congratulations 2013 graduates!

May 24, 2013

A great thing about living in Connecticut is the large number of colleges and universities located here. It is so easy to frequent great libraries, lectures, author appearances, performances of all types, art exhibits, museums, sporting events, etc. because of the easy accessibility to so many institutions of higher learning.

This past weekend may have been one of the times where living near so many schools had a down side…traffic in Connecticut was made worse by all the graduations across the state. If you were lucky, you weren’t on the Merritt Parkway or Interstate 95 at the time any of the many ceremonies were concluding!

Congratulations to all the 2013 graduates and their families!

In the spirit of celebrating academia, and in tribute to all the 2013 graduates and their families, for today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing some of the beauty I find at Connecticut schools…all are photos I have taken within the past month on a Connecticut campus…there is so much beauty, it was hard to choose just a few photos! Enjoy!

And, for those of you welcoming home a college student for the summer, you may enjoy these Five Tips for Surviving Summer with Your College Student Home from the archives. Good luck!

Sorry I couldn’t get all the campuses in! Please feel welcome to share your favorite college campus photo on my facebook page.

Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

Sharing at The Tablescaper and Mona’s Picturesque.

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a hip brunch in philly

May 17, 2013

peanut butter chocolate dessert tapas at Continental Mid-town in Philly

Enjoying the tapas-style desserts at The Continental Mid-town in Philadelphia.

When you say the name Stephen Starr in Philly, it means two things: good food and long lines. Starr is the restaurateur who owns over a dozen restaurants in the city – all hot spots. For this week’s Friday field trip, we are visiting one of Starr’s restaurants.

On my last trip to Philadelphia, we were looking for a different place to go to brunch and decided on The Continental Mid-town. We knew it was a Stephen Starr restaurant and that was enough of a recommendation.

Trendy, fun, and looking like a perfect set for a Mad Men episode, Continental is easy to spot by the big martini olive adorning the outside corner of the restaurant.

We were in a breakfast mood, and ordered some ‘brunchy’ type food, but with all the creative tapas-style desserts on the menu, we couldn’t resist trying some out after our meal – which ended up being our favorite part since we felt justified in ordering several ‘tastes’!

s'more dessert tapas at The Continental Mid-town in Philly

A S’more tapas-style dessert at The Continental Mid-town in Philadelphia.

lime cotton candy at The Continental Mid-town in Philly

The cotton candy chef’s selection (lime) of the day on our trip to Continental Mid-town in Philadelphia.

After finishing our food, we investigated the three floors of the restaurant before we left and decided it must be a popular Rittenhouse Square nightspot since it has a really cool rooftop dining and lounge area on the third floor.

A fun spot to visit on your next Philly trip!

The remains of a flavorful salad during brunch at The Continental Mid-town in Philadelphia.

Thanks for visiting today’s Friday field trip to The Continental Mid-Town in Philadelphia.

Have a fabulous weekend, Jackie

Sharing at The Tablescaper and Little Red House.

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personal reflections at longwood gardens

May 10, 2013

Friday field trip this week is to Longwood Gardens. With over 1,000 acres of garden, woodland, and meadows, it almost doesn’t seem correct to refer to it as ‘gardens’ since it is so much more like a museum than a garden. And, like a museum, a visit to Longwood is a very personal experience. Today, you are seeing Longwood through my personal reflection.

My visit was in late April and most visitors were preoccupied with the tulips in bloom – certainly the sheer number of blooms was awesome…no question about that. The Flower Garden Walk display boasted over 100,000 bulbs in bloom! So, I am sure many left Longwood the same day as I, with cameras filled with photos predominately of tulip masses. Not the case for me. In fact, the rose arches I was so obsessed with were not even in bloom!

This trip, my personal favorites…in order of fascination were – the copper beech trees, the whimsical topiary garden, and the rose arches. And, I should mention (in case you don’t already know), that I have a special affinity for all flowers white! (If you need some proof, you can check out the white flowers in my garden last spring.)

Recently named #2 on the national list of top public gardens, Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is a truly amazing place to visit. Each visit is a unique and visually exciting experience.

