pleasure in simple things

diy floral egg cups

March 10, 2023

Using egg cups as part of your spring décor is super simple. Egg cups are very easy to come by this time of year and are very inexpensive. I think most of mine came from the bargain bin at Target, but I have found vintage ones at thrift stores as well. Sometimes I add my own embellishments – like the white egg cup in these photos where I added a painted gold metallic rim.

In addition to displaying painted or decorated eggs in egg cups, they also come in handy as vessels for flowers. Adding fresh flowers to an egg cup is an easy DIY and can serve as a wonderful addition to any Easter table!

To make a floral egg cup; first, cut a piece of floral foam to fit into the chosen egg cup. (If working with fresh flowers, be sure to use an egg cup that can hold water!) Decide on the flowers you will be using and bundle them together. Pick a flower with a stiff stem and use a small piece of floral wire to tie the stems together. The wire will also be helpful when sticking the flowers into the floral foam – making it easier to push the stems into the foam. Add water if you are using fresh flowers. Finish your arrangement with some moss to cover the floral foam.

Aren’t these sweet? Make a bunch to use as place cards on your Easter table and/or as a cute takeaway for each guest. If you have snowdrops blooming in your yard, they would be perfect to use for this project. If not, you can find small fresh flowers in plants from your local grocery store or Trader Joe’s. (I was able to make 4 egg cups from one $3.99 plant from the grocery store.)

I hope I have inspired you to create some egg cup floral arrangements!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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boycotting egg painting

March 4, 2023

Wow! This is my first post of 2023! Since I started this blog in 2012, never before have I had such a lapse in posts! It is very sad to think I haven’t been using my creative side in quite some time!

The good news is that I have been busy organizing myself in finances, work, and wellness and making great progress!

I’m happy to say, I do now, have a couple projects in the works!

One is a coffee table and the second is the transformation of a coat closet into a pantry. (More on these projects as they develop!)

Normally, at this time of year, I would already be working on Easter eggs…coming up with a theme and painting them appropriately. This year, in a kind of personal protest against grocery prices, I decided not to paint eggs. I don’t normally buy eggs, except at Easter time, and I decided I am not going to purchase them to paint this year.

For the purposes of this post, I am including photos of one of my favorite past Easter egg themes – topiary. (Cactus, picnic, and constellation were also some of my most favorite themes).

I enjoy having some of the topiary eggs out in a bowl – I don’t think skipping a year of painting eggs will bother me! I did put out a little bit of Easter/Spring décor – have you? Remember to bring in some cut branches (magnolia, forsythia, etc.) – it’s the perfect time to force blooming!

I’m counting down the days when the clocks will change because I really dislike leaving for work in the dark and coming home from work in the dark!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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easy diy gingerbread gift wrap

December 2, 2022

Hi! I know it has been a minute…but, I’m happy today to have some time to show you a really simple, very low-cost way to wrap your holiday packages! These DIY gingerbread gift tags are made from discarded cardboard and a marker! So easy!

If you don’t already have a white, oil-based marker or a white permanent chalkboard marker, purchase one from the craft store to complete this project. If you want to make coordinating wrapping paper, purchasing kraft paper is not necessary – brown bags work just as well! (Note: Trader Joe’s holiday shopping bags work great since they already have a gingerbread house design on brown paper bags!)

A pencil can be used to draw some basic shapes onto corrugated cardboard. (There is certainly plenty of this around with all the holiday deliveries rolling in!) Then, draw the shapes onto the cardboard using a white, oil-based marker and decorate them as you would gingerbread – except use a marker instead of royal icing!

When the drawings are completed, cut out the shapes and add a hole in the top for hanging. Simple!

To coordinate gift bags, just use the same white marker to add a blizzard of ‘snowflake’ dots.

Isn’t this a great project to do with children? All their original drawings can easily be transformed into gingerbread gift tags!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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mini pumpkins and faded blooms

October 14, 2022

As the garden starts to fade and all things pumpkin are amped-up, it seems a no-brainer to combine the two!

I collected some faded garden blooms and some sweet little pine cones from a tree out front to use as baby boo embellishments.

Little white baby boos are my favorite pumpkins and combining them with items from my yard is a really easy, no-cost way to create some fall decor!

I hope you are inspired to use some of the items in your yard to create some pretty fall décor for your home or to gift.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to find pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pumpkin play

September 30, 2022

Planting inside a pumpkin – whether real or artificial – has been going on for quite a few years now. Certainly, new colors and types of pumpkins pop up every year, but there are also some ways to make this season’s pumpkin – whether planted, or part of a planting – look fresh for the current year!

Let’s look at four easy ways to update your planted pumpkin creations this year!

Add a decorative non-living item to your planting. There are infinite ways to make a pumpkin planting look updated, simply by adding a decorative item to your arrangement. In the examples here, decorative metal items are used. Shop your local garden store gift shop or find something unique at a vintage store or thrift shop.

A great way to make your arrangement look super current, is to add an item currently trending – in this case, a mushroom!

Glue dried items to the outside of your pumpkin. You have seen me glue dried items to pumpkins in years past and this is a great idea for anyone that feels they don’t possess a green thumb! A glue gun and some found (or purchased) dried items from nature are all that are required! And, although this is not exactly a planted pumpkin, it creates the same appeal as one! Small pumpkins are especially great for this because very little material is needed to add some instant drama!

Incorporate a nest into your pumpkin arrangement. You know I have a passion for nests and why not use them with your pumpkins! Items from nature are always favorites of mine and nests can mix really well with pumpkins! You probably already have some nests, packed away with your Easter or spring décor, that can do double duty!

