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january book giveaway!

December 29, 2017

giveaway planner

Today, for the January giveaway, I decided to continue one more month with an organization theme!  Since we all think about getting organized at this time of year, I am giving away a planner and some cute notes!  I am hoping to inspire some organization with style!

Just leave a comment to earn a chance to win!  I will pick the winner at random from the comments at the end of the month.

organizing with a snack

Congrats to Berna, the winner of the December giveaway.  (Click here to see last month’s giveaway).  I know you will put the cute planner and Lilly Pulitzer notebook to good use.  Enjoy!  Thanks to everyone who entered to win!

If you are an Instagram user, please read on!  This month we are sharing our organization photos!  Are you revamping your closet?  Organizing the spice rack?  Whatever your project may be, please share with hashtag #pleasuregram.

organization

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

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tis the season

December 26, 2017

xmas in a tub

If you are a follower, you know I post to this blog every Tuesday and Friday without fail.  Guess what?  Today, I did not prepare a post.  Of course I won’t miss a post lol, but I didn’t prepare anything.

Yesterday, I totally lived in the moment with my family.  What a fabulous day!

Today, I am off to work.  So, no post!

In keeping with the wonderful day I had yesterday, I want to thank you all for sharing pleasure in simple things with me.  It is truly a gift to connect with so many people through this blog.

xmas stockings at ohio country living

I will see you again on Friday!

Have a fabulous day enjoying the wonders of the season!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie xo

P.S.  These couple photos were taken at the Country Living Fair in Ohio. :)

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ice, ice baby

December 22, 2017

homemade Irish Cream with home made coffee ice

Making homemade Irish Cream for the holidays is a tradition in my family.  My mom and sister always put it in their Christmas morning coffee.  I prefer to drink it cold.  A great addition to the cold version is coffee ice!  Making ice cubes in advance from leftover coffee makes this special holiday beverage perfect!  But then, a hint of coffee flavor makes many things perfect…think chocolate!

Making special ice cubes is a festive way to enjoy your favorite beverage on Christmas.  Depending on your drink of choice, you can choose to add fruit or herbs to your ice as an alternative to making coffee ice.  For the children’s beverages, try adding mini gummy bears or crushed candy canes to the ice!  What child wouldn’t like to see some gummy bears…or worms!…floating in their juice!

making coffee ice cubes for Irish Cream

Adding extra fun little details at the holidays is a great way to make the day special!

Using decorative ice cube trays is another festive idea.  Ikea usually has some cute ones!  Make little ice cube trees, angels, or other unusual shapes.  There are also trays available that make ice shot glasses if shots are more your thing!

frozen coffee shot glass

If you want our family recipe for homemade Irish Cream, click here.

I hope I have inspired you to make some special ice cubes for the holiday…a cute and easy detail to add to your holiday!

Thanks for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things!

Wishing you and your family much joy this holiday season, Jackie xo

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wrapping it up!

December 19, 2017

black and white xmas wrap

I am always excited to find a great recipe using saffron.  I have a nice big container of it that was a gift from a friend.  I treat it like gold – quite literally – since it is almost as expensive!  (Saffron is the world’s most costly spice by weight.)

pistachio saffron biscotti

Don’t saffron pistachio biscotti sound perfect to enjoy with a hot beverage by a fire?  I thought so!  I made up a batch from a recipe I found in my favorite holiday cookbook (currently)  – Holiday Cookies by Elisabeth de Nederlandens.

black white and trees wrapping

Now that holiday preparations are getting down to the wire, I am ‘wrapping up’ on all counts!  The biscotti is getting packaged on platters or in individual servings as gifts.  Other presents are also getting wrapped and placed under the tree!

biscotti on a plate

It is so hard for me to ‘wrap’ my head (pun intended) around the fact that we are in the last week before Christmas!  This week there will be a major focus on baking, wrapping, and holiday card mailing!  Stop back on Friday to share one last time before Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope your holiday planning is going well and I hope you are inspired to get your baking and wrapping in check!

wrapping in black and white

Remember to take pleasure in simple things – especially during the holiday season, Jackie xo

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holiday 2017 at grace

December 15, 2017

holiday wrap by Grace in Niantic

For Friday field trip today, a visit to one more of my favorite stores for holiday shopping!

feather ornaments

holiday bird

throw selection at Grace in NianticHave a little virtual shopping trip with a few photos from this holiday season at Grace in Niantic, Connecticut.

holiday at Grace

holiday packages at Grace

holiday cutting board at Grace

Enjoy!

happy place mugs

buddah head at Grace

throws at Grace

Hope your holiday preparations are coming along!  Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend, Jackie

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bottle brush tree salt shakers

December 12, 2017

pink bottle brush tree in salt shaker

Everyone loves a salt shaker with a bottle brush tree for the holidays!  How do I know?  One of the most pinned holiday item of mine is of the salt shaker snow globes I made some years back.

holiday salt shaker diy

Because of its popularity, I am sharing a few new ones I made this year. The last ones you saw were all done in neutrals. (Click here to see.)  Today, the shakers were created to complement a pink and gold theme.