Every day this living museum provides something different bursting into bloom – cycles differ year to year. Even the weather changes the way things look each visit. On one trip you may observe a hummingbird that changes your whole perspective of a flower… or a sunny spot one visit may be in the shade the next visit and change the experience…Longwood showcases nature at its most inspiring.

We took full advantage of the beautiful day by enjoying a picnic lunch in the space provided by Longwood. I am so glad we did since I enjoyed the beauty of this tree while we ate…

Less than an hour outside Philly, Longwood is an easy place for me to visit while staying with my daughter in the city and I continue to visit…each time a new adventure :)

Thank you for visiting and sharing my visit to Longwood Gardens. I will leave you with a very amateurish video of the beautiful Italian Water Garden…sorry, I have only used the camera a couple of times and I am still trying to learn how to use it…but, you can get some idea of how beautiful the water garden is! Couldn’t resist adding the song!

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! I love celebrating the results of my motherhood – my two greatest accomplishments in life :)

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with: Tablescaper, Craftionary, Mona’s Picturesque, Craftberry Bush, Nuture Photography Spring Challenge, and Common Ground.

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handcrafted fabric tableware

May 3, 2013

I recently fell in love with the handcrafted fabric placemats, coasters, and table runners created by artisan Eileen Duffy. For Friday field trip this week, we are taking a trip to Eileen’s studio.

Now living in Connecticut and commuting into New York City, Eileen can be found selling her wares at upscale farmer’s markets in Connecticut on the weekends.

A former Ralph Lauren designer, and more recently the designer of her own handbag collection, Eileen has decided to focus on creating her table accessories while she continues her fashion and prop styling work in the city.

Can you guess which ones are my favorite?

Eileen seeks out really cool textiles from a variety of sources to create her beautiful, and surprisingly affordable, handcrafted table accessories.

Some of her fabrics feature some really great flower photography.

In the photo below, you can see one of Eileen’s inspirational ‘mood boards’ hanging in the studio.

If you live in Connecticut, or are close enough to visit on a weekend, Eileen can be found at The Dudley Farm Farmers’ Market in Guilford. It is a great place to purchase local and organic seasonal produce and handmade crafts. The market sits on ten acres of sheep pasture and gardens filled with flowers and heirloom vegetables. Check the Dudley Farm website for the current time schedule and directions.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Friday field trip to Eileen Duffy’s studio to see some of her handcrafted fabric coaster, placemat, and table runner creations. Thanks for letting us take a peek Eileen!

Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

I am sharing at The Tablescaper, The Shabby Nest, Craftionary, Little Red House, and Craftberry Bush.

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‘spruced up’ in westport

April 19, 2013

It is that time of year in Connecticut…the time when ones thoughts are consumed with warm weather and gardening (as you can tell, I am still in a gardening state of mind)…And, for Friday field trip this week, I am going to take you on a visit to a new home and garden store in Westport center called Spruce.

The store has been opened almost a year, but quite honestly, I only recently became aware of it because I usually tend to concentrate my store perusal to Main Street when I am in that part of Westport. Spruce is definitely worth the short walk from Main…it is located at 90 Post Road East. A Paper Source has recently opened right next door which gives me two great reasons to walk over to the Post Road when I am in the downtown area.

In 2010, Spruce started with one store in Connecticut…there are now 7 Spruce stores in 3 states.

As you can see, they carry a lovely selection of home and garden items, gifts, jewelry and clothing, and other accessories.

I hope these few photos gave you a little bit of an idea of what Spruce has to offer…I had a great time visiting!

and Chad at Spruce in Westport, CT help to make your shopping experience a fun time!

Patty and Chad at Spruce in Westport, CT help to make your shopping experience at this home and garden decor store a fun time!

Hope you enjoyed our Friday field trip to Spruce in Westport, Connecticut. You can learn more about the store by visiting the Spruce website. Be sure to visit the store if you find yourself in the Westport area.

Have a really wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

I am sharing at Little Red House and The Tablescaper.

