pumpkin’ to talk about

October 20, 2023

Growing up, pumpkins were one shape and one color only. Today, there is a myriad of varieties of pumpkins/squash that are so far beyond the plain round, orange pumpkin from my childhood!

Of course, there are certainly plenty of styling options staying within the traditional orange color palette, if that is your preference – but so many more choices than just a round orange pumpkin!

The photos here are some fun vignettes I’ve seen this year!

Are you inspired to put out some pumpkins?

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Jackie

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white pumpkins and burgandy

October 1, 2023

If you are wondering why my photos look like they were taken in the rain, it is because they were!

My fall meandering this season has been very wet! Not by choice. It just couldn’t be helped – rainy days have been the norm here in Connecticut for way too long!

If you know anything about me, you know typical holiday colors are never my favorites. And, white is one of my preferred colors. White pumpkins are always the best pumpkins and I enjoy combining them with other neutrals or, sometimes other colors.

I really enjoy burgundy as an accent color for both fall and at Christmas time.

Here I am sharing some great styling examples with white pumpkins and burgundy I recently found at Terrain in Westport. Isn’t it a great combination?

If you want to add some cozy feels when putting together your own fall vignettes, add a blanket or scarf. Don’t discard ripped blankets in your favorite colorways. They can be repurposed while styling your pumpkins! If not blankets, fabric remnants or discarded corduroy or flannel shirts are also great to reuse! If you have nothing of your own to utilize, thrift shops and consignment stores are great places to pick up items to use. I never get rid of a piece of clothing or fabric I love…down the road it may turn up as part of a tablescape or made into a pumpkin!

I hope you are inspired to put some white pumpkins and burgundy together this season. If not, I’ll have some more traditional color combination examples next time!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Jackie

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pumpkin play

September 30, 2022

Planting inside a pumpkin – whether real or artificial – has been going on for quite a few years now. Certainly, new colors and types of pumpkins pop up every year, but there are also some ways to make this season’s pumpkin – whether planted, or part of a planting – look fresh for the current year!

Let’s look at four easy ways to update your planted pumpkin creations this year!

Add a decorative non-living item to your planting. There are infinite ways to make a pumpkin planting look updated, simply by adding a decorative item to your arrangement. In the examples here, decorative metal items are used. Shop your local garden store gift shop or find something unique at a vintage store or thrift shop.

A great way to make your arrangement look super current, is to add an item currently trending – in this case, a mushroom!

Glue dried items to the outside of your pumpkin. You have seen me glue dried items to pumpkins in years past and this is a great idea for anyone that feels they don’t possess a green thumb! A glue gun and some found (or purchased) dried items from nature are all that are required! And, although this is not exactly a planted pumpkin, it creates the same appeal as one! Small pumpkins are especially great for this because very little material is needed to add some instant drama!

Incorporate a nest into your pumpkin arrangement. You know I have a passion for nests and why not use them with your pumpkins! Items from nature are always favorites of mine and nests can mix really well with pumpkins! You probably already have some nests, packed away with your Easter or spring décor, that can do double duty!

Add a pumpkin to an already fabulous living arrangement. Any arrangement you already have can look seasonal with an added pumpkin! Nobody does this better than Terrain – look at the examples here! Choose a pumpkin(s) that coordinates in color and/or style to your current planting! Have fun with it!

I hope you are inspired to add some seasonal décor to your home! The photos I used as examples here were all taken by me at Terrain in Westport. If you live local, be sure to visit Terrain for The Autumn Bounty Festival on October 1^st, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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easy diy glazed donut nails

August 5, 2022

I’ve never had gel or acrylic nails. Heck, I barely ever polish my nails these days. With all the gardening and painting/crafting, my nails are barely ever all the same length. And, if my nails aren’t all the same length, I don’t draw attention to them with polish!

But recently, by some strange miracle, my nails haven’t been breaking and they are, in fact, all the same length!

I don’t go for all the crazy nail trends since I prefer a natural, subtle looking fingernail. I prefer an understated polish – like Essie’s ballet slippers, for example.

But I have to admit, the ‘glazed donut’ trend is one that I actually like. It is shiny and subtle and looks oh so much like summer!

I’ve heard that Hailey Bieber was the cause of this trend and that she used a chrome powder to get the look. Though I was interested in getting the look, I was not interested in getting a salon manicure or buying a bunch of products to get it!

I ended up getting something that looks pretty darn close and all I did was buy one bottle of Essie nail product to get it!

Essie is my ‘go to’ nail brand and I already had some polish in a shade called sheer fantasy that I had picked up as a substitute for ballet slippers when my local Target was out of it. I purchased Essie FX Expressie from my local CVS in iced out to add more of a luminous look.

To achieve the trendy glazed look, this is what I did. I already had a clear top coat and a coat of Essie’s sheer fantasy on my nails. I added a coat of the Essie FX Expressie in iced out on top of that. I ended up adding another coat of sheer fantasy to make it a little more subtle – less purple. I liked the way it looked, so I added a clear top coat and that’s that! Easy peasy! An inexpensive version of the glazed donut nail look!

