water you waiting for?

August 30, 2019

Unless you are obsessed with details like I am, you probably haven’t been searching for the perfect garden hose! I like every detail in my environment to be beautiful – even if it is just something I use to water my garden!

I was a little surprised when I started shopping around locally, that beautiful garden accessories aren’t that abundant! I find it surprising because there are so many people interested in gardening – particularly in my home state of Connecticut!

If you follow my blog, you know I am really into what I call a ‘virgin’ garden – I love all flowers that are white! So, it would make sense that I would be on the hunt for a beautiful white hose, right? Well, when I didn’t find a beautiful hose at any of the garden stores I visited, I ended up purchasing a hose and a hose holder the exact color of my house. It worked out well because the hose just kind of blends in with the house.

Since the purchase, I have been able to locate a couple gorgeous white hoses and I thought I would share them today on Friday field trip just in case anyone else out there is on the hunt for a really beautiful garden hose!!

I am sharing my two favorites! The first is from one of my favorite stores – Terrain! If you go to their online store, there are a bunch of beautiful color hoses to choose from…my favorite, of course, is the white one! Look how gorgeous it is!

The second hose I found is from Garden Glory. They have some really over the top garden accessories (even leopard!) – check out their website when you have a chance (look at that diamond ring bird feeder!). This is their white garden hose:

One of these hoses would really go well with my white bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, moon flowers, white forsythia…

If you want one, there are pretty garden hoses out there! It will take me until the current hose wears out to save up for a white one!

Have a fabulous weekend! I hope you get some time off for Labor Day! I will be working in the garden! ;)

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Note: The photos of the white hoses are taken from the respective stores’ website.

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vintage dresser before & after

August 20, 2019

Do you remember the vintage dresser I was refinishing? I finally took a few photos of the ‘after’ to share with you. It is an old mahogany piece – I’m sure you’ve seen similar pieces.

Most of the furniture I refinish is for others, but this piece is staying with me!

Here are the steps I took to transform the piece:

Stripped the finish off the top
Sanded the top with fine grade sandpaper
Stained the top (in ebony) – I used 2 coats
Sealed the top – I used 4 coats
Painted a sealer over the rest of the dresser (to prevent the stain from bleeding through the light color paint)
Painted the dresser in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White – 2 coats
Waxed with Annie Sloan clear wax (all but the top)
Lightly distressed
Waxed with second coat of Annie Sloan wax in clear (all but the top)

I retained the original hardware without altering it since I love the dark color in combination with the ebony stain on the top of the piece.

Isn’t it beautiful!? I love it. I ended up styling my entire bedroom around this piece.

I put a buffalo plaid duvet on the bed and combined a couple of my favorite motifs (with my collections – old books and bird nests) to style this vintage dresser. The crowning jewel was to add a mirror. I thought the mirror that originally went with the piece was too ‘matchy matchy’ for my taste. I originally thought I would just go without a mirror, but I soon found out I really liked having a mirror in the bedroom, so I set out to find a vintage looking piece.

I didn’t really expect to find anything I liked to fit my budget until Ballard Designs had a 40% off sale with free shipping and I was able to purchase the perfect piece!

My biggest bargain in the room was the bedside wall lamp. Every one I liked had a price tag over $100. And I had all but given up on the idea of including a lamp in my room until I came across the perfect one for $19.99 at IKEA! Score!

The dresser ends up being my favorite piece of furniture! I hope you enjoyed seeing how I transformed this old dresser! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Click here to see how I refinished the mahogany side table that matched this dresser.

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conservatory of flowers

August 13, 2019

My recent trip to San Francisco included many miles of walking. One day, while walking through the world-renowned Golden Gate Park, it was a pleasant surprise to happen upon The Conservatory of Flowers – a Victorian-era glass greenhouse with more than 2,000 species of plants & flowers.

A national, state and local landmark built in 1879; the Conservatory of Flowers was the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park and remains an icon at its entrance.

The Conservatory has five distinct galleries, each focusing on highlighting a different ecosystem, ranging from a tropical rainforest to the cloud forests perched on top of mountains.

I am sharing a few photos taken at the Conservatory with you here today. If you find yourself visiting San Francisco, be sure to put the Conservatory of Flowers on your list of places to visit! Even if plants are not your ‘thing,’ the glass greenhouse and surrounding grounds are worth visiting!

Have a fabulous week. Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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ring my bell

August 9, 2019

If you follow my blog, you know by now how much I enjoy details! I used one of my California photos with an Angier quote to include in today’s post just to emphasize this thought!

The reason I mention it is because the smallest of details made my day and I want to share for today’s Friday field trip!

What small detail? A new doorbell!

Yes, I got excited about a new doorbell!

If you look at the old one:

You can see it is nothing to get excited about! I knew I needed to replace it with something I could enjoy looking at!

So, I did just that!

Now I really love my doorbell! What do you think? Cute?

I hope today’s post will inspire you to change one little detail this weekend that will put a big smile on your face!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

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help from my friends

August 6, 2019

I cannot let Sunday’s holiday go by without some type of recognition. What was the holiday? The first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day.

I definitely could not have gotten through the last year without my friends. (Some of these friends also happen to be family members – you know who you are!)

