It's a Steal! Heather "knocks off" Natalie

Hello!  It's Heather from The Beating Hearth here with you today and I can't wait to be share a little something I whipped up.  It's a project I've been wanting to make for a long time, but didn't really have a need and so I kept it simmering in the back of my mind for a long time.  Well, guess what, I have a need now and am so glad I did a little thieving.

 

 A couple of weeks ago we started a new series, "It's a Steal"...where we "steal" or 

"knock off" a fellow blogger's idea and show you what we come up with.

 Natalie kicked off the series, knocking off Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird

Then it was Mary's turn and she knocked off Danni from Silo Hill Farm.  

Now it's my turn and I got to steal an idea from Nat from NorthShore Days!

Well, to be fair, I stole two ideas.

Here's Nat's original post: Up-Cycled Painted Tin Cans 

"I love tin cans! I love painting them and storing bits and bobs in them...."

 Now, I cannot compete with her awesomeness.  Give me a pile of fabric and some thread, and I feel fairly competent...some paint, a bucket and embellishments? Completely out of my comfort zone.  So don't judge me too harshly compared to what Nat did, but, I really like what I ended up with.

This is my gardening bucket.  The Mister and I have a deal.  If I pull the weeds, he picks them up.  So typically what happens is, I go on a rampage and there are piles of weeds all over the yard, he comes home after a hard day's work and has to clean up after me.  This bucket may become his new best friend.

 

First it is going to store my gardening equipment.  I love having my digger, snipper and gloves all in one place, waiting for me to get the gardening urge.

 And second, I might...might think about putting my weeds in the bucket as I go about my gardening duties.

 

 

Ummmm...apparently I fancy myself Grounds Keeper of the estate.

 

I saw these keys at the craft store and thought they would be a fun touch.  So yeah.  Head gardener, and I am off to trim the hedgerows in the secret garden...Downton Abbey may have gone to my head.  At least in my imagination I am not conceited enough to think I'm the Countess or something. I mean, I could have gone out and made a beaded dress and over the top, be feathered head-band instead.

Using copious amounts of super glue, I placed on the twine trim...which I love, and these cute little brads on top of the twine.  I didn't know they were brads when I bought them.  This made gluing them slightly awkward, but I like the effect.  I also attempted to glue myself to...everything.

I love that I took this plain metal bucket, and painted it...yes, school bus yellow.  Look, when I saw the paint can, it looked much more like... warm spring day daffodil yellow....and I have to confess to having a hard time when picking paint colors.  They typically border on cornea searing.  We have learned to take whatever paint color I like...go to the next color down on the paint chip...and reduce it by 50%.

 So, take it from me, it's fun to step outside of your comfort zone and make something you've admired from afar.

I also made Nat's Condensed Milk Cookies 

I mean, who can resist a sweet treat?  Not me...and not my family.

 They were the perfect dunking cookie.  Simple and sweet and oh so yummy.

 

Thanks Nat for letting me steal your ideas and put my own spin on them.

And everybody, start thinking of who and what you want to knock off, for our next Link Party!   

But be sure to ask permission where necessary and always provide link backs.

 

Next week it's Danni's turn... 

we are so excited to see what she comes up with!

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up #18

Happy Saturday everyone!  We do hope you've had a wonderful week and a very Happy Mother's Day.
Here's a quick look at what the Inspiration Cafe Girls have been doing on their own blogs this  past week.......

Natalie at NorthShore Days

Upcycled Dresser to TV Cabinet

Anzac Biscuits (In honor of Mel's Birthday!)

Easy Hammered Earrings (guest post for My Favorite Finds) 

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion 

Wire Wrap Bracelets

Space Invaders Clock

Wet Your Pants Wednesday (Birthday Edition) 

Heather at The Beating Hearth

Scrappy Trip Around the World.....and Me 

Danni at Silo Hill Farm 

Framed Clay Medallion Tutorial  

Mary at Sweet Little Bluebird

Tried and True Tuesday:  Lemon Banana Muffins 

It was Mary's turn at the Inspiration Cafe this week for our "It's A Steal" knock-off series and she did two knock-offs of Danni's projects.