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coastal nail colors

April 5, 2013

This is an unusual Friday field trip. It is a trip to the beach…we all need that right about now, don’t you think? I know, a Friday field trip to the beach is not that unusual…especially for me. But, the reason for the trip to the beach is a little unusual…the reason is to create a nail polish collection!

I have always wanted to create a nail polish collection and I have been inspired to do so from so many sources…I could create an entire collection just from the colors of my sea glass or, an entire collection of neutrals just from the white flowers in my garden.! And, there definitely is plenty of color inspiration at the beach…many more colors than I wanted for just one collection. I decided the collection would be six shades…the top six…and these shades would be the ones I most wanted to wear. A versatile collection and, a realistic one. Cutting it down to six was not easy! This meant I had to eliminate watermelon slushie, beach donuts, gull, lavender sea glass, and ragosa – to name a few.

I think a beach collection has to contain some blue…there is so much blue at the beach. Rather than go with the obvious…water…I decided to get inspired by the sky.

The beauty of the sky at the beach is that it is always changing. Sometimes, when the weather is the most severe, the sky is the most beautiful. A clear sunny day may be what a beach lover craves, but it certainly is not the most beautiful sky at the shore. This photo illustrates this point perfectly… a clear, sunny day would not be as beautiful as the sky I captured in this photo on a very cloudy day. Because of this, the blue shade inspired from the sky is named cloud.

Neutral colors are definitely my favorites and there are plenty to choose from at the beach. Just as beautiful as a shell or a piece of sea glass, are the many stones at the beach. They are sometimes speckled or striped…some are the most beautiful when wet with salt water. The color inspired by one of these beauties is called beach stone.

Old whitewashed fences and posts are everywhere at the beach. The old ones have so much more charm than anything new. The age of the shore is part of the beauty contained in the wood. This is the inspiration for the third color called old fence.

Not all the color inspirations at the beach are natural objects…a beach umbrella, a horse on the carousel, or a striped beach towel can all prove to be color inspirations. Here, I am inspired by the color of my sunglass lenses and I am naming this color reflection.

An obvious choice for color inspiration is a shell. The subtleties of color on some of the shells (both interiors and exteriors) on the beach are just so beautiful. Here it is the blush of mauve. I’ve named the color shell.

For the last color, it really needed to be a gray tone to round out the collection. And gray is an easy color to come by at the beach. For this shade, I was inspired by the wet footprints on the sun-bleached wooden path and named it footprint. That makes six…

I present to you, the entire CONNECTICUT COAST NAIL COLOR COLLECTION 2013:

What do you think? I would wear all of them!

I hope you enjoyed our Friday field trip to the beach to create a fantasy nail polish collection.

Dreaming of warm days and salty breezes :)

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

I am sharing at Boogieboard Cottage, A Pinch of Joy, and Little Red House.

4 comments

baby chicks

March 29, 2013

In the spirit of Easter, I thought Friday field trip today would be a visit with some baby chicks :)

These little ones are only one week old…

Sure to put a smile on anyone’s face :)

They are just so adorable!

A perfect symbol for Easter…one of new life.

Just remember, as you get involved with all your holiday preparations…

to take pleasure in simple things…

and to hold your loved ones close.

Easter is a time to celebrate with those you hold dear.

Wishing you and those you love, a very blessed Easter!

Thanks for sharing. Love, Jackie

Sharing at Crafts a la Mode.

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terrarium love

March 22, 2013

Today, Friday field trip is a visit to my friend’s house. Her name is Phyllis, and we are getting together for what she affectionately refers to as “a playdate.” On this occasion, we are making terrariums. We had recently picked up some terrarium plants and supplies at Terrain and we were very anxious to start creating! I am sure we will have future field trips to Phyllis’s home since it is amazing! I have so much inspiration I could share with you…her decor, her gardens, her handcrafted jewelry…well, everything! But, for today, I will limit my sharing to our terrarium creations.

When I got to Phyllis’s house we started right in…covering her large kitchen island with newspaper and taking out all our various supplies. In addition, her entire dining room table was covered with assorted containers and possible decorative terrarium items. She showed me the terrarium she had already completed. Wow! It is so beautiful…a little watering can!…and a hanging plant! Isn’t it great?

