easy diy glazed donut nails

August 5, 2022

I’ve never had gel or acrylic nails. Heck, I barely ever polish my nails these days. With all the gardening and painting/crafting, my nails are barely ever all the same length. And, if my nails aren’t all the same length, I don’t draw attention to them with polish!

But recently, by some strange miracle, my nails haven’t been breaking and they are, in fact, all the same length!

I don’t go for all the crazy nail trends since I prefer a natural, subtle looking fingernail. I prefer an understated polish – like Essie’s ballet slippers, for example.

But I have to admit, the ‘glazed donut’ trend is one that I actually like. It is shiny and subtle and looks oh so much like summer!

I’ve heard that Hailey Bieber was the cause of this trend and that she used a chrome powder to get the look. Though I was interested in getting the look, I was not interested in getting a salon manicure or buying a bunch of products to get it!

I ended up getting something that looks pretty darn close and all I did was buy one bottle of Essie nail product to get it!

Essie is my ‘go to’ nail brand and I already had some polish in a shade called sheer fantasy that I had picked up as a substitute for ballet slippers when my local Target was out of it. I purchased Essie FX Expressie from my local CVS in iced out to add more of a luminous look.

To achieve the trendy glazed look, this is what I did. I already had a clear top coat and a coat of Essie’s sheer fantasy on my nails. I added a coat of the Essie FX Expressie in iced out on top of that. I ended up adding another coat of sheer fantasy to make it a little more subtle – less purple. I liked the way it looked, so I added a clear top coat and that’s that! Easy peasy! An inexpensive version of the glazed donut nail look!

I hope you are inspired to try a new nail color of your own this summer! (Click here to see my dream nail polish collection!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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philadelphia flower show 2022

June 24, 2022

I have been to the Philadelphia Flower Show in years past. Hailed as the world’s longest-running and largest indoor show in the country, it is hard for any flower lover not to visit at least once in their life!

But I have never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show since COVID. And since COVID, there has been one huge change to the show – it moved outdoors from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Because of the change, I was especially excited to visit the show this year – my first with the outdoor venue.

The site for the show since COVID has been FDR Park – a 348-acre park located in South Philadelphia along the Delaware River.

The venue turned out to be really great – even though the day my daughter and I chose to attend was a 94-degree day! Yes, it certainly was hot, but we found some nice breezes and some shady spots to rest.

The food and drink options were fabulous with many great seating areas available. We chose to have a snack in the boat house which provided a shady spot with a picturesque view of the river.

Though I prefer white flowers over multi-colored and I am not particularly an orchid fan, the flower installation in the gazebo overlooking the river was my favorite! A profusion of multi-colored flowers, predominately orchids, dazzled in the space. The photos I share here are all from this installation.

My daughter and I hadn’t been to Philadelphia in quite a few years and we had many stops on our list! I am glad we included the flower show as one of our stops because it really was enjoyable – particularly because it was held outdoors.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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early gardening

May 13, 2022

May is the time for gardening…and, it is the time when my creative spirit moves from the indoors to the outdoors. Typically, in this part of Connecticut, Mother’s Day is the ‘all clear’ for frost scares and it is on for planting annuals!

This time of year is so fun – using free time to visit nurseries to hunt for the perfect garden additions, adding plants to the garden, and planting annuals in containers. For me, this includes searching for the new and unusual in white plants/flowers. (If you follow this blog, you know I have what I call a ‘virgin’ garden – all the flowers bloom in whites!)

My garden is off to a great start! It looks as though all my plants are doing well – the established and the new!

I am starting off the season with just a couple of planted containers. I redesigned the basket by my front door with some spring annuals and planted in my grandma’s watering can.

A small start, but one that brings me great joy!

I hope you find happiness in a pretty plant that you walk by each day or a visit to a local garden store!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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decoupaged double clam shells

April 15, 2022

You’ve seen me decoupage many a shell! Oyster shells are definitely my favorite to make, but scallop and clam are fun to do as well! And, since it is Easter week, I do have a bunny in the mix!

The procedure is the same as the one I gave you for the oyster shells. (Click here if you need the instructions.)

The only difference here is that I used clam shells and I used those that still had the two sides attached. I decoupaged both sides, being extra careful so as not to break them apart.

If you haven’t yet tried to decoupage a shell, I hope I have inspired you to try!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous Easter weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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spring at taken for granite

April 2, 2022

Here in Connecticut, it is still pretty chilly!

