forest in a jar centerpiece

December 19, 2014

Originally, holiday 2014 in my house was intended to have a sea glass theme using aqua as an accent color. But, as you know if you read my blog, I was so wrapped up in last year’s outdoor theme that I had to continue it for one more year…I just had too many ideas left to use! The sea glass theme is being pushed out to 2015…can’t wait!

You may also know, one of my fascinations this year has been with jars, bottles, (even salt shakers) …any type of glass container. I just can’t seem to get enough! Putting some favorite items in a jar can really elevate them to the status they deserve and it puts a smile on your face in the process!

Case in point – my favorite trees from Terrain this year. The trees are just so beautiful, I wanted to highlight them in some way. I decided to make a very simple forest in a jar! Rather than use the typical snow for the bottom of the jar, I used white beans. I love the simplicity of the design!

The jar? I bought it at Target. In fact, I bought quite a few. They come in 3 sizes and are very reasonably priced – ranging in price from $3.99 to $14.99.

Then, I got so stuck on the forest in a jar idea, I made one out of cookies also! On this one I used sugar ‘snow.’ I made gingerbread cookies and let them sit around for a while so they got really rigid before I used them – better for standing! The cookies can easily be decorated to match your decor!

Happy planting! What will you use to make your forest in a jar?

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed Friday field trip’s quick and easy way to create a holiday centerpiece! Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at House of Hipsters, The Shabby Nest, Crafts a la Mode, and Craftberry Bush.

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salt shaker snow globes

December 12, 2014

With the current bottle and jar love I have going on for my holiday décor, this post should not surprise you!

Remember a few years ago when Anthropologie carried salt shakers with little trees in them? Many crafters were inspired by this cute idea and I saw a number of versions created soon after the little beauties hit the Anthro stores.

I didn’t hop on that bandwagon and create a batch of salt shaker inspired items back then. That changed recently when I inherited quite an extensive salt shaker collection…(don’t ask – that interesting story is for another post!)

So, now in possession of so many salt shakers, I was prompted to create some salt shaker ‘snow globes’ and I am sharing some of my creations on Friday field trip today. (Okay, so technically they are not snow globes since I haven’t added water.)

And, because of my preference for neutrals, I made my salt shaker snow globes with natural bottle brush trees. I just added a little ‘snow’ and a tree to make a wonderful little favor or piece of holiday décor. (My recent inheritance gives me enough salt shakers to fill a mantle a couple of times over!)

Salt shakers are easily found at thrift stores or can be purchased very inexpensively at restaurant supply stores. Cute, aren’t they?

The best thing about them is that each creator can add a personal touch by choosing a favorite tree and ribbon or embellishment. For example, in one of my creations, I hung a little snowflake from a piece of thread. The variations are obviously endless! Create something that matches your decor. The stainless tops to the shakers can easily be spray painted with an oiled bronze or rusty look finish if that is your preference…or, spray in a glossy red or green! You can also tie on a rusty jingle bell or other favorite item around the top of the shaker. Or, glue a little ornament to the tree like I did with the Santa ornament my friend Phyllis gave me below. ;) Group a bunch together and add some lights for a wonderful glow! :)

I hope I inspired you to create some salt shaker snow globes that coordinate with your individual taste and décor. You don’t even have to ‘hold the salt’ – you can use it for the ‘snow!’

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

Sharing at Thoughts from Alice, Finding Silver Pennies, House of Hipsters, Coastal Charm, Crafts a la Mode, Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, and Craftberry Bush.

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shop hop 2014

December 5, 2014

Planning a shopping day filled with holiday inspiration with friends – what could be better? Today’s Friday field trip is a special seasonal road trip to visit shops across Connecticut.

I made a holiday music CD for the car (actually my son made it, but hey –it was my idea!), decided on a box lunch menu (don’t want a restaurant lunch to slow us down!), and planned an itinerary for Shop Hop 2014! The destinations? Well, these are a surprise…but, I will share them with you in this post!