Because Phyllis already knew all the terrarium basics, I didn’t have to worry about doing alot of research. She explained about the rocks for drainage on the bottom (I think I would have figured that out) and a layer of activated charcoal (I would not have figured that out) before the layer of soil. So, after a quick lesson on how to proceed, I needed to decide exactly what I wanted to put into the terrarium.

I figured I had two ways to go. I could do an Easter/spring theme and use eggs and nests OR I could do my standard (coastal/beach) theme. I decided to go with a ‘beachy’ theme and got some possible items assembled. The interesting thing about putting a terrarium together is that you don’t really need as many plants or decorative items as you may think. Less is really more. So, I decided my main decorative item would be a sand castle.

From there, I would use some rocks, shells, sea glass, and moss that reminded me of the beach. For the plant? Phyllis and I had both fell in love with a plant called Breynia Snow Bush that we found at Terrain and that would serve as the highlighted plant in my creation.

And…this is what I came up with…what do you think? I love it! Isn’t the little colored gravel so great? I think it is sold as fish tank decor. I had some old glass ‘bubbles’ that were used many years ago with floating candles that lent themselves perfectly to the ‘beachy’ terrarium.

Adorable, don’t you think?

You are probably wondering what Phyllis was working on…wait until you see! Phyllis and I had both been intrigued by the ‘pussy willow teepees’ we saw in some of the terrariums at Terrain…like the one on this bunny arrangement. So, Phyllis decided to create one in a pretty metal container she had on hand.

This beautiful arrangement is what she came up with! So gorgeous!

She created the “teepee” from stalks of pussy willow. She attached them on top by putting an elastic band around a piece of moss she harvested from her yard. So beautiful…and with the pussy willow and the addition of some real quail eggs from Terrain, the perfect Easter arrangement! You can see in this closeup that the elastic is not even visible once it is put into the moss.

Playdate successful!

Consider ‘shopping’ your basement and garage for possible terrarium containers and decorative items…Terrain has some really cool terrarium items if you want to purchase some or supplement what you can find around your house. Miniatures from train sets or Christmas villages can also be used. The sand castle I used was actually a repurposed photo holder – I just trimmed off the wire stand. Just remember to use soil appropriate to the plants you select.

I hope you enjoyed my Friday field trip to create terrariums. Special thanks to my partner in crime! I forgot to mention the homemade golden pea soup I had for lunch (so yummy!) or the eggplant and famous key lime pie (heaven!) from The Pantry in Fairfield…ahhh..the perks of the playdate! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend, Jackie

I am sharing at Little Red House, Serenity Saturday, The Inspiration Gallery, Craftionary, Common Ground, Give Me the Goods Monday, and The Well Crafted Home.

16 comments

a trip to marvin gardens

March 15, 2013

Today’s Friday field trip is to Marvin Gardens in Wilton, Connecticut.

If you are a decorator or designer in Fairfield County, you probably already know about this gem of a place. It houses an amazing array of all things decorative. Inspiration lurks in every nook and cranny; indoors and out.

As it turned out, I probably didn’t time my visit the best for photo taking purposes, since the shop was in the middle of a move – moving the entire inventory to a new space a few hundred feet down the road. The nice part about the timing of my visit was that a huge moving sale was in progress (through April 1^st) and some items were reduced as much as 50%. Very bad temptation…especially at this time of year when so many items were just crying out to be put in the garden or used as a container to plant something in!

Today I will share a few of the items that inspired me…I will need to make another visit when the move is complete so I can share some photos of the new space.

Wonderful items, don’t you think?

Truly a treasure hunt!

A great place to find a unique piece for home or garden.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to Marvin Gardens in Wilton, Connecticut.

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

(P.S. It’s a yellow property…weren’t you remembering Marvin Gardens from Monopoly?…it’s yellow, right next to the “go to jail” square).

I am sharing at the Vintage-Love Party at Blue Egg Brown Nest.

