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saying goodbye to the garden

October 12, 2018

bird in the bush

I’m always surprised at this time of year when I walk out my back door and see some flowers!  I don’t really have plantings designed for fall bloom, so it definitely puts a smile on my face when I see something still alive in my yard in October!  (No, you won’t yet see any pumpkins!)

fern in october

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing my favorite stragglers – the plants that are still hanging on – on each side of the house.  At the back door view my favorite is definitely my tremendous fern – still going strong!  But, so is my parsley – look how healthy and beautiful it is mixed with some mums from BJs!

mums and parsley

In the back yard, the succulent mix I added to a vintage iron bicycle is still (almost) there – a few plants have died, but the mix still looks good (with no care whatsoever!)

last of the succulents

On my side yard, all the herbs are still growing!  I am most excited about the oregano because I have had occasions to use it the most in recent days!

oregano

And, in the front – is the only ‘color’ I have –

fall color
Why are these flowers not white?  I planted them the year I changed my door color to red maple!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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apple pie slushie

October 9, 2018

an apple slushie

We have a lot of wonderful farms here in Connecticut.  This is the time of year when everyone makes an obligatory trip to an apple and/or pumpkin farm.  I stopped at a farm this past weekend to grab some freshly picked apples and some locally made apple cider.

apple crate

With the summer-like temperatures in Connecticut this past weekend, I wasn’t thinking of baking a hot apple pie!  Instead, I made an apple slushie from my farm fresh ingredients!

honeycrisp apples

Why not get creative with slushies?   (Have you seen the red wine slushies?)

Hot temp.  Cold slushie.  What’s not to like?  And, the fact that the slushie was apple made it totally seasonal!  It was delicious and refreshing ~ sort of like a chilly applesauce!

enjoying an apple slushie

I used a honeycrisp apple for my slushie since that was the variety of apple I purchased at the farm and I thought it had the perfect amount of sweetness.  A honeycrisp is a cross between a macoun and a honeygold.  Obviously, you can substitute any variety of apple you prefer.

apple pie slushie recipe

If you give the recipe a try, be sure to adjust the spices to your own liking before adding the ice.

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

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changing perspective

October 5, 2018

signs of autumn

It has been a really tough week for me.  I lost someone who was very special in my life.  It’s the type of event that makes one take stock in life and creates a change in perspective.

kale decor

fall flowers

pumpkins and squash

kale beauty

Today’s post is a few seasonal images – emotionally, I can’t manage much more lol.

looking at things differently

Socrates quote on change

Have a wonderful weekend my friends.  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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making chenille pumpkins

October 2, 2018

chenille in the hand...

Now that it is October, I guess I can get really serious about my pumpkin making!  You know I love making velvet pumpkins with real pumpkin stems at this time of year.

chenille pumpkin from a bedspread

Although I love making pumpkins of velvet, in addition, each year I enjoy experimenting with a new, different fabric for pumpkins.  Remember last year I tried some cashmere?

chenille pumpkins with more fab stems

Well, this year my experiment is becoming an obsession!  And you thought my obsession was about stems!  Well, it is about stems – it’s always about stems lol!

chenille in neutrals

But, the new fabric obsession has become repurposing a vintage material – chenille!  It turned out to be convenient timing that cleaning out my linen closet happened at the start of fall.  I couldn’t bear to throw out a vintage chenille spread that, in the past, has adorned both the bed of my grandmother and of my daughter.  I decided to repurpose the spread into pumpkins…with real stems, of course!

white and pink chenille pumpkin

closeup of chenille

I hope these photos help inspire you to create some pumpkins from a repurposed material – like a treasured keepsake!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

pretty pink chenille pumpkin

Remember to take pleasure in simple things,  Jackie

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october book giveaway!

September 28, 2018

breast cancer awareness pumpkins (2)

This is one of those months when the book giveaway is not a book!  For October, the giveaway is handmade pink velvet pumpkins.  Pumpkins; because it is October and pink; because October is breast cancer awareness month.

I encourage everyone to display at least one pink pumpkin during the month, preferably in a really visible location – like a front porch.  A great way to show support for breast cancer awareness month!

Inside the home, a clear container, a terrarium, or a cloche is great for pink pumpkin display! The container I used here is from Terrain and I am constantly changing up its contents to suit the season!

breast cancer awareness pumpkins (2)

To win your very own velvet pink pumpkins, made by me, just leave me a comment saying you’d like to win!  The winner will be chosen at random at the end of October from the comments received during the month.  Win and you will be able to display some pink velvet pumpkins each October!

