country living magazine fair 2014

June 13, 2014

With picture perfect weather and inspiration around every corner, The 2014 Country Living Magazine Fair in Rhinebeck, NY was awesome!

Visiting Rhinebeck, NY is always great…getting together with good friends is the best, but in the beautiful surroundings of Rhinebeck, this feeling is intensified. My last trip to Rhinebeck (to my friend’s awesome woodland retreat) also included a special treat – The Country Living Magazine Fair!

Visiting the 2014 Country Living Magazine House of the Year was awesome! Here are some photos of the outside…check out the September 2014 issue for more photos of all the decor!

The beauty of this three day event is that each visitor has a unique experience. No two people are inspired in the same way or by the same things. What can visitors experience at this fair on the lovely Dutchess County Fairgrounds? Tons of vendors, craft and decorating demonstrations, lectures, celebrity meetings, samplings, book signings, and a visit to the 2014 Country Living House of the Year! (Not to mention, plenty of clean bathrooms, a great food court with lots of seating and free parking!)

It is a busy few weeks for me with very few free moments, but I had to share some photos from the fair on Friday field trip this week – a small sampling of my personal experience…enjoy a glimpse of The Country Living Fair 2014 through my eyes! If you went to the fair, I would love to hear about your favorites!

The beach themed fairy garden really caught my eye…and, aren’t the toolboxes adorable for Father’s Day?!

The silhouettes by Jan Blough were one of my favorites…especially the garden themed designs!

The Beekman Boys (I am a huge fan!) were my favorite of the many fun people to meet at the Country Living Magazine Fair 2014.

The photo below shows a few of the many demonstrations offered during the three days at The Country Living Magazine Fair 2014. Michael Devine, author of Flowers by Design creates a vegetable topiary, Libbie Summers offers 15 Fun & Festive cake decorating ideas (like this PEZ covered cake), and Cari Cucksey of HGTV’s Cash & Cari offers painting and repurposing tips.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend…I have an exciting one planned!!

Country Living Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Rachel Hardage Barrett.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Little Red House and Coastal Charm.

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7 ways to use spring blooms

June 3, 2014

Here in Connecticut, we had a loooooong winter and spring was very hesitant in getting started. As a result, gardens were a little behind in blooming this year…the usual ‘planting on Mother’s Day’ was stalled big time! So, when the spring blooms finally started to emerge, it created a sense of celebration like no other year I can remember!

Today, I am sharing my appreciation for the first blooms of the season. Because, after all, the best part of gardening is appreciating the results!

Here are seven ways I used the first of my garden flowers.

As a garnish.

Pansies are a pretty garnish for a dessert. I press petals from organic pansies overnight in a book and then wet them with water and add sugar. (I know egg whites are usually used for this, but they scare me a little, and I can usually get the sugar to adhere with just water.)

To make a pretty ice cube.

I have always loved adding unexpected items to ice cubes…here, I added flower petals. They look so pretty at a garden party, bridal shower, or brunch. I am careful to use flowers that are safe and edible.

Add to a placesetting.

What better way to add some springtime to a place setting than to adorn napkins with a bloom from the garden? Even a tiny garden can spare a few stems for a spring table.

Give to a friend.

Sharing flowers from the garden is always fun. I had a neighbor that recently moved into a retirement facility. I decided to grab some of the lilacs off the bush that bordered her yard when I last went to visit, intending to put them in one of her vases when I got there. I casually wrapped them in some old sheet music to transport them, knowing the nostalgia would make her smile when she received them. .

Bring the garden indoors.

Arguably, the best way to use flowers from the garden is to put small vases everywhere in the house. A taste of the garden in every room is a great way to experience the season. Just a sprig or two of a bloom can add beauty and a scent to any corner!

Create an arrangement.

Creating an arrangement is a big statement in using garden flowers. This was a quick and casual arrangement I put together with garden flowers and a clearance vase from Anthropologie for the refreshment table at a monthly garden club meeting…a great way to share my spring garden with friends who love flowers!

As an ingredient.

Not exactly a flower, but the herbs from the garden have already been in use. I have already made one dessert from some of the mint and, the basil has been utilized for appetizers as well as used as a garnish many times.

What are some ways you used your first flowers of the season?

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

Sharing at Sand & Sisal.

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annie sloan virgin

May 27, 2014

I have been intending to try Annie Sloan paint for a long time…honest!

I once even tried to convince a local store to carry it. I just never found the time to actually use it on a project.

Well, thanks to a talented group of ladies that put together ‘Inspire Me DIY’, I was motivated to get working on a piece of furniture given to me by a friend over a year ago, when I found out about the project on Lucy’s (Craftberry Bush) Instagram feed.

