valentines at terrain

January 27, 2017

Today’s Friday field trip is to a familiar location if you frequent my blog. I made a quick trip to Terrain this week between some work meetings, and I wanted to share some Valentine’s Day inspiration! I always feel sorry for those of you that aren’t close enough to a Terrain to frequent it, but by sharing I hope I can inspire you just the same!

There are some signs of transitioning into spring with some new displays in the store…

But looking around at inspiration for Valentine’s Day, there is plenty! From the heart shaped planters…

…to creative sweets!

Terrain Valentine heart candy pleasure in simple things blog

Chocolate valentine hearts at Terrain in Westport, Connecticut.

Terrain Valentine marshmallows pleasure in simple things blog

Some adorable heart shaped marshmallows at Terrain in Westport, Connecticut.

If you would rather buy a plant already potted, there are some cuties!

I was inspired to create some plantings of my own when I saw these pretty drinking glasses in the sale section! I bought a couple of these beauties as well as some ferns to create my own plantings! Won’t these be adorable as planters?

I found one other item I want to use for a DIY. Can you guess what I will use these for? Hint…it is not for Valentine’s Day!

Thank you for joining me today for Friday field trip! I hope I have given you a little Valentine’s Day inspiration – botanical style!

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

2 comments

bird feeder diy valentine gift

January 17, 2017

A bird feeder is a great gift you can make yourself. Who doesn’t enjoy watching a free nature show from their window?

Hanging bird feeders made from bird seed are really simple and inexpensive to make. A simple DIY, the bird seed is held together with clear gelatin and hangs from a tree branch with a piece of twine.

As a Valentine, a feeder can be packaged up really cute with a corny Valentine saying! I love “Valentine, you are so very tweet!” So appropriate for a bird themed gift! And, a small bird from a craft store is the perfect addition to the wrapping!

Choose an appropriate shaped cookie cutter to use as a mold. I chose a heart to go along with a Valentine theme, but also chose a state-shaped mold to make a ‘state pride’ feeder to gift to an out-of-state relative. Cookie cutters are available in virtually any shape so, have fun with it!

Supplies Needed:

2/3 cup water
2 envelopes unflavored Knox gelatin
2 cups bird seed
Large baking sheet
Parchment or wax paper
Cookie cutters
Cooking spray
Drinking straw
Twine

Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on a flat baking sheet. Set out desired cookie cutters onto the sheet. Use cooking spray to spray the surface/cutters. Cut the straw into 2” pieces and set aside.

Heat 2/3 cup water in a medium saucepan; removing from the heat just before it starts to boil. Sprinkle the contents of 2 envelopes (4 come in a package) of Knox unflavored gelatin on top of the water and let dissolve, stirring as necessary. After the gelatin is fully incorporated, let the mixture stand 5 minutes – enough to cool down, but not enough to completely set. Stir in 2 cups of bird seed, mixing thoroughly. I used the seed for small birds – small seed pieces best stick together.

Place the bird seed mixture into the cutter molds; pressing firmly in place. Insert a piece of straw into each piece to create a hole for hanging.

Place the sheet in fridge to set. After an hour or two, remove each feeder from its cookie cutter and lay flat to dry overnight.

Remove straw pieces and let dry a couple days before adding twine to each feeder for hanging.

Package as desired. Makes approximately 2-4 feeders, depending on the size of the cookie cutters. (For example, one batch could fill one 5” cookie cutter, one 4” cookie cutter and one 3” inch cookie cutter.)

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are inspired to make and gift a bird seed feeder for Valentine’s Day!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

holiday shopping trip

December 9, 2016

Today for Friday field trip, a little shopping trip to one of my very favorite gift shops – Taken for Granite in Stony Creek. If you follow the blog, you know I especially love this shop at its holiday finest!

My schedule did not allow me to make it to the evening open house this year, but I found the daylight just as magical!

As always, the best in holiday styling! Enjoy!

I hope this awesome shop provided you with a little holiday inspiration! Thanks for stopping by!

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

no comments

target bargain bin diy

December 6, 2016

I love the section at Target with all the low-priced items! It is so much fun to find a great item for $1. or $3. in those magical bins at the front of the store! Sometimes, a little DIY is the perfect thing to make something from the bin simply fabulous!

Recently, I ‘felt’ that way about a marvelous felt clutch I found in the $3. bin! Though great on its own, a little enhancement would make it special!

I had a few ideas for a modification right from the start, but I knew I wanted to do an initial. I was thinking I would use a plaid fabric that would make a nice contrast against the gray and would scream holiday. To make it easy, I could use fabric bonding to adhere the initial. Then, if I had any embroidery thread in an appropriate color, I would use a blanket stitch on the edges to finish it off.

