recipe for love

April 12, 2016

I recently went to a really fabulous bridal shower hosted by the future bride’s mom – with some help from the gals in the bridal party. Today, I am sharing one of the activities created for the event.

When I walked into the shower, I noticed wooden spoons tied in gold ribbon graced all the place settings. They certainly seemed appropriate for a bridal shower; particularly for this once, since both the future bride and future groom are great cooks!

But, it wasn’t until a little later into the shower that the true purpose of the spoons was revealed. These spoons were meant to hold each guest’s ‘recipe for a happy marriage.’

Fine point permanent markers were passed around to guests and each spent some time creating the perfect ‘recipe’ for the bride-to-be; recording it onto a spoon.

What a sweet idea to collect the sentiments of all the guests!

bridal shower spoon pleasure in simple things blog

The groom’s mom’s message to the bride-to-be. :)

After the bride-to-be chose her three favorite spoons, the bridal party displayed them in a shadow box and awarded prizes to the authors of the three chosen sentiments. Priceless! (With a little more time, maybe the spoon handles could be dipped in metallic gold paint or gold-leafed as part of the permanent shadow box!)

I hope you are inspired by this sweet ‘recipe for love.’

Please stop back on Friday when I will share some of the wonderful decor from this shower. I can’t wait to reveal the fabulous venue!

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

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snow in april

April 5, 2016

The first day of spring has passed. Easter has come and gone. This morning it snowed!

For me, the snow seemed so poetic. April is National Poetry Month. All I could think about on my way to work, driving in the snow, were some of the great poems by Robert Frost, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ogden Nash…

There are so many wonderful writings about snow…in poetry, as well as other readings. Thinking about this reminded me of a recent book group meeting. I was reminded of how often I come across beautiful phrases while reading contemporary fiction.

With all these thoughts of poems and beautiful writing, I thought I would try to inspire you during this month of April to take notice of a poem, or even a phrase, that really speaks to you.

I am including a few photos from this morning’s snow and a quote from a reading to help inspire you to also take note of some special words during April.

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fabric herb tags with grommets

March 29, 2016

You may remember I used grommets on some of my holiday gift tags this past Christmas. They create such a wonderful detail on a simple tag! Today, I am using grommets again on tags, but this time on fabric rather than paper.

Adorable tags can be created using scraps of fabric, letter stamps, and grommets. The tool for applying the grommets cost only a few dollars at your local craft or fabric store and is available in many sizes. Once you own this simple tool, you will find so many ways to use grommets! The only piece of equipment you will need, in addition to the grommets and the grommet tool, is a hammer.

I cut little flag shapes from my fabric scrap and rubber stamped onto them the names of my potted herbs. Adding the grommets creates the perfect little detail to add some twine for tying the tags onto the handles of my herb pots!

As you can imagine, these tags have some wonderful applications! Using them as place cards and tying them onto napkins is a sweet way to use them. The ties can be made from natural twine or in a color to match a specific table décor. They make sweet gift tags to personalize a wrapped gift. Or, a number of them can be used to make a banner for a birthday cake. In planning a wedding, they can be utilized as escort cards.

I hope I have inspired you to make up some fabric gift tags! How will you use them?

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

P.S. To see how I used the grommet tool to create sea glass gift tags, click here.

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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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bathroom vanity annie sloan redo

March 22, 2016

My friend Wendy recently decided she needed a change for her bathroom vanity and asked me if I would like to paint it. Of course, I jumped at the chance! She had looked at the Annie Sloan chalk paint colors and thought she would like Chateau Grey.

Chateau Grey was one of the few colors I hadn’t yet used for a painting project and I was eager to paint with it. The green tones in the paint were perfect for the accessories Wendy had in her bathroom and I knew she made the perfect choice in paint color.

The vanity was wood and very dark. We both knew that the chalk paint would lighten up the entire look of the room. The great part about painting the piece was that it would highlight some of the detail that really went unnoticed.

I started by painting the piece with two coats of Chateau Grey. Over that, I applied a wash of approximately 50/50 water and Annie Sloan Country Grey by painting, then wiping with a soft, clean cloth. I like adding a wash over a solid paint color because it gives more dimension to the paint.

Next, I added a coat of clear wax. Then, I gave the piece a light distressing before adding some dark wax. After the piece was completed, I added an extra coat of clear wax to the top of the piece since it is in the bathroom and I wanted to give the top a little added protection.

Wendy decided to keep the original hardware on the vanity and it looked great on the finished piece. She did change out the faucet in her sink.

The before faucet is pictured in the photo on the lower right. You can see the difference switching out the faucet made to the overall look of the vanity. The strawberry water? Well, that is one of the perks of doing a job for a friend!

