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fall chair planting diy

October 2, 2020

chair plantings

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.

empty chair

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.

empty chair

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!

chair with screen

screen closeup

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.

purple chair planting

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!

blue chair planting

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

yellow chair planting

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

monochromatic pumpkin display

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!

terrain pumpkin topiary

mini boo orange pumpkin tower

pumpkins and orange flowers

bumpy pumpkinss

mini boos with dried flowers

pumpkin tower

fall lights

fall urn display

greens with white pumpkin

white mini boos with succulents

 

pink mums

fall display

topiary of pumpkins

mini orange pumpkin topiaries

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

Terrain interior display in orange

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

white velvet pumpkins

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.

white heather to fall decor

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.

ferns and pumpkins

Enough of a change to have something new to enjoy.

gray pumpkin in bathroom

A little gray pumpkin in the bathroom.

pumpkin in the kitchen

A little white velvet pumpkin on display in the kitchen.

Have you done anything with your home décor to celebrate the upcoming change in season?

Thanks for stopping by.

neutral pumpkin pillow

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  As I hesitate to acknowledge fall, HomeGoods already has Christmas merchandise on display!

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diy tank top pumpkins

September 4, 2020

gray teeshirt pumpkin

Every year it is sad for me to sew my first pumpkin because I love summer so much and pumpkins, of course, are a sign of a coming season that is not summer!

Each year, in addition to the velvet ones I make, I like to create some pumpkins from a unique material.  This year, I decided to use some repurposed clothing.

round gray topIsolation provided for some time to organize everything in my home, and I went through my collection of clothing many times since the pandemic started – fine-tuning all my closets.  Because I tried my best to hold on to only those items I truly love, I ended up with a large donation pile of unwanted clothes.

pumpkin made from gray teeshirt

When I started to think of this year’s pumpkins, I immediately thought of the unwanted clothes pile – the perfect place to find some new material!  To start, I chose two J. Crew tank tops.  Both in colors I love and both with embellishments that could be added to the finished pumpkins.

pumpkins from pink tees

round pink topThe pink one has the added appeal of being perfect to make pumpkins to display for breast cancer awareness month!

So…the pumpkins begin!

pink tank top pumpkin

pumpkin sewn from pink tee

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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missing the candles

August 29, 2020

sized spoonful of chocolate terrarium

Yes, I hate Covid-19.  Like everyone else, I miss the normalcy of everyday living.

Never did it become clearer than celebrating my birthday week.

Just losing the simple opportunity of blowing out birthday candles was upsetting!  An official birthday celebration certainly does not seem complete without candles!

sized eating chocolate terrarium

Chocolate Terrarium served at Terrain Café in Westport – a birthday cake substitute with finesse!  Soft milk chocolate ganache, dark chocolate mousse, matcha morsels, and dark chocolate cake.

Everyone that has had a birthday since isolation began knows what I am talking about.  You try to make your birthday as normal as possible and then comes time for cake…and, of course, in the current climate, candle blowing is out of the question!

So, no candles this year.

chocolate terrarium from side

Thanks for stopping by.

Wishing you many years ahead of candle blowing!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things (you never know when they may be gone), Jackie

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prayers for big basin

August 21, 2020

redwood tribute

Today I am posting a little tribute to California’s oldest state park.

A raging wildfire has inflicted serious damage to Big Basin Redwoods State Park.  Sending prayers for the well-being of this magnificent park and to all in California suffering from the devastation of the fires.

Click here to see more of the park.

Thank you for stopping by.  Have a fabulous weekend.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things,  Jackie

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best read summer 2020

August 14, 2020

daisy and the six open book

My favorite book this summer has been Daisy Jones & The Six. Not that I am wishing summer away! Wait, let me restate that – My favorite book this summer so far has been Daisy Jones & The Six.

daisy jones and the six on the rocks

This novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid blew me away. I guess I am late to the party on this one since I found out that Amazon is already making the book into a miniseries. It will make a fabulous miniseries! I urge you to read it now so you can enjoy the book as written before watching anything inspired by it on the screen.

The book is unique and fun and impossible to put down! If you have never read a book in one sitting, this one may be your first!

daisy jones and the six beach

Although the book is fiction, it is presented in a documentary style and would be very easy to believe as a documentary – with true-life images, complex characters, and fascinating detail. The story follows the formation of a (fictional) famous band (Daisy Jones & The Six) and the lives of its members during the 1970’s.