Shop Hop invitations are sent out in advance – promising a day of friendship and inspiration touring favorite shops in Connecticut. My 2014 ‘south central’ edition is spanning four counties in Connecticut – all easily accessible by highway I95. (I am including my hop locations in this post in the event you live in Connecticut and would like to replicate my hop.) Be sure to like my Facebook page by clicking here, so you can see a gallery of photos from each of the hop locations and share some of the inspiration – even if you don’t live in Connecticut!

This is how our day goes… I pick up the gals at a designated location in the morning. They are not informed of our predetermined shop locations. ..makes it so much more fun this way! (For the most part, Shop Hop locations are best as isolated areas…save your clusters of stores in a town or a favorite local spot, for a day all on its own.)

A Christmas CD sets the holiday mood…this year, it was definitely a very eclectic mix! Click the three links below to hear three of this year’s selections:

This is my very favorite Christmas song by my very favorite entertainer.
Do you remember which recent fun holiday movie featured a version of this song?
Got to love my son’s sense of humor on this one!

A box lunch is the best way to avoid schedule interruptions. Believe me, this is for the best! A restaurant lunch wastes far too much precious time better devoted to inspirational adventures! Just be sure to use a cooler if you pack anything perishable! I packed mine in take out containers and added a label on the outside that I cut from chalkboard contact paper. A selection of flavored waters and ice tea rounded out the refreshments. We can always pick up a hot tea or coffee on the road to go with our rosemary shortbread cookies. :)

For 2014, these are the five locations I chose for our hop:

Grace, 46 Pennsylvania Avenue, Niantic
Maynard Gardens Holiday Shop, 87 Ingham Hill Road, Old Saybrook
Taken for Granite, 409 Leetes Island Road, Branford
No. 299 Fairfield, 318 Villa Avenue, Fairfield
Terrain, 561 Post Road East, Westport

Lastly, I like to leave my friends with favors – what fun is a special event without favors!

We visited some beautiful shops, but spending the day with my friends was the special part of the day! :)

I hope you are inspired to plan your own Shop Hop! Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions or need suggestions. Have fun with it!

Have a fabulous weekend filled with holiday inspiration, Jackie

P.S. The movie was Elf.

Sharing with City Farmhouse, Coastal Charm, Crafts a la Mode, The Shabby Nest, and Craftberry Bush.

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expressing gratitude

November 28, 2014

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks..for me, also a time of reflection. And, here in the U.S., Thanksgiving is the official kickoff to the holiday season.

What better time to count blessings…and, to express gratitude.

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing some words that inspire me at this special time of year.

Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by – you are certainly one of my many blessings! :)

Love & thanks, Jackie

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diy book a day advent calendar

November 25, 2014

I love to read.

So, I guess it won’t come as a surprise to you when I tell you that books have always had a place as part of my holiday celebration.

In my home, reading holiday books is as much a part of preparing for Christmas as leaving cookies for Santa or trimming the tree. Every November, the stack of holiday picture books packed away with the rest of the holiday trimmings, makes its way downstairs.

A great tradition I am sharing with you today is to create a more formal celebration of holiday books by making them into an Advent calendar. Wrap up 25 holiday books to stack by the fireplace or a cozy couch and have the children open one to read each evening during Advent.

The books don’t need to be about the holidays in the literal sense. You can choose stories of love, family, friendship, travel…or, even cooking –all appropriate themes relating to the holiday season. There are so many great books – you don’t need to limit yourself to How the Grinch Stole Christmas or ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. If you need some suggestions, here are a few titles we have enjoyed to get you started:

Santa Calls by William Joyce
Christmas in New York City by Roxie Munroe
The Finest Tree by John and Anne Hassett
Penquin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Tree that Came to Stay by Anna Quindlen
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Be sure to include some titles with beautiful illustrations:

Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
Santa’s Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki and Ivan Gantscher
Simon and the Snowflakes by Gilles Tibo
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Also, it is fun to include titles that promote activities:

I Spy Christmas by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo
Snowmen by Peter Cole, Frankie Frankeny, Leslie Jonath
Recipe for Adventure Series by Giada deLaurentiis and Francesca Gambatesa
Kids in the Holiday Kitchen: Making, Baking, Giving by Jessica Strand

When wrapping the books, you can choose a color theme to match your décor, holiday theme, or favorite color of the child(ren). I used kraft paper this year to wrap the books and added stickers I personalized with ‘book a day advent’ at Tiny Prints (click here for the website). Their stickers are great – so many cute designs to choose from, they can be personalized as you wish, and a set is very inexpensive. I added numbers to my personalized stickers using rubber stamps and added one to each wrapped book.

