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white anemones at whites

October 6, 2020

white anenome

Botanical gardens or flower farms are a great resource to help decide on plant or flower choices for your own garden.

Seeing a plant in a pot is so different than seeing how it grows as part of an actual landscape!

anenome with birdhouse

A favorite spot for me to view planted gardens is White Flower Farm.  You can probably guess why.  There are always some great varieties of white flowers to admire!  By virtue of the name, I guess it is pretty much a requirement to offer some great white flowers for sale!

benches on a rainy day

On my last visit, I identified a new white flower variety I want for my own space.  If I had seen it offered for sale in a pot, I doubt I would have paid much attention to it.  But, ‘in the wild’ I fell completely in love!

My new current white favorite is a white anemone!

close up anenome

Pictured here are some photos of my current passion from my last visit to Whites.  Aren’t they beautiful!  Some great whiteness for the fall!

And now, Honorine Jobert Anemone is on my list of ‘must haves!’  What is on your list?

with close up bird house

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall chair planting diy

October 2, 2020

chair plantings

Today I am hoping to inspire you to plant a chair.  Yes, you read that correctly!  An old chair is the perfect vehicle to create a beautiful fall planting.

empty chair

First, find an old chair.  I mean old!  The older, the better – more character.  It should be a chair that has (or once had) a caned seat or an upholstered seat.  The reason for this is because you will remove that part to add plants.

empty chair

The perfect candidate for a chair planting!

Once the cane or upholstery is removed, screening is stapled in its place using a staple gun.  After the screening is in place, planting can happen!  Just like any other outdoor container would be used, the screening serves as your container, providing drainage.  So easy!

chair with screen

screen closeup

Before planting, decide if the chair you plan to use will be left vintage looking or if you will paint it in advance.  A bright color, a color to match the flowers used, or a color to match your house or garden are all great choices.

purple chair planting

I was inspired to start this project based on the photos here.  I have plenty of colors of Annie Sloan paint and plan use that to paint a chair in advance of planting.  I am keeping my fingers crossed I can find an appropriate discarded chair in the next week!

blue chair planting

I hope I have inspired you to start a chair planting of your own!

yellow chair planting

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall 2020 at terrain

September 25, 2020

monochromatic pumpkin display

Today I am embracing the season.  I am providing a few of my favorite views from a fall visit to Terrain in Westport, Connecticut.  These photos are sure to help inspire your fall creations!  So, grab yourself a pumpkin latte and enjoy the show!

terrain pumpkin topiary

mini boo orange pumpkin tower

pumpkins and orange flowers

bumpy pumpkinss

mini boos with dried flowers

pumpkin tower

fall lights

fall urn display

greens with white pumpkin

white mini boos with succulents

 

pink mums

fall display

topiary of pumpkins

mini orange pumpkin topiaries

Happy fall from New England!  I hope you are inspired to work on your own projects this weekend!  Have a great one!

Terrain interior display in orange

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

P.S.  If that’s not enough – you can see some more of Terrain on my Instagram feed.

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missing the candles

August 29, 2020

sized spoonful of chocolate terrarium

Yes, I hate Covid-19.  Like everyone else, I miss the normalcy of everyday living.

Never did it become clearer than celebrating my birthday week.

Just losing the simple opportunity of blowing out birthday candles was upsetting!  An official birthday celebration certainly does not seem complete without candles!

sized eating chocolate terrarium

Chocolate Terrarium served at Terrain Café in Westport – a birthday cake substitute with finesse!  Soft milk chocolate ganache, dark chocolate mousse, matcha morsels, and dark chocolate cake.

Everyone that has had a birthday since isolation began knows what I am talking about.  You try to make your birthday as normal as possible and then comes time for cake…and, of course, in the current climate, candle blowing is out of the question!

So, no candles this year.

chocolate terrarium from side

Thanks for stopping by.

Wishing you many years ahead of candle blowing!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things (you never know when they may be gone), Jackie

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the garden barn

June 19, 2020

plants at Flower Barn

When you have close friends that have fabulous gardens, you have the benefit of finding out about all their fabulous gardening resources!

Today, I am taking a field trip to one of these resources.  Two of my friends frequent a place called the Garden Barn and I have never been – until now!

moon and star topiary

I could plan a whole outdoor constellation themed party with these two topiaries and plenty of little white lights! So fun!

I could never go wrong taking a recommendation from either of the two friends I mentioned with the fab gardens.  I knew the Garden Barn would be great, but it was even better than my expectations.  (The fact that I have been isolated for so long may have contributed to my excitement!)

topiary deer

topiary deer close up

From the moment of arrival, the variety and quantity of beautiful, healthy plants is overwhelming.  And, the knowledgeable staff at the Garden Barn makes visiting a learning experience.

porpoise topiary

For today’s post, I decided to pick one unique item to showcase from my visit – topiaries.  I haven’t seen these at any other garden store I have visited so I thought they would be fun to share!

full horse topiary

horse topiary closeup

Have a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for stopping by.

Flower Barn

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  If ever in the vicinity of Vernon, Connecticut, make a stop at The Garden Barn.

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easy garden diy

June 5, 2020

pretty bird and diy

Some years back, I blogged about some easy DIY garden stakes based on some I had seen.  On a recent visit to my friend Wendy’s garden, I noticed she had added a bird to one of these stakes in an arrangement she created for her side door.  It is SO adorable, I need to share!

bucket of white flowers

You can read the original post/tutorial by clicking here if you’d like to create your own.  Just add a cute bird like Wendy did!

pretty bird and diy

Thanks for stopping by!

white clematis

Note:  The other photos in this post are also from Wendy’s gardens.  (Of course, I had to find a way to add some white flowers to the post!)

