Valentine House Cross Stitch Freebie

Here’s a really quick and cute Valentine’s Day house that I stitched last year, but never posted it. I used leftover linen and Turkish Red Floss by Weeks Dye Works. I then bought some red felt and made a little pillow out of it.

I found this pattern on Pinterest, but couldn’t trace it back to its original owner. I did a reverse image search but couldn’t locate anything. There are many freebies like this floating around, and if anyone knows of any copyright infringement, please let me know in the comments below.

Otherwise, I guess it’s free to use, and I’m so glad that I found it because I think it’s a really cute and quick pattern. I’ve included it below for your convenience. The quality isn’t the best, and the top is cut off, but it was pretty easy to figure out how to continue the pattern.

Wishing you a wonderful and creative day! 

Bright Baby Blanket & Pouf

My best (and longest) friend’s daughter is having her first baby this spring, and I’m going to her baby’s shower in February. I already bought a store-bought gift from her registry, but really wanted to make her something handmade as well.

After finding out that there was a mural of a flamingo painted in the nursery, I came up with this east and fun baby blanket. It’s a simple single crochet back-and-forth in three bright colors, with a small smaller white strip in between. I think what I like most about it is the bubble border at the edge.

I used Herrschner’s Cheerful Fleece yarn in the colors, Tango, Lime, Flamingo, and Polar. The bobble stitched border is made with a much thinner #4 white yarn that I got at Walmart.

Since I had a little bit of each left over, I attempted to make a small pillow, but it got out of hand and I ended up with a big “pouf.” It’s kind of like an ottoman but smaller. I think it will be perfect when the baby is older. She can use it as a pillow or a cushion.

I’m so pleased with how both of these came out. I don’t have a pattern for the single crochet. I just made that up as I went along.The same is true for the pouf. But I did use a YouTube video for the bobble stitched border. You can find that HERE.

A Flamingo For Three Challenges

There are 5 layers on the card stock, which is the "layers"
part of the Pick 3 Challenge. Also, there are 3 "squares."

Today's card was made for my best friend's daughter. We have been friends since 2nd grade, and now she's going to become a grandmother for the first time. I'm invited to the baby shower and  have made an adorable blanket and matching pouf (I need one more day to finish it then I'll post it). But I wanted to make her a special card. 

Grandma told me that she's having a girl, and that there is a flamingo mural painted on the nursery wall, so I went with that theme.

For my three challenges, I'm playing along with a brand new challenge called Pick 3. From the six choices shown below, I'm using a Square, Texture and Layers. Next I'm entering this over at Triple B's January Challenge where you have to use a bloom, bird or butterfly, and I've used the first two. And I'm also playing over at Time Out Challege #305. They want you to use a favorite card making technique, and I'm going with Ephemera. I love stamps and have so many, but I love ephemera for several reasons. First, when you want to use an image just once or twice, it's so easy to buy a pack of stickers as I did here. Also, it's so quick and fool-proof.

Here's my complete supply list:

And there are 3 layers on the
flamingo as well! 

• Papertrey Ink Hibiscus Burst Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie Card Stock
• SU! Granny Apple Green Card Stock
• SU! Basic Gray Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Swirly Embossing Folder (the "texture" in Pick 3)
• Doodlebug Designs Stickers
• Sizzix Scalloped Round Die
• SU! Scalloped Square Die
• Paper Smooches Welcome Die & Stamps

Well that's all for now.  Be sure to check out these wonderful challenges and play along! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Stamp Simply with Word Art Wednesday

Today over at Word Art Wednesday we begin our 2nd challenge of 2026, and this time there's a $25.00 gift certificate to spend at Stamp Simply! You'll love their whole line of wonderful stamps and dies. And our challenges are always "anything goes" so feel free to link up with us at you'll be entered for the prize!

My card is made using the Stamp Simply Sunflower Season Stamp Set and the Vintage Seed Packet Bundle. I just love the vintage feel of this set and how you can use the seed packet for any season or holiday.

