pleasure in simple things

bunny ear napkins with eggs

March 13, 2018

Have you ever folded your Easter dinner napkins to look like bunny ears? You probably have.

Today, I am sharing how to DIY some Easter eggs to use with your folded bunny ear napkins! I like to make bunny tail eggs for my napkins!

Since I was making one to show you, I decided to also make one with the front of a bunny to demonstrate how easy it would be to include bunny face eggs as well. You can choose to make just the backside eggs to use with your napkins – like I do – or, mix up bunny backsides and bunny faces on your Easter table!

All you need are pompoms to glue to the eggs. Use a white one for the bunny’s tail and a pink one for the bunny’s nose.

To add a little character to my bunny, I first added some spots to the eggs so my bunny would not be pure white. I did this by making up a taupe egg dye and adding a little bit of color variation to my bunny. Black or gray dye work for ‘bunny spots’ as well. Once you have dyed your eggs – if you choose to – use a glue gun to add the tail and nose to your bunny eggs. A fine point permanent marker is perfect to add the rest of the bunny face detail to the egg with the pink ‘nose.’

Once the eggs are complete, Use the diagram here to help fold two napkins appropriately. Add ribbon to keep the eggs in place and to position the ‘ears.’

A perfect little DIY for your Easter table! Change up the bunny and napkin colors to best match your décor. I used taupe and white, but you can use whatever colors work for you. Eggs dyed gray paired with gray napkins work well too. You can also create a variety of different expressions on your bunnys’ faces. Have fun with it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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longwood gardens green wall

March 9, 2018

The Green Wall in the corner of the East Conservatory at Longwood Gardens definitely achieves its goal of resembling a lush green jungle! This display really needs to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. One view is enough to cause a fern lover go into shock! Not only is the sheer size of the display impressive, but the way the design incorporates a hallway of doors is simply beautiful!

The Green Wall, containing 47,000 plants, is the largest in North America – a very impressive 14 feet high and 300 feet long.

The wall is made up of 12” x 12” stainless steel panels containing a potting mix for use in vertical gardens. Each panel is planted in one of 29 different planting configurations. Each configuration is based on plant type, lighting requirements, and other factors. Just inside the stainless steel, a layer of coconut coir fiber lines each panel to hold moisture.

In 2010, the panels were assembled in Florida where over 50 pallets, each 8-foot-tall and containing 72 boxes per pallet, were loaded in 3 climate-controlled refrigeration tractor trailers and transported 36 hours to Longwood in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

I hope these photos on today’s Friday field trip give you a little sense of the amazingly beautiful Green Wall at Longwood Gardens. This display is just one of the many breathtaking displays at one of the most beautiful public gardens in the nation (and one of my happy places).

Does this inspire you to start thinking of your spring garden? We change the clocks this weekend!!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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diy constellation easter eggs

March 6, 2018

I love dyeing Easter eggs. Each year I like to come up with a new egg decorating idea. And, I love creating a themed series of decorated eggs! Remember the picnic theme, for example? (Click here to see.) This year I decided to create a series of Easter eggs depicting the astrological constellations.

I started by creating a backdrop for my star formations! I added purple and a little bit of black paste food coloring to a ½ cup of boiling water with a teaspoon of white vinegar. I used this to dye my eggs. Once the eggs were dry, I used an old kindergarten technique to splatter white paint onto each egg. This simply involves loading a stiff brush or toothbrush with paint and splattering it onto the eggs using a finger or popsicle stick flicked against the bristles of the brush. (Something I first used when creating leaf prints in kindergarten art class!)

Now that a night sky is created on the eggs, I can go ahead and create the individual star formations. For this, I am using little stick-on crystals from the craft store. I created a graphic for myself to use as reference for the placement of the stars for each constellation. I decided to use a thin white marker to add some definition to the star arrangement – even though this wouldn’t happen in the actual sky! I included a graphic here for you to use as reference when creating your own eggs designs.

These eggs are easy to create and I think they are really cool looking. Have fun with it! Create an egg with your own sign, the signs of each family member, or all twelve signs!

I made mine on emptied out eggs so that I can display them for Easter each year.

I hope I have inspired you to create some astrological sign designed Easter eggs!

Thank you for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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dreaming of warmer days

March 2, 2018

A storm is brewing and the shift in the barometric pressure has given me an awful headache! I can’t help but dream of prettier, warmer days!

So, for today’s Friday field trip, some pretty pool photos taken at The Four Seasons Orlando! (With a few of my favorite plant photos thrown in for good measure – taken at The Four Seasons as well.)

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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march book giveaway!

February 27, 2018

Do you know what I really love about the month of March? The start of spring! The thought of milder days and the start of things starting to grow just makes me smile! With that in mind, I picked a journal as the giveaway for March…it kind of plays into the whole idea of a sense of renewal. The title is One Good Deed a Day: a Journal. I figure what better way to renew than to start journaling good deeds!

Just leave a comment to be entered to win this journal.

Many thanks to everyone who entered to win the February giveaway! Congratulations to Michelle, the winner of the giveaway. (Click here to read more about it.)

Instagram users, please read on! For the month of March, let’s share the spirit of the new season! Use the hashtag #pleasuregram to share photos that hint at the start of spring! What signals spring to you?