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

 

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table fern display

June 2, 2020

pretty fern arrangement

Without hosting any company for such a long stretch, my dining room table décor from Easter never got updated…what for?   A lot of home updates did get attended to during isolation – caulking, cleaning, filing, etc., but some of the seasonal décor definitely got neglected!

In an attempt to cheer myself up, I decided to get rid of the decorated Easter eggs and add something a little more appropriate to the season to my dining room table.  What better way to brighten spirits than  a trip to Terrain?!  I figured if I just bought a couple little indoor ferns, I could create something nice and low cost for my dining room table.

dining room ferns

Walking around Terrain’s nursery definitely helped pick up my mood – as it always does!  And, because I only needed some small ferns, I was able to leave without much of an investment.

My plan was to use some of my Ben Wolff white clay pots to make a simple fern display.  Ben Wolff is a potter that does some amazing work.  I was never a fan of the traditional color clay pot, (click here and/or here to see two ways I have painted them!)  and since I am about all things white, his white clay pots are perfect for my aesthetic!  (His gray pots are also beautiful!  I am lucky that Ben’s studio is right here in Connecticut – close enough to visit and purchase my pots directly from the studio!

ferns on table

I simply planted the ferns in the white pots and arranged them down the middle of the table with some moss.  Easy and so beautifully satisfying!  The components are anchored in a 3-foot-long trough I purchased at Terrain many years ago.  I use it all the time and it is perfect to protect the table from seasonal arrangements.  (I don’t think the exact one I have is still available for purchase, but if you search ‘trough’ on the Terrain website, you should find some great alternatives!)

ferns with watering can

(To make my arrangement complete – I just need to find the pretty little terrarium rocks I have to cover the top of the dirt in the pots.  If I can’t find where I put them, I will use some little shells or sea glass.)

fern arrangement

I hope I have inspired you to add some new seasonal décor to your home – company or no company!

Thanks for stopping by!

starfish with fern

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. The white watering can is Smith and Hawken from Target.

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study in pinks

May 22, 2020

treetops against the clouds

The weather in Connecticut has been really fabulous!  It is so refreshing to go for a walk when heavy coats or sweaters aren’t required!

pink dogwood tree

pink dogwood

When I do my workouts in the gym, I use music as a distraction – it almost feels like a type of meditation to focus solely on the music while pushing myself to perform.  Now that gyms are closed, I have had to find new and inventive ways to work out.  In addition to music, I find myself using nature to help meditate.  This past weekend, for one of my walks, I concentrated solely on pink flowers!  I tried to notice all the intricacies of every pink bloom I encountered!

pink trees against the clouds

pink petals

I find this is a great way to savor the beauty surrounding me and keeps my focus during a walk.

trees against the sun

single dogwood flower

Do you have anything special you do to help focus while exercising?

pink blooms

Thanks for stopping by!

tree blooms in pink

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

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a purple pop of flowers

May 15, 2020

purple pansies

We just had some snow here in Connecticut – not typical weather for May.  The cold snaps have made all the flower gardeners hesitant to get started with putting out annuals this year.

I usually use Mother’s Day as my ‘safe to plant’ indicator, but I know some of the experts say not to plant until after the new moon.

entrance purple flowers

With all the hesitation to get plants in the ground, it was so refreshing to see my friend Phyllis has started working on her garden décor.  The plantings she had put around her side entrance really look fabulous.  She changes things up each season and for spring she has incorporated a splash of purple into her creations.

porch topiary

purple with pussywillows

I hope seeing these flowers make you smile as much as I did when I saw them!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

 

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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make the list!

March 24, 2020

pansycloseup

I sat down one night last week and began to think of all the little projects that I always have on my mind but never seem to have the time to accomplish.  I thought I really didn’t want all this extra time at home to go by and find myself regretting not getting some of these projects accomplished!

So, I made a list of the projects I plan to tackle.  I don’t know about you, but the hardest part about spending all this time at home, for me, is to slow down my pace!  My normal routine of working 3 jobs doesn’t leave much free time and normally I am constantly on the go!  Without going to these 3 jobs, I really have to slow down my pace – otherwise I would have all my projects done in a few days!  My biggest challenge has definitely been pacing myself!

outside decor

You may remember I used evergreens to put together a holiday arrangement in my hanging basket.

In these uncertain times, I can’t make plans to do anything that would have a cost attached to it.  Of course, some of the projects I were imagining had to be eliminated from the list right away because they required a big purchase.  But the organized person I am, I had already acquired and stored away supplies for some of the projects I had planned for a future time.

Here are the first projects on my list!

  1. Create a spring planting for my hanging basket.
  2. Paint the legs on the Ikea bench by the back door.
  3. Refresh a sign that needs an update for my friend Wendy.
  4. Reorganize my top dresser drawer.
pansies

Number 1. on my list – check! An easy spring update for my hanging basket!

I had to spend a little bit to buy a couple weather-resistant plants – I purchased them at a local herb farm.  (Good thing they are weather resistant – it is snowing as I write this!)   I already have paint for the bench and I had purchased some organizers some time ago from The Container Store to help with my drawer organization when I was ready.  I have plenty of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on hand that I can use for Wendy’s sign.  The start of the list – with supplies at the ready!

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

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