essence of roses

June 25, 2013

I am working on a menu for a charity garden tour, so I have been experimenting with recipes for both sweet and savory items that utilize flower and herb components. I fell in love with the combination of the Middle Eastern flavors of rosewater and pistachios when I made a Persian Love Cake. Thinking about the flavors of that wonderful cake and still having roses in my thoughts, I decided to try and create a rosewater meringue.

I was very happy with the result and wanted to share the recipe with you. This light and airy cookie has a wonderful essence of roses…perfect for my garden tour menu!

Recipe for Rosewater Meringues

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 whites from large eggs
¼ teaspoon rosewater (you can purchase bottled rosewater…if you make your own, be sure to use organic rose petals!)
1/3 cup finely chopped unsalted natural pistachios

Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Line 1 large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sift the confectioners’ sugar twice to remove all lumps and divide into two equal portions.

Put the egg whites in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the whites hold soft peaks. Continue beating while gradually adding one portion of confectioners’ sugar. Beat until firm, glossy peaks form. Add the rosewater and mix briefly. Sift the remaining confectioners’ sugar over the meringue and gently fold in until blended.

Scoop the meringue into a large pastry bag fitting with a large star tip. Pipe swirls (about 1 ½” wide and 2″ high) about 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. (If not using a pastry bag, just drop the meringue by 2 Tablespoonfuls). Sprinkle the finely chopped pistachios over the meringues.

Bake until dry and crisp, about 3 hours. Turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for 1 hour. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. (And since I don’t have air conditioning, I can strongly recommend from experience to store your cookies in a cool place until you are ready to serve.)

This recipe was adapted from a meringue recipe in a wonderful book called Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge that contains recipes for flavorful desserts using just four ingredients.

I hope you enjoyed sharing my rosewater meringues recipe. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Timewashed and Mona’s Picturesque.

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but i don’t care for roses…

June 14, 2013

A rose has never been my favorite flower. When all my friends would hope for a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day, I was wishing for an arrangement of many different varieties of flowers – all white. Or, a single variety of something unique or exotic.

So, when a friend suggested I visit the rose garden in bloom at Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford, the idea of making the trip was met by me with lukewarm enthusiasm. Not one to dismiss new experiences, I decided to surrender a little bit of my time to the roses in bloom.

Today’s Friday field trip is a visit to this rose garden. And, with hundreds of different types of roses represented, it was really hard to edit my photos to just a few representations. The weather had been very rainy and I was lucky to time my visit between a series of rainfalls. I thought the weather actually added character to the photos, although an excursion like this really makes me yearn for a good camera. (hint, hint Santa!)

Enjoy our little stroll through the garden…

And yes, I did change my mind a little on the roses…still not my favorite, but I definitely have a new respect for them after this experience…hard not to, right?

I hope you enjoyed sharing the Boothe Memorial Park rose garden with me. We even happened upon a lovely volunteer caretaker during our trip :)

I will be posting more photos from the Boothe Memorial Park rose garden on my Facebook page in the coming days…please ‘like’ my page if you haven’t already and please feel free to share any rose experiences! Also, please feel free to ‘pin’ any photos you like :)

Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks so much for visiting.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Mona’s Picturesque, Little Red House, and The Tablescaper.

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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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random acts of flowers

April 26, 2013

Today’s Friday field trip is a step back in time…back to the late 20th century…to celebrate the May Day (May 1st) tradition of leaving flowers anonymously on neighbor’s doorsteps as a signal to the start of spring.

For my May Day ‘baskets’ I used discarded cigar containers…apparently, some cigars are sold in glass tubes similar to a test tube…who knew? So, I took some discarded containers and repurposed them as May Day flower containers to leave as surprises :) Who wouldn’t enjoy finding some fresh flowers on their doorknob? Using fresh flowers, some scraps of ribbon, twine, sea glass, shells, and driftwood I created some pretty May Day surprises to hang on unsuspecting…insert suspicious laugh here…doorknobs.

I hope this inspires you to come up with your own variation of this May Day tradition. A fun way to celebrate spring and put a smile on someone’s face :) Thank you for sharing this week’s Friday field trip…a trip back in history to celebrate May Day with flower surprises!

Giving flowers is a simple pleasure that can surely make a difference in someone’s day.

You only need a stem or two to let someone know they are thought of in a special way.

Thank you for visiting! I will be busy the next couple days….you can follow my adventures on Instagram :)

Have a really wonderful weekend, Jackie

Sharing with Common Ground, Craftionary, Roses & Stuff, Shabby Nest, Coastal Charm, Little Red House, A Pinch of Joy, Mona’s Picturesque, and Nurture Photography Spring 2013.

20 comments

transforming terracotta pots

April 12, 2013

We won’t be going very far for Friday field trip today…just outdoors! The weather this week in Connecticut has been amazing, and any free time I had this week was spent on planting preparations… It didn’t help that I had a garden club meeting this week…during the lecture portion of our meeting, I was furiously writing notes of all the things I ~~want~~ need for my garden. My thoughts have been consumed with plants!

Planting isn’t done around ‘these parts’ until Mother’s Day (my traditional planting day), but that hasn’t stopped me from planning and dreaming. It is going to be a particularly tough year to make the yard look nice since we had a couple really bad storms this year that destroyed much of the garden – particularly large shrubs and trees.

The beautiful results of my terracotta pot transformation using house paint and gel stain.

Because of this, there is so much more I ~~want~~ need than my budget will allow. One thing I was determined to replace this year was the ugly terracotta pots that we use to plant some of the herbs. I say ‘ugly’ because I really dislike that new terracotta orange (you know how I feel about orange) look. For me, they are an eyesore. I thought they may ‘accidently’ break in the garage before planting season this year, but I want to use my garden budget to buy more living things, not to replace pots.