I hope you are inspired to try a new nail color of your own this summer! (Click here to see my dream nail polish collection!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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sea oat planting in amelia island

June 10, 2022

It is always enjoyable to do a little bit of a good deed. Sometimes it is incredibly educational as well. This was the case with my recent morning planting of sea oats!

On a visit to Amelia Island, Florida, I was privileged to have the opportunity to plan a community service project with a small group. Working with the naturalist at the Ritz-Carlton, we planted sea oats in the sand.

You may wonder what sea oats are and why we would plant them in the sand?

Sea oats or seaside oats is a tall subtropical grass that is an important component of coastal sand dune and beach plant communities.

Its massive root system is capable of holding soil and sand in place during extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tropical storms. This plant’s habitat puts it at the forefront of shoreline protection.

And because Amelia Island sand is the breeding ground for sea turtles, planting the sea oats is benefiting them!

Sea oats are so important in Florida that they are protected under regulations of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection! The plants cannot even be cut back or removed!

Planting the oats was a pretty simple project, but so enjoyable! Especially knowing we were also helping out the turtles!

Commemorating the activity, I gifted each participant a key chain – (beautifully handmade by Ralph & Martha of Connecticut)!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are inspired to serve your own community in some small way!

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

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diy aussiedoodle canvas bag

March 11, 2022

I recently spied a canvas bag with a puppy pattern on a holiday clearance table in a gift shop. I thought it was adorable and wished it was an Aussiedoodle instead of the breed pictured on the canvas since my fave puppy in life happens to be an Aussiedoodle!

Then I started thinking – even if I found a bag with an Aussiedoodle pictured, it probably wouldn’t be a blue merle (his coloring) with one blue eye like my buddy Goose!

So, I decided to buy the bag I saw on sale and modify it to resemble my friend Goose!

I just used some acrylic paint and revised the image on the canvas. Now the bag reminds me of my buddy!

Just goes to show that inspiration is everywhere!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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blended, not stirred

January 15, 2022

Isn’t it something how our beverages of choice change with the seasons?

The first thing we wanted to do on a recent girls’ trip to Florida was to sample the frozen drinks! A mere matter of hours ago we had been in a snowstorm and SO cold…we hit Florida and, just like that, we were ready for the cold beverages!

How wonderful to have our drink choice be the big decision of our day!

It was fun while it lasted, but of course, once we are back in New England and single digit temps, it’s all hot cocoa, hot tea or coffee!

What is your favorite cold weather drink?

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

Inspiration idea: Tomorrow is the 126^th birthday of The Breakers in Palm Beach. Guests can enjoy a Tootsie Roll (created in 1896) martini or an Aged to Perfection cocktail in honor of the anniversary. I say, buck the system and try one of these cool drinks this weekend! Both use orange juice, so make up a fresh batch in advance!

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candy cane chocolate hearts

January 7, 2022

So, I have quite a few candy canes left from my holiday decor. I love decorating with them, but I don’t really eat them! Now that the holidays are behind us, I was trying to come up with some ways to use the leftovers! Using them to stir hot cocoa is always fun! I have pushed them into chocolate covered marshmallows which is also a fun way to use them.

I have never though, tried to melt them…until now! After some experimentation, I discovered my candy canes got nice and soft, but not very hot, after being in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes. The softness made them flexible. Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, I decided to make some hearts by putting two candy canes together. I simply put the candy canes on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper in the basic shape I wanted. After 5 minutes, I took them out of the oven and gently pinched the ends together.

Deciding to add chocolate – they are for Valentine’s Day after all and mint and chocolate go great together, right? – I took the hearts off the parchment paper and drizzled some dark chocolate onto the parchment. I put the baking sheet into the fridge for a little bit to set the chocolate. After taking the baking sheet out of the fridge, I set my candy cane hearts on top of the chocolate drizzle.

Next, I filled the hearts I created with melted white chocolate and popped the baking sheet back into the fridge to set.

After the chocolate was set, I took the hearts off the pan and ended up with some pretty drizzled peppermint/chocolate hearts! A great recycling of my leftover candy canes!

There are so many variations possible with this simple procedure. The drizzle can be pink or red if you prefer. Or, forgo the drizzle and write a name on the heart when the chocolate is set.

I hope you are inspired! Set your oven to 250 degrees and start getting creative with those leftover candy canes!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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easy diy marker ornament

December 17, 2021

Making holiday ornaments using paint markers and glass balls is always fun to do. It doesn’t take any talent to come up with a nice looking ornament for tree hanging or as a gift. The only supplies needed are clear glass ornaments and paint markers. A pretty ribbon, of course, goes without saying!

Craft stores sell boxes of clear ornaments. Picking up a box or two when they are on sale is a great idea – having these ornaments on-hand means a homemade gift is always at the ready!

For the design here, in addition to the ornament and marker, I also used some stick-on crystals from the craft store.

This design is probably the easiest one I have ever done! Give it a try! (I spray painted the silver top of the ornament with a burnished gold paint and added some glitter – the silver was a little too shiny silver for me!)