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a day at the philadelphia flower show

March 8, 2013

For Friday field trip this week, I am sharing some of my day in Philadelphia last Saturday…so; technically…I guess it is a Saturday field trip!

My weekend was planned around the fact that the largest and oldest flower show in the world was taking place at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The theme for the 2013 show was “Brilliant!” and was a homage to all things British.

I had never been to a flower show – never mind the largest – so I was excited!

Since I was visiting my daughter for the weekend, I decided to plan my flower show visit during the time she was working at the hospital.

I got an early start and headed over to the Free Library for a couple hours before the flower show started at 11:00. I was very lucky that the programming for “One Book, One Philadelphia” happened to coincide with my visit. The selection for the year is The Buddha in the Attic. I really enjoyed the book so it was easy to spend time at the library checking out the exhibits related to this year’s selection.

A photo of the Free Library in Philadelphia.

As 11:00 approached, I reluctantly left the library (I didn’t have enough time to see the rare book collection) and headed over to the Convention Center. Wow! What a crowd had formed waiting for the 11:00 start. While I waited, I was intrigued by this sculpture in the lobby:

Cool, right?

When I got into the flower show, I checked the schedule and decided to attend some presentations in the seminar rooms before making my way into the main show area. Living outside New York City and having attended various shows at the Javits, I was pretty right on with what I expected to find inside the show as far as crowd, etc. ($4.50 for an iced tea!) But, I had no experience on attending garden shows and I was a little taken aback by the darkened room and theatrical lighting. I thought to myself I think I made a mistake with this. But, I soon found out there was ‘something for everyone’ as I made my way around the show area. Although the theatrical type displays did not appeal to me, I found some areas that were more in tune with the natural elements I admire.

My favorite part of the show was probably the Gardener’s Studio. This was a presentation area and every hour, on the hour, I rushed back; anxious to see the next presentation.

Jonathan Wright from Chanticleer – a public garden outside Philadelphia – demonstrates how to create indoor arrangements by using branches from the winter garden.

It was impossible to get photos of the flower exhibits because of the sheer mass of people and because of the crazy lighting. I did take a few photos, but not of the typical things everyone else seemed to take. If you want to learn more about the show, you can check the Philadelphia Flower Show website or see some of the many photos on line. Better still, plan a visit next year because you really have to be there in person to truly appreciate it…besides, everyone should attend the Philadelphia Flower Show at least once in their lifetime!

A photo of some curious egg-shaped sculptures at the Philadelphia Flower Show – one from hoses and one from tires.

In addition to all the flower displays, the retail area was really fun. Some of the retailers rivaled the flower displays in their creativity and beauty. I fell in love with Chive, a Canadian company that sells a wide array of vessels for flowers. They carry some really unique pieces…all beautiful. Here is an example of one:

One of the many unique flower vessels available from the Canadian company, Chive.

Aren’t these flatware holders adorable? Cutlery Couture offered a wide selection:

One of the many styles of cutlery holders offered at the Cutlery Couture booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Some really unique jewelry pieces were available at Elements:

A selection of the offerings of Elements at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

I had to stop and admire the fresh flowers from The Hawaii Tropical Flower Council. They were even hand crafting orchid leis to order! Beautiful!

This wonderful item is the work of artist Michelle Masters – a creator of topiary art and fine art originals:

A sample of the topiary art by Michelle Masters at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

If I hadn’t had a ticket for the afternoon tea, I may still be wondering around the marketplace area! The tea was a lovely way to meet some new people and admire the fresh roses that were everywhere.

After the tea, it was time to meet my daughter so I said ‘cheerio’ to the Philadelphia Flower Show, but not before making a vow to return next year. Wait! We had one last stop before we left Center City for the day. We can never be in Center City and not visit the West Elm Philly store!

NOW we can say good-bye to Center City for the day…a day well spent :) Especially the part I got to spend with my daughter :)

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

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pleasure in simple things

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congratulations 2013 graduates!

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personal reflections at longwood gardens

handcrafted fabric tableware

‘spruced up’ in westport

coastal nail colors

baby chicks

terrarium love

a trip to marvin gardens

a day at the philadelphia flower show