As we start to prepare for all things spring, I enjoy checking out the new spring goodies at all my favorite Connecticut gift shops! My most recent excursion was to Taken for Granite in Branford. I am sharing a little bit of my trip with you today!

Of course, I found a cute bunny or two!

And, there is always an amazing selection of jewelry:

As well as home decor:

Don’t these photos just make you want to check out all the spring selections out there?!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are inspired to check out this shop or one of your favorites!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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christmas is in the air

December 10, 2021

Holiday decorating comes in a close second to holiday wrapping for me.

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving is a day for retreating to my ‘wrapping room’ for a full day of creating wrapping for gifts I plan on giving. Sometimes, like this year, I am not able to fit in my favorite creative activity of the season.

But something I always have time for is to incorporate new items I have found or made during the year to my holiday decor. Today I am sharing a few.

You know I have a great new bathroom this year (click here to see) and, of course, I needed to find a few decor items to add to it for the holiday season! I found these swoon-worthy chandelier ornaments at an after Christmas sale last year – aren’t they perfect?

And, I love these sparkly guest towels I found at T.J. Maxx.

A special ornament always looks best displayed on its own. This one is just propped on top of a rattan covered drinking glass.

And, I made this mini wreath specifically to use in the new bathroom. (At the end of last holiday season I made tons of 6″ wreaths using many of my collected ribbons and bottle brush trees – so fun to make!)

New incorporated items popped up in other parts of the house as well. I picked up this pretty white pedestal dish at a thrift shop and it is so perfect for displaying a single decor item.

And, my favorite new ornament is this stack of books!

Have you incorporated any new items into your decor this year? It is fun to find things throughout the year that may work during the holidays.

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

P.S. If you are interested in ordering your own 4 favorite things tote, like the one I’ve shown on the start of this post, check out The Shop Forward.

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mini cloche diy

November 5, 2021

This is one of those super easy, super satisfying DIYs! I happen to see these great mini cloches in the Target bargain section. And, they weren’t made of plastic – they were ceramic with glass domes! I was so in love with them, but, of course, not in love with the color!

I knew it would be super easy to fix them up by simply painting them with chalk paint! What an easy transformation!

And, they will be super for Christmas! Since I don’t yet have my Christmas decorations out, I purchased an ornament at Walmart for $1.98 just so I could use the ‘guts’ of it to give you an example of a Christmas themed mini dome!

There you go! And they will look super displaying some of my little bottle brush trees! Everything looks better in a cloche!

Thanks for stopping by! Here’s to some great finds in the Target bargain bin!

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

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pumpkins with natural style

October 22, 2021

At Terrain recently, I couldn’t help but admire some of the pumpkins adorned with natural elements. They reminded me of some pumpkins I decorated with found materials last year. You can see those by clicking here.

I thought you may be inspired by the ones I saw at Terrain. I especially like the decorated heirloom pumpkins!

I hope these photos will get you started on decorating some of your own!

Enjoy!

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

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fall chair planter diy

September 24, 2021

An unwanted chair is the perfect piece to use as a fall planter! While everyone else is decorating with cornhusks and scarecrows, use an old chair to create a unique vessel for some pretty fall flowers.

You don’t need much…an old chair with an upholstered seat, some old screening, a staple gun, and some potting soil.

The seat is removed and screening is stapled in its place. Handling the screening requires a lot of caution – it can be sharp. Thick gloves to protect your hands from cuts are probably a good idea. If you don’t have any old screening, you can buy some at Home Depot. They sell thin screening that comes in a roll that is very inexpensive. I bought some and cut it with regular scissors. I cut a square larger than the square I needed because I allowed for space for soil. I used a staple gun to staple the screening around the frame of the chair.

After the screening was secure, I painted the chair. You can leave your chair as is or paint it in any manner you desire. I used Annie Sloan Coco chalk paint I had left from another project and then added some dark wax. (A bright pink chair with pink flowers would be fun for October – breast cancer awareness month!)

Once the chair finish is completed, the fun part begins! Pick out an assortment of plants that you want to plant in your chair – I like visiting a local nursery for some small varieties. I knew I wanted a tall purple grass as the main plant! I also added a couple pumpkins, not that I expect them to last long – the squirrels make short work of them at my house!

A chair certainly is a fun alternative to a barrel or other common fall planter and it can be used for many years to come! Use your annual junk pick up to find a good candidate for your planter!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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falling for green

September 17, 2021

Gone are the days when pumpkins were only orange! Those of us neutral décor lovers were certainly ecstatic when white pumpkins came onto the scene years ago…what could be better?!