We hope you'll join us at the Inspiration Cafe for our "It's A Steal" link party on June 10th!  You've got plenty of time to post a knock-off project of any blogger out there in the great big bloggy world or maybe you already have done a knock-off you'd like to share.  Just be sure to get permission from the blogger and use proper link backs!  Should be fun!!

 

 

 

How To Propagate Rosemary - Grace Grits and Gardening

Hi Everyone, today Talya from Grace Grits and Gardening is here to show us how to propagate Rosemary...
 
Rosemary is a disease preventing and health promoting herb, rich in vitamins A, B, C, folic acid and iron. With all these benefits, rosemary is a great addition to your kitchen garden and easy to propagate from an established plant. Spring is the best time for propagation as your plant is actively growing.

the mother plant
Munger Place, Dallas, Texas

Trim 4-5 inch cuttings from the new growth of your established plant. (If you don't have an established plant, feel free to take some of mine...) Make angled cuts to allow more surface area for rooting.

cutting from new growth

Remove the leaves from the bottom half of each cutting. (Reserve these discarded leaves for roasted potatoes...Recipe below.)

remove bottom leaves before planting

Plant cuttings in a mixture of seed starting potting soil (a combination of fine textured compost and sand). Make sure your pots have drainage holes.  

Place in a sunny spot away from drafts. In Dallas, the plants can already be moved outside. In cooler climates, a sunny windowsill is best until the chance of a freeze has passed. 

Water well with root stimulator mixed with the water. Water frequently but do not overwater. 

water mixed with root stimulator

Depending upon the variety, the rosemary should root within 1-2 months. 

May 5... 

One month later, my cuttings have rooted and doubled in size. In June, I plan to transplant them into my Fayetteville yard...✿

Easy Rosemary Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds small white or red-skinned potatoes
1/8 cup olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons minced rosemary 

Halve or quarter the potatoes. Toss with the remaining ingredients. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees (approximately 45 minutes) until brown and crispy, turning once. Serves 4.

Happy Gardening, Happy Eating!

talya

Up-cycled Picket Fence Sign - A Few Miner Adjustments

Daydream Believer

Project: Up-cycled Picket Fence Sign

Ever since I was a kid I would wake up on Saturdays and lay in bed staring into space for what seemed like hours.  

It would be 10am before I got up for the day.

What did I do for all that time?

You know...daydream, replay conversations, plan my To Do list.

Then when I had babies there wasn't any time for daydreaming under snugly blankets.

But time passes and now those babies are 7 and 5. 

They get up, come give me a quick kiss and then they are off to play and run and be boys.

So, lucky me...I have some of my daydreaming time back.

How to Make an Up-cycled Picket Fence Sign:

{1} Find some old weathered picket fence pieces.

{2} Have the hubs cut it to size. 

That is if you aren't terrified of the chop saw like me. Then by all means do it yourself.

{3} Cut the words out of sticky vinyl on your cricut. {4} Put eye screws in  the top. {5} Add wire. 

Hanging Tip:

Hold a sewing pin to the wall to see where you want to hang the sign. When you figure out the placement push it into the wall a little. The pin will remind you where the nail goes and the little hole will get the nail started. 

The end result?  Well, let's just say the hubs keeps talking about it every time he sees it.  I think he is in love!

Honestly, this Miner adjustment makes me swoon too!

These days I could daydream until 10 a.m., but it feels like a waste of the day. Maybe I am growing up.

8 a.m. is the limit and when I walk into the bathroom there is a nice little reminder of why I should be up.

Rise and Shine

….be awesome. ...have a great day.

...give hugs and kisses.

...get things accomplished.

There will always be time for daydreaming next weekend!

{Trina}

It's a Steal ~ Mary "Knocks Off" Danni

Hi Everyone! 

It's Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird,

I'm so happy to be sharing at the Cafe today!

On behalf of the IC girls, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

We'd also like to wish our sweet friend, Danni, a very happy birthday!

Cheers!

.........................

Last week we started a new series, "It's a Steal"...where we "steal" or 

"knock off" a fellow blogger's idea and show you what we come up with. 

