july book giveaway!

June 29, 2018

July is almost upon us. It is time to announce the July giveaway. This month, as a homage to the designer, I am giving away a Kate Spade notebook. To enter to win, simply leave a comment here, on Instagram or in an email.

Congratulations to Emily from Arizona, winner of the organizer and pencils from last month’s giveaway. (Click here to read more about it.) And, thanks for your sweet note Emily! I am sure you will put the organizer to good use. Enjoy!

Instagram users, please read on for this month’s challenge!

Since the tragic passing of Kate Spade, I find many of my friends have taken out Kate Spade pieces from their closets that they may not have used in a while – almost as a way to honor Kate after her passing. With this in mind, July’s Instagram Challenge is to share photos of your favorite Kate Spade piece(s).

I have many – from office supplies to handbags, but one of my very favorites is a pencil case designed with a book motif. I often use it as a wallet. What’s your favorite? Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share during the month of July.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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peanut butter chocolate cereal bites

June 26, 2018

I recently wanted to make a dessert as a gift for a person celebrating a new job. I know he likes peanut butter and chocolate candies and I know he likes cereal treats, so I decided to combine the two and come up with a special treat! Making a bar like a cereal treat didn’t seem ‘fancy’ enough for the occasion though, so I made the sweet as individual little cups!

I simply varied the recipe I use for a basic cereal treat to come up with a yummy peanut butter/chocolate version. They required a little more work than a bar, but I think you will agree the results were great! If you’d like to try, I am sharing the recipe. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Bites

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1, 10 oz. package of marshmallows
½ cup peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1, 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
peanuts and sea salt flakes for garnish

Coat a mini muffin(s) pan with cooking spray. (I used a pan for 24 and had extra ingredients that I used to make bars in a coated 8” x 8” baking pan.)

In a large saucepan, melt butter on the stove over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Add cereal and stir until well coated and all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Press about a Tablespoon of the cereal mixture into the bottom of each well. There will be a little bit of room left to add some chocolate.

Melt the chocolate over low heat in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when just melted. Spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate into each well, smoothing the top with the spoon.

Finish with peanuts and flakes of sea salt. Set in the fridge. Store in an air tight container. These are best fresh, but there shouldn’t be any problem with them hanging around too long!

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

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miss florence’s garden

June 22, 2018

One of Connecticut’s historical treasures is the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, home of Florence Griswold which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony – the main center of development of American Impressionism.

In addition to the museum’s collections, the grounds are something to admire. For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing some photographs of the June garden at the historic site.

Florence Griswold, or “Miss Florence” as her friends knew her, was an avid gardener.

An archaeological dig in 1998 identified the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways of Florence Griswold’s garden before her death in 1937. With this information, as well as paintings and historic photographs of the site, Miss Florence’s garden was recreated to its appearance circa 1910.

Of course, every garden of that time period showed off some peonies!

I hope you enjoy a little glimpse of Miss Florence’s restored ‘old-fashioned’ garden from the 1930’s.

Have a fabulous weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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creating honey pairings

June 19, 2018

Connecticut is lucky to be the home of Red Bee Honey. And, lucky for me, I was able to have the opportunity to visit!

Carla Marina Marchese is the beekeeper behind this iconic brand and I couldn’t ask for a better source to learn about honey!

How did she become involved with beekeeping and honey?

In 2000, Marina was unexpectedly invited to visit a neighbor’s apiary where her first taste of fresh honey from the beehive would change the course of her life. This moving experience inspired her to take a risk and quit her job, build a beehive, and acquire a colony of Italian honeybees to become a full-time beekeeper. It was on a visit to Montalcino, Italy, “The City of Honey”, that Marina became passionate about the diverse flavor profiles of varietal honey determined by the type of nectar gathered by the honeybees.

Today, I want to share the five honey pairings I tasted during my visit. They were all so yummy! I think this will help expand your imagination on how to serve different varieties of honey:

1. orange blossom honey paired with goat cheese and rosemary

2. goldenrod honey paired with strawberries

3. tulip poplar honey paired with brie, walnut and arugula (pictured in opening photo)

4. raspberry honey paired with dark chocolate

5. clover honey paired with coconut and flower blossom

Sounds yummy, right? Honey is the perfect addition to a summer cheese tray!

I hope I have inspired you to look for interesting honey varieties at farmer’s markets and specialty stores (True, quality honey is not sold at grocery or big box stores!) and to think about interesting pairings!

Note: Marina is a member of the Italian Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey and founder of The American Honey Tasting Society. Her best-selling book Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper chronicles her entrepreneurial journey into beekeeping. Marina also wrote the chapter on honey in the international best-selling book Beekeeping for Dummies.

Herbal tea ice pops molded in glass test tubes.

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

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la mercerie cafe nyc

June 15, 2018

I love design centers – particularly in New York City – they are SO inspiring! One of my favorite places to meander around while in the city is ABC Carpet & Home. But recently I heard some buzz about a new furniture and lighting store in Soho and I was curious!

I used a free scrap of time while in NYC recently to check out Roman & Williams Guild. I knew La Mercerie Café and Emily Thompson Flowers were located at the Guild as well and my plan was to check out Roman & Williams and the flower shop while visiting the French café for a coffee or tea.

My plan worked out perfectly since the café was my favorite part of the visit! It is the perfect spot for a coffee or tea and dessert. (Breakfast or an all-day menu is available.)

I did take a casual stroll around the furniture store (well beyond my personal budget), but the aesthetic of the surroundings while seated in the café – with Emily Thompson’s wares in full sight – is what I found most inspiring!