When I got home, I looked at the random buttons I had left in my button box and some of the button colors were perfect against the gray felt of the clutch. I changed my plaid idea to an initial formed from buttons! Based on the colors I was using, I would make a mustard colored tassel to add a finishing touch!

I used a small bead of glue from my glue gun on each button to hold it into place before I sewed each one onto the clutch.

When I went to the craft store to buy some yarn to make a tassel, I found a premade one in the color I wanted for less than the price of the material to make one! Perfect!

The pouch makes a great gift on its own or it can be used as a pretty item to tuck some presents into!

If you’d rather not use a needle and thread, another way to add an initial to the clutch could be to use a metallic iron-on initial from the fabric or craft store.

A beautiful gift for under $5! Thank you Target for the bargain bins – they are a wealth of (inexpensive) inspiration!

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

no comments

diy candle advent calendar

November 25, 2016

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that we have officially started the holiday season, today’s Friday field trip is a visit to my holiday workshop to create a super quick and easy Advent calendar!

This year’s Advent calendar was inspired by one for sale at Terrain.

styling-a-terrain-advent-calendar-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

The Advent calendar from Terrain that inspired my DIY – styled by me on my holiday table in a glass container with ‘snow.’

Basically, all that is needed for this DIY is a single candle… isn’t a candle the perfect vehicle for an advent calendar? Who doesn’t use a candle during the holiday season?

make-a-candle-advent-calendar-pleasure-in-simple-things

My favorite candle as a DIY Advent calendar!

Utilize a favorite candle you already own (or treat yourself to a new one) and affix (I used rubber cement) an appropriate sized piece of paper printed with a December calendar…so simple and so cute!

I simply typed the word ‘December’ and the numbers 1 to 25 using a simple typestyle and printed it out on regular computer paper. I made mine 3” x 3” to fit nicely on a favorite woodland scented candle. Use a favorite typestyle and vary the finished size of the calendar to best fit the candle you choose to use.

If you want to make one up to give as a gift; tie a red, green, or metalllic marker with a piece of twine to the finished candle!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

holiday reading

November 18, 2016

It’s been a crazy week – next week will be even more hectic! I barely had time to turn on the computer today, but you know I could never miss a Friday post!

So, for today, Friday field trip is a throwback from a couple of years ago. I shared a DIY project that deserves repeating! I thought I would remind you about the cool ‘book a day” idea so you can prepare to put one together for yourself before December starts!

Click here for the full DIY!

Have fun with it!

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

no comments

holiday theme 2016

November 15, 2016

For someone that normally has a holiday theme chosen well over 6 months before December, this year is very different for me. I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted for 2016’s holiday theme until recently. Once the start of November happened, I decided I needed to choose a theme, quick! Every year, so much of my holiday planning is tied into my chosen theme and this year I started November with no plans!

Initial mugs always make great gifts on their own or filled with sweets or a succulent. This one from Terrain is a beauty!

What did I decide? A typography theme! At first, I thought I might call my theme “to the letter,”, but I really didn’t want to leave out the numbers! Then I thought maybe I should go with “by the numbers,“ but that would leave out the letters! Typography might not sound as cute, but it includes both numbers and letters!

The glasses I adore from Mark and Graham…perfect to use on my holiday table!

When I start thinking about all the possibilities using a typography theme, it really puts my creative spirit into overdrive! Here is some of my initial brainstorming. We shall see how it plays out!

Williams-Sonoma’s initial doormat makes a great gift and is right on theme!

Wrapping Ideas

Initial key chain or luggage tag as package tag
Book pages as wrapping
Number gift tags using rubber stamps
House numbers tied to packages

See what I mean? So much to work with! Remember the DIY wire gift tags I made into words a couple years back? Click here to see them.

4lovecustomgifts on Etsy makes wonderful custom initial or name signs like this one!

Gift Ideas

Initial doormat
Initial necklace
House number or last name sign
Sign using coordinates of a place with special meaning
Personalized stationary
Monogrammed items
Initialed items
Initial wine bottle stopper with bottle and opener
Gifts with personalized zip codes

Initial necklaces may have been around for a while, but there are always some different choices to give as gifts. I love this one made by nest on Etsy!

Gift ideas are super easy to come up with using a typography theme! And I have made some gifts in the past that would work well…remember the zip code tray, the zip code pillows, or the embellished mason jar. (Click on the names to see the tutorials.)

Tabletop

Number/letter sparklers
Number glasses for desserts
Initial cheese tray

This William-Sonoma cheese tray is just perfect for a typography themed Christmas!

These beautiful gold numbers and letters I found at Paper Source are sparklers, but I won’t actually be using them as sparklers in my holiday decor…I just love the way they look! Maybe I will spell out Joy and place them in a dessert or use them at individual place settings.

I also have tons of ideas for my holiday tabletop with my new theme! I really want to serve dessert in these really cool glasses with numbers that I found. My traditional holiday rosemary shortbreads can be cut with alphabet and/or number cookie cutters!

Home Décor/Tree

Initial ornaments
Ornaments made from book pages
An initial wreath

If you would rather not make your own initial wreath, Ballard Designs has them ready made!

The tree and home décor is fun to think about. I will definitely make an initial wreath for my front door this year and ornaments will be fun to create…remember when I made the animals from book pages? Or, the Ikea heart with script? (Click on them to see the DIYs.) I am sure I can come up with some new ones! If you would rather purchase ornaments, there are always great initial ones at Anthropologie as well as some of the other stores during the holiday season.

A great initial ornament from Pottery Barn if you would rather purchase an initial ornament over making one.

Well, that is the start of holiday theme 2016! Do you use a theme for your holiday? I hope I inspired you to start thinking about one…what will you come up with for this year?

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

Note: The product photos shown here were taken from the respective websites.

no comments

easy candied pumpkin seeds

November 10, 2016

For Friday field trip today, I am taking you into my kitchen to share a simple recipe for a sweet and crunchy snack that is ready in 20 minutes!

These candied pumpkin seeds are super satisfying. I make them without sugar – using honey and maple syrup to sweeten. With a little sweetness and a little spice, these crunchy pieces are the perfect little snack! This recipe is super easy…I pick up pumpkin seeds at Trader Joe’s, but the rest of the ingredients are items I always have on hand. You can experiment and switch out the spices to your own preference.

It is too bad that most people only think of pumpkin seeds around Halloween, because they are delicious any time of the year! At Halloween, these pumpkin seed snacks serve as a great substitute for the traditional Halloween candy, but they are also fun and easy snack to package up as a Thanksgiving hostess gift.

In addition to serving as a great fix for a sweet craving, these pumpkin seed snacks are also a great garnish for that homemade squash soup!

Enjoy!

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

no comments

inital ball jar embellishment

August 2, 2016

I find joy in the details and today’s simple DIY is a perfect example!

I found this raised initial Ball jar at Terrain. I really liked the idea of an initial on the Ball jar, but I wasn’t crazy about the shiny silver lid provided with the jar. I also thought the initial needed a little embellishment.

These items were easy enough to remedy with some gold spray paint and a little bit of gold leaf.

A gold leafing kit is an essential part of any craft supply stash since there are tons of little uses for it. These kits are easy to find at craft stores.

I first spray painted the lid of the jar with a gold metallic spray paint…easy enough! Next, I applied the gold leaf. I brushed some liquid adhesive provided with the kit onto the area where I wanted the gold leaf. I purposely did a messy painting job because I didn’t want it to look too ‘perfect.’ (I thought I may even want to sand a little of the gold leaf off after I had it completed to make it look a little worn.) I used a cotton swab for to apply the adhesive, rather than getting a brush dirty – and after the application, I just threw out the cotton swab!

After the adhesive got a little tacky, I carefully placed a little piece of the gold leaf over the initial and pushed it down with a clean, soft cloth. Lastly, I added a sealant, provided with the kit, to keep the gold leaf in place and prevent discoloration. (I applied this with a cotton swab as well.)

Be sure to follow the directions provided with your gold leaf kit for best results!

I love the result! I got rid of the shiny silver lid and that little speck of gold leaf on the initial made this monogrammed jar perfect!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

bridesmaid proposal bags

July 12, 2016

Today, brides-to-be don’t simply ask a few close friends to serve as their bridesmaids. Rather, they create a whole “would you be my bridesmaid?” occasion to request their friends’ services.

The most popular way to do this seems to be a ‘bridal box.’ This is when a box is sent to each potential bridesmaid through the mail. Inside each box is a gift chosen by the future bride, requesting each recipient serve as a bridesmaid.

I thought; why not use a ‘bridal bag’ instead of a box! A custom bag seems so much cooler than a box!

Working with the future bride and my favorite custom bag creator – Ralph & Martha – this is what we came up with! (You may remember Ralph & Martha from my anchor bag post – click here to see more on that.)

The resulting custom creation was a vegan leather bag displaying each gal’s initial in metallic gold and a gilded tassel pull! When completed, the bride enclosed little surprises inside each bag before distributing them.

We toyed with the idea of printing the text ‘would you be my bridesmaid?’ on a custom fabric for the lining, but decided against it. Instead, the bride wrote an individual personal note to each potential bridesmaid and the lining fabric was used as an opportunity to give a hint of the wedding ceremony location.