread your prepared vegetables in a single layer on the pan. Bake at 420 degrees for about 20 minutes until tender.

Here’s the before…

And here are the veggies in all their maple-y goodness…😋

This is such an easy side dish to make with any weekday meal – it may become a family favorite!

Anita

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Crochet Cobblestone Stitch Dishcloth

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

The Crochet Cobblestone Stitch is a very easy stitch, but it gives an amazing texture! Dishcloths are such a great way to learn new stitches.

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.

The Cobblestone Stitch is an easy repeat of single crochet and treble crochet. It’s perfect for beginners and seasoned crocheters alike. 🧶

I stitched up my dishcloths using I Love This Cotton yarn and an H/5mm crochet hook.

The pattern for my Cobblestone Stitch Dishcloth is below along with links to free PDFs – one with photos and one without – if you’d like to easily print it.

Crochet Cobblestone Stitch Dishcloth

Worsted weight (4) cotton yarn – I used I Love This Cotton in Rosy and Aqua

H/5mm crochet hook

Stitches used in US terms:

Chain – ch

Single Crochet – sc

Treble Crochet – tr

Back Bump

Slip Stitch – ss

Chain 22

Row 1: sc in the back bump of 2nd ch from hook and in each stitch across. Turn. (21 stitches)

Row 2: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). sc in 1st stitch. *tr in next stitch, sc in next stitch* Repeat from * to * across. Turn. (21 stitches)

Row 3: ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). sc in each stitch across. Turn. (21 and stitches)

Rows 4-21: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 (9) more times.

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

Finished dishcloth measures about 6 by 7 inches.

Here are the links to the free PDFs…

Crochet Cobblestone Stitch Dishcloth patten with photos

Crochet Cobblestone Stitch Dishcloth pattern without photos

Of course you can make these in any of your favorite colors. And because they are made with cotton yarn, you can also use them as spa cloths. 😊

Anita

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Quick Thinking of You Card

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

I have a super quick and easy card to share with you. It only takes a few minutes to make, but I really like the way it turned out. 😊

I used blender brushes to apply color to white card stock. I used light green and 2 different shades of orange. I stamped my flowers with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto the panel. I used my Misti stamping tool so I could stamp the flowers twice to get a darker image. This stamp is discontinued but this set has stamps that would work. Any simple flower silhouette stamp you have in your collection would be great.

Using these Scallops & Rectangles Nesting Dies, I cut around the image and layered it to orange card stock cut with the same die set. The piece is attached 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 layered it to orange card stock cut with the same die set. It is attached to the card with foam tape.

This card can be used for so many different occasions just by changing the sentiment – you could even just leave the sentiment off. You can also make this in so many different color options. It’s such a fun and easy layout.

Anita

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Hip Hugger Bars

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

I just had to share this recipe again in case you missed it – it’s been a while since I made them (or shared the recipe) and they are just so good! 😋

This is one of our favorite desserts, but we don’t make it very often because…well, look at all the yummy things in it! I usually make it when I need to take a dish to share since we certainly don’t need to eat a whole 9 by 13 pan ourselves! 😳

This is an easy recipe to make and will make your kitchen smell amazing!

Hip Hugger Bars

30 light caramels (like Kraft individually wrapped)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pkg Betty Crocker German Chocolate cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk
12 ounce bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Unwrap caramels. Melt caramels in evaporated milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Set aside.

Combine cake mix, milk, and melted butter. Mix well. Add nuts. Pat 2/3 of dough into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 6 minutes. Remove from oven. Cake will have risen but still be quite soft.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust, then drizzle caramel mixture over melting chocolate. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls over the top. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until set. (I usually have to go a little longer – it will depend on your oven.)

Cool completely before cutting.

This is how it looks after baking the first layer for 6 minutes…

Fresh from the oven…cooled, cut into bars, and ready to eat!!

Hip Hugger Bars are yummy at room temperature, but are also amazing warmed for a few seconds in the microwave with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. 😋

If you’re a chocolate lover, try this recipe…I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Anita

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Crochet Snowman Belly Potholder

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Did you see this cute Crochet Santa Belly Potholder from Blackstone Designs that I shared in this post?🎅🏼 She also has the cutest Crochet Snowman Belly Potholder pattern, too!⛄️

I stitched up my potholders using I Love This Cotton yarn in White, Red, and Black with an H/5mm crochet hook. This is the batting I used in my potholders. You can find the pattern here at Blackstone Designs.

This one has the pocket, too just like the Santa Belly Potholder. Perfect for filling with baking utensils and cookie mix for a fun gift!🎁

Whip up a few of these cute potholders now and you’ll be ready for gift giving when the season hits.🎄🎁

Anita

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Red Balloon – Handmade Card

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

This is a simple card, but it sends big birthday wishes! 🎈

To make my card, I punched several balloons from white card stock and one from red card stock. (My punch is discontinued, but this is a fun set of balloon dies.) Using a white gel pen, I added the little accent to the red balloon.

