pleasure in simple things

terrain holiday 2020

November 13, 2020

The holiday decor is out early this year and I think it is a great idea! I would hope the early start would help eliminate crowds that could contribute to unhealthy shopping experiences. In the interest of safety, I am sure many people are limiting their shopping to online. I need to see things up close – I want to use all my senses when I experience holiday shopping!

I have friends in different parts of the country who can not experience one of my favorite stores to visit at the holidays – Terrain. And, Terrain really needs to be experienced in person to fully appreciate it! So whether you would rather not visit a store right now, or you just don’t live near a Terrain to visit in person – enjoy today’s photos. These are some favorite glimpses of holiday from my last Terrain visit.

I hope you are inspired to start on some of your holiday decorating!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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oranges and reds in nature

October 30, 2020

I don’t know about you, but I still don’t feel safe working out at the gym since Covid-19. I’ve transitioned to my home and the outdoors for my workouts.

At the gym there are plenty of distractions – televisions set to the news, gym outfits to check out, conversations with the regulars and the trainers, etc.

Outdoor workouts are so peaceful and much less distracting. The spring and fall each created some interesting spectacles for me to admire – everything blooming in the spring and the changing leaves in the fall.

Recently, I started documenting the beautiful fall leaves by color. If you know me, you know how color obsessed I can get! (You may have seen the ‘study in yellow’ on my Instagram.)

The photos here are some of my favorite fall leaves in oranges and reds.

We change the clocks this weekend – a signal that fall is not around for much longer. I hope you are enjoying the beauty of fall in your surroundings while you still can.

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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christmas is coming

October 23, 2020

If you have been to any stores or shopping online, you already know that holiday merchandise is out for sale extra early this year. I think this is a good thing.

Hopefully, it will eliminate crowds as people finish their shopping before the traditional rush.

I’ve always been an early shopper anyway and traditionally wrap holiday gifts on Thanksgiving weekend. So, even if it wasn’t a pandemic, I would be fine with early holiday displays.

On an ‘out and about’ trip this week, I saw plenty of holiday and that was kind of the intent of a friend and I – to check out some of the displays in our favorite stores.

But I couldn’t help appreciating some fall décor (even if the temps were 74 degrees!) as a farewell – and, to score a few good pumpkins stems (at 25% off!) to make a few more velvet pumpkins.

I hope you are inspired to appreciate fall one more time before the holiday takes over! Use the weekend to enjoy some cider donuts…go leaf peeping…visit a farm.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Thanks for stopping by, Jackie

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rainy day pumpkins

October 16, 2020

What to do on a rainy October day?

Make pumpkins, of course!

I’m taking some free time indoors to make a few gifts. These may be the last pumpkin creations of the season…or, I may just have a few more in me left to make!

Have a fabulous fall weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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diy pumpkins with foraged materials

October 13, 2020

When I was young, I would love to save colorful fall leaves by using a hot iron to preserve them between two pieces of wax paper. Do children still do this?

I used a similar technique recently to save some leaves I admired. Instead of wax paper, I used Mod Podge as a preservative and added them to mini baby boo pumpkins.

I had foraged some items that caught my eye on a morning walk and I really wanted to use them in some way. So, I decided to incorporate the items I found, as well as some small pine cones (I had previously bleached) and acorns (I had previously painted), as ornamentation on white baby boos pumpkins.

This is such an easy DIY that anyone can do. There are so many possibilities! All you need are some foraged items from outdoors, a glue gun, Mod Podge and some pumpkins. Mod Podge isn’t even necessary, but I used it to glue down some of the leaves and also to preserve them. I brushed the Mod Podge on both sides of each leaf and glued some of the leaves to the surface of the pumpkin.

Using found materials and a 69-cent pumpkin (from Trader Joe’s), this DIY is super affordable!

I hope I have inspired you to create some of your own pumpkin creations from foraged materials!