Enter Annie Sloan! So, I refinished my first piece using Annie Sloan chalkboard paint and, of course, I am obsessed with the product! Maybe in the back of my mind I thought this might happen and that is the reason why I put off my first project for so long!

This was my process:

2 coats of Annie Sloan Paint in Paris Grey
1 coat of clear wax
Some sanding/distressing
2^nd coat of clear wax
Coat of dark wax
I lined (all but one) drawer in an Anna Rifle paper design. One of the top drawers is lined in felt (for jewelry).

After some late night work sessions into the wee hours of the morning, my results:

I am thrilled! It’s great to get my first project under my belt (yes, there will be more!) since it takes a while to feel comfortable using any product for the first time. I did have a few panic moments and I thank Danielle at Finding Silver Pennies for the encouragement I needed to keep me going.

I am not too sure about the knob choice. What do you think? I bought the knobs at Anthropologie before I started the project because I loved them and because the color was almost the same color as the walls (Martha Stewart paint in shortbread) in the room where I plan to park my new creation.

I thank Mary so much for the vanity…I wanted it because it reminded me of my grandmother – working on this project made me wish it was my grandmother’s vanity I was redoing – her vanity held so many special memories of my childhood. But, a great part about this project was it brought to mind some many special moments between me and my grandmother…and, I love that looking at this vanity will always remind me of her. I can’t wait to see how it looks in my guest room!

Anyone have any seating ideas?

Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all the great ladies that organized Inspire Me DIY…because of you, this stalled project got up and running!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. I have my eye on a piece for my next project…I wonder if my son will notice if I sneak out a side table from his apartment? For those in my part of the world (Fairfield County, Connecticut), Annie Sloan paint is available at Junktique Recycling in Norwalk.

Sharing at Craftberry Bush, Finding Silver Pennies, Sand & Sisal, and Coastal Charm.

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vintage teacup earl grey crème brûlée

May 6, 2014

Serving crème brûlée from vintage teacups is sure to make a family bridal shower, tea party, or Mother’s Day a special one! What could be better than serving dessert from your grandmother’s teacups? I think individual desserts add a special quality to a meal all on their own, but to add the sentiment of serving it in a special piece of history makes it all the sweeter!

Everyone thinks of crème brûlée as a special occasion dessert, but it is not a hard one to create. Traditionally, it is cooked in the oven, but I have found that good results are possible with a no-bake method. You can use any no-bake recipe or the one I found online and, by using my simple variation, can create Earl Grey crème brûlée!

Most teacups are not oven safe and I would not advise putting family heirlooms in a hot oven…a vintage piece with sentimental value is not something to experiment with! This is the reason I went with a no-bake method for my Earl Grey crème brûlée…I think it is the perfect flavor profile to combine with vintage teacups! If Earl Grey is not your thing, just don’t add it to the recipe.

If you prefer a more contemporary choice of vessel, I recommend the mini latte bowls from Anthropologie…the perfect size to hold 3 ounces for a small, individual portion.

I found the no-bake recipe I used from Completely Delicious during an internet search – it is easy and makes the perfect amount of custard for a special dessert for a mom (and maybe a couple of grandmas)…it will fill 3 or 4 teacups or 4 mini latte bowls. Following this recipe (click here), make these changes to create Earl Grey crème brûlée:

After completing step 1, place 4 Earl Grey teabags into the hot mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, dunk the teabags a couple of times and then gently squeeze the liquid out of the teabags and into the pan (being mindful that the mixture will be hot.)

Continue with the recipe, substituting 1 teaspoon of vanilla for the 1 Tablespoon listed.

Be sure to strain the mixture. I found while testing no-bake recipes that this is extremely important for a smooth texture – don’t skip this step! (As a special note – I was very cautious with my kitchen torch – I didn’t venture near the edges of my special cups!)

To play up the tea theme, add lemon and mint as garnish. :)

If you are an Earl Grey lover as I am, you may enjoy trying these Earl Grey cream puffs. I also love adding the flavor to shortbreads…I still have Earl Grey ice cream on my list of experiments…maybe this summer. ;)

I hope I have inspired you to think of ways to use your own heirlooms to create some special memories. We will continue the family heirloom theme on Friday when I show you how to create a special diy gift using an old family treasure.

Thank you for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Coastal Charm, Sand & Sisal, and Silver Pennies.

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homage to earth day

April 22, 2014

Pretty much every item you can think of on this earth (pun intended) has been covered with chalkboard paint, hasn’t it? So, I am pretty certain someone has already thought to paint a globe with chalkboard paint.