 Natalie kicked off the series, knocking off my Breakfast Muffins!  

This week it's my turn to knock off Danni from Silo Hill Farm.  

Danni has so many great things to steal from,

 it was hard to decide what to do, so I did two!  

One is a knockoff and the other is an inspiration.  

My Knock Off,

Danni's Maple Cranberry Spread...

I have been wanting to make this for months!

What I love most about this recipe...

Only 4 ingredients!!!  

{Click here for the recipe and Danni's post}

Here is my knockoff...

Okay, let me tell you how yummy this stuff is... 

YUMMMMMMY!!!

If it were sold in stores, I'd buy a grocery cart full! 

This stuff is so good, that for breakfast-in-bed on Mother's Day, 

this is what I requested...the yummy spread on a toasted bagel.  

{Great on crackers, bagels, bread, turkey sandwiches, spoons and fingers.}  

Maple Cranberry Spread Recipe

1 8oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened 
1/2 C. Dried Cranberries
1/3 C. Maple Syrup
1/4 C. Chopped, Toasted Pecans

In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients with an electric mixer.  Cover and refrigerate several hours.
Makes 1-1/2 Cups

I can't wait to share this recipe with my family and friends! 

Thanks for the great steal, Danni! 

.......................................

Next up, 

My Inspiration...

A couple of weeks ago, Danni made a great Oriole Bird Feeder!  

If you haven't read her post, you should head over and see what 

the feeder is made from!  Danni is so clever! 

Danni always amazes me with her creativity.   

What most people would throw away, 

she creates art and great things like this!

I happen to be a big backyard birder,

 so I thought I'd try to make my own bird feeder out 

of things I had lying around the house, not being used. 

I'm no Danni (trust me), but I did my best! 

After going through the kitchen, I found an old dish

and mason jar that hadn't been used in years. 

I used dowel caps to elevate the lid of the mason jar, 

securing them with Tiger Bond adhesive to the dish and the lid. 

I discarded the seal to the jar, leaving it open, 

for the food to flow out of the bottom. 

I forgot to take pictures of the next steps, but it's pretty simple.

Once the adhesive is dry, fill your mason jar with food, take the dish 

and place it on top and screw it on.  Flip it back over...

and your bird feeder is all set!

This isn't the prettiest bird feeder,

but I don't think the birds mind. 

Now if I can keep the squirrels from breaking it...

Start thinking of who and what you want to knock off, for our next Link Party!   

But be sure to ask permission where necessary and always provide link backs.

Next week it's Heather's turn... 

we are so excited to see what she comes up with!

Take care and have a great week, don't forget to follow us on Facebook,

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line.  

New or old posts welcome.

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up 17

Happy Saturday,

We all hope you've had a wonderful week and are looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

Lets have a look at what we've all been up to this week...

Heather at The Beating Hearth 

Let's get down to business. Sewing the top...Making a table runner

  Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

How The Heck Does She Afford To Feed All Those Kids? - Bulk Bread Maker Mix

iPad Case

Guest Posting at Shaffer Sisters

Mel also has a hilarious weekly feature - Wet your Pants Wednesday, go check it out!

Mary at Sweet Little Bluebird

 

 Tried & True Tuesday ~ Loaded Sweet & Salty Cookies

Danni at Silo Hill Farm

   Helping Out A Friend Today

Natalie at NorthShore Days  

Nail Polish Pendant

Did you know that Mary reached 1 Million page views on her blog Sweet Little Bluebird, last week? We decided to surprise her by each knocking off one of her posts...and surprised she was. We are so proud of your achievement Mary...

Nat -"One Million People Can't Be Wrong" - Snickerdoodle Donut Muffins
Mel -Because A Million People Can't be Wrong - Framed Monogram
Danni -One Million People Can't Be Wrong!!
Heather -Because a Million People Can't be Wrong...Spanakopita Crescent Rolls



This week we started our next exciting series....

So start looking out for a project you would like to "knock of" and don't forget to link back to the original  source in your post...and be ready for our next linky party on June 10th.

This week Natalie knocked of Mary's Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffins..

 

Breakfast Muffins

Have a great weekend

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.