In addition to those two Stamp Simply items, I also used:

• Speckletone True White Card Stock
• Speckletone Oatmeal Card Stock
• Doodlebug Designs Yellow Dotted Paper
• Paper PIzzazz Brown Patterned Paper
• Memento Black Ink
• Stampin' Up! Dots
• Copics in E37, YR21, YR23 and YG63
• Raffia that I've had so long that I forgot where it came from!

And if you'd like to use our Bible Verse for this round, you can download it right here below. But you never have to use the verse or supplies from our sponsor. 

I'm really loving this seed packet and can't wait to pair it with other images in the future. Be sure to check out their site, and we'd love it if you played along with us at Word Art Wednesday!

Sunday Stamps & Welcome Back Retro Rubber!

Today’s card was made for two challenges. First of all, I followed the sketch over at Sunday Stamps  (SSC377). And second, Retro Rubber Challenge blog (#RRCB263) is finally back! As many of you know, Typepad closed last year without giving anyone much notice. I’m so glad that they were able to save all of their old challenges and bring them over to a new platform. 

Right now it’s cold, even here in Florida. It was 38° last night. And now that Christmas is over, I have spring on my mind. So today’s card is an Easter card. The bunny is standing in front of a sunrise, and there are two eggs on either side of him. I’m hoping they look enough like Easter eggs so that the person who gets this will understand and not wonder what those weird blue ovals are.  😅

Here’s my complete supply list:

• CTMH Spring Critters Stamps and Dies (2016 release date)
• Memento Toffee Crunch Ink
• Micron Pens (to trace the ink that didn't do a good job!)
• Various Copic Markers
• Newton's Nook Patterned Paper in "Springtime"
• Big Box Rhinestones
• Gifted Yellow Ribbon
• White Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• Spellbinders Dies for Sun and Scalloped Edge
• DCWV Glitter Blue Paper

And lastly, today’s happy thing is that it is my wonderful husband‘s birthday! He has the day off of work and is relaxing, but I wanted to share his picture here too.

It may seem like he’s got a ton of gifts, but they are all books, and thankfully, he’s fine with used ones.
He did however, get some Moon Pies, which our dog Bella tried to claim for herself!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

A Prayer Shawl Finish

You may see the Christmas tree in the corner. We keep it up each year
until hubby‘s birthday, which is January 16!

This month I finally got back in the swing of attending the Prayer Shawl Group that I attended years ago. A local church that a friend used to attend has a ministry where we get together and crochet (or knit) prayer shawls and other items for nursing home members. I want to make it a point to try to make at least one item for them every two months. So far, I’m off to a good start!

This is called the Mesh Cluster Stitch and I learned how to do it HERE on YouTube. It’s really easy to stitch, and because there are distinct squares on it, it’s very easy to work on this while you’re having a conversation or watching TV.

I started with one skein of

Lion Brand Mandala Sparkle Yarn that I bought at Walmart. You can see the screenshot for that on the right. I had intended to use it for a different purpose, but changed my mind. After going to the crochet group, I got a very large skein of gray yarn. I thought these would go fairly well together. I was able to make a really nice shawl for not too much money.

The Mandala yarn that I bought at Walmart was purchased at two separate times, although from the same store. One seemed thicker and less shiny and the other was thinner with more sparkle. I knew that die lots could vary colors, but I didn’t think that the actual quality would be different. I learned something new!

The ends are finished in the gray to tie it all together.

Here are a few more pictures of this piece:

You can fold it to make a large snuggly scarf!

It looks nice folded too! 

I did find time to squeeze in some paper crafting today, but not with making cards. I was able to help my mom who’s putting together a scrapbook. That was a lot of fun! It was great to spend the morning with her. Here she is with one of her finished layouts.

Thanks for stopping by, stay warm and have a wonderful day!

2026 Blessing Sampler

I just recently heard the term “blessing sampler.” Apparently, it’s a cross stitch piece that you start, finish and frame all in the month of January. Its original intent was to bring blessings, or luck, to your home for that new year. For me it was just a fun challenge and a way to do something new.