So, I decided to see what I could do to transform the terracotta pots I already have into something I could enjoy looking at! I found it was a really easy fix and I wanted to share the process with you in case there are others out there that are cringing over the look of their terracotta!

Certainly there are plenty of methods to ‘weather’ terracotta or to create moss, etc. I did not do that. I went on a ‘hunt’ around the house to find things I could use for the transformation without making a purchase.

And, I found I needed very little. Some leftover house paint, stain, and a rag did the trick!

First, I simply painted the (bright terracotta) pot with some house paint (it happened to be Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray). This color will coordinate nicely with the exterior of my house which is sided in cedar and stained with ‘driftwood’ (of course my house is painted a color with a ‘beachy’ name…what did you expect lol).

After that dried (I left it overnight), I used some gel stain (Minwax in Hickory that I had left in the basement) on a rag to give some dimension to the look. I rubbed some on, and using the rag, rubbed it off…pretty easy, right? My pot had a design on it and I made sure to get a lot of stain on the design part so that I could have it settle into the crevices. Although my pot had a bright, new look, it was a few years old which made it even better for this process since any cracks or scratches looked great when the stain settled in. You can do this same process repeatedly if you want more color or depth. After I was done, I dabbed a little of the paint onto the highest part of the design…just as a highlight.

My first purchase of the season…some herbs from Gilbertie’s.

What an easy way to give terracotta pots a little more interest without making any purchases! If you don’t have these items in your house, you can do a simple whitewash. Everyone has some white paint left somewhere…just thin it down a little bit and paint it over your pot to get rid of the new orange look. These pots may be the least expensive, but they don’t have to look that way! You can easily transform them with some leftover paint and/or stain. Have fun with it! I can’t wait to add some plants to my new creation :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Crafts a la Mode, Craftionary, and The Well Crafted Home.

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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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st. patrick’s day tea

March 12, 2013

I saw some adorable little shamrock teacups and saucers in The Christmas Tree Shop (a bargain store here in New England) about a month ago and and all I could think of was planting shamrocks in the cup! And, I had the perfect Irish friend to give it to. So, I purchased one and waited for some shamrocks to be available for sale…which they always are as St. Patrick’s Day comes close.

I was so excited when I saw a shamrock plant in one of the bargain stores…yes!

I simply planted the shamrocks into the teacup…my one shamrock plant was big enough to use for two cups…I used the sweet little shamrock teacup and…

A photo of shamrocks planted in a sweet little teacup for St. Patrick’s Day.

planted some in one of my Jadite cups to add a little St. Patrick’s Day spirit to my own home :)

Get yourself some shamrocks and plant them in a container that makes you smile! I can’t send you a shamrock-filled teacup, so, as a gift to you, here is a St. Patrick’s Day blessing you can pin or send to a friend :) Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Have a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day week!

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie

P.S. Please ‘like’ my facebook page by clicking here or the facebook icon at the top of the page so I can share more ideas/inspiration during the week that don’t fit in my posts :)

I am sharing at Coastal Charm, Timewashed, Shabby Creek Cottage, Crafts a la Mode, Crationary, The Shabby Nest, Little Red House, and Craftberry Bush.

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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

1 comment

discovering orchids at terrain

February 1, 2013

It is no secret, whether I am in Connecticut or Pennsylvania, one of my favorite stores to visit is Terrain. If you are a frequent visitor to pleasure in simple things, you have shared quite a few visits with me to the Connecticut store since its opening in Westport, Connecticut last spring.

Friday field trip this week is to Terrain to check out a demonstration on planting orchids. Not knowing very much about orchids, I was intrigued watching Mary Ann from Terrain demonstrate how easy an orchid can be planted and also to learn that their care is not that difficult. This particular weekend, Matthew, the Terrain landscape designer from the Pennsylvania store, was also on hand. It was great to have the opportunity to speak with him. He is a great resource for design questions – pertaining to landscapes or to interiors.

I watched Mary Ann carefully remove an orchid from its pot, removing as much of the moss as she could. She trimmed away any rotten or blackened roots (with the really pretty scissors they sell at Terrain!) This particular orchid was put into a container Mary Ann had crafted from birch bark and made to hang.

In nature, these plants thrive in strong light (but not direct late afternoon sun); high humidity; air flow around roots; regular periods of drying, alternating with drenching rains; and in temperatures between 50 degrees and 85 degrees. So, the closer you replicate nature, the more success you will have in growing orchids.

At Terrain, the orchids are watered infrequently, but misted on a regular basis. In the summer orchids need to be watered weekly, but in the winter, closer to once a month.

Did you know in nature, orchids are epiphytes? That means they grow on other objects, clinging to rough bark or even stone. Here, Mary Ann has created an orchid planting very much embracing the way an orchid would grow in nature. After covering the roots of the plant in moss, she tied it to a piece of a white birch log. Terrain actually sells pieces of white birch logs so that if you wanted to create one of these plantings yourself, you could do so. A screw eye, picked up at Home Depot, is easy to attach to the top of the birch log for hanging. Or, you could have Mary Ann create one for you! Either way, it makes for a beautiful hanging.

I had fun admiring many other beautiful orchids in varying colors and varieties throughout the store.

I think this deeply hued hanging orchid would make a wonderfully romantic Valentine’s Day gift!

I have a new appreciation for orchids after my visit to Terrain…I also feel a little less intimidated about trying to repot some plants myself! This field trip definitely made me yearn for spring though!! How many more days!?

I hope you enjoyed our Friday field trip to Terrain to discover orchids…maybe it inspired you to create a planting of your own? Or, to give one as a gift?

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

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a day at the philadelphia flower show

discovering orchids at terrain