Friday, January 25, 2013

Grace Grits and Gardening - Lemon Thyme Blackberry Cobbler

I am excited to be a new regular contributor to Inspiration Café! Each month I will be sharing information about gardening, specifically herbs, recipes and gardening projects.

My personal blog, Grace Grits and Gardening, includes stories of family, food, garden, life, and tales of growing up on a farm in Northeast Arkansas. A bit of personal info…my husband and I live in Dallas, but recently purchased a small home in Fayetteville, Arkansas where we hope to retire…someday… We are empty nesters with two amazing children (Longhorn daughter, Razorback son), but our miniature schnauzers, Lucy and Annabelle, run the household.

Annabelle and Lucy

I'm a big believer in herbs. They are packed with antioxidants and full of health benefits. Plus, herbs are the only crop I can successfully grow in my postage-stamp-sized yard under the blazing Dallas summer sun. And, as the daughter of a cotton farmer, I must grow something…

Lemon Thyme Blackberry Cobbler

An entire bag of lemons stared at me each time I walked through the kitchen. (My husband tends to overbuy when he does the grocery shopping.) With lemons to somehow use up and enough thyme for a restaurant, I decided to add both to my simple blackberry cobbler recipe. If the combo lemon/thyme/blackberry turned out to be disgusting, only the schnauzers would know…

It smelled heavenly. It looked heavenly. I took a teeny tiny sinful bite to make sure it was edible. Very delicious! Both the lemon and thyme added a little something-something to the recipe. I immediately packed up half of it for a few neighbors, yet left a bit for John's dessert. I managed to successfully ignore it the remainder of the afternoon.

Like everything I cook, it's super easy. If the recipe is difficult, I move on to something else.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 stick unsalted butter

1 & 1/4 cup of sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

2 cups of blackberries (frozen or fresh)

Zest of 2 large lemons

Fresh Thyme - 2 teaspoons chopped

butter+lemon zest

Method:

1. Melt butter in the microwave. Mix the zest of 2 lemons into the butter. Use a tiny bit of this mixture to butter your baking dish.

2. Rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of the flour and the thyme together and sprinkle this over the blackberries. Gently Mix.

3. Pour 1 cup of sugar and remaining flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour melted butter/lemon zest in and whisk it all together.

see the thyme sprinkled on top?

4. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly.

5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top.

6. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. About 10 minutes before it is done, you can sprinkle a bit more sugar and thyme over the top if you would like. The sugar will give it a bit of a crust & sparkle on top. And, you probably will have a lot of leftover thyme, so you may as well use a bit more.

A shout-out for thyme... In medieval times it was regarded as the plant that provided courage and vigor. The ancient Romans used it as a treatment for depression. It contains antioxidants and essential oils thought to alleviate stress, provide a calming effect and relieve aches and pains in the joints. One teaspoon crushed, added to boiling water, steeped for 10 minutes and then strained, makes a great tea, which will help with sore throats, coughs and mouth irritations. You can add a bit of honey to sweeten.

A big thank you Inspiration Café for allowing me to become a regular contributor! I hope you will stop by and check out my blog at Grace Grits and Gardening. I love comments and followers.

Talya

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Boot Liners with A Few Miner Adjustments

One Sweater...Three Different Projects

{Part 3}

Sometimes a sweater is more than a sweater. It is warmth for your hands, a head rest after a long day, and something stylish for your boots. I knew this sweater had to go. It wasn't for me anymore. So I made a few Miner adjustments to it. If you are curious about the first 2 projects that I did, you can find them here and here.

So after doing the first projects what is left of this sweater? Not much...just the arms and neck. I looked at the neck and said "What the heck can I make out of this?" A big fat nothin'. So I tossed it.

The arms are another story though. A love story, if you will. At first, I put them on like leg warmers. Unfortunately, the wrist end of the arm was up by my knee and it was too tight. Ouch! Picture this. I am walking down the hall at school with a group of students when all of a sudden the circulation in my leg cuts off and I go down like a sack of potatoes. Not pretty. So I went in a different direction...literally. I turned them around and made boot liners. The stores sell them for high rubber boots and they range in price from about $9.99 - $24.99. There is no foot in these though, so I will still have to wear socks. But I my legs have been oh, so toasty this winter.{LOVE} How did I do it? Here are 3 easy steps.