When adding the numbers, be conscious that you can be strategic by coordinating number placement with book selection. Number an activity book for the weekend, time a relative’s visit with an appropriate theme/title, or read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas on the appropriate evening.

You can use books you already own and/or library books for this activity…no need for it to be an expensive project! Your local children’s librarian can help with your title selection if you need it. And, if you own the books, when opening your gifts this year, use the discarded wrapping paper to wrap up the books for next year’s book calendar!

I hope you are inspired to create a book Advent calendar this year! Have fun with it! I would love to hear your favorite titles! The children will love this activity – and, what better tradition than one that promotes a love for reading? :)

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

Sharing with Finding Silver Pennies, House of Hipsters, Thoughts from Alice, Crafts a la Mode, and Sand & Sisal.

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rooms with a view in ct

November 21, 2014

Today we are taking a peek at a weekend in design featuring an Opening Night Gala; vignettes of interior design; a marketplace; a holiday fashion show and luncheon; and dinner with event chairman, Thom Filicia. (You know I love Thom…click here for our first meeting!)

Now in its 20th year, Rooms With a View has helped Southport Congregational Church help others by raising well over a million dollars for charitable causes.

The room vignettes are always inspiring…

My favorite room this year was designed by Forehand + Lake – a bright and styling cabin…

Every year I find different takeaways from the event. A couple of the lighting choices were really interesting this year…How cool is the lighting in this “Starry Night” themed room designed by NYSID students and alumni?

And, I found this light fixture, used by Jenny Wolf Interiors, as a unique choice…

Rooms With a View provides a great opportunity to get a jump on holiday shopping by offering a marketplace of vendors. You can see these items fit right in with my holiday theme!

Much like Susan Leggitt’s artwork inspired by the Maine Coast, I found these hand painted stars really awesome!

The meal and fashion show is always the most fun for me. The clothes from Millie Rae’s in Westport were my favorites and it is great the way the event people mix some thrift store finds in with the new fashions from local stores. This year, I loved that Borrowed (a rental company that specializes in bringing unique, mismatched, and whimsical touches to an event) provided an eclectic mix of plates to the luncheon service.

The meal provided by Festivities was delicious…

But, for me, the plates stole the show! How many more plate photos can I add? I just loved them!

The other wonderful design touch to the tables were the wallpaper runners provided by Farrow & Ball (no, those wallpaper scraps aren’t just for book covers)…

Rooms With a View is a great way for friends in Fairfield County, Connecticut to get together and be inspired. I hope some of the photos of the event on today’s Friday field trip have inspired you!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

Sharing with Liz Marie Blog, Crafts a la Mode, and Shabby Nest.

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tiny houses diy advent calendar

November 18, 2014

I love Advent calendars! Every year I end up making a least a couple! I’m not one to make a hanging calendar…I much prefer the 3D variety. The first one I am sharing with you this year uses a collection of simple paper houses. (Last year I shared one made from baby food jars, remember? Click here to see.)

I used white card stock to cut out a two piece house. I had planned on using gray card stock for the roofs, to create a nice contrast against the white ‘snow,’ but since the copy center was out of gray, I ended up painting the white card stock gray for my roofs. I used rubber stamps to add the numbers to the front of each house (and added a little glitter). I then added glass glitter ‘snow’ to the roofs…

You don’t need a mantel to display an Advent village…here is the village on a birch bark lined tray…

Or – you can use any shelf, table, or little corner in your home to add these tiny houses. To make them really magical, they need some snow and lights…don’t you think?

