an evening full of love… & white flowers

August 23, 2016

Shortly after I contemplated appreciating summer gardens, I had the opportunity to party amidst the breathtaking grounds of the Burr Homestead in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

The beauty of the surroundings was overwhelmingly surpassed by the incredible feeling of love filling this wedding celebration on a hot, summer evening.

My good friend’s daughter was married on this evening, and the vision the bride and her mom had for the venue aesthetics was implemented to perfection by a talented florist.

And, to my delight, the flowers were done in my favorite flower color – white!

I hope these few photos help you share with me the beauty in the details created for this special celebration.

gift from bride's dad pleasure in simple things blog

So special – the tomatoes in the salad course were grown in the garden of the bride’s dad!! :)

Love you Phyllis & Mrs. G.! xo

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

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stop and smell the roses

August 19, 2016

Friday field trip today is a simple reminder to enjoy the flowers around you! I am sharing a few photos of the beauty surrounding me.

As the summer gardens are winding down,

I am appreciating all the beauty they have to offer!

Before you know it, I will be harvesting the last of my summer flowers and displaying them in pumpkins!

I hope I have inspired you to take some time to notice summer growing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend!

And, remember to take pleasure in simple things – like smelling a fresh flower! :) xo Jackie

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home infused water

August 9, 2016

Infused water tastes especially wonderful on hot, humid days.

Some fruit from a farmer’s market and a few sprigs of herbs from the garden transform the taste of ordinary water into a refreshing summer beverage.

Although I have seen some cool water bottles sold with a built-in infusion basket – also good for cold-brew tea – no special equipment is necessary to make some great tasting infusions!

A quart size container of water stored in the fridge is perfect to create an infusion with a piece of fruit and a couple sprigs of herbs.

With my garden rosemary, I like to add slices of a medium size orange for a refreshing infusion. Basil from the garden goes wonderfully with strawberries. Mint combines well with any type of berry, melon, or cucumber.

I also like the combination of peach and ginger. For a quart container, I buy a 1 inch piece of ginger at the grocery store and cut into small slices. It provides such a wonderful taste combination with a medium sized, sliced, fresh peach from a local farmer’s market!

Walk your garden or a local farmer’s market and be inspired to create a refreshing beverage for a hot, summer day!

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

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tomato time of year

July 26, 2016

Don’t you love fresh garden tomatoes? They are THE best!

I thought today I would get you a little excited about using your grill to bring out the best of this glorious summer food! How will I do this? I am going to show you photos of my top two favorite ways to eat fresh garden tomatoes using the grill!

The first way is with cherry tomatoes. The flavor of these little lovelies is so enhanced when heated! Put some fresh picked ones in a shallow pan, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and fresh garden basil, and heat on a covered grill…so flavorful!

The second, and very best way, to enjoy fresh tomatoes on the grill is in pizza! And, grilled pizza is the best! You don’t need to get fancy…the fresh tomatoes do all the work! You can buy grocery store pizza dough and add whatever toppings hit your fancy. Sometimes we just put tomatoes, olive oil and fresh garden basil and that’s it!

Am I putting you in the mood to grill up some fresh garden tomatoes? That is the goal! And, eating your creation al fresco is a must! :)

I hope I have inspired you to come up with your own grilled tomato combinations! Have fun with it!

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

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girls night out

July 22, 2016

Making Mason jar terrariums is a fun and easy summer activity.

For today’s Friday field trip, I am bringing you to an outdoor garden to share this activity on a stunningly gorgeous summer evening. Cold drinks and interesting conversation are the perfect accompaniments for this fun outdoor get together.

Why not add this activity to your next summer soiree? A very basic terrarium can be easily created with Mason jars, potting soil, charcoal, and decorative pebbles. All the materials needed are easily purchased at a local dollar store or discount store.

To create the terrarium, a 1” layer of pebbles is added to the jar, followed by a thin layer of charcoal and 3” – 4” of potting soil. From there, moss and/or small plants are added as well as any decorative items. After a light watering, the terrarium is complete and the lid can be screwed on.

Adding a decorative feature like a small mushroom or animal gives the terrarium some extra character. (The owls used in these terrariums are actually beads that were attached to toothpicks.) Providing raffia to your guests to tie around the mouth of the jar of the finished terrarium is also a nice detail to include.

As an option, cute little instruction cards can be created and printed on a home computer. Instruct the new terrarium owners to mist the garden lightly occasionally and to remove the top for a while if too much moisture develops.

I hope I have inspired you to have a little terrarium building activity at your next get together – the perfect way to spend a beautiful summer evening!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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corn on the cob butter

July 19, 2016

From pizza to fruit – everything finds its way to the grill at this time of year!