And there you have it...boot liners!

One sweater that I didn't like turned into three {useful} creations that I love... Mittens for my hands. A pillow for my head. And boot liners for my legs. What would you make from an old sweater?

{Trina}

PS....A big, fat THANK YOU the crew at Inspiration Cafe for hosting me today! I had a blast and hope to be back again!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Old Clothes by Deja Vue Designs

We're welcoming Tammy of Deja Vue Designs to Inspiration Cafe today.

You're gonna love her! She's got great style.

Meet Tammy!

Hi! I'm so excited to be a guest on the Inspiration Cafe! I need to pinch myself! lol I mean....gah Sharon Hines writes for them! I bow down humbly! First let me just say, I am an art junkie. If it has to do with art, I'm in! The really sad thing is, I believe everything in life came from an artist. This makes it hard to decide what to focus on. My main goal is to teach and inspire everyone I encounter love and appreciation for art of all forms. I LOVE to take used up junk, that no one else wants and give it a new life, and usually a new purpose. I find something very satisfying about saving anything from going into the trash. That might explain today's post. ANYHOO.....let's get the show on the road! :)

Old Clothes

Last week I told y’all what I did with my Goodwill pillow and used sweater. Old clothes are useful in a lot of ways. For the pillow I used the body of the sweater, and I told y’all that later I’d use the rest of it. Well, today, I’m using the sleeves. This was just pretty much a given for me. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind what these little darlings would be used for.

Here are the sleeves from last week’s sweater. The only thing I did before I cut them off of the sweater, is zig zag right up against the seam. That way there would be no fraying. Then I went out and bought some clear elastic.

I got some white too, because they only had one pack of clear, and I didn’t want to waste the clear on the bottom of the project. It won’t ever get seen. I could probably get by with very little elastic in the top of the sleeves, my calves are full-figured. But my daughter, well, she’s not full-figured anywhere, and they wouldn’t stay up on her. This made me think, that even with my calves, over time the knitted fabric would stretch. This is the main reason the top got elastic at all.

I took the sleeves and sewed the clear elastic in the end that was where your arm stuck out. and the white went where the shoulder went. This is what I got:

How cute is that?

A faux stalking! I just LOVE the little finish it gives these boots. Aren’t boots so yummy! It’s the one thing about winter I DO like!

I just think these things just give the most elegant look to this boot. My daughter wouldn’t play dress up for me. All I could get is one leg out of her!

You get the idea. Next, we’ll find a use for the neck of those old clothes.

Would you use these? Do you have an old sweater that you could do this with?

Love Y’all!

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. Click here to submit!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Organization 101: Clearing the Clutter

I'm having so much fun hanging out at the Inspiration Cafe and am thrilled to be sharing this organizing series with you.

So how are you doing on your New Year's Resolution to get organized? Are you like me, feeling like the clock is ticking away and you've barely scratched the surface of your organizational goals?

home organization, how to organize, DIY, home projects

Well, there' still hope. Today I want to share with you a strategy for bringing your vision to reality. We are going to break our project down into manageable tasks. If you put "organize the garage" on your to-do list, you're going to find that "to-do" being bumped to the next week, then the next week, to the week after that. So, instead, let's approach the project one step at a time. For example:

home organization, tips for organizing, DIY, home projects

Day 1: Get three boxes, labeled trash, donate and keep. Start going through everything in the garage and designating them to one of the boxes. Day 2: Throw away the trash and deliver your donation box to donation center Day 3: Determine how you use the garage. Look at what you're keeping and decide on the most practical place to store it. It may be helpful to draw out a sketch or use an online tool to create a plan. Day 4: Start organizing. Put everything in its place. Include a labeling system so that everyone knows where everything goes. If your kids are small, use pictures or symbols so that they can take ownership in cleaning too.