In my mind, a “sampler“ is a cross stitch piece that has the letters of the alphabet stitched, usually across the top. I always thought this was a way for somebody to make something custom for somebody else, and all they had to do was follow the letters. My piece doesn’t have letters across the top, but according to AI, that’s not necessary for a blessing sampler. For my first one, I didn’t wanna mess up and not be able to make the deadline. This piece however, was so easy to stitch that I finished it by January 10th.

You can find this pattern and many other wonderful Christian pieces over at my My Big Toe designs on Etsy. I’m so curious as to how she got the name of that shop! Either way it’s a wonderful place for large or small samplers. For the link directly to this pattern, you can click HERE.

I also loved this piece because the finished size fits easily into a 6 x 8 frame. I picked one up for about $10 on Amazon. Click HERE if you’re interested in that.

One last note, I did not use the floss colors that she recommended because I didn’t have them. I used something that I had on hand. This pattern only calls for four colors, which is really nice.

Next year, I’m going to have all my supplies in place so that I can start on January 1, and I plan on making something a little bit more intricate. But this was a great first start and I’m so glad I did it.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful and blessed 2026!

Word Art Wednesday's First 2026 Challenge!

Before we begin, I have to announce the winners of the word art Wednesday annual blog hop challenge. They are Donna in Florida who won the Pink and Main stamp set and dies, and Cynthia in Alaska who won the Picket Fence and Simon Says Stamp stamps. Wow, we have really covered the whole country here! Congratulations to each of you! These winners are just from my blog, so if you played along with others, be sure to check them out as well.

So today over at Word Art Wednesday we have our first challenge of 2026! The prize this round is from a UK company called Bramble Fox. They have lots of really fun stuff and I believe some of it is downloadable, which is perfect for us here across the pond!

My card is made using our Bible Verse from Romans 12:2. It's a scripture that I memorized years ago when I was a young Christian back in the 1980's, so it's very special to me.

I recently discovered how to change our scriptures (or any black image) to color. I use Canva Pro and "Edit" the image. Then I click "Effects" and choose "Duotone." From there you'll see color choices and you can type in any hex number to make your image any color. I was so excited when I learned how to do this! 

Anyway, here's my complete supply list:

• Word Art Wednesday Bible Verse (below)
• Paige Evans Patterned Paper
• Stampin' Up! Balmy Blue Card Stock
• SU! Azure Afternoon Card Stock
• Pink & Main Arch Dies
• SU! Bloom & Gorw Stamps & Dies
• Copics, B21, B95, Y13, YG13, R85

Even though it's not one of my favorite colors, I chose blue this time because it reminds me of snowy days in Pennsylvania in January. I do miss the snow, but hubby is happy here in Florida, so that's good.

We're looking forward to having you come on over to Word Art Wednesday and play along as we kick off our first challenge of the new year!

Guest Designing At Color Hues!

Today I am so honored to be the guest designer over at The Color Hues Challenge. If you’re not familiar with them, it’s a great challenge that chooses two colors for you to work with each round. In addition neutrals, which are defined as white, black, gray, kraft, brown, cream, gold, and silver, always welcome. This round the colors are red and gray. It’s a beautiful combination that has so many possibilities, but I chose to go with a Valentine’s Day theme for it. In addition, I chose a more masculine theme rather than things that are frilly. 

I started with my very favorite Valentine’s Day stamp set, called Heart Happiness from Stampin' Up! I’ve had it for years and I just love The variety of hearts. To mix it up just a little I used several different colors of red ink and threw in a few gray hearts as well.

Here’s my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Heart Happiness Stamp Set
• SU! Wonderful Favorite Stamp Set
• Recollections Red Denim Paper
• Gray Striped Paper
• Gray Dotted Paper
• Black Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Red Red Ink
• SU! Cherry Cobbler Ink
• SU! Poppy Parade Ink
• SU! Smoky Slate Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Basic Gray Ink
• Memento Love Letter Ink
• Memento Rhubarb Stalk Ink

This was a really fun color combo and a perfect way to get thinking about Valentine's Day.

