pleasure in simple things

the garden barn

June 19, 2020

When you have close friends that have fabulous gardens, you have the benefit of finding out about all their fabulous gardening resources!

Today, I am taking a field trip to one of these resources. Two of my friends frequent a place called the Garden Barn and I have never been – until now!

I could plan a whole outdoor constellation themed party with these two topiaries and plenty of little white lights! So fun!

I could never go wrong taking a recommendation from either of the two friends I mentioned with the fab gardens. I knew the Garden Barn would be great, but it was even better than my expectations. (The fact that I have been isolated for so long may have contributed to my excitement!)

From the moment of arrival, the variety and quantity of beautiful, healthy plants is overwhelming. And, the knowledgeable staff at the Garden Barn makes visiting a learning experience.

For today’s post, I decided to pick one unique item to showcase from my visit – topiaries. I haven’t seen these at any other garden store I have visited so I thought they would be fun to share!

Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. If ever in the vicinity of Vernon, Connecticut, make a stop at The Garden Barn.

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bananas over ice pops

June 16, 2020

You know I love ice pops and I have tried so many different flavor combinations over the years. One of my favorite all-time flavors for anything is banana, so it wouldn’t be right not to make up some banana pops at some point over the summer!

These are actually a really great summer breakfast! Bananas and almond milk – sounds like a healthy breakfast to me!

Yogurt, regular milk, or coconut milk can be used in place of the almond milk if you prefer. The almond milk (because of the lack of fat) will make an icier pop and the regular milk makes a creamier pop. I use the almond milk for my own pops to make a guilt-free treat. In the summer I would rather eat a banana this way!

Banana Ice Pops (about 5, 3 oz. pops)

3 cups ripe bananas
1 cup milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze as directed or overnight.

When I have ice pops on hand to offer to guests, I take them out of the molds and package them individually in advance – ready to go in my freezer!

Drizzling banana ice pops with chocolate shell makes them a great summer-time dessert! And, there are so many variations possible! If you have children or grandchildren you want to impress, you can coat the pops completely in chocolate shell and then quickly roll them in crushed up breakfast cereal for an extra special treat!

Here, I used homemade chocolate shell (click here for the recipe) and crushed up peanut butter/chocolate breakfast cereal – banana, peanut butter, and chocolate go well together! Use your imagination to make up other combinations!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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mint mojito ice pop

June 9, 2020

I very rarely drink alcohol, but I love a good virgin drink – especially a frozen one! This pop is like combining the two! Enjoy a refreshing Mojito with none of the calories of a cocktail!

Calorie Count

Mint Mojito: over 200 calories
Mint Mojito ice pop: under 30 calories

Cost

Mint Mojito: $10.+
Mint Mojito ice pop: use your own garden ingredients and spend under $1.

I hope you are inspired to try these pops or your own creation! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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easy garden diy

June 5, 2020

Some years back, I blogged about some easy DIY garden stakes based on some I had seen. On a recent visit to my friend Wendy’s garden, I noticed she had added a bird to one of these stakes in an arrangement she created for her side door. It is SO adorable, I need to share!

You can read the original post/tutorial by clicking here if you’d like to create your own. Just add a cute bird like Wendy did!

Thanks for stopping by!

Note: The other photos in this post are also from Wendy’s gardens. (Of course, I had to find a way to add some white flowers to the post!)

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

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table fern display

June 2, 2020

Without hosting any company for such a long stretch, my dining room table décor from Easter never got updated…what for? A lot of home updates did get attended to during isolation – caulking, cleaning, filing, etc., but some of the seasonal décor definitely got neglected!

In an attempt to cheer myself up, I decided to get rid of the decorated Easter eggs and add something a little more appropriate to the season to my dining room table. What better way to brighten spirits than a trip to Terrain?! I figured if I just bought a couple little indoor ferns, I could create something nice and low cost for my dining room table.

Walking around Terrain’s nursery definitely helped pick up my mood – as it always does! And, because I only needed some small ferns, I was able to leave without much of an investment.

My plan was to use some of my Ben Wolff white clay pots to make a simple fern display. Ben Wolff is a potter that does some amazing work. I was never a fan of the traditional color clay pot, (click here and/or here to see two ways I have painted them!) and since I am about all things white, his white clay pots are perfect for my aesthetic! (His gray pots are also beautiful! I am lucky that Ben’s studio is right here in Connecticut – close enough to visit and purchase my pots directly from the studio!

I simply planted the ferns in the white pots and arranged them down the middle of the table with some moss. Easy and so beautifully satisfying! The components are anchored in a 3-foot-long trough I purchased at Terrain many years ago. I use it all the time and it is perfect to protect the table from seasonal arrangements. (I don’t think the exact one I have is still available for purchase, but if you search ‘trough’ on the Terrain website, you should find some great alternatives!)