This is such an easy DIY.  For my pink and gold theme, I started by first spraying the tops of all the shakers with a matte gold metallic spray paint.

pink and gold xmas

To create a shaker, put the bottle brush tree you have chosen into the shaker.  I use a glue gun to put a bead of glue on the base to hold the tree securely in place.  (Sometimes I find it easier to use tweezers to put the tree in place.)  Then added some sparkly ‘snow’ – some pretty glitter – inside the shaker.

pink bottle brush in a salt shaker

Decorating with ribbon, beads, jingle bells, etc. personalizes the shakers.  This is a great way to use those little scraps of ribbon you haven’t been able to throw out!

An easy and fun DIY!  You may want to add names to each and use as place cards for a holiday meal.

white bottle brush in salt shakers

Look at this little one I made with a vintage snow baby in place of the tree!  I used some sea glass spray paint to frost the glass of the shaker.

salt shaker snow baby

I hope I have inspired you to make some bottle brush tree salt shakers!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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green tea holiday bark

December 8, 2017

close up candy bark

I mentioned in a previous post that I found a great recipe book for trying some new food gifts this year.  Today, on Friday field trip, I am taking you into my kitchen to check out the first one I chose to make.  The recipe I tried is candy bark from the new recipe book Holiday Cookies:  Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season by Elisabet der Nederlanden.  (For more on this book, click here.)

I couldn’t wait to make this!  I have friends that love green tea and I was sure the bark would look festive with green from the tea and red from freeze dried berries.

piece of candy bark

As it turned out, the recipe did not disappoint!  It looks super festive and tastes great.  I do have a few tips if you decide to make this for giving.

First, green tea powder can be super expensive – shop wisely!  I found some at HomeGoods in the food section for a great price!  You can also probably find it as a teabag.  Just be sure to check the label on whatever you purchase and be sure green tea is the only ingredient.  I found the freeze dried berries at a great price at Target in the section where trail mix and nuts are sold.

collage making candy bark

As far as preparation – do not let the dark chocolate layer get too cold before layering the green tea mixture on top!  What I found out is that the green tea layer does not adhere to the chocolate if it is too cold – as soon as the chocolate is firm, spread the green tea layer on top.  Also, work quickly to add the ingredients to the green tea layer because it sets up quickly!

christmas candy bark

This candy was so easy to put together and so quick to make!  Now, it just needs a cute package for gifting!

gift package of candy bark

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you are inspired to make a food gift of your own.  I have a couple more new recipes I want to try before Christmas!

last of candy bark

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

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advent calendar diy 2017

December 5, 2017

tablescape calendar diy for advent

For those of you that follow this blog regularly, you know I don’t create hanging Advent calendars.  I prefer a tablescape or mantlescape when coming up with my annual creation!

Advent Calendar diy tablescape

This year, I am using small pillow boxes to put together a very simple calendar.  If you want to make one, this is what you will need:

24, 3 1/2” brown paper pillow boxes; 26 feet of 3/4” ribbon of your choice, cut into 13” pieces; 1” adhesive numbers (be sure to have enough numbers for 1 through 24); small candies of your choice.

candies for Advent calendar

I often use champagne bubble candies when styling since I not only love the color white, but I love the way the candies look.  Champagne flavored candies also seem right for a special occasion like Christmas.  You may choose to substitute one of your favorite candies, something homemade, or a candy in a color that coordinates with your own holiday colors.

diy advent calendar supplies

The calendar is easy to assemble.  Fill each box with some of the candy you chose and close.  Tie a piece of ribbon, lengthwise, onto each box.  Use the adhesive letters to add the numbers 1 through 24 to the front of the boxes.

I found my adhesive numbers at a craft store– I thought the dot pattern played well with the candies I chose to use in the boxes.

Lastly, arrange the boxes in a grouping.

creating a diy Advent Calendar

For a mantel, an arrangement using some loose white birch logs would work nice.  For a tablescape, any favorite tray or bowl would work well.  For my Advent calendar tablescape, I am using plants, moss, and tiny lights in a long tray down the middle of my wooden dining room table.

Easy and fun!  I hope I have inspired you to create an Advent calendar for your home!

Advent calendar diy with lights

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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december giveaway

December 1, 2017

december giveaway 2017

It is time to announce the December giveaway!  This month, as a homage to getting organized for the new year, the giveaway is a planner and a notebook!

Start 2018 off in style with this adorable planner and Lilly Pulitzer notebook!  What better way to get organized as a new year begins!

december 2017giveaway

Just leave a comment and you are entered to win the giveaway.  The winner will be chosen at random at the end of December.

Thank you to everyone who entered to win the November giveaway – the cute succulent calendar (click here to see more).  The winner of the calendar is Cheryl.  Congratulations to you Cheryl!  Enjoy this adorable calendar!

giveaway planner and notebook

Instagram users, please read on!

The challenge for December is to post your favorite holiday ornaments!  Ornaments are the best, aren’t they?  There are so many great ones and we would love for you to share your favorites!  Use the hashtag #pleasuregram to share.

december 2017 instagram challenge

Happy December, my friends!  Stop by on Tuesday to see my DIY Advent calendar for this year!

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

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