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new beginnings

May 28, 2019

Before dresser

Hi friends!  I know my furniture redos usually show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in the same post.  But, today I am only showing the ‘before’ of a current piece I have been working on.

Like me, the piece is starting a new beginning!  I have given new life to a vintage mahogany dresser and I am taking it with me on a new journey!

stripping top

As you read this, I am on my way to a new beginning…leaving a place I’ve lived for a long, long time.  I am looking forward to sharing some future projects with you as I prepare to downsize everything in my life!

dresser top in process

I am going to give you one little peek as to how I refinished the dresser my daughter used growing up – a family heirloom.  It is renewed and ready to join me!  Because of my moving out, I don’t think I will be posting on Friday, but I will be back next week!  And, I will share, in more detail, my new dresser!

after

Here is a little peek of the ‘after.’ As you can see, I decided to keep the original hardware. What do you think the rest of the piece looks like?

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

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a tuscany themed shower

May 24, 2019

xcork holder gift

Why was a Tuscany theme extra special for the bridal shower I helped organize?  Tuscany was the location of the proposal!

The bridesmaids, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, and myself got together for planning (and some good eating!) meetings months ahead of the shower date.  The mother of the bride had the place and theme decided, so we ran with it!

tuscan bingo game

Of course, a couple things just pop into your mind when you think of Tuscany!  We decided to use lemons, and all things wine as reoccurring décor items.

The maid of honor, an artist, created a beautiful painting of the proposal as a gift to the bride.  The painting was front and center on the day of the shower – we used it on the mantel above the spot where the future bride opened her gifts.  The maid of honor also created a beautiful handlettered sign “Showered with Amore” that greeted guests as they arrived.

recreation of proposal

I created table signs, naming each table after an Italian wine.  The guests picked up a table card strategically placed on a cork in a crate of grapes.  The same type of graphic was used to tag the favors – a homemade Tuscan spice mix created by the soon-to-be bride’s mom.  I used the same theme/colors in creating a ‘bridal bingo’ game.  Another favor, created by the matron of honor, was a cluster of grapes styled from chocolate candies…so cute!

grapes

favor for tuscan theme shower

The mother of the future groom had saved corks from the entire time of her marriage – she had A LOT – and we used these in our decorating…and, in our games.  One of the games was “Guess How Many Corks in the Jar.”

tuscan themed invite

Can you believe I found a dress in a lemon print fabric? It was an Anne Klein Dress at an original price of $119. that I bought off-season at T.J. Maxx for $29.99!

The best part of the shower, of course, was getting together with old friends and meeting new friends who will be a part of the upcoming wedding day.  The bride-to-be looked absolutely fabulous!  If the shower day was any indication of how she will look on the wedding day – bellissima!!

tuscany themed sign

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few photos from the Tuscan themed shower created by ‘our team.’  We all had a blast – the reason I didn’t take as many photos as usual!  I hope you are inspired to use some of our ideas in your own party planning!

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

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time will tell

May 21, 2019

bedside table

Hello friends!  I had a super busy weekend…my favorite part was attending a bridal shower on Saturday.  Not only was I a guest, but I had the opportunity to help with the day…a true honor!

I had planned to share some photos of the day with you, but you know what?  I never even had the chance to download the few photos I did manage to take!

I will share on Friday!  You know I love a good theme and we had a good one for the shower!

Have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  Why did I post a photo of my bedside table?  I don’t know except for the fact that I have been wondering lately if others have as big a problem with digital alarms clocks as I do…I need an old school alarm clock!

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what’s a woolly fig?

May 17, 2019

amazing tree roots

I often say my life runs in themes, and it really does!

If you thought the banyan tree on Tuesday was the end of my fascination with trees, you were wrong!  I am leaving you this week with one last tree!  Like the banyan, this tree is also located in Fort Myers, Florida.

tree

Look at those roots!!  I hope you think it is as cool as I do!

tree roots

Thanks for stopping by!

woolly tree roots

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

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under the banyan tree

May 14, 2019

banyan tree

A tree covering three quarters of a mile in area?  Amazing!

That is what I thought when I saw my first banyan tree.  The first one I saw happened to be in Fort Myers, Florida – home of one of the largest banyan trees in the world!  If you have been to Hawaii or Calcutta, you may have seen one even larger!

banyan tree 9

banyan tree 11

The banyan tree is a Ficus.

The tree I saw was planted in the 1920’s by Thomas Edison and his colleagues Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.  In 1927, the three men were concerned about America’s dependence on foreign rubber sources for its industrial enterprises. They formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation (EBRC), and the following year, built a Laboratory in Fort Myers, which became the project’s international headquarters.

banyan tree 3

banyan tree 4

The trio were looking for a fast-growing natural source of rubber that could be grown in the United States.  The banyan tree was just one of more than 17,000 plant specimens that were tested during the project.  (Goldenrod was eventually selected as the most suitable plant.)

banyan tree 5

banyan tree 6

All the photos I’ve shared here are from the same single tree I visited on the grounds of Edison’s Botanic Research Laboratory in Florida!

banyan tree 10

banyan tree 8

I hope you all had an amazing Mother’s Day weekend.  Enjoy your week ahead!

banyan tree 7

banyan tree 13

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

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a may sunset

May 10, 2019

ocean at Naples

Hi friends!  It’s been a busy work week, but I thought I’d share the one sunset I was able to break away for!

ocean sunset in Naples

Enjoy your weekend!

sunset in Naples

And, Happy Mother’s Day!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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baking with olive oil

May 7, 2019

olive oils for tasting

A really cool thing I did while in California was to attend an olive oil tasting.  You may have done this before, but it was my very first time.  The place I went to in San Juan Capistrano offered an assortment of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and wines…as well as appetizers created from their offerings.

apps

The reason I wanted to post something about this was so I could share with you the amazing aha moment I had during my visit.  What was it?  To find out olive oil is a substitute for butter in baking!  Why had I never thought of this healthy alternative!

menu for olive oil tasting

The best part of my visit was hearing some of the pairings possible…like using blood orange infused olive oil in place of butter in a brownie recipe!

pizza app

I hope my discovery may inspire you to try using olive oil in your baking!

tasting olive oils

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. If you want to be adventurous and order some flavored oils to try in baking, you can order them from We Olive & Wine Bar in San Juan, Capistrano, California – a great family business!

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venice beach

May 3, 2019

Venice sign

I have one more beach to share from my last California trip!

beach in Venice

Venice beach – a ‘must stop’ when visiting southern California.  It is the iconic ‘muscle beach.’  The muscle beach part doesn’t really impress me…although, the guy this tribute was created for is iconic in my book!  The first one to really embrace the fitness craze!  You may not even know who he is, but generations ago he had a fitness show on television.  He was to fitness what Julia Child was to cooking!

Legend in Venice

Dreaming of beaches has been a big past time lately since, here in Connecticut, we finally have some warm weather!

Palm trees in Venice

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

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

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