I think it is a great way to revamp an outdated globe and to honor our dear Mother Earth on Earth Day! I just couldn’t convince myself to throw it out during the purging of all the old ‘stuff’ I cleared from the ‘new’ guest room…I have a particular fondness for globes – outdated or not – since one of my children was born on Earth Day!

So, now the old globe sits proudly in the new guest room.

And, since the globe is an accessory (my second!) in the room where guests will be staying, my idea was to decorate the chalkboard in one of two ways:

1. To write Welcome! in an outline shape of my state (Connecticut), or

2. Draw two states – mine and the one the visiting guests hail from!

In light of the occasion, you may also enjoy this post on repurposing brown bags…Happy Earth Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I took the butterfly photos in this post used with the quotes last summer – we haven’t had any weather yet this year that warrants butterflies!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with Finding Silver Pennies, Sand & Sisal, and Coastal Charm.

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happy easter!

April 18, 2014

Today is Good Friday and I want to wish all my friends who celebrate, a blessed Easter! I am excited that my family will all be together for the holiday and I hope that you too are surrounded by the ones you love this weekend.

For Friday field trip today, I have assembled some Easter posts in one place in case you need some last minute Easter inspiration…links from past posts…Enjoy!

favorite ways to decorate eggs

a vintage egg cup collection

eggs from natural dyes

a recipe for Easter butter cookies

some Easter nostalgia

Easter basket ideas for the college set

growing eggs in eggshells

diy easy paper egg holders/place cards & (grass heads for the kids!)

dyed eggs for coastal décor

dye for creating eggs in shades of gray

Thank you so much for visiting!

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

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shades of gray…and purple

April 15, 2014

Here comes the egg lady! I joked around this week that the late night cashier at the grocery store’s ’10 items or less’ aisle must call me that! It is probably true…I have stopped in late night at the grocery store so often lately – each time for just a carton of white eggs!

I already admitted I have an egg dyeing obsession…but it looks like I am now down to my last batch for the year. It’s Easter week and, since I’m making all the desserts for Easter dinner, I have no more time to dye eggs!

Any free time I have this week will now be spent planning and making the Easter desserts!

I dyed my last batch of eggs in shades of gray. I love neutral shades for egg dyeing, but gray dyed eggs are particularly beautiful. The best way to make gray dye is to simply mix 1/2 cup of room temperature water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and some black paste food coloring.

Because I put together a vignette with a pretty iridescent purple glass I picked up in the clearance section at Anthropologie, I decided to dye a couple of my last dozen of eggs purple before putting them into the gray dye.

I made various shades of gray eggs by varying the time in the dye. I also rubbed off some of the color on the eggs so the wouldn’t look “too perfect.”

The irregular shading gives them so much character!

So that is it…the last of this year’s egg dyeing! :( I hope you will try dyeing some gray eggs, if you haven’t already! :)

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

Sharing with StoneGable, Sand & Sisal, Coastal Charm

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visiting anthro home office

March 21, 2014

I checked one off the list! The ‘places I need to visit in Philly’ list…I visited the Anthropologie Headquarters!

Actually – the Urban Outfitters home office. Urban Outfitters is the parent company for Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN. So, for today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing a few photos of the public areas I visited at the headquarters located at Philadelphia’s Naval Shipyard. The Navy Yard is a collection of historic buildings (and battleships!) on the waterfront and open daily for public visitation. It is easily accessible by shuttle just a few miles from the center of the city. Though it is now closed for any naval activities, the 1,200 acre business campus sits on what was once the country’s very first naval shipyard!

The creative and inspiring atmosphere (with great food) inside the Urban home office makes every visitor wish they were an employee! You can see in this photo, just like in the stores – dogs are welcome! In the Anthro building, I actually saw a dog watching a TV as he sat in his little dog bed next to his owner’s desk! (True story! And, he was watching a show about dogs!)

Some of the historic Navy Yard artifacts are clearly embraced in the decor:

There are two wonderful places to have lunch – both are open to the public.

Yup, it is called The Navy Yard for a reason…I don’t know of any other lunch spots with a battleship view!

One wall makes for an impromptu museum:

Like the stores, unique and inspiring surroundings are everywhere:

If you look closely at this photo, you may spot the employee exercise area on the upper floor.

And here is my prime destination…Building No. 10…

The building containing the Anthropologie headquarters…I won’t show you the inside since it is not open to the public, but I will say that I was NOT disappointed! Oh, and here is an example of one of the many daily happenings while walking by one of the company buildings…the beginnings of a photo shoot:

I hope you enjoyed sharing some photos of the areas open to the public at the Urban Outfitters home office…and, if you should find yourself in Philly sometime – check it out! Because, like the stores, the home office is unique, fun, and inspiring!

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

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spring obsessions

March 11, 2014

We are in the home stretch! Spring is almost here!