Congrats to Mary Beth (a self-proclaimed pencil geek) , the winner of the September giveaway of the journal and the set of pencils with my custom imprints.  Click here to see more on the giveaway.

pink pumpkins in a terrarium

Instagram users, please read on.  For the month of October, let’s share our pink pumpkins!  Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share any photos of pink pumpkins on display – by you or by someone else!

pink pumpkin

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

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it’s all about the stem

September 25, 2018

its all about the stem

It’s official.  It is fall!  I always start the season by making some velvet pumpkins.  Every year I make a few more, using new shades of velvet and pumpkin stems I have collected from the year before.  Each year, I like to make some pumpkins that are a little different than the year before…either in color or fabric.  But, before I start my own pumpkins, I have a few pumpkins to make as gifts.

yellow ochre velvet pumpkin

If you make velvet pumpkins, you know the personality of the pumpkin is created with the stem.  And, the hardest part about making pumpkins to give as gifts is to part with the stems!  It is all about the stem!

Here are a few great stems from some gifts I made this year – my first pumpkins of the season.

At a request, I created my very first red pumpkin.  Look at that marvelous stem!

red velvet pumpkin

Thanks for stopping by!  If you haven’t yet tried making a velvet pumpkin, you can look back into my archives for directions by clicking here and give it a try!  You can start by collecting some fabulous stems!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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more autumn 2018 at terrain

September 21, 2018

unpacking the pumpkins

As promised, I am sharing a little more of the season change at Terrain, here in Connecticut.  It is the best place to get inspired for a new season.

pumpkin tower in the grasses

water feature at Terrain Westport

shades of burgandy

Enjoy the photos here for Friday field trip!

box of white pumpkins

burgandy grasses

If you live within visiting range of a Terrain, you will want to be sure and stop in for the Annual Autumn Bounty Festival on September 29th!

double pumpkin tower

box full of squash

squash with character

fall yellows

Thank you for stopping by!

Terrain pumpkin tower

stem envy

small pumpkin tower

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

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autumn 2018 at terrain

September 18, 2018

ringing in fall at Terrain Westport

I was kicking and screaming over the whole season change.  Summer wasn’t going away easy for me…and then, I took a trip to Terrain.  I should have known better.  I should have saw it coming.  One trip and I was sucked in – dreaming of all things pumpkin towers and fall colors!

terrain autumn time

white pumpkins Terrain Westport

basket of mums at Terrain

I am sharing some of my favorite glimpses here…you will see what I am talking about!

different shades of pumpkin stack

fall color at Terrain Westport

serious stem envy

Serious stem envy! I had to buy this little fella…I needed the stem for making velvet pumpkins!

I always feel sorry for those who don’t have a Terrain nearby to visit!  There is no better way to kick off any of the seasons than a visit to Terrain!

fall can be purple

Trellis at Terrain

Stop back on Friday and I will share some more…even a small glimpse is hard to contain to one post!

baskets of gourds

5 pumpkin tower

bumpy pumpkins at Terrain

Thank you for stopping by!

outside wall terrain

dueling towers

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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new life for my fern container

September 14, 2018

finished succulent rocks

I had a lovely little potted fern.  It always put a smile on my face.  I received it as a favor at a wedding shower and I always loved it.  I even tucked a little bird inside of it!

fern casualtySo, I was really disappointed when my fern died – I had enjoyed it for years!

I decided not to put another living plant inside the cute little container the fern lived in, but I did want to reuse it.  Since I’d been painting rocks recently, a rock painting came to mind right away!

For today’s Friday field trip, look at the quick and easy rock painting I made for my fern container!  (I was inspired by the succulent Easter eggs I made last year!  Click here to see them.)

painting the rocks

A very simplistic design can bring satisfying results!  I hope I have inspired you to paint some!  If you want to keep your rocks outside, be sure to spray them with clear coat to protect against the elements!

succulent rocks

Of course, if I was embracing the season, I would have painted some pumpkin rocks ;) !

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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beat it fall!

September 11, 2018

doormat

I am not accepting fall gracefully this year!  I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the summer and I am kind of bitter about the change of season!

I haven’t even begun to think about changing up my décor, though I did need to add a blanket to my bed last night.  And, I must confess, we had a fire lit in the fireplace last night.

Still!  I want to keep summer alive!

In an attempt to let summer go gracefully, I started combining the seasons…one way I’m accomplishing this is in the garden.  Instead of pulling up the summer annuals and planting fall blooms, I have started combining the two!

parsley and mums

Here is one example.  In my cosmos/parsley container, I removed the wilted cosmos and let the parsley hang on for dear life while I added some mums. If we don’t get an early frost that kills the parsley, it will look great combined with the mums when they are in full bloom!

mixing seasons

I am looking around for some additional ways to combine seasonal plants around my yard.  How about you?  Have you combined fall and summer plants in your garden?  I would love to hear about your combinations!

close up of parsley and mums

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall quote

Have a great week and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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