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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dahlias at white flower farm

October 9, 2020

Garden relatives to the sunflower, chrysanthemum and zinnia, dahlias are really gorgeous perennials!

They are native to warmer climates – Mexico and Central America. To keep them blooming here, the tubers need to be dug up in the fall, stored over the winter, and then planted again the following spring. (If they were in their native warm climate, they would re-sprout from their underground tubers to bloom each year.)

The idea of digging up the tubers every year has kept me from planting any in my own garden. There are just so many beautiful flowers to choose from – why choose one that requires so much work! I just don’t want to add another thing to my fall garden ‘to do’ list!

But, seeing the gorgeous dahlia display at White Flower Farm this year, I have to say I thought twice about changing my mind about planting some dahlias!

I visited the flower farm when the blooms were at peak and it was a drizzly day. I always love a garden on a rainy day – the colors are so much more impactful than on a sunny day!

Maybe a visit each fall to see the display at White Flower Farm can be even to satisfy my dahlia craving!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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white anemones at whites

October 6, 2020

Botanical gardens or flower farms are a great resource to help decide on plant or flower choices for your own garden.

Seeing a plant in a pot is so different than seeing how it grows as part of an actual landscape!

A favorite spot for me to view planted gardens is White Flower Farm. You can probably guess why. There are always some great varieties of white flowers to admire! By virtue of the name, I guess it is pretty much a requirement to offer some great white flowers for sale!

On my last visit, I identified a new white flower variety I want for my own space. If I had seen it offered for sale in a pot, I doubt I would have paid much attention to it. But, ‘in the wild’ I fell completely in love!

My new current white favorite is a white anemone!

Pictured here are some photos of my current passion from my last visit to Whites. Aren’t they beautiful! Some great whiteness for the fall!

And now, Honorine Jobert Anemone is on my list of ‘must haves!’ What is on your list?

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall chair planting diy

October 2, 2020

Today I am hoping to inspire you to plant a chair. Yes, you read that correctly! An old chair is the perfect vehicle to create a beautiful fall planting.

First, find an old chair. I mean old! The older, the better – more character. It should be a chair that has (or once had) a caned seat or an upholstered seat. The reason for this is because you will remove that part to add plants.

The perfect candidate for a chair planting!

Once the cane or upholstery is removed, screening is stapled in its place using a staple gun. After the screening is in place, planting can happen! Just like any other outdoor container would be used, the screening serves as your container, providing drainage. So easy!

Before planting, decide if the chair you plan to use will be left vintage looking or if you will paint it in advance. A bright color, a color to match the flowers used, or a color to match your house or garden are all great choices.

I was inspired to start this project based on the photos here. I have plenty of colors of Annie Sloan paint and plan use that to paint a chair in advance of planting. I am keeping my fingers crossed I can find an appropriate discarded chair in the next week!

I hope I have inspired you to start a chair planting of your own!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall 2020 at terrain

September 25, 2020

Today I am embracing the season. I am providing a few of my favorite views from a fall visit to Terrain in Westport, Connecticut. These photos are sure to help inspire your fall creations! So, grab yourself a pumpkin latte and enjoy the show!

Happy fall from New England! I hope you are inspired to work on your own projects this weekend! Have a great one!

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

P.S. If that’s not enough – you can see some more of Terrain on my Instagram feed.

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can’t stop fall

September 18, 2020

We had a couple of cool days here in Connecticut and I couldn’t resist taking out some fall décor. Not that I have very much! Because I always resist acknowledging fall, I have never accumulated that much in décor to celebrate it! But I do have a box filled with velvet pumpkins I’ve made and I also own a few pumpkin pillows in neutral colors.

So, on one of the recent cool weather days, I took out my box of pumpkins on my lunch break and used them to update the fern centerpiece on my dining room table…basically, I just added some pumpkins and replaced one of the existing ferns with a white heather. Then I placed a few of the pumpkins in other rooms of the house.