(To make my arrangement complete – I just need to find the pretty little terrarium rocks I have to cover the top of the dirt in the pots. If I can’t find where I put them, I will use some little shells or sea glass.)

I hope I have inspired you to add some new seasonal décor to your home – company or no company!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. The white watering can is Smith and Hawken from Target.

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creamy fig ice pops

May 29, 2020

I am obsessed with fig jam. Fig jam and manchego cheese crostini is a favorite snack of mine – such a fabulous flavor combination!

Recently I noticed that Trader Joe’s sells a fig butter and right away I knew I needed to use it to create a summer treat! I decided to combine it with (no, not cheese!) yogurt – to create a fig flavored ice pop!

If you like figs as much as I do, this is a winner of a recipe! So easy! I love these pops!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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decoupaged oyster shell magnets

May 26, 2020

A great use for smaller decoupaged oyster shells is as refrigerator magnets. All that is required is to use a glue gun to add a strong magnet to the back of the completed shell! For complete instructions on making the decoupaged oyster shells, click here.

While they were offering a site-wide discount during the quarantine, I ordered some super strong small, round magnets (as well as some ribbon for a future project) online from Joann Stores. You should be able to find small magnets at this or any craft store.

Decoupage the shells in a pattern/color that coordinates with your décor! Even if you decide to use shells that are all decoupaged in the same pattern – each is unique in shape, providing plenty of visual interest on the fridge!

I hope you are inspired to DIY some decoupaged oyster shell fridge magnets!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Using decoupaged shells to make a pendant necklace, click here.

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study in pinks

May 22, 2020

The weather in Connecticut has been really fabulous! It is so refreshing to go for a walk when heavy coats or sweaters aren’t required!

When I do my workouts in the gym, I use music as a distraction – it almost feels like a type of meditation to focus solely on the music while pushing myself to perform. Now that gyms are closed, I have had to find new and inventive ways to work out. In addition to music, I find myself using nature to help meditate. This past weekend, for one of my walks, I concentrated solely on pink flowers! I tried to notice all the intricacies of every pink bloom I encountered!

I find this is a great way to savor the beauty surrounding me and keeps my focus during a walk.

Do you have anything special you do to help focus while exercising?

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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decoupaged oyster shell pendant necklace

May 19, 2020

How many oyster shell trinket dishes can one person use? After making quite a few of these beauties during quarantine, I started coming up with some other ways to use these decorative pieces.

Living in a spot where oyster shells are readily available makes it easy to go a little overboard when using them in a craft! I love the way the shells come out when decoupaged, so I needed to start coming up with some additional uses for them other then what I’ve done in the past.

There are plenty of ways to use masses of shells – in a wreath…or, even as I have shown you in the past – as ground cover in place of mulch – but this time, I am utilizing shells in a way that highlights each one individually. Because, once decoupaged, each oyster shell is so unique and beautiful, a great way to highlight an individual one is to make it into a necklace, using the shell as a pendant.

After the shell is decoupaged (full tutorial here), simply add it to a chain or a piece of leather. Here, I have added beads to a chain. Wooden beads are also a great choice – some natural colored wood beads highlighted with a few painted gold would have set off this shell nicely!

The only real challenge with creating a necklace is to add a hole to the shell. I say challenge because of the shape and texture of the shell. Caution is required so that the tool you are using does not slip. And, because of the texture of the shell, caution is also required so as not to split the shell while drilling.

I made this necklace to go with one of my favorite sweaters…just need to add some gold sandals and white jeans and I have a super OOTD!

Probably the best and safest way to make a hole in a shell is with a Dremel using water. Because of quarantine, the only tool I had available for my project was a regular drill. I used a masonry bit and held the shell with some pliers so that if the drill slipped, it wouldn’t drill through my hand! Like I said, caution is required!

If you plan on making a habit of putting holes in shells, I suggest you purchase a Dremel and follow the instructions very carefully!

Decoupage shells in colors/patterns that coordinate with your wardrobe and create some great statement necklaces!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a purple pop of flowers

May 15, 2020

We just had some snow here in Connecticut – not typical weather for May. The cold snaps have made all the flower gardeners hesitant to get started with putting out annuals this year.

I usually use Mother’s Day as my ‘safe to plant’ indicator, but I know some of the experts say not to plant until after the new moon.

With all the hesitation to get plants in the ground, it was so refreshing to see my friend Phyllis has started working on her garden décor. The plantings she had put around her side entrance really look fabulous. She changes things up each season and for spring she has incorporated a splash of purple into her creations.

I hope seeing these flowers make you smile as much as I did when I saw them!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

To see Phyllis’s porch in autumn, click here.
For a tutorial on making DIY garden teepees, click here.
For a tour of Phyllis’s garden in summer, click here.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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the garden barn

bananas over ice pops

mint mojito ice pop

easy garden diy

table fern display

creamy fig ice pops

decoupaged oyster shell magnets

study in pinks

decoupaged oyster shell pendant necklace

a purple pop of flowers