Two more fun facts about this card. One, The large circles with the gray dots and black border were made by tracing cereal bowls and hand cutting them. I have circle dies, but I wanted something bigger. They're not perfect, but I'm glad to have achieved the look I was hoping for. And two, the black circle was a last minute throw-in. When I went looking for black card stock to use as a border for the sentiment, this pre-cut circle popped out of the folder. I thought it gave it a little interest so I went with it. I love how that happens so often when making cards!

Thanks so much to Nancy for inviting me to be their guest this time and to and everyone over at the Color Hues Challenge who always put on great color challenges! Be sure to check them out at HERE!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Free Is Good!

Today's card was made especially for Shopping Our Stash SOS564 Challenge. The title is "Free Is Good," and indeed it is! The theme is to make a card using items that were gifted to us. 

If you're like me, once people find out I'm a crafter, the supplies start coming in. This has been happening ever since I taught a card making class at church years ago. It's amazing the stuff that people give me, and I'm so very thankful for each item. Even if I choose to not keep something, I'll donate it to the Salvation Army and let someone else use it.

I had a lot of fun with this envelope. Since the rhinestones make the card non-machinable, I thought I would take the opportunity to add some of the sparkly papers to the outside. I even added some bling on the inside too.

Here are a few of my free items used in this card:

The Paper:

All of these sheets were freebies from a friend many years ago. I can't remember if they're all from the same set or not, but I don't think so. One is thin and the other is thick and embossed with glitter. (Brands unknown.)

The Stamps:

These were a really nice surprise. I can always use birthday greetings! The red rubber is so nice to work with too, and each stamp has a good amount of stickiness left. (Brand unknown.)

The Envelopes:

When I decided to go with the polar bear image, I knew I needed a big envelope. I used an envelope from this set. It holds a 8.5 x 5.5 card, which is a regular sheet of card stock folded in half. I have found the paper too light for a card, but I'm loving these extra large envelopes!

The Rhinestones:

I've been gifted so many rhinestones, and I'm pretty sure these were included in that. I struggle with using them because when I do, I have to put a "non-machineable" postage stamp on the envelope, which costs $1.27 instead of the regular .78 cents. I'm wanting to switch over to "low profile" enamels, etc. I know Stampin' Up! is starting to make a lot of theirs like that now, and I've even picked up some from the Dollar Tree that are quite flat. But I'm using up my rhinestones because, well, they were free.

In addition to my freebies, I also used Stampin' Up! Blueberry Bushel Card Stock and Memento's Danube Blue Ink. 

This was such a fun challenge and it really makes me reflect on  how blessed I am by the kindness of those around me. If you have some supplies that you've been given, join in the fun over at Shopping Our Stash! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Freezin’ Season

Today’s card was made, especially for the “Can You lHandle The Pressure” challenge. Their only requirement is that you use an embossing folder in your work, but the extra bonus is to add blue, Which is perfect for this time of year.

I planned on stamping some snowman at the bottom of my card, but when I went looking for the background paper, I found this adorable sheet that had lots of pre-printed winter images, and I decided to just go with those. They match the paper perfectly. In fact, I think they came from the same set. It was gifted to me so I don’t know the maker, but it is just so cute.

I’m planning on sending this card to my daughter who lives in Wisconsin. This is the picture that she sent me this week. She loves the snow, as do I, and I know she’ll appreciate this little guy.

Steven’s Point, Wisconsin

In addition to the gifted paper, I used Stampin’ Up!’s Azure Afternoon card stock, A SU! embossing folder, Brilliance Silver Ink and a tinsel-type ribbon that I bought at a local scrapbook store before they closed down. 

Whether it’s warm or cold where you are, I wish you a very happy “freezin’ season” and a wonderful New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

Fun Fact: I am making this post from my phone, as my Internet is down. It should be back up within 24 hours, so hopefully this doesn’t look funny. It’s my first time posting from my phone!

Word Art Wednesday BIG Giveaways & Blog Hop!

