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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party garland diy

April 19, 2016

I am making a garland today that is a super easy DIY. Mine is for a birthday party, but the same design can easily be adapted for a Mother’s Day celebration or any other party.

Supplies needed are card stock, chalkboard paint or chalkboard Con-Tact paper, and twine or ribbon.

First, I am covering some card stock in chalkboard Con-Tact paper. Chalkboard Con-Tact paper is a staple in my craft room, but if you don’t have any, chalkboard paint can be used instead. I cut circles from the covered paper – one for each letter I need for my finished garland. I have a 2 1/2” circle cutter that makes the circle cutting really easy, but scissors can be used after tracing the desired circle size onto the paper using a cup or small plate.

Next, with a small hole punch, I placed two holes in each circle to hang the letters from twine. Because the holes are small, I don’t need to tie knots in the twine to keep the letters in place. If the holes you make are much larger than your ribbon or twine, you will need to add knots to keep the letters in position.

Chalkboard is just one of the many finishes you can use for this project. Old wallpaper samples, gift wrap, brown bags, or any decorative paper that may coordinate with your party’s theme, also work wonderfully. Just use a spray adhesive to mount the desired paper onto card stock. Old book pages look awesome as well…just use rubber stamps or permanent marker to add the letters.

I hope I have inspired you to make a festive party garland for your next celebration! A small version tied to skewers also works great as a cake topper!

Thank you for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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this year’s easter grass

March 25, 2016

For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing a couple of this year’s Easter grass plantings. You know how I love to plant grass for Easter! No empty container is safe from my grass seed!

This year, I am loving these mint colored tin containers I found in Terrain’s clearance room! I particularly like the ones with the black rim and handles – so cute! And, they pair so well with my candy stones!

As an added benefit of the (wheat) grass plantings – my daughter and I have been trimming it and adding it to our smoothies!

I thank you so very much for stopping by and wish you a very special and blessed weekend.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie xo

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time to plant easter grass!

March 4, 2016

It is that time of year when I plant grass in every pretty container I can find in preparation for Easter! So, for today’s Friday field trip – a quick peek at a couple past containers to give you some inspiration for grass plantings this year!

You can click on this link to get instructions on planting grass in your favorite containers…

Or, click here for the link on planting grass in eggshells!

Such fun!

I have started my grass planting for the year and will be sharing my creations soon! I hope today’s post will serve as a reminder for you to start your Easter grass!

Happy planting! (Tip: Be sure to use potting soil, not outdoor soil – you don’t want to bring any unwanted insects, etc. in from outdoors!)

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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free candy valentine printables

January 26, 2016

I promised some free valentine printables and I always follow through on my promises! Today, I am sharing two cute toppers I created for Valentine’s Day treats.

Printed on card stock, they can be cut out (four to a page), folded, and stapled to a cellophane bag filled with Valentine’s Day candy for a fun surprise gift!

I created two designs. Both of my designs were inspired by the candy bar at Ikea! Have you seen the candy by the pound at your local store? I fell in love with the look (and taste) of the licorice candies that looked exactly like a piece of chalk – to me anyway! How perfect for a cute pun! So, I came up with these chalkboard looking toppers…

Aren’t they perfect? Click here to download the printable.

My second design inspiration came from the gummy lips at the Ikea candy bar. Of course, candy gummy lips just scream Valentine’s Day! For these, I used a “kisses” topper. With this topper, if you can’t find gummy lips, you can always use candy kisses. Click here to download the printable. (As I often do, ir you prefer, you can substitute the staples for two punched holes and ribbon.)

On both designs, I left room on the back to write a “to” and “from.”

I plan on creating one more design for a candy topper that is a little more “adult” ;) in theme – I will share that one next Tuesday.

I hope I have inspired you to create some candy Valentine’s Day gifts!