I am keeping mine pretty simple…just the houses with some snow – and, to go with my woodland theme, I added a white birch log…

So easy and so pretty! This is a wonderful project to create with children. I have another Advent calendar in the works to share soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Craftberry Bush, Sand & Sisal, Thoughts From Alice, and Finding Silver Pennies.

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balmy beach day in november

November 14, 2014

A balmy day in November certainly warrants a trip to the beach – no matter how brief. There are signs of the season here – the fall colors in the marsh…

an occasionally leaf under the docks…

but even with an odd sixty degree afternoon in November, winter is on its way.

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing a few photos from my trip to the beach this balmy day…

I’m here to collect some items for holiday crafts…

It is so much fun to repurpose collected materials from nature!

Today was the perfect day to do some scavenging!

Snow is predicted this week in Connecticut, so soon this fall scene will make way for the white stuff!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

And, remember to take pleasure in simple things…some of the very best things are the simple things!

Have a great weekend, Jackie

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diy tree in a bottle xmas ornament

November 11, 2014

Yes, I have admitted I am going through a little bit of a bottle obsession phase of late…creating holiday décor with little bottles has been really fun! Today, I am sharing a really easy DIY ‘tree in bottle’ Christmas ornament.

Like these Thanksgiving place card holders I shared, I used miniature bottles to create these tree ornaments. I have added a little ‘snow,’ and a miniature tree inside the corked bottle to create the cutest ornament!

The little bottles and trees are easy to find in a craft or dollar store. I chose a natural colored bottle brush tree for my creation since I have a passion for neutrals. For the ‘snow,’ use your favorite glitter, salt, or artificial snow.

To be able to hang the ornament, I screwed a tiny screw eye into the cork and added a length of brown and white baker’s twine. (The screw eyes are easy to find in the hardware section of your local Home Depot – you can buy a package and will have enough to make several ornaments.)

That, my friends, is it! Easy, right? And, so cute!

I hope you enjoyed today’s easy Christmas ornament DIY.

Thanks so much for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with The Shabby Nest, Sand & Sisal, and Thoughts from Alice.

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in awe of autumn

October 28, 2014

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I visit at least one spot each year out of my normal routine (like when I took the fall steam train ride) to observe the beauty of autumn. Sometimes, removing myself from my daily surroundings really helps to provide me with a new perspective and an added appreciation for the beauty of nature all around me.

Placing myself in some new surroundings was my intent when I made a visit to Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury, Connecticut to hike up Talcott Mountain to the Heublein Tower. With two friends joining me, we picked a day that ended up being a beauty! The sun was shining and the weather was perfect! We probably missed the peak of the changing leaves by a week, but the foliage views were magnificent just the same!

The hike on Tower Trail to reach the Heublein Tower, at the top of the Talcott Mountain, is about 1.25 miles and we were enjoying every step of it!

Because of the time of year, the views were fantastic the entire walk; causing many stops along the way.

It was fun having a destination, but the hit of the day was definitely the foliage – not the tower!

The tower is a 165-foot structure built as a summer home in 1914 by Gilbert Heublein. Heublein was a celebrated German-born hotelier and restauranteur as well as an innovator in the American gourmet food and liquor industry. The tower holds some interesting history…in the early fifties, two future presidents visited the tower – General Dwight D. Eisenhower (who was asked to run for office there) and Ronald Reagan, then president of the Screen Actors’ Guild! History buffs are sure to enjoy the photographs and historical information on display throughout the building.

The tower is open and accessible to the public through the entire month of October. The hike to the tower is a wonderful family outing, especially since it is not a difficult climb and the park requires no admittance charge or parking fee.

Once at the tower, visitors (like me) can climb the six-storied structure to the top and admire the beautiful views of Connecticut and beyond.

On the horizon, Mount Monadnock, eighty miles away in New Hampshire, is discernible. To the northwest, the Berkshires dominate the horizon.

In addition to river views, Long Island Sound is revealed as a thin blue streak to the south. Those with sharp vision can see an area estimated to be 1,200 square miles.