Hello stamping friends! Today is a really big day over at Word Art Wednesday. It's our Annual Christmas Blog Hop! We're so glad you've joined us because there are lots of great prizes up for grabs, and you have extra time this round. We'll be adding an extra week so you have until January 6th to play along!

But before we begin, let me share with you my design for this round. I've taken the Word Art Wednesday Bible Verse and created 6 different bookmarks that you can print out and stick in/on a gift, or mail in a Christmas Card. I've tried to make 2 masculine, 2 Christmas, 1 Generic and 1 Feminine. Here's how mine look after I printed them out at FedEx. I chose 100# Matte paper and it cost right around $3.00 to print two sheets.

The free printables for all of these are below. You can also use a hole punch at the top and attach a
ribbon. I hope to mail mine so I'm leaving them flat. They make great little gifts! 

Now, here's what two people can win just by commenting on my blog:

PRIZE #1: Pink & Main "Fall Postage Stamps" Stamp Set & Coordinating Dies

These are brand new are are oh so cute! The coordinating dies also fit Pink & Main's
Christmas Postage Stamp Set too, AND they may have others coming soon! 

PRIZE #2: Picket Fence Stamp Set & Simon Says Stamp Stamp

How cute are these!? The'll be perfect for the upcoming spring season!

THE ONLY PLACE YOU CAN WIN THESE PRIZES IS HERE ON MY BLOG SO BE SURE TO COMMENT BELOW! TWO WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN AND THE BLOG DIRECTOR WILL DECIDE WHO GETS WHICH SET.

Additional note: You don't have to make a card to win the two prizes here. You only need to leave a comment!

Also, we will only be able to send the prizes to the United States due to the cost of shippping. Please let us know 8n the comments if you aren’t in the US. Sorry for any inconvenience!

And then be sure to hop on over to the other Design Team Member's blogs, and you'll be able to win some really cool prizes there too! Yay! AND There are also TWO $25.00 Unity Stamp gift cards up for grabs by entering the Word Art Wednesday Challenge. We look forward to seeing what you'll create and share with us.

Oh my goodness, it's like it's Christmas or something! Here's the Blog Hop Lineup.

First we'll start with our guest designer, Kathy:

Kathy Schweinfurth, Guest Designerr

Karen Letchworth

Natalie Houston

Christine Miller

Barb Finnical (You are here)

Pamela Duncan

Wanda Cullen

And as usual, our Bible Verse Designer has come up with a perfect verse, and if you'd like to use it for your own project, that would be wonderful. Here it is:

And here are the free bookmark printables. I'm so sorry that I have to stack them one on top of another, but I don't know how to make 3 photos side by side. Feel free to use them as printables, or send them out digitally. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment and best wishes for winning the prizes! And most of all, have a very Merry Christmas!

Stitchy Stars Ornaments

Quilt blocks are one of my favorite things to cross stitch because they’re so easy. And when done individually, they’re super easy to have one in my purse so that I can stitch anytime I’m waiting unexpectedly.

I fell in love with these cute quilt blocks from Lori Holt. The pattern book is called Stitchy Stars and it’s available HERE. I’m sure it’s available other places as well, but I really like shopping at 123stitch.com. Their shipping is only $3.49 no matter what size order you have, and their prices are really reasonable, especially for their DMC floss.

After making several of these tiny quilt blocks, and adapting some of them from the original sticky star pattern, I turned them into little Christmas ornaments. With their cream colored background, they will look great on a Christmas tree. And if you don’t stuff them, but rather just mount them on a piece of salt with a piece of ribbon, you can easily mail them without any additional postage.

The way I finished mine was to simply cut the 8 o’clock a little bit bigger and then fry three rows on each side and then sew them onto the felt. 

Once you start making stitch quilt blocks, it’s really easy to leave the original pattern and come up with your own Designs and colors. It’s a whole lot of fun, And I love having something in my purse at all times to be able to stitch. It’s a win-win!

Thanks so much for stopping by my little blog, and have a wonderful day!