Here are some of the top things I am ‘jonesing for’ as we start the new season!

Even though I already own Kiel James Patrick, there are always plenty of beautiful nautical-inspired items to add to my collection…for spring, I really want this ‘go with anything’ bracelet! Anchors away! (photo from the KJP website)

I am totally obsessed with branches during the spring…after the long, snowy winter, I crave any nature I can bring into the house! They don’t even have to be flowering branches…any branch will do..the bigger, the better…they just look so beautiful indoors! (Of course flowering branches are always lovely too…I start forcing flowering branches in February.) I took the photo here on Yale University’s campus, so I didn’t actually pick these – but aren’t they gorgeous!

Okay, if you aren’t already obsessed with these Ray-Ban aviator flash lenses, you certainly should be! They come in plenty of yummy colors and are the coolest! (photo from the Ray-Ban website)

Does it seems strange to see eggs on my list of obsessions? It is not the actual eggs I am obsessed with…it is the decorating! I start in February and continue until Easter and beyond! It is good that eggs are on the less expensive side considering the amount I go through! It doesn’t stop there…after Easter, I use the leftover pieces of colored egg shells to make mosaics! Obsessed!

I become obsessed with a lot of the merchandise at Anthropologie – particularly the home goods. For spring, these little beauties are the obsession of the season – sooo casual chic! The beauty of the Anthro candle is that the container is always so awesome, that even when the candle is gone, the container finds a new use and lives on! The Illume land & sky candle is totally gorgeous and the scents are addicting! (photo from the Anthropologie website)

The color mint is everywhere this spring…my favorite though, is in nail polish. I think Essie’s mint candy apple is the perfect fun spring shade and is an easy way to add mint to my spring wardrobe with a very small investment! (photo from Essie’s website)

Like me, I am sure most of the country is obsessed with Ben & Jerry’s core ice creams flavors …how has this not been invented earlier? My biggest obsession is the salted caramel flavor. Other flavors include That’s My Jam, Hazed & Confused, and Peanut Butter Fudge. (photo from Ben & Jerry’s website)

Yes, I am totally obsessed with white jeans…actually, it is not just a spring time obsession…I am obsessed with them pretty much any time of year! I am currently obsessed with a pair offered by J. Crew since they offer a great tall size that accommodates my long legs nicely! :) Can’t wait to pair them with a pastel sweater or with nautical stripe flats! (photo from the J. Crew website)

Right now, anyone that knows me is reading this and thinking my obsession with Harry Connick, Jr. is definitely not limited to the spring. You are right…I am now, and always have been, obsessed with Harry. I have seen him in person more times than any other entertainer…I have been in the front row of many concerts, holiday special tapings, and even his Broadway performance – sitting closer to the stage than Jill (if you are a Harry fan, you know Jill is his wife’s name)…BUT, NEVER until now, have I ever watched American Idol! What power you have over me Harry! ;) I am so happy that so many people in America are now discovering what I have always known about Harry…he is the coolest! (photo from the American Idol website)

So there you have it…a few of my spring obsessions…what are yours?

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

Sharing at Coastal Charm, Common Ground, and The Shabby Nest.

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beauty in the details

February 18, 2014

For me, beauty is definitely in the details.

I love William Morris’s golden rule: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” But, I would take that a step further since I believe anything useful can also be beautiful.

As you know, taking pleasure in simple things makes my heart sing…and I truly believe even the smallest detail in a home can (and should) be one that brings joy.

A wonderful example of this in my home is in my kitchen. Until I found a way to replace the unsightly vitamin bottles on my kitchen table, I could not be happy. I tried keeping them in the pantry and out of view, but this only succeeded in my forgetting to take them!

My solution was to find some vintage looking jars to house my vitamins right on the kitchen table – replacing the ugly plastic vitamin containers. Now my vitamins are housed in these aesthetically appealing beauties…I love to look at them!

To make my vitamin regime even easier, I marked the inside of each jar top with the contents and description of dosage on a piece of attached masking tape. If I should purchase a different mg than usual of one of the vitamins, I am sure to include that right on the tape. Convenient, right? And, no ugly labels on the jars…beautiful and useful! (Of course after writing this post I had to redo the labels under the jar tops…now they are perfectly printed….beauty in the details!)

Since I am always on the lookout for a variety of items for my home, I ended up finding these jars in three different places during my travels. The numbered jars actually came from the Christmas Tree Shops and cost 99 cents each! I just used a little sandpaper on the painted numbers to ‘rough them up’ a bit.

Have you found any super ways to put beauty in some of the little details around your home? I would love to hear about them!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at City Farmhouse.

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country living magazine fair 2014

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visiting anthro home office

spring obsessions

beauty in the details