Add a pumpkin to an already fabulous living arrangement. Any arrangement you already have can look seasonal with an added pumpkin! Nobody does this better than Terrain – look at the examples here! Choose a pumpkin(s) that coordinates in color and/or style to your current planting! Have fun with it!

I hope you are inspired to add some seasonal décor to your home! The photos I used as examples here were all taken by me at Terrain in Westport. If you live local, be sure to visit Terrain for The Autumn Bounty Festival on October 1^st, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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unexpected fall colors

September 16, 2022

I don’t like orange as a basic fall décor color. I’m mostly about neutrals, as you probably know. And, I do love black.

So, it makes sense that I would like a black and white fall palette. Let me show you what I mean!

On a recent trip one sunny afternoon to Terrain in Westport, Connecticut – my favorite garden store – I come upon some pairings of white pumpkins with some really dark colored plants that basically read like black.

I really love color choices that aren’t orange for fall and I particularly loved this unexpected pairing of black and white as an outdoor landscape color scheme. What do you think?

I hope you are inspired to change up your fall décor colors this season!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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easy mango chamoy paletas

August 19, 2022

I was only recently turned on to paletas. They look like ordinary ice pops, but they pack a much greater punch! Paletas are a Mexican frozen treat made from fresh, natural fruits and sometimes with added milk or condensed milk. Typically, they seem to be fruit-based but there are some milk-based, creamy flavors as well. An ice pop made from natural ingredients – what’s not to love!

My first taste of a paleta was a mango one. I chose the mango because it was a fruit-based rather than a milk-based pop and because I love mangos! When I tasted it, I was pleasantly surprised by a spicy flavor undertone that I could not identify. Turns out the flavor was something called ’chamoy.’ The sweet, spicy flavor combined with the mango was really fantastic!

I had heard of the chili/lime spice called tajin (often seeing it rimming the glass of a cocktail), but I was unfamiliar with chamoy. After some research, I figured out chamoy is a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit. It can range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced with chilis.

I decided to try making my own mango paletas with this fabulous taste combination of mango and chamoy. On my next trip to Trader Joes, I picked up some organic frozen mangos and looked for chamoy in the spice section. No go! I ended up sourcing the chamoy through Amazon.

I discovered two important lessons during the process of creating these ice pops: 1. I am a wimp about spice, and, 2. Chamoy is stronger than you might think!

My first batch of pops used about a teaspoon and a half of chamoy in each pop – that was way too much for my taste! For my second batch, I used a squirt bottle I use to decorate sugar cookies and squirted a much smaller amount into each mold before I added the mango mixture. You will need to decide how much heat you can take!

To make 6 paletas, I combined these 4 ingredients in a blender and blended until smooth:

1, 1lb. bag of organic frozen mango chunks, defrosted
1/8 cup of honey (alter to sweeten to your individual taste)
1/8 cup water
Squeeze of fresh lime juice

I prepared the ice pop molds by drizzling chamoy into each one – letting the chamoy drip down the sides. I filled each mold half way with the mango mixture. Then, I added more chamoy into each mold (I eliminated this step in my second batch of pops – wimp!). After that, I filled each mold to the top with the mango mixture, put on the tops and sticks, and popped them into the freezer.

I recently switched from plastic ice pop molds to stainless ones and I adore them! I have replaced all the plastic utensils in my kitchen over time and the ice pop molds were the last to be converted. Not only are the stainless ones simple to use, but they are easier to wash than plastic and are much easier to unmold as well! I highly recommend them – I found them on Amazon.

That, my friends, is how I recreated a mango chamoy paleta! I am sure I will be trying to create some additional flavors before summer slips away…I hope I have inspired you to try making them as well! If you prefer a creamy pop, just add some nonfat yogurt!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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easy diy glazed donut nails

August 5, 2022

I’ve never had gel or acrylic nails. Heck, I barely ever polish my nails these days. With all the gardening and painting/crafting, my nails are barely ever all the same length. And, if my nails aren’t all the same length, I don’t draw attention to them with polish!

But recently, by some strange miracle, my nails haven’t been breaking and they are, in fact, all the same length!

I don’t go for all the crazy nail trends since I prefer a natural, subtle looking fingernail. I prefer an understated polish – like Essie’s ballet slippers, for example.

But I have to admit, the ‘glazed donut’ trend is one that I actually like. It is shiny and subtle and looks oh so much like summer!

I’ve heard that Hailey Bieber was the cause of this trend and that she used a chrome powder to get the look. Though I was interested in getting the look, I was not interested in getting a salon manicure or buying a bunch of products to get it!

I ended up getting something that looks pretty darn close and all I did was buy one bottle of Essie nail product to get it!

Essie is my ‘go to’ nail brand and I already had some polish in a shade called sheer fantasy that I had picked up as a substitute for ballet slippers when my local Target was out of it. I purchased Essie FX Expressie from my local CVS in iced out to add more of a luminous look.

To achieve the trendy glazed look, this is what I did. I already had a clear top coat and a coat of Essie’s sheer fantasy on my nails. I added a coat of the Essie FX Expressie in iced out on top of that. I ended up adding another coat of sheer fantasy to make it a little more subtle – less purple. I liked the way it looked, so I added a clear top coat and that’s that! Easy peasy! An inexpensive version of the glazed donut nail look!

I hope you are inspired to try a new nail color of your own this summer! (Click here to see my dream nail polish collection!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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the summer blues…and purples

July 16, 2022