This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 1-800-Flowers. All opinions are 100% mine.

My grandma’s always loved the summer. She enjoys getting out in her garden, or heading out to a day on the beach. Whenever the days turn warm, I always think about her, and the smile on her face when she’s strolling along picking up shells in the sand.

I might just have to send her this bouquet from 1-800-Flowers.com, it reminds me of her cheery smiles and the happiness you can see on her face when the weather warms up. It would be fun to see it brighten her day.

I love the little seashell on the front with the raffia. I’m also a fan of delphiniums, and the contrast of the blue and orange, the whole thing says summer! This bouquet makes me think of my grandma strolling along the beach looking for shells.

1-800-Flowers has a large selection of flower arrangements to fit any occasion. If you have someone you’ve been thinking about, and you’d like to make their day, sending them flowers could be a great way to let them know you care.

Do you have someone you’re thinking about? Why not set up a flower delivery from 1-800-Flowers to let them know you’re thinking about them.

Can you believe it’s summer already! I can’t believe how fast this time of year flies by! This weekend I have some fun crafty links for you to check out. From sand bucket cupcakes, to birth announcements and do it yourself wedding favors, I hope you enjoy this weekends crafty inspiration.

Beach Cupcake Wraps~ Here’s a fun sand bucket cupcake idea for your beach party.

The birth of a new baby is always something to celebrate. Here’s a simple, easy, and fun birth announcement to create or inspire you to make one too!

Wedding season is almost upon us. Chloe shares some great ideas for DIY wedding favours

Hurrah for upcycling!~ Noreen treated herself to a really frumpy skirt and a too small dress at the thrift store. WHY? So she could upcycle and re-fashion them, of course!

At Mixed Media Artist~ Cyndi shares some thoughts on her recent foray into self-publishing.

At The Artful Crafter join Eileen in June’s June “Let Them Eat Cake” creativity challenge and get a free cupcake. Sweet!

Ways to Use Old Hankies~ Vintage hankies, especially when they have sentimental value, are a wonderful way to add some personality and charm to your house. Here are a couple ideas on how to use them.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hampton Hotels is holding a sweepstakes where you can win a weekend stay at one of their inns. It’s not just for you and your family! You can include guests! The grand prize winner will receive a free stay for themselves and 100 of their friends at a Hampton for one weekend. The winner will also receive $5000 to help pay the tax for the weekend!

If I won I’d put together a group of friends and family members and head for the beach! Some of my favorite beaches are in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I’d head to the Corolla Hampton Inn, since it’s right on the beach with oceanfront rooms and suites that look right out on the sand dunes. We’ve been there several times, but I would love to take my mom and dad, and the rest of the family along for a getaway weekend!

The sweepstakes is open to everyone, not just Hilton Honors members or those that have previously stayed at a Hampton. So, even if you’ve never tried a Hampton you can enter to win, just head over to the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes page to find out all the details and get entered.

It’s been a beautiful Ohio spring weekend here. Things always seem to start to get hectic this time of  the year. Just when you want to slow down and enjoy the sunshine! This weekend was crazy busy, so I’m just getting the Artsy Blogger roundup done. It’s technically still the weekend until midnight, right?

Our fruit trees are blooming and looking fabulous! Here’s a quick shot of a few of the blooms on one of the apple trees.

Spring is a wonderful time for new beginnings, and cleaning out the old so you can have in with the new. I have some fun links to share with you this weekend and many of them do just that. From candied violets, to fishing cupcakes, and organizing your scrapbook stickers, there are tons of fun weekend reading links for you to check out for spring ideas.

Mirrors and Poetry ~ Cherie uses lines from her poetry to create one-of-a-kind mirrors.

Knitting Video Tutorials ~ This week, Noreen made 3 new video tutorials showing different techniques for spool knitting with 2 pegs – great for jewelry making and lots of other things, too!

Fabulous Floral Necklace ~Cyndi has just finished up a floral necklace that features fabric!

Envelope Books ~How to make an envelope book for little treasures or clutter.

Make Candied Violets ~ Violets are everywhere! Let’s sugar some for sweet goodie decorations!

Organizing Scrapbooking Stickers ~ Follow along with Katelyn as she organizes her art studio, starting with scrapbooking stickers.

Easy Dog Bandannas ~ How to make bandannas for your favorite fur kid.

Gone Fishing Cupcakes ~ Super quick and easy. Perfect for dad on Father’s Day.

It’s been sunny and in the 70′s here all week. It’s been such a wonderful week to have my son home on spring break. We’ve gotten outside and had some fun every day.

My daffodils are in full bloom, and looking fabulous.

This weekend’s links are all about celebrating spring, so I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.

• Chloe has posted a tutorial on how to make your own stamped scrapbooking ribbons.
• The Artful Crafter read about some glass etching tips from master etcher Eric Robert.
• With spring springing up all over, Creative Dreamer shared her favorite cake recipe for spring. It goes PERFECTLY with fresh fruit…or, candied violets….
• Nostepinnes are an ancient way of winding flat, stackable, center pull balls of yarn. There is a knack to learning the skill of winding yarn on the nostie, and at Tottie Talks Crafts Noreen has made a video tutorial to show how it’s done.
• At Beading Arts Cyndi shares how she constructs her bead embroidered cuff bracelets for the Bead Journal Project.
• The Kid’s Fun Review has a cute sweet pea cupcake topper and a scrapbook page.
• Etsy find~ check out these Poetry Mirrors~ Painted mirrors, handcrafted, with lines from poems.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Today I have some spring inspired bouquets and centerpieces for you to check out. When you think of flowers for spring, you immediately think pastels.