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

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love you to pieces

January 19, 2016

So far, the valentine ideas I have shared involved puns and treats. But, it is possible to be ‘punny’ with other types of gifts as well. Today, I am sharing a gift of a painted canvas.

I have made this gift for a new baby, but it can easily be made as a Valentine’s Day gift. It can be done with traditional Valentine’s Day colors of pink or red or with a color to match a specific décor.

In my case, I wanted to use lavender and gray to match the room of the gift recipient. I also decided to personalize the gift by adding the baby’s name.

I started with an 8” square canvas. I used acrylic paint in lavender and gray to paint the entire surface. After that was dry, I used a pencil – with a very light hand – to draw a heart and the writing I intended to add to use as a guide.

Next, I used an oil paint marker to add “love you to pieces” and the personalization I wanted, writing over the pencil marks.

I used Mod Podge with a matte finish to add the “pieces.” I painted the penciled heart shape, and the places below the heart that I wanted the glitter to attach, with the Mod Podge. Then, I sprinkled gold glitter onto the painted areas. The main part of the heart got a thick coat of glitter while the bottom section was sprinkled lightly.

That’s it! Doesn’t it make an adorable little Valentine’s Day gift for someone special? I hope I have inspired you to make one!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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taking down the tree

January 5, 2016

Is it hard for you to say good-bye to the Christmas tree?

It is for me! I had to take down the entire collection of holiday decor on New Year’s Day because that was the only day I had a little scrap of free time to complete the chore. Packing away all the holiday treasures and kicking the tree out to the curb are not easy tasks!

The very last ornament I took off the tree was one that has made it through four generations! It was handmade from a crab shell found locally. The ornament was like a flagship piece for the Christmas of 2015 – not only is it a family heirloom, but it fit in perfectly with my sea glass Christmas theme. Can you believe this fragile piece of crab shell has lasted four generations?

But yes, I finally did take down this last ornament and the tree now sits on my front lawn awaiting pickup!

I had just about all the decorations down except for one side of my mantle. On it, I had a collection of bottle brush trees; some in sea glass shades. That was when I decided not to take down every piece of décor…so what if I left a few trees on the mantle? What would it hurt?

And, guess what? I left a few trees in the bathroom as well!

Sometimes it is just too hard to say good-bye. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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seas & greetings

December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas dear friends!

My wish for you is to be surrounded by those you love. The very best of the season to you!

And, remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie xo

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putting it all together

December 22, 2015

I have started to wrap gifts and I am having some real fun – using beach totes, wicker baskets, and wooden trays to package and display gifts for my sea glass themed holiday! I thought I would take a few quick minutes to show you how I am incorporating the things I have been making and sharing with you.

Remember the crab on the gift tag from this post? He is looking good with my sea glass colored dotted wrapping paper. :) And, the feather I made in this post is looking great with it as well!

The bottle labels I shared in this post are exactly what I needed to make the wine bottles for my table – as well as the ones I am giving as gifts – look right on theme!

You can see that the sea glass tags I shared in this post look great as well!

That is how I used some of my creations! I so do love a good theme – and, it is so fun when everything starts coming together! I have plenty more to do as I continue with my wrapping! I will try and share more photos to Instagram and Facebook as I continue. How are you doing with your wrapping?

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

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christmas magic

December 18, 2015

The best time to visit a favorite store as the holidays approach is when Christmas gift buying has been completed. Sound crazy? Well, once the pressure is off to find the perfect gifts, the whole shopping experience changes. The perspective shifts from one that has been focused on gift buying to one that is enjoying the shopping experience in an entirely different way.

For me, I can genuinely appreciate my surroundings and soak in the effort that has been made to create a beautiful holiday aesthetic. If I should find a little something special to add to a stocking – fine. But, there is no real urgency to the gift buying.

You probably know by now that one of my favorite stores is Grace. Today, for Friday field trip, I am sharing some of the wonderful holiday aesthetic created by this marvelous shop in Niantic. Enjoy!