Hot Cocoa Cross Stitch Freebie

One of my favorite things is finding a really cute cross stitch freebie that can be made in just a few days. This pattern, from the Tiny Modernist, was something that I stumbled upon on Pinterest. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. And then, over at The Colorful Options Challenge blog, I noticed that this would fit perfectly. I made this piece without challenge in mind. 

However, before I say more, I have to confess that this was very difficult to stitch for two reasons. First of all, the pattern is in black-and-white with different symbols rather than colors. In order to make it a little bit easier to stitch, I did do some screenshots and used my markup feature on my iPad to create the snowflake as a starting point. You can see that picture below.

The other thing that made this quite difficult to stitch was that it is on black fabric. For those of you who have not used black fabric, it is difficult to find the holes, especially when you’re going in the back of the piece. I did use my iPad as a light in the back, which did illuminate the holes, but the problem with that is that once your hand goes over the hole in the back, the light no longer shines through. You have to hold your needle in just the right way in order to make that technique effective.

This is the mood board for the 
Colorful Options Challenge. You 
can use this or simply use a rainbow of colors!

But before you get discouraged, I want to say that other than those two things, this is a really easy and fun piece to stitch. It can certainly be stitched on a white or medium colored fabric as well. The only thing you may need to do would be to backstitch the whipped cream at the top so that stands out more if you use a light colored fabric. And if you use the markup technique, it makes it a lot easier.

If you’re looking for some really cute cross stitch patterns, be sure to check out the Tiny Modernist’s Freebie Page HERE. 

And for the link to this specific pattern you can click HERE.

This was very easy to frame as well. One thing that I do for my smaller pieces is to lay my desktop monitor down on the desk, and then place my work on top of it. It makes placing the cross stitched piece very easy if you don’t have a light box. Here’s a picture of that below.

When stitched on 14 count Ada, the finished piece fits perfectly in a 6“ x 6“ frame. I just happen to have a set of four different 8“ x 8“ frames that I bought from Amazon. They came with 6“ x 6“ mats, so this worked out perfectly.

These are the frames I bought HERE.

The map board that I use also came from Amazon and I’ve been pretty happy with it. It’s a large pack, but it’s nice to always have it on hand when I finish a project. You can find that HERE. It’s really been a lifesaver having these whenever I need them.

Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to drop me a comment. I’d love to know what you were ex experience is on stitching on dark color fabrics. Maybe I won’t feel so bad!

Word Art Wednesday Divinity Designs Giveaway!

Wow, here we are in December already! I hope each of you are in the holiday spirit and having a great time planning with friends and family.

Over at Word Art Wednesday, our sponsor is Divinity Designs this time around. If you enter a card and play along with us, you're in the running to possibly win a $25.00 gift certificate to this wonderful company! There are so many great things to choose from, and this is a great opportunity to get yourself a little something for Christmas.

What I'm using for this card is their Sewing Dies Collection. At just $5.95, this is one set you'll definitely want to have, especially if, like me, you know someone who likes to sew.

My card is made for a friend, Phyllis, who recently made me three lovely Christmas Pillowcases. My heart is melting. I used to love sewing, but would never think to make something like these. I plan on using them this Christmas Eve! And as a little thank you, I created this card just for her.

My complete supply list is:

• Divinity Designs Sewing Set Dies
• Stampin' Up! Baked Brown Sugar Card Stock
• White Card Stock
• SU! Bubble Bath Card Stock
• SU! Petal Pink Card Stock
• SU! Blushing Bride Card Stock
• Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers Card Stock
• Papertrey Lovely Lady Card Stock
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Card Stock
• Papertrey Hibiscus Burst Card Stock
• SU! Berry Burst Card Stock
• SU! Rose Red Card Stock
• SU! Melon Mamba Card Stock
• Metallic Silver Card Stock
• DMC Pink Floss
• Computer Generated Sentiment

We also have a wonderful Bible Verse that you're welcome to use as well. This is so perfect for Christmas!

You never have to use the verse, or any products from our sponsor in order to play along. So hop on over to Word Art Wednesday and join in the fun! Thanks so much for stopping by today!