I hope you enjoy some photos of my visit on today’s Friday field trip. I would add La Mercerie Café to your list of places to visit while in the city.

Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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frozen rosemary fudge pops

June 12, 2018

For me, there certainly is a lot of nostalgia associated with frozen treats. When I was a kid, the Good Humor driver would take his dinner break on our corner. And, I could buy a frozen fudge pop from the dairy farm across the street whenever I had enough coins to do so or whenever I could talk my dad into buying. (He would say: “You fly, I’ll buy.”)

These days, I try not to go overboard with the desserts, but I still love anything frozen – whether it be drinks, desserts, or pops. I like to make my own frozen pops now, so I can control what goes into them. And, I love to experiment with a variety of fruits and flavors.

Recently, I discovered a fabulous source for frozen pop recipes – a book called Glow Pops by Liz Moody. Not only are the pops made from these recipes delicious, but they are made from nutritious ingredients! Even if you don’t use the exact recipes in the book, the inspiration for using healthful ingredients in frozen pops is worth its purchase!

One example is my updated, healthful version of the fudge pops from my childhood, adapting a recipe from Glow Pops! Adding rosemary to the flavor profile and finishing them with salt brings these pops to a whole new ice pop level! Yummy!!

Empty a 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk (I buy it in the International aisle at the grocery store – leche de coco) into a pan and heat on medium high heat on the stove. When it boils, turn off the heat and add 3 sprigs of rosemary from the garden – let it sit 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Remove the rosemary and pour the mixture into a blender, adding 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 6 Tablespoons organic coconut sugar and 6 Tablespoons of raw organic cacao powder. Blend until smooth and pour into ice pop molds. Freeze. Sprinkle with sea salt when ready to eat. This makes 4 (4 oz.) pops.

If you need an ice pop mold, Home Goods and Marshall’s always have them. I love Crate & Barrel’s Zoku Mod ice pop mold – it is designed to fit into freezer doors. Crate & Barrel also has a good rocket ice pop mold that is actually on sale right now for $3.47!

Do yourself a flavor (pun intended!) for the summer and get Liz Moody’s book Glow Pops and an ice pop mold! A very small investment for some really huge flavor enjoyment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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country living rhinebeck 2018

June 8, 2018

My very favorite fair is the Country Living Fair. I love it. And, I have to say that Rhinebeck, NY – which happens to be the closest location of the fair to where I live – is also my favorite location. The Dutchess Country Fairgrounds provide a fabulous event location. The grounds are lush and green and, in addition to all the fabulous vendors, seminars, and demonstrations, the fairgrounds provides great food, free parking, and well-maintained restrooms.

I thought you might like to see a glimpse of this year’s fair offerings, so I am sharing some photos today on Friday field trip. My favorite booth was the one put together by South Porch Antiques. They not only provided a great selection of antiques, but (as always) they also did so in a stunningly visual way.

Enjoy the photos!

P.S. Something really fabulous happened to me in Rhinebeck at the fair and it made me so happy I chose not to skip the fair this year! I met one of my idols! Not only did I meet her, but we shared a hug and I got a chance to talk a little paint with her! You may have guessed by the word ‘paint’ that the person who I met was Annie Sloan! What a thrill! (Thanks to my sweet friend for capturing it on film! xo)

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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books to bookmarks diy

June 5, 2018

Aren’t old books beautiful! A vintage book has an appeal that a new book just wouldn’t understand! I love decorating with vintage books…either as is, or by using pieces of them to create a DIY project.

Sometimes an old book will be in such bad shape that only pieces can be salvaged. Even so, there are plenty of uses for its pieces! That was the case with a really old, beautiful book recently. The cover had incredible character, but it was separated from the book. Even though it couldn’t be displayed as an entire book, I knew I had to come up with a use for the beautiful, vintage cover of the piece.

My thought was to cut the cover into strips and make the strips into bookmarks! The bookmarks would have the lovely character of the book’s cover and I would still have the old pages of the book for future projects…lovely, old, worn, faded, vintage pages!

Converting the cover into bookmarks was an easy DIY. First, I carefully cut long pieces with a craft knife fitted with a new blade. Next, I wanted to add a ribbon to the top. Rather than just punch a hole in the top of each strip, I used a grommet tool (you can find one for a few bucks in any craft shop) to add a grommet and make the finished product a little more dignified! I figured a book as old as this one deserved a little dignity!

I added a ribbon I purchased at the craft store. Choosing the ribbon was the most time consuming part of the project! I needed to find just the perfect ribbon! And, I think I did!

A very easy project as well as a very satisfying one!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are having a great week!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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june book giveaway!

June 1, 2018

June is already here! So, it is time for the June book giveaway!

This month, the giveaway is not exactly a book. Instead, it is a memo pad organizer with some coordinating pencils!

I really love notepads – especially ones that detail a week or a month at a time, and this one is so cute! The longer days of summer leave more time for fun activities. And, this is the perfect pad to best maximize scheduling the expanded daylight hours!

Just leave a comment to be entered to win this giveaway. The winner will be chosen at random at the end of the month from those commenting.

Congratulations to Carolina. She is the winner of the May giveaway, the inspirational read Pretty Happy by Kate Hudson! (Click here to read more about this book.) I know you will enjoy this book, Carolina!

For those who use Instagram, read on for this month’s challenge!

For the month of June, let’s share our beach finds! Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share. I can’t wait to see what you discover on your next beach trip! :)

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

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july book giveaway!

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country living rhinebeck 2018

books to bookmarks diy

june book giveaway!