Today, I am sharing a really easy way to add some extra flavor to your grilled corn. It is as simple as adding a few ingredients to your butter! By picking a few basil leaves from the garden and adding a little cheese, the traditional butter condiment can be instantly upgraded!

It doesn’t get any easier!

I included a recipe for you here, but using a little imagination, you can create your own flavor combinations based on your garden or leftover ingredients in your fridge. (A little cayenne and lime juice is another great combo!)

I hope I have inspired you to create a flavored butter for your next grilling session!

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

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happy mother’s day

May 6, 2016

It’s Mother’s Day weekend. I was in a gift shop yesterday and I was amazed at those that buy something for their mom just to buy something. That is so not in the spirit of Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is about recognizing a very special person. There is nothing wrong with buying a gift to give to that special person. But, not knowing what your mom might like as a gift leads me to believe a better gift would be time spent with mom!

For Friday field trip today, I thought I would share three previous projects that might help you come up with a more personal gift for mom this Mother’s Day.

First, a cool sentimental gift. Make a sachet using a family heirloom! See the full post by clicking here.

Second, a fun recipe that can be served in a teacup. A great way to spend time with Mom is to avoid the crowded restaurants, and serve up something homemade. Click here for the recipe for this crème brulee.

And, third…the old stand-by…flowers! IF your mom is into flowers – after all, you should know! But, skip the overpriced cliché roses and give a potted plant personalized to your mom’s taste. It’s so much more fun to receive something that can be planted in the ground and enjoyed all season!

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day surrounded by those you love. Thanks for stopping by. Love you mom! :)

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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may day surprises

April 26, 2016

I have done many different May Day surprises over the years. I love the element of surprise mixed with the beauty of fresh flowers – May Day combines these two elements perfectly!

This year, making my May Day arrangements, I decided I would only use the flowers I could harvest from my yard. This would have been an easy assignment in two more weeks or so, but when I went out into the yard today, I realized there are few flowers in bloom right now!

I stuck to my challenge and used the only two flowers varieties I found in bloom. I arranged them in some plastic-lined, birch bark hanging cones I discovered for $2.75 each in the Terrain clearance room.

To add a little interest, I added some variegated Hosta leaves; picking the few that were just starting to poke through the ground! Even my Lillies of the Valley have yet to bloom!

I hope I have inspired you to create some May Day surprises of your own…what can you create from your yard?

Thank you for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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garden party bridal shower

April 15, 2016

What is better than shopping at Terrain? Attending a bridal shower at Terrain, of course!

I recently had the opportunity to do just that at Terrain’s Garden Café and today I am sharing with you on Friday field trip!

I know many of you are not lucky enough to have a Terrain located near you. With only two Terrain store locations – one outside Philadelphia, and one in Fairfield County, Connecticut – many of you can’t frequent the store regularly like me!

But, for today, everyone can enjoy the beautiful aesthetics of a Terrain event! For a detail oriented, color obsessed person like me; Terrain hits all the marks – particularly when the organizers of the party working with Terrain have incredible style as well!

Enjoy the photos!

Please note: The beautiful fern favors, Prosecco prizes, wooden spoons, and cake top were not done by Terrain – they were created by the party organizers and, as you can see, tied into the Terrain décor perfectly!

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a marvelous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fabric herb tags with grommets

March 29, 2016

You may remember I used grommets on some of my holiday gift tags this past Christmas. They create such a wonderful detail on a simple tag! Today, I am using grommets again on tags, but this time on fabric rather than paper.

Adorable tags can be created using scraps of fabric, letter stamps, and grommets. The tool for applying the grommets cost only a few dollars at your local craft or fabric store and is available in many sizes. Once you own this simple tool, you will find so many ways to use grommets! The only piece of equipment you will need, in addition to the grommets and the grommet tool, is a hammer.

I cut little flag shapes from my fabric scrap and rubber stamped onto them the names of my potted herbs. Adding the grommets creates the perfect little detail to add some twine for tying the tags onto the handles of my herb pots!

As you can imagine, these tags have some wonderful applications! Using them as place cards and tying them onto napkins is a sweet way to use them. The ties can be made from natural twine or in a color to match a specific table décor. They make sweet gift tags to personalize a wrapped gift. Or, a number of them can be used to make a banner for a birthday cake. In planning a wedding, they can be utilized as escort cards.

I hope I have inspired you to make up some fabric gift tags! How will you use them?

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

P.S. To see how I used the grommet tool to create sea glass gift tags, click here.

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