Friendship Day is a fabulous time to recognize all my very special friends. Tonight I enjoyed a casual evening outdoors with two of these very special friends – a great way to honor the day.

I owe such a debt of gratitude to everyone who has been helping me through this challenging time. Please know how very much I appreciate you!

Use this post as an inspiration to get in touch with a friend you may not have spoken to in a while…maybe a childhood or high school friend.

In my book, National Friendship Day is every day! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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current mood

July 30, 2019

Hi there! I have so many projects in the works, but I have nothing documented to show you! I really had hoped to show you some ‘after’ photos of that vintage dresser I showed you some time back…but things have been hectic and I haven’t yet taken photos. Soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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summer tablescaping

June 4, 2019

It is crazy how few photos I’ve taken recently. I must have set a personal record for the fewest number of photos taken in the last few months. So uncharacteristic of me!

I really noticed it when I got home from the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck this past weekend. I had a wonderful day with fabulous friends. Normally I come home with tons of photos to put up for you to see. Not this year! In fact, I took only a few photos the entire day! I guess hanging out with the fabulous friends got in the way!

When I looked through the few photos I had, they were all related to table settings. I always say everything runs in themes with me and it certainly is true. My takeaway from the fair this year is to ‘summerize’ my tablescapes!

I love all the cool arrangements created by Cutlery Couture. They put flatware in little burlap pouches with pretty coordinated designs and ribbons…aren’t they super! The green herbs are my favorite motif!

I am also inspired to think about adding some embellishments to existing napkins. Look at these black and white napkins with an embroidered bee…it inspires me to do something similar. I would like to do some with ladybugs!

I hope the few photos I am sharing from the Country Living Fair this year are inspiring you to come up with some cute summer tablescapes like it did for me!

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

P.S. I won’t forget to share ‘after’ photos of the dresser in an upcoming post!

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new beginnings

May 28, 2019

Hi friends! I know my furniture redos usually show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in the same post. But, today I am only showing the ‘before’ of a current piece I have been working on.

Like me, the piece is starting a new beginning! I have given new life to a vintage mahogany dresser and I am taking it with me on a new journey!

As you read this, I am on my way to a new beginning…leaving a place I’ve lived for a long, long time. I am looking forward to sharing some future projects with you as I prepare to downsize everything in my life!

I am going to give you one little peek as to how I refinished the dresser my daughter used growing up – a family heirloom. It is renewed and ready to join me! Because of my moving out, I don’t think I will be posting on Friday, but I will be back next week! And, I will share, in more detail, my new dresser!

Here is a little peek of the ‘after.’ As you can see, I decided to keep the original hardware. What do you think the rest of the piece looks like?

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

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a tuscany themed shower

May 24, 2019

Why was a Tuscany theme extra special for the bridal shower I helped organize? Tuscany was the location of the proposal!

The bridesmaids, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, and myself got together for planning (and some good eating!) meetings months ahead of the shower date. The mother of the bride had the place and theme decided, so we ran with it!

Of course, a couple things just pop into your mind when you think of Tuscany! We decided to use lemons, and all things wine as reoccurring décor items.

The maid of honor, an artist, created a beautiful painting of the proposal as a gift to the bride. The painting was front and center on the day of the shower – we used it on the mantel above the spot where the future bride opened her gifts. The maid of honor also created a beautiful handlettered sign “Showered with Amore” that greeted guests as they arrived.

I created table signs, naming each table after an Italian wine. The guests picked up a table card strategically placed on a cork in a crate of grapes. The same type of graphic was used to tag the favors – a homemade Tuscan spice mix created by the soon-to-be bride’s mom. I used the same theme/colors in creating a ‘bridal bingo’ game. Another favor, created by the matron of honor, was a cluster of grapes styled from chocolate candies…so cute!

The mother of the future groom had saved corks from the entire time of her marriage – she had A LOT – and we used these in our decorating…and, in our games. One of the games was “Guess How Many Corks in the Jar.”

Can you believe I found a dress in a lemon print fabric? It was an Anne Klein Dress at an original price of $119. that I bought off-season at T.J. Maxx for $29.99!

The best part of the shower, of course, was getting together with old friends and meeting new friends who will be a part of the upcoming wedding day. The bride-to-be looked absolutely fabulous! If the shower day was any indication of how she will look on the wedding day – bellissima!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few photos from the Tuscan themed shower created by ‘our team.’ We all had a blast – the reason I didn’t take as many photos as usual! I hope you are inspired to use some of our ideas in your own party planning!

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

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just desserts

March 29, 2019

For me, the rock star of any good hotel is the pastry chef!

I have a passion for baking and baking shows and I love to see every variety of dessert provided at a hotel. I always check out every dessert possible in every hotel I happen to visit!

And, of course, I need to taste every one as well!

At the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, I discovered a new dessert this trip that ended up my favorite – a baklava cookie! It tasted much like baklava but more in a cookie format. It had a shortbread crust and all the flavors of a traditional baklava. Heavenly!

I hope today’s Friday field trip inspires you to try making a new dessert…or maybe just tasting one!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things- like trying a new dessert! Jackie

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