The life of the band happens while the reader follows the music scene in Los Angeles during the 1970’s – so fun!

daisy and the six rocks

Background interviews with the band members are included as well as the lyrics to the band’s songs!

This book makes me want to read everything Taylor Jenkins Reid has ever written – and I will!

daisy jones the six in the weeds

Do yourself a favor and buy a copy. Don’t take it out from the library – the waiting list is probably way too long anyway! But you will want to own a copy so you can loan it out to all your friends!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take pleasure in simple things – like reading a fabulous book!
xo Jackie

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storm isaias

August 7, 2020

isaias

I found an easy way to make good on my promise to change up my perspective at least once a week.  Walking around outside and checking out Storm Isaias, up close and personal, accomplished my perspective change for the week!

coast Isaias

Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best idea that It just so happened I was checking it out while a tornado warning was in effect!  But, I’m glad I did.  The coastline was so beautiful to watch during the storm!

sea wall at Isaias

Our area of the state – the southwest – was hit especially hard.  Connecticut received a significant amount of the strongest winds from the storm – wind gusts in my town reached 68 mph – which was why I had trouble standing up when I tried to take photos and was only able to take a few!  Watching the rage of the storm and getting soaked by the sea spray was actually invigorating – and the beauty of nature was awe-inspiring.

dock at isaias

The storm rated in the top three in the history of our state in terms of power outages (probably at least through the weekend),  It was bad enough so many people were already confined to their homes because of COVID-19, but now many need to leave to seek out a shower, a charging station, or a hot meal – if a store or a restaurant nearby has power and is open!  Or, if the roads on the way aren’t blocked by trees!  Most traffic lights are out, so that poses a hazard as well!

I found a Target open today and the store was operating on what I would guess was ‘generator mode.’  The lighting was barely bright enough to see and the produce area and freezers were empty.

riding the storm

I hope you are faring well if you are in one of the towns in Isaias’s path.

2020 just keeps getting more challenging!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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living with stress

July 31, 2020

weeds

I recently read an article about stress and realized I had experienced the entire list of top 5 most stressful life events in the last 2 years – a couple more than once!  I was glad to happen upon the list since it was satisfying to know I had successfully navigated through such a tough time in my life.

COVID-19, of course, presents its own unique kind of challenges and I doubt there is anyone not experiencing a whole new level of stress as a result of the pandemic!   It needs its own life experience stress list!

walking bridge

I am sure I am not alone in losing all my employment as a result of COVID-19 – it’s scary!

You may have noticed I haven’t been posting at my regular frequency and that is because all my time online is now spent job searching.  It is hard to find something to post when the main activity of the day is looking for job postings!

queens annes lace and needles
In the same way I was able to get through the last 2 years, I am determined to get through these COVID-19 times successfully and not suffer setbacks in all the progress I have made in my life.

berries on a walk

Spending every second behind the screen searching for open positions may not be the best for my stress level, so I am making a promise to myself to try and continue to post regularly – even if only one time each week.  Don’t worry – I won’t be posting job search details!  I am making a commitment to myself to change up my environment – even if only for a short time – at least once each week.

queens anne lace

I am hoping a different environment will change up my perspective and give me some new motivation each week.  This week I changed it up with a new walk!

How are you dealing with the stresses caused by COVID-19?

feet on bridge

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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peach ice pops with honey & thyme

July 7, 2020

plate of peach ice pops

I bought way too many peaches!  I just couldn’t resist!  But now, what to do with them – I can’t possibly eat them all!  Ice pops of course!

Extra peaches plus 90 degree temps equal…peach ice pops, for sure!

I don’t need to add a lot of calories to make some super yummy ice pops.  I can just let the natural peach flavor come through!  This is easy to accomplish but baking (or grilling) the peaches before using them in the pops.

peach ice pop close up

Peach Ice Pops with Honey & Thyme (makes 5 or 6)

  • 5 medium ripe peaches, halved and pitted
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped small

Put the peaches, cut side down on a piece of parchment paper lining a baking sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

baking peaches

Put the peaches – skins and all – into a blender with all the ingredients except the thyme and blend until smooth.  Add the thyme last so it won’t pulverize – just mix it in.

sage and thyme

Pour the mixture into your pop molds and freeze overnight or per the manufacturer’s instructions.

ice pops peach

Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. I hope by now you own an ice pop mold.  If not, order one online or pick one up at HomeGoods – it is SO worth the purchase!  I also own an ice shaver, but that’s a story for another day!  ;)

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