My big task this week is to finish organizing the command center in my home. So far, I've cleared everything off of the desk. And I have rearranged where the calendar and message board hangs. Now, I have to work on putting the desk back together. The biggest problem being paper clutter.

home command center, home organization, DIY, home projects

I think my next step is to make a list: "recycle, shred, bills, respond, file" Then, determine what kind of receptacles would serve us best. What works for you? Next week, I hope to show you a picture of the finished space. Now that I've said that "out loud", I will feel some accountability and am more likely to get it done. Thank you so much for having me back! I'll see y'all next Tuesday to finish out the series. Feel free to come visit me at www.mrshinesclass.com between now and then. See you in class, Mrs. Hines

Sunday, January 20, 2013

6 Simple and Sweet DIY Framed Valentine Decorations ~ Hearts and Keys

Welcome to the Cafe!

It's Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird!

With Valentine's Day right around the corner,

I wanted to share some quick and easy, adorable

and affordable, DIY Framed Valentine decorations.

If you follow my blog, you know I am all about

quick and simple crafts...LOVE THEM!

First up...

My newest creation is thanks to Heidi of The Frugal Girls!

I was the lucky winner of a $25 Hobby Lobby Gift Card from

The Chic & Crafty Link Party.

This is what I purchased with my gift card.

The project below only cost $11, so I had money

leftover to make another craft...which I already

purchased and will be sharing soon!

Supplies

-Square 12x12 frame - cost $5 (50% off)

-Painted Wood Heart - cost $5 (30% off)

-Piece of red and white heart fabric for the matte was approx. $1.

Directions

-First, remove the glass or place it behind the matte.

-Cut the fabric to fit the size for matting.

-Tape the fabric to the back of the matte.

-Tuck the ribbon up top and tape it to the back of the matte.

-See finished photo below.

Tip - Make sure you have a big enough piece of fabric - you need

to be able to pull it smooth when you tape it to the back of the matte,

to remove bubbles and wrinkles.

If you have never been to the Chic & Crafty Link Party,

you should check it out on Thursday nights.

Heidi is so sweet and kind! She is the best!

I have been a "Frugal Girl" for a while and I

can't tell you the amount of money I've saved

from her posts and e-mails - or the number

of tips I use when it comes to gifts, recipes and crafts.

She shares the best restaurant and grocery coupons too.

You name it, she shares it!

Check out the site, you will be glad you did!

www.thefrugalgirls.com

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

Next up...

This was one of my very first features and

still gets tons and tons of visits! It was even

featured on The Frugal Girls last year!

Sequin ♥ + Frame + Cute Paper = Adorable

This took less than 5 minutes to make!

Cost was only $6.50! If I had an extra

red frame hanging around the house,

it would have only cost $1.50. You

can always paint an old frame red too!

The heart, scrapbook paper and frame

was purchased from Hobby Lobby.

Use the same directions as the first heart frame.

This is easier to make with scrapbook paper as the matte.

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

Next two up...

"Strings of my Heart"

For these two framed pieces, I used scrapbook paper,

jewelry wire and heart jewelry charms.

Everything was purchased at Hobby Lobby (50% off).

Each finished piece cost less than $6 to make, with the

majority of the cost going to the frames. If you already

have frames, this will cost you little $ to make!

Supplies

Heart Charms

Jewelry Wire

Matte (Fabric, Scrapbook Paper...)

Scissors

Directions

Cut scrapbook paper to size for the matte.

Twist the jewelry wire, fold and tuck it in center up top,

behind the matte. See photo below.

Here is the other version...

For this piece...

Cut a long piece of wire for the "clothes line" and tuck it up top, behind the matte. Next, cut desired length of wire for each charm. Place each charm on it's individual wire and start to twist. Once it is twisted 3/4 of the way, place it on the "clothes line" and twist the rest of the way. Repeat for each one.

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

Last but not least...

DIY FRAMED KEY CHARMS

"KEY TO MY HEART"

All the materials were purchased at Hobby Lobby on sale.
I removed the glass from all the frames and stored them
for safe keeping.

Each finished piece cost under $7 to make.

This is all you need to make the Framed Keys: