pleasure in simple things

the charleston vibe

April 17, 2026

Charleston, SC has been on my bucket list of places to visit for a very long time and I had always planned to some day visit with my daughter. But, in the meantime; my good friend was attending a wedding in Charleston and asked me if I’d like to join her on the trip! Of course I agreed!

Our visit happened to be scheduled during the time of The Charleston Festival sponsored by the Historic Charleston Foundation. (In its 79^th year!) One of the festival activities included a series of House & Garden Tours. These tours gave access to privately owned historic homes, select interiors, and private gardens and we were able to book one of the tours in advance of our trip.

Although photos were not allowed on the tour, I was able to capture some photos during our walk around the city to give you an idea of the Charleston vibe. I am sharing some in this first Charleston post. (My next post will share a couple of my favorite Charleston landmarks.)

The fountain in front of the restaurant Husk.

One thing I had heard about Charleston was that there were plenty of beautiful window boxes. We were able to find some. It seemed it must have been the beginning of the window box season since we saw quite a few people planting window boxes while we walked around the city.

As gardeners, we did take note that the window boxes were planted very full – many more plants per box than we would have expected. So, if you plant window boxes – take note that the ones with the most beautiful results did not skimp on the plants!

Other details we noticed at many of the homes were the gates and iron work as well as some pretty house numbers.

If you haven’t yet visited Charleston, I highly recommend a trip! Please enjoy the photos!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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diy decoupage feather easter eggs

March 14, 2026

This year the theme for my Easter egg decorating is feathers. The medium I decided to use is decoupage.

I have done a lot of decoupage and I have shared many of my decoupage shells with you over the years but I think this is the first year I have used decoupage on my Easter eggs.

Eggs, nests, feathers – these are all motifs I really love. I’m actually surprised I’ve never painted feathers on my eggs in the past.

Decoupage is so easy to do and it is especially great for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable hand painting eggs. Decoupage gives such a great result with very little effort!

Start by choosing a pattern you wish to use on your egg. Just like my decoupage shell instructions, I am suggesting you use paper cocktail napkins because there are so many to choose from and they are inexpensive and easy to use. Home Goods or Marshalls is a good place to look for purchasing paper napkins.

You will need the napkin of your choice, Mod Podge, a paint brush, and some eggs! I like to empty out my eggs first so I can keep the finished product year to year.

Start by cutting out the shape(s) you want to use on your egg. Then, separate the layers of the paper napkin; removing the back two layers. Paint some Mod Podge onto the egg and carefully place your paper shape onto the Mod Podge. Once in place, brush another layer of Mod Podge over the top of the paper. Let dry and that’s it!

I hope you have some fun creating some decoupaged Easter eggs this year!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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icy does it

February 14, 2026

The temperatures here in Connecticut have been frigid and lasting for more than a couple of days.

Today, I want to share some photos with you that demonstrate these temps!

Living on the coast, we don’t often see the saltwater freezing like this!

It has been over ten years since I’ve seen the water freeze to this degree!

With the temperature in the single digits (not counting the windchill), I could barely keep my mittens off long enough to take a single photo!

So, it was very hard to get a few shots to share.

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos while you are someplace warm…or, at least enjoying a warm cozy weekend indoors!

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall visit to the farmer’s daughter

October 31, 2025

You know I love gardens and garden stores. This year, I’ve enjoyed sharing visits to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and my home state of Connecticut with you.

Today, I am sharing a fall visit to a great garden center in Rhode Island – South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to a spot called The Farmer’s Daughter.

Open since 1998, The Farmer’s Daughter is more than a garden shop. In addition to greenhouses, there are gift shops housed in barns on the property that contain many unique garden inspired gifts.

I hope you can see by the photos I am sharing, that it is a very inspiring place!

Please enjoy!!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to this special garden spot in Rhode Island. Maybe we will take another visit when all the barns are magically transformed for the holidays! Until then, thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall 2025 at terrain

September 26, 2025

For me, the official first day of fall is the day I make my first autumn visit to Terrain to check out their seasonal displays.

If you have followed me for a while, you know about my Terrain obsession.

So, in true beginning of fall fashion, I am sharing some photos from my first fall Terrain excursion!

And, especially for those who don’t have a Terrain nearby – enjoy!

This year’s store entrance:

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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coastal maine botanical gardens

July 4, 2025

Today, I have another garden to share with you.

Giant troll Roskva. He represents the trunks. He is the heaviest, hardest, and strongest of the trolls.

Like Chanticleer in my last post, The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG) is a garden I’ve been following on Instagram for years. It was so exciting for me to finally make a visit! And, even better, with one of my besties who is also a garden lover!

Giant troll Birk represents the roots. He is the wisest and most mysterious of the trolls.

This garden did not disappoint!

Located in Boothbay, Maine, this gem consists of more than 300 acres of gardens and natural spaces. In addition to the gardens themselves, every part of the experience – gift shop, cafe, restrooms – is aesthetically beautiful and meticulously maintained.

Giant troll Soren represents the branches. He is a very curious troll.

Taking a general tour in the morning, with a knowledgeable staff member, gave us a great overview of CMBG.

Visitors can enjoy walking through a butterfly garden.

I couldn’t wait to see the giant trolls constructed of recycled materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo hidden throughout the natural wooded areas of the CMBG. Taking a guided hike and walking along the trail system through the gardens’ woods and along the waterfront was a fabulous way to discover each troll. Dambo created a theme with the trolls – each one of the five representing a part of the trees – the trunks, the scent of the flowers, the roots, the branches, and the leaves. Each troll is constructed of recycled wood.

Giant troll Gro represents the leaves. He is the wanderer.

Giant troll Lilja represents the scent of the flowers. She is the youngest of the trolls – still just a child.

I hope you have enjoyed checking out some of the highlights of my Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens visit. You can probably tell the giant trolls were my favorite part! The third garden on my bucket list, that I have been following on Instagram, is in Texas! Living in Connecticut, it may be a while before that visit happens!

The artist’s original sketch/design of the giant trolls.

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a fabulous holiday weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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more chanticleer

May 2, 2025

Today I am sharing more of my newest obsession – Chanticleer – a public garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

In my last post, I shared some photos from a recent visit. Today, I am sharing more photos – this time from one specific area of the seven garden areas at Chanticleer.

The seven Horticulturists at Chanticleer are each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of an area. The areas are continually evolving, each with its own feel, yet joined together as one complete unit.

The photos in today’s post were all taken at the area called The Ruin. The Ruin, one of the seven areas of the garden, is built on the foundation of Adolph Rosengarten Jr.’s home.

It is meant to look as if the house fell into disrepair. The Ruin has a focus on hardy perennials, both woody and herbaceous.

Of the 50 acres owned by The Chanticleer Foundation, 35 are open to the public. The remaining acreage is in agriculture, woodland, service areas, and staff housing. The main path is just under a mile in length.

I hope I have inspired you to think about planning a visit to this fabulous garden or maybe another beautiful public garden close to your home.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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visiting chanticleer

April 25, 2025

I recently visited a spot I have been admiring on Instagram for years! It was my very first visit and I enjoyed it so much I have to share a few photos of this glorious place – to give you a sense of what it is like.

Chanticleer is a contemporary garden within a historic setting, located outside Philadelphia in Wayne Pennsylvania.

It opened to the public in 1993. Most of the floral and garden development presently has occurred since 1990, designed by Chanticleer staff and consultants. Chanticleer has 20 full-time staff – 2 manage facilities and 14 are gardeners and groundskeepers.

Visiting in April, not too much was in bloom, but this garden has such beautifully designed foliage, it didn’t matter! The garden is a study of textures and forms filled with ideas to take home! Even though my visit was on a dismal, rainy day, it was a wonderful visit!

The Chanticleer Foundation owns 50 acres, 35 of which are open to the public.

Today’s photos are a little overview of this fabulous garden. There are actually seven areas of Chanticleer – each design unique. Today’s photos are a little overview of the entire garden. In my next post, I will share some photos of one of these unique garden areas.

If you are a garden enthusiast, be sure to put Chanticleer on your list of places to visit! (Do what we did – combine it with a trip to Longwood Gardens!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a dinosaur on the high line

December 13, 2024

Any day I spend in New York City usually includes a walk on The High Line.

My last visit to the city, planned as a day to enjoy the holiday festivities, was no exception.

I hadn’t been on The High Line since a particular piece of art, titled Dinosaur, was installed last October on the Plinth located above 10^th Avenue and 30^th Street. This celebrated spot is part of a contemporary art program that has been displaying sculptures in the heart of the city since 2019.

The piece called Dinosaur is a 2,000-pound, nearly 16-foot-tall cast aluminum sculpture of a pigeon created by Paris-based Colombian artist Ivan Argote. Argote’s pitch was selected from a group of 80 artists in 2020.

The sculpture’s foundation was laid in Mexico, and it was hand painted in New Jersey. It took a crane and a lane closure of 10th Avenue to position the pigeon on its perch (the concrete plinth).

Why is it named Dinosaur? Apparently, the sculpture is an ode to the pigeon’s distant past as the birds descended from dinosaurs. Who knew?

Anyway, my daughter and I really wanted to see the hyper-realistic bird in person and we hadn’t been on The High Line since before last October, so we used our recent visit as a chance to get an up-close view. I am so glad we did – despite the bitter cold!

The pigeon has to be one of my favorite sculptures I have seen on the High Line. (The two tons of Legos dumped on The High Line is still my very favorite installation! Click here to see.)

I feel lucky to live close enough to New York City to visit on a whim! And the holidays are always an extra special time to visit.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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halloween fun 2024

October 25, 2024

Although I’m not a big Halloween fan, I usually will carve a pumpkin or two – or, create something in the Halloween spirit.

This year, my pumpkin was carved in a little less than traditional manner. I used wood carving tools rather than a knife. Carving in this manner is much easier and, I think, can be more interesting.

I was inspired by an evergreen tree in my yard. The tree has the traditional needles and tons of little mini pine cones. My idea was to carve the pumpkin with ‘needles’ and then add some of the pine cones from my tree.

I purchased what is called a blue pumpkin, rather than an orange one, to complete the task. Because the blue heirloom pumpkin looked almost green, I thought it would work well as my ‘evergreen’ pumpkin.

I used woodworking tools to carve the needles. I had planned on adding the pine cones with straight pins, but I began to wonder if the pumpkin would not live as long with holes punched in it! With this in mind, after I finished carving, I ended up using my glue gun to add the pine cones.

I have to say, using the woodworking tools is much easier on the hands than the traditional method of carving through the pumpkin with a knife!

After I completed my pumpkin, I carved a few baby boos to use at place settings for an upcoming brunch. I love little white baby boos! I did a little bit of carving and added a ribbon. I did end up adding some pins on these little guys – some pretty gold ones!

In the Halloween spirit, I also created some favors for my brunch. I made some butter cookies in the shape of candy corn and packaged them in the holiday theme! Why are they not the traditional yellow and orange? Well, I made them totally organic – so I couldn’t use red dye! I used organic cocoa to create color variations.

So, that’s the extent of my Halloween preparations! I hope you are also creating something fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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the charleston vibe

diy decoupage feather easter eggs

icy does it

fall visit to the farmer’s daughter

fall 2025 at terrain

coastal maine botanical gardens

more chanticleer

visiting chanticleer

a dinosaur on the high line

halloween fun 2024