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

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balmy and the beach

February 23, 2018

What to do on a 70-degree day in February? Head to the beach, of course! Connecticut does not usually experience temperatures this high in February, so a trip to the beach, no matter how short, seemed in order!

Today I am sharing a few photos from that warm day earlier this week.

I wanted you to see how the fog had created some really cool views by making the water and the sky appear as one.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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egg-actly that time of year

February 20, 2018

Yes, you guessed it, I have begun dyeing eggs! With the start of Lent and an early Easter this year, I couldn’t resist starting some egg decorating! We had a few inches of snow this past weekend, so I prepared by stopping at the grocery store and buying a dozen white eggs. Then, while it was snowing, I watched the British Baking Show and emptied out the inside of 12 eggs to prepare them for decorating!

How do I empty them? I use a needle to gently place a hole in both sides of the egg – one hole a little larger than the other. Then, I blow into the smaller of the holes to empty the contents of the egg. The most important part of this procedure is to puncture the yolk of the egg! Otherwise, the inside of the egg just will not come out! How is this accomplished? Using a needle or any long, thin object, to push it into the larger hole several times. Piercing the yolk is what helps the contents to flow out when you start blowing!

I am careful not to get any of the raw egg in my mouth and I wash the outside of the eggs with soapy warm water and rinse thoroughly. I stand them back into the egg carton overnight to drain any water still left inside. Once decorated, with no insides to go bad, the eggs will last forever!

For the maiden voyage of egg decorating, I decided to paint a few with succulents. I know, succulents are so 2001, but I have been working on a terrarium community service project and I have succulents on the brain! I decided to use 3 eggs. I dyed them a taupe color using paste food coloring. For my dye, I use ½ cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, and some food coloring. This color will serve as the backdrop for my succulents.

I added very simplistic painted designs – since I applied the designs with cottons swabs and toothpicks – with acrylic paint. It is hard to get too detailed without a proper paint brush! I used the same few colors on all 3 eggs to give them a continuity. My first decorated eggs of the year are complete – a trio of succulents!

So, the egg games have begun! I hope I have inspired you to think about your egg designs this year!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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beauty in the details

February 16, 2018

Beauty is in the details. If this is true, I must see an infinite amount of beauty! I can get really obsessed with details. This is especially true when I enter new surroundings.

For example, every time I visit a hotel, I get caught up in some aspect of its esthetic. At The Breakers in Palm Beach, it was the staff uniforms – I thought they were amazing – every employee wears a uniform and they are fabulous! The gals have beautiful Lilly Pulitzer outfits! I ended up spending my first visit to the Breakers doing an analysis of all the employee’s outfits!

For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing my obsession at the Four Seasons in Orlando – lighting! I have already shared the most magnificent fixture on the property (click here to see), today I am sharing a little glimpse of the rest of the hotel lighting.

Light fixture in the entrance to the spa at the Four Seasons Orlando.

I hope you found these photos inspiring. Maybe they are motivating you to revamp some of your own fixtures? Replacing an old fixture can give your space an instant refresh!

Thanks for stopping by!

A chandelier in a restroom at the Four Seasons Orlando.

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

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have a heart

February 13, 2018

It’s easy to get into the Galentine’s or Valentine’s Day spirit simply by using a heart shaped cookie cutter on something edible! Transform something ordinary into something extraordinary with a simple cut!

You have seen me use a cookie cutter on Valentine’s Day before…remember the Valentine stuffed French toast? The lavender shortbreads? Or, even the bird seed for the bird feeder?

Well, today I am taking my Fancy Watermelon Salad (click here for original recipe) and transforming it for Valentine’s Day, simply by cutting the watermelon rounds into hearts! Easy, right?

I hope I have inspired you to use a heart cookie cutter this Valentine’s Day! What will you use it on?

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, xo Jackie

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anna rifle’s flagship store!

February 9, 2018

If you follow this blog, you may already know that I have a real love for paper products! I still believe strongly in hand written thank you notes, as well as notes of condolence. Especially in this age of technology, with rushed emails and hurried texts – who doesn’t appreciate receiving a personal note in the mail? What better way is there to convey a heartfelt message?

Because of this love for hand written messages, I also have a love for great paper products. When I think of my favorite paper product artists, a couple instantly come to mind. On the top of this list is graphic designer Anna Rifle Bond.

Anna ‘taking a meeting’ at Rifle Paper Co. in Winter Park.

On today’s Friday field trip, I am thrilled to share photos from a recent visit to the place where Anna Rifle Bond and her husband Nathan started their company, Rifle Paper, in 2008. This spot in Winter Park, Florida is also home to their flagship store.

I developed an appreciation for Anna’s designs when she started her partnership with Anthropologie, early in her company’s 10-year career.

(To see more on Mast Chocolate, click here to see Friday field trip to Mast)

Feminine and colorful, with a little whimsy, Anna’s designs appear on a lot more than just paper! Beyond calendars and cards, some of the items that showcase Anna’s quaint designs include phone covers, candles, wallpaper, books, candy wrappers, and sneakers. Quite a repertoire from what began as designing posters for her husband’s band and wedding invites for her friends!