This spring, I want to challenge you to think outside the box, and take a look at these beautiful springtime bouquets and centerpieces from Minoo Hersini, Creative Director at Au Ciel Design Studio.

For me nothing says spring like green. These arrangements feature lively yellows, greens, whites and cream colors. Don’t be afraid to switch it up and be unique when you’re planning your spring bouquets!

One thing I love to include in my centerpieces is the unexpected, like fruits and vegetables, or herbs. Don’t forget you can add some of these elements into your spring or Easter arrangements.

Bringing in a little sunshine in a vase can definitely brighten a rainy spring day.

I could see several of these as fabulous Easter table centerpieces, for an Easter brunch.

Hopefully these lovely centerpieces will inspire you with ideas to create your own spring arrangements. You can check out more of Minoo Hersini’s spring decorating ideas at Au Ciel Design Studio.

I have some really cool arts and crafts links to share with you today for your weekend reading enjoyment.

I don’t know about you, but the weather has been beautiful here! Sunny and spring-like all week. I think we’re supposed to get some rain Sunday, so I’m taking advantage of the sun while I can.

I hope you find as much inspiration in this weeks links as I have. Enjoy!

• At Tottie Talks Crafts Noreen talks about Zentangling (something I’d really like to try) and how doodling is so much more than mindless twiddling with a pencil- it can be a great source of design inspiration.
• At Beading Arts Cyndi worked out a pattern for a simple but pretty floral seed bead chain!
• Looking for canning jar art ideas and supplies? Let Eileen at The Artful Crafter help you out with resources and tips.
• It’s a month of give-aways over at Creative Dreamer…and she’s half way through. Go check out what’s going on and toss your name in the hat!!!
• At Gadabout DIY you can learn how to turn a fabric remnant into a pretty and stylish fringed scarf in an afternoon.
• Did you art your mission statement this year? Katelyn at Crafty Blogger finally got her yearly mixed media mission statement done and is hanging it right in front of her desk so she stays inspired to follow it.
• Here at The Home and Garden Cafe I shared a paper mache Easter table centerpiece that was super simple to create.

That’s it for this weeks crafty inspiration. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I absolutely love the Lenox Peeps Easter Collection! My favorite piece is this Lenox PEEPS Easter Basket. Aren’t those Bunny Peeps peeking over the edge sooo cute?
The basket would be fabulous as an Easter table centerpiece, along with this Lenox PEEPS Bunny and Chick Salt & Pepper Set.

Both the Lenox Peeps Basket and the Lenox Peeps Salt and Pepper set are hand painted, and constructed from Lenox fine china. Both also feature 24-carat gold rimming for an extra special touch.

Give your Easter party a whole Peeps theme. Use some Peeps for cupcake toppers, dip a few in chocolate, or make some Peep s’mores for your guests.

I have a new feature I’m starting here at The Home and Garden Cafe! Every weekend I’ll have a roundup of fun artsy projects and information for your enjoyment from some of my talented blogging friends. I hope you enjoy it!

I have a few arts and crafts up my own sleeve to bring you in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!

Here’s what’s up for this week:

• Cyndi has a fabulous Zulugrass bracelet to giveaway at Beading Arts!
• Let’s finish the book…Creative Dream shows you how to put together your own book...come see how it was done!
• Chloe at Gadabout Media DIY shares how to use your sewing machine to help decorate for Easter with some cute embroidered Easter eggs.
• Gadabout Media Holidays invites you to spring into warmer weather with mixed media wooden letters.
• Takes a spin with Eileen and Shaaron at the Artful Crafter on the Craft-N-Spin crafting turntable.
• I posted some fun St. Patrick’s Day craft ideas for kids at The Kid’s Fun Review.
• A friend of Noreen’s mentioned that she uses her doodling for inspiration in crochet. That inspired Noreen to make a Doodle Doll with spool knitted arms and legs. Check out how to make a Doodle Doll at Tottie Talks Crafts.

That’s this weeks crafty inspiration for you, hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Fall is such a fun time to create a backyard display, with all the fall colors, and textures. You can create a unique look by combining several things together into one display, or repeat one theme throughout your display. Here are a few fall backyard decorating ideas to help you get started.

What can you put in a fall backyard display? Here are a few things to consider:

• Mums~ Their blooms are spectacular in the fall, so you should definitely consider them for your fall decorations.
• Pumpkins
• Leaves
• Colorful gourds
• Straw
• Scarecrows
• Corn Shocks
• A large container or background, like a large barrel, small wagon, wheel barrow, or wood fence, can help bring the whole display together.

An old wooden box with some straw pumpkins and gourds can make a cute fall display for a porch or entryway.

A large backyard fall display can be a great background for fall photos, or a great backdrop for fall entertaining.

For entertaining add straw bales for seating, and use old sawhorses and boards for tables with plenty of corn shocks to cover the legs. Keep it rustic and fall with plenty of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.