I used these Scallops & Rectangles Nesting Dies to cut a piece of red polka dot patterned paper and attached it to a white card. The white balloons are attached randomly over the patterned paper.

I attached the red balloon with foam tape, catching a piece of red/white bakers twine underneath. I tacked the twine with tiny drops of glue in a couple of places on the card. I added a bow made from the twine to the balloon.

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

You can make this card in any color – I love how simple it is and how the red balloon just “pops” 😂 off the card!

I think it took me longer to write this post than it did to make the card! 😉 It was so fun to make!

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping | Tagged Cards, Stamping | 2 Comments

Sweet Christmas – August 2025 Christmas Card

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

What could be sweeter than a cute little gingerbread man for Christmas? 🎄 This month’s Christmas card features a little guy from the Unity Stamp Company 2023 advent calendar.

You can find the other Christmas cards I’ve created each month so far this year in these posts – January, February, March, April, May, June, and July.

I stamped the gingerbread man with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him 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 set.

I added patterned paper to red card stock and attached it to a white card. Then I attached a strip of coordinating patterned paper to the card and attached the gingerbread man with foam tape.

The sentiment is stamped with green ink on white card stock and layered to red card stock. It’s attached to the card with foam tape.

Both my gingerbread man and sentiment stamps are no longer available, but any smaller Christmas stamp with your favorite sentiment would work great with this layout. 😊

Have you started creating your Christmas cards yet? 🎄

Anita

Posted in Cards, Christmas, Stamping, Uncategorized | Tagged Cards, Christmas, Stamping | 6 Comments

Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Cord Coasters

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

I have been having so much fun working with cotton macrame cord! You can find my Easy (and super quick) Crochet Car Coasters in this post and my Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Trivet/Hotpad in this post.

Today I have a new pattern to share with you – Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Cord Coasters. These work up in about 10 minutes and I love the texture of this stitch!

I stitched up my coasters using 3mm Cotton Macrame Cord with a K/6.5mm crochet hook. You can find the super quick and easy pattern below along with links to free PDFs – one with photos and one without – if you’d like to easily print it.

Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Cord Coasters

3mm Natural Cotton Macrame Cord

K/6.5mm crochet hook

Stitches used in US terms:

Chain – ch

Single Crochet – sc

Note: don’t crochet too tightly, the cord does not stretch.

Chain 14.

Row 1: sc in the 4th ch from hook. *ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next ch* Repeat from * to * across. Turn.

Row 2: ch 2. sc in first ch 1 space, *ch 1, sc in next ch 1 space* Repeat from * to * across, ending with a sc in the ch 3 space in Row 1. Turn.

Row 3: ch 2. sc in first ch 1 space, *ch 1, sc in next ch 1 space* Repeat from * to * across, ending with a sc in the ch 2 space in the previous row. Turn.

Repeat Row 3 (7) times.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finished coaster measures about 4 by 4 inches.

Here are the links to the free PDFs…

Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Cord Coasters pattern with photos

Crochet Granite Stitch Cotton Cord Coasters pattern without photos

I used a natural color cord, but it comes in a whole array of colors to match any decor. These would also make a great gift. Tie them up with a pretty ribbon and add a cute tag. 🙂

Anita

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On My Mind – Handmade Card

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Monochromatic cards are so pretty! This card is easy to make and you can make it in any color.

I stamped the flowers from the Insightful Meadows stamp set from Unity Stamp Company with turquoise ink on white card stock. This particular stamp set is discontinued, but the Serene Silhouettes stamp set has images that would work great. Any simple flower or foliage stamps are great on this layout. I trimmed it close and applied turquoise ink to the edges of the piece using a blender brush.

I stamped the sentiment on turquoise card stock with turquoise ink and punched around it with a scalloped oval punch (similar to this one). I punched a slightly larger oval (here’s a similar punch) from white card stock, inked the edges with turquoise ink, and layered the scalloped oval on top.

To make the card, I embossed a piece of turquoise card stock and attached it to a white card. I attached both the stamped flower piece and the sentiment to the card with foam tape. I finished the card by adding 3 enamel dots.

This card can be used for so many different occasions – thinking of you, birthday, just a note, even for a sympathy card.

Anita

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Taco Stuffed Avocados

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Anita

Hi friends,

Now that school has started back up, quick and easy dinner recipes will come in handy! 😋

This is a really simple main dish recipe that comes together in just minutes. I found the recipe here at House of Yumm. It’s a great way to get all the taco flavors without the carbs from the tortillas – if you’re watching those. Or it’s just a tasty meal even if you’re not!

After cutting my avocados in half and removing the pit, I carefully scooped out each half keeping it intact. I placed the halves on my plate and added the cooked taco meat. Then just add your favorite toppings – cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro – all the yummy toppings you would add to a traditional taco.

Add a side of chips and salsa or Mexican rice and you have a tasty, quick, and easy meal!