The little decorating touches and glimpse of Easter Wendy added to the room made it just perfect!

The only thing better than helping a friend with a painting project? Helping a friend with a painting project that involves a family heirloom! That is the case with the next project I have almost completed and will be sharing soon!

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

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nests and eggs for spring

March 15, 2016

My last work assignment had me thinking about all things Western. Now that I am back from my trip to Texas, the only thing I can think about is spring in New England!

Spring really has a jump on me this year! Easter is only 2 weeks away and I have not dyed one egg! I usually have tons done by now! Not only that, last Sunday I was an hour late to work because I had forgotten about the clock change!

Today, I am grabbing all my found nests and eggs and plan to arrange them on my mantle as my tribute to the coming season. I love to decorate with natural materials and nests and eggs are definitely favorites of mine; right behind sea glass, shells, and driftwood!

A mantle full of nests and eggs is a great way to welcome spring into the house! If you don’t have a found collection, garden stores and craft stores have some great ones that look realistic that work just as well. Dyeing eggs (after removing the insides) in natural shades also look great in a natural looking arrangement. Remember to add some branches from the yard – unusual shapes look especially interesting!

I hope I have inspired you to create a tribute to spring in your home. Enjoy this special time of year!

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

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first visit to texas

March 11, 2016

It has been a crazy week for me – a very busy time for two of my jobs! One was in Texas and gave me the opportunity to travel to the Lone Star state for the very first time. The Texas weather could have been better – the area I visited experienced some of the rain that has been so severe in parts of Texas as well as some other areas of the South.

In spite of the weather, I experienced many bright spots in my life over the past few days. It wasn’t the weather providing these bright spots…the sunshine was provided by the people I met! My job gave me the opportunity to meet many fabulous people and the experience made my heart sing!

I had to hit the ground running when I got back from my few days away – very busy with another job and trying to control the wave of sadness over the loss of a friend’s brother that really breaks my heart.

So, Friday field trip today is just a few quick glimpses of the location I visited in Texas. I thank those I worked with in addition to all the new people I met for making me smile during a week that ends with heartbreak – particularly for my dear, sweet, friend that lost her brother. xo

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things and to appreciate those close to you, Jackie

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diy journal

March 8, 2016

You can make a great journal with a basic computer and some office supplies. Professional binding is not needed for great DIY journal results!

I made this hiking journal using regular copy paper. To add a little style, I printed the cover page on a slightly heavier stock I found in brown at a craft store.

To make empty journal pages, I just decided how many pages I wanted my final product to be. My journal was made by using standard 8 1/2” x 11” copy paper, used horizontally. When the journal is stapled and folded, it is a convenient size to carry on a hike!

The beauty of making a journal yourself is that you can use any design or color you may want. I chose a compass design printed on the cover of mine to coordinate with a hiking theme. Set up the cover you’d like on your home computer, selecting landscape or your page orientation. If you set the layout into two columns, it is pretty easy to figure out how the page will look when it is folded. Once you have created and printed out a cover page the way you like it, you can use a copy machine to copy the page onto the colored stock.

If you decide to include some print on your inside pages, it can get a little trickier – you will probably want to make up a sample book to be sure the pages are laid out properly and you may need double-sided copy on some or all of the pages. Once the pages are stacked the way you like, use a long-arm stapler to add two staples (the good side facing the outside of your journal). Then, just fold.

This same method is great for creating a DIY wedding program. For this, you can add a cord or ribbon to the binding.

I hope I have inspired you to create a DIY journal!

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

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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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tequila shot favors

February 23, 2016

Today, I am sharing some super easy favors for a Western party. Although I am much more Coastal than I am Country Western, I have recently been involved with a Western themed event and I came up with these super cute themed favors.

I was inspired by these teeny ‘nip’ bottles of tequila. How cool are these! The small versions look exactly like the full size bottles. My idea was simply to put a small bottle of tequila with a themed shot glass. I found some mini boot shot glasses and ‘barbed wire’ cording at a party store to complete my idea!

I packaged the tequila with the shot glass in a clear bag and tied with the cording…easy!

I kept it simple and used a clear bag so the contents were visible, but there are so many variations that can be used with this packaging idea. A brown lunch bag or red bandana would also work really well in place of the clear bag. If you prefer, raffia can replace the cording I used. A wooden tag is a great item to tie onto the package if you need to add a message or a name to the gift. Or, cut a cardboard tag to resemble a lime slice. Let out your inner cowboy go wild!

For a children’s party, this idea can work just as well using a mini bottle of juice. A sheriff’s badge or mini horseshoe can be tied onto the package as a cute add-on.

I hope I have inspired you for your next Western themed party!

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

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time to plant easter grass!

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