girls night out

July 22, 2016

Making Mason jar terrariums is a fun and easy summer activity.

For today’s Friday field trip, I am bringing you to an outdoor garden to share this activity on a stunningly gorgeous summer evening. Cold drinks and interesting conversation are the perfect accompaniments for this fun outdoor get together.

Why not add this activity to your next summer soiree? A very basic terrarium can be easily created with Mason jars, potting soil, charcoal, and decorative pebbles. All the materials needed are easily purchased at a local dollar store or discount store.

To create the terrarium, a 1” layer of pebbles is added to the jar, followed by a thin layer of charcoal and 3” – 4” of potting soil. From there, moss and/or small plants are added as well as any decorative items. After a light watering, the terrarium is complete and the lid can be screwed on.

Adding a decorative feature like a small mushroom or animal gives the terrarium some extra character. (The owls used in these terrariums are actually beads that were attached to toothpicks.) Providing raffia to your guests to tie around the mouth of the jar of the finished terrarium is also a nice detail to include.

As an option, cute little instruction cards can be created and printed on a home computer. Instruct the new terrarium owners to mist the garden lightly occasionally and to remove the top for a while if too much moisture develops.

I hope I have inspired you to have a little terrarium building activity at your next get together – the perfect way to spend a beautiful summer evening!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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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.

The same fern fabric used for the bag’s lining was used to create a surprise bag for the bride-to-be!

I hope you are inspired to create, or help create, a bridesmaid proposal that is unique!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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99 cent diy table numbers

July 5, 2016

The cost of throwing parties, particularly weddings, has gotten crazy expensive. The good news is that the little details that make events special can definitely be beautifully executed with very little cost. Like my friend Phyllis says “it’s not what you have, but what you make of it.”

These easy DIY table numbers are made from 99 cent plastic – yes, plastic – Ikea photo frames! You may need to spend a little more than 99 cents to create one if spray paint and paint pens aren’t part of your craft supply repertoire. I happen to have both of these items on hand.

You can choose a color spray paint that best matches your party décor, but choose one with a label indicating adhesion to plastic. I like metallic paints because they add an air of elegance to the final product.

Purchase one frame for each party table. Unwrap each frame, removing the two acrylic plastic inserts and place them aside. Spray the 2 pieces of the frame(s) completely with 2-3 light coats of paint, following the directions on the spray paint can.

While the paint is drying, you can add the desired table number to one of the 2 acrylic pieces using a white, (or whatever color you choose), paint pen. Be sure to remove the protective plastic covering the acrylic before you begin. If you aren’t comfortable drawing a number freehand, no worries! Simply print out a number/type style you like from your home computer and trace it! That is the beauty of the acrylic! Once completed, you can put the second piece of acrylic carefully over the painted piece to protect it from scratching.

Lastly, screw the bottom piece of the frame into the top section and slide in the acrylic pieces.

Beautiful, right? These table numbers coordinate well with many different party themes and decors. I hope I have inspired you to give them a try! Of course, you can always use your painted frame to display a photo!

Note: I used Rust-Oleum metallic spray paints in the colors – some photos are in pure gold and some in hammered rosemary. The pure gold is a smooth finish. The Rust-Oleum hammered metallics create a textured paint finish that you can see in my close-up photo above.

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

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laguna beach!

June 24, 2016

I recently made my first visit to Laguna Beach! It may have been a brief encounter, but it was a fabulous one! I am sharing a few photos today on Friday field trip.

I was in awe of this iconic beach and I had to be sure and document my visit with a few photos. I hope they inspire you to take a trip to a beach – no matter how brief – on one of these marvelous summer days!

I didn’t do any shopping that afternoon in Laguna, but I did bring back a valuable memento. Holding the papers on my office desk is a smooth, pale gray, heart shaped stone that I have marked very carefully in white permanent marker with the letters L-A-G-U-N-A.

It is a reminder that I will be back someday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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family heirloom before & after

June 21, 2016

I am excited to show you a finished piece I have been working on for quite some time. You may have seen a little sneak peek of my progress a little while back, but today I am showing the completion of the project. The piece is a special one because it is the only piece of furniture my friend Tracy kept from her mom’s home after she passed away.I wanted to transform this old buffet into something a little more current for Tracy’s home. First, I did some cleaning of the piece. Then, since the piece had been exposed to a lot of smoke and I was afraid the paint may not adhere properly, I took an extra step of starting with a coat of shellac. Then, I painted the piece with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre, making sure to use visible brush strokes – I think that adds some character for an aged look.

After I had the entire piece painted, I decided I should have kept the top of the piece in a natural wood! So, I stripped off the paint I had already put on and gave it a really good sanding with an electric sander. From there, I added three coats of stain and a clear sealer. I had made the right choice…I loved the way the top came out!

For the rest of the piece, I highlighted some areas with Annie Sloan Country Grey. I love the subtle contrast between the Old Ochre and the Country Grey paint. I also added a wash of Country Grey and water to add some depth of color. Next, I added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax. I did some light distressing before adding a second coat of wax and added some dark wax in areas. I think the piece has a great aged look without being overly distressed.

Next, I needed to update the furniture’s hardware. The original knobs were very simple. I decided to use something a little more ornate and found some knobs I loved for the piece at Anthropologie. The pulls were a little harder to figure out. You can see one of the old pulls above. I wanted a more updated look, but nothing was available that appealed to me in the width of the old pull. I ended up making a special order from Klaffs – a large bath and kitchen store in my area. I would have to fill in the holes from the old pulls and drill new ones to accommodate a newer sized pull. It took me a couple hours to look through a large selection of pulls before I made a decision, but ordering the new hardware was definitely the right decision…the new pulls are great for the piece!

I think the new hardware is perfect!

Don’t you agree?

And, I think the decision to stain the top of the piece was a great one as well! The piece is ready for its new home! I hope it serves Tracy’s mom’s memory proud!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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creating white sea glass

June 14, 2016

Last week, I showed you how easy it is to create a sea glass look to glass using the new Krylon spray paint. I showed a couple of examples to get you inspired.

I received so many emails asking why I didn’t include the ‘ice’ color in my post, I decided to dedicate today’s post to a demonstration of that particular color!

The ‘ice’ color of the Krylon sea glass spray paint actually happens to be my favorite of all the colors! I guess I should have included it in my post last week, but here goes! As I mentioned last week, it takes mere seconds to complete a spray painting project! Here you can see me spraying a cute little Weck jar.

And here, the beautiful result! Ready to use in minutes!

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

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a redo becomes a buffet bar

June 10, 2016

Normally, once I post about a redo on a piece of furniture, I don’t ever show it again. Today I am going against the norm. For Friday field trip, I am giving you a glimpse of a past furniture redo in its new home. It started as a paint project in October 2015, when I transformed an old buffet with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue.

(For the full, original post of before and after photos, click here.)

The owner of the buffet recently used it in her coastal home to set up a bar for a brunch with friends and today I am showing you how great the piece looks ‘in action!’

Not only does the bar buffet look wonderful, but the brunch food does as well! Let me share the menu!

Marinated tomato and Burrata salad…

Broccoli and cheddar quiche…

Crème brulee baked French toast…

Chateaubriand roast with basil butter and rosemary…

and, of course, Mimosas!

Nice job styling the bar and creating the food, Ashley! I am so glad the piece has a great home! Thanks for sharing!

I hope I have inspired you to use a piece of your own furniture in a special way! Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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sea glass spray paint

June 7, 2016

We have all made sea glass looking jars from glue, water, and some food coloring – haven’t we? If you haven’t, please don’t even try it! There is a new sea glass spray paint that makes this process so much quicker and so much less of a mess! The effect is created, literally, in seconds -and dries almost as fast. It is possible to transform your entire recycling bin of bottles in mere minutes!

I actually had an empty recycling bin when I decided to demonstrate this new Krylon spray paint, so I made a quick trip to the dollar store. I found some great looking bottles for this exercise and sprayed some to use as table numbers – a fun way to dress up party tables! After spraying, I just added numbers.Of course, there are tons of ways to use the bottles once they are painted! Like…making labels to add to a bottle – easy to do with a home computer!

Because I ended up buying bottles from the dollar store, they are all the same size and shape, but the beauty of using this paint is that you can create a cohesive grouping of bottles by simply painting a variety of shapes and sizes all in the same color.

This Krylon sea glass paint is available in more colors than you probably have sea glass! They include lemon, aqua, ice, cornflower, rose, sea foam, ruby, and amber. Of course, though I didn’t use it for this exercise, ice is probably my favorite! Yes, white is my favorite color in sea glass!

Here is an example of the amber color paint. I used it on a clear glass candlestick. When I put some of my brown sea glass next to the painted candlestick, look how similar they appear!

I hope I have inspired you to create something fun of your own in your favorite sea glass color using Krylon spray paint!

P.S. For an evening party, battery operated lights in bottles are a nice addition. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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june book giveaway!

May 31, 2016

It is the time of year for celebrations!

Having the ability to give an impromptu toast at a special celebration is definitely a skill. So, why not be prepared and have the perfect toast prepared before you attend your next celebration?

You can, if you win this month’s book giveaway! As the winner, you can use one of the many toasts in this book at your next occasion or, use one as a springboard to create your own version of inspiring words!

Rising to the Occasion by Paul Dickson is a great resource to have on hand for your next special occasion. Simply leave a comment on this post to be entered to win. Good luck!

Congratulations to Emily, the winner of last month’s book giveaway Salad Dressings by Jessica Strand. And, thanks for your kind words Emily! (Click here for more on this book.) Have some fun creating some summer salads! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Instagram users, read on! Since June marks the start of summer, let’s share photos of beach finds this month! Use hashtag #pleasuregram during the month of June to share! I can’t wait to see your finds!

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

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coastal in newport, ri

May 27, 2016

Earlier this week, I shared some of the wedding details from the Newport, RI wedding I recently attended. Today, for Friday field trip, I am sharing some of the coastal décor details from my stay at the Newport Marriott.

The photos above and below are details from the bed headboard.

The painting hanging on the bathroom wall created the feeling of a porthole.