INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

Hello everyone!  We are excited to introduce our newest regular contributor here at the Inspiration Cafe!  She has done several guest posts for us and we love her and hope you will too!

Meet Marci from Stone Cottage Adventures!  

Marci will be posting on the last Friday of every month and you just never know what she'll be writing about, but you can bet it will be interesting.  She knows a lot about herbs and has a couple of greenhouses.  She sews, she cooks and shares some fabulous recipes on her blog.  Her back yard is a certified National Wildlife Federation Back Yard Habitat. (How cool is that?)
We think Marci will be a great contributor here at the Cafe and we hope you'll enjoy her as much as we do!  I had the good fortune to actually meet Marci in person and I can tell you that she is one awesome lady!  
Please be sure to give her a warm Inspiration Cafe welcome when she shares her first post as a regular contributor one week from today.  In the meantime, head over to her blog Stone Cottage Adventures and check out some of Marci's posts.  Time at Marci's blog is always time well-spent!  

Thank you for joining us Marci, we're so glad your here!

Plastic Bags into Shopping Bag - Mammy Made

Hi everyone. I'm Adele and I live in England with my two gorgeous babies, Leyla who is 4 and Naomie who is 2. I am so excited to be contributing to Inspiration Cafe again today!

I usually blog over at Mammy Made. I like to write about crafting, cooking and homeschooling, although I am only homeschooling part time at the minute. I have tons of tutorials on there so come by and say hi, I’d love to see you! I am also currently blogging about growing vegetables in my small back yard so come and check that out :)

This month I am going to show you how I made this reusable shopping bag out of plastic carrier bags.

It didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it would and used up a lot of bags that would've otherwise probably ended up as waste! And it's pretty cute aswell. Bonus.

You will need: 

8mm (or bigger if you have it) metal crochet hook, tons and tons of plastic bags, cut into 1/2" strips and looped together to make ''plarn''. There is a good tutorial for how to do that here.

Bag:
1. ch3, join with slst in 1st ch to make a circle (it will be very tight but that's good)
2. ch3, work 9dcs in circle, join with sl st to top of ch3 (10)
3. ch3, turn, dc in same st, work 2dcs in each st around, join with slst in top of ch3 (20)
4. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *work 1dc in next st, work 2dcs in next st* rep around, join with slst in top of ch3 (30)
5. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *work 2dcs in next st, work 2dcs in next st* rep around, join with slst in top of ch3 (40)
6. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *work 3dcs in next st, work 2dcs in next st* rep around, join with slst in top of ch3 (50)
7-14. ch3, turn, sk st at base of ch3, dc around, join with sl st in top of ch3 (I worked the last 2 rounds in a different coloured plarn but this is optional)

15. bind off and weave in ends

Handle:

16. rejoin plarn a few stitches right of the seam (with back of stitches facing), ch3, sk st at base of ch3 then dc in next 3sts (4)

17-29. ch1, turn, sk st at base of ch3, dc across (4)

30. attach handle to opposite side of bag, making sure it's not twisted, bind off and weave in ends

Flower:
31. ch3, join with slst in 1st ch to make a circle (it will be very tight but that's good)
32. ch1, *sc in loop, ch4* rep x 6, join with sl st in 1st sc (6 loops)
33. ch1, turn, work (sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc) in each loop around, join with sl st in 1st sc, bind off and weave in ends

I tied my flower onto the join of my handle since it looked quite obvious. I joined mine with single crochet stitch, so this step can be skipped if you just stitch it on as normal. I was getting tired though, so I went for the easy (and cute!) way out :P

Done!

I guess mine turned out a little strange looking since I wanted the handle to be short enough to hang it off my pushchair hook, without having the bottom scrape off the floor like most of my other bags do! If you wanted to use it as a proper shoulder bag, you'd just make the strap longer, or attach two straps - one on each side of the bag :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. Thank you so much to everyone behind Inspiration Cafe for letting me contribute again. It's been fun!

National Strawberry Month

Hi Everyone,

It's Mary again, from Sweet Little Bluebird!

Just stopping by the Cafe to share a quick and easy summer recipe!

Since May is National Strawberry Month in the States, 

I wanted to share a great wrap that is loaded 
with strawberries and is out of this world yummy!  
It's a party in your mouth good!

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

Tortilla 

+

Peanut Butter

+

Strawberries

+

Banana

+

Bacon

+

Toasted Pecans

+

Honey

______________________

= DELICIOUS

Add as much of each ingredient as you like, 
wrap 'er up and enjoy!  Your mouth will thank you!

Thanks so much for visiting the Cafe!
Cheers!

Fabric Candle Votives - NorthShore Days

 Hi Everyone,

It's Nat from NorthShore Days here, and today I'm going to share an oldie but a real goodie...

The days are growing shorter and there is a definite chill in the air - yup Winter is on its way and I'm not a happy Winter person.

The other day it was dark and dreary and I needed to cheer myself up a bit so I made these cute little candle votives. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures while I was creating them but they are so simple to make.

I used some baby food jars that I found in the back of my cupboard, double sided craft tape and fabric... I also added a button threaded onto memory wire to add an extra fun element.....

 Doesn't this fabric make you happy?  

I love it - and will be making a table runner out of it soonish...

So literally all I did.... cut out a piece of fabric, add tape to the back and stick onto the jar. Thread a button onto wire and wrap around..... How simple was that??? 

And look how fab they are.....

Pop in a tea light candle and they are gorgeous, lit up at night......

 They make me smile, sitting up on the kitchen window sill....

And they definitely did a great job of cheering me up on that dreary Autumn day. 

 

Take Care

 xxx

 

 

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!

shared here:

Make it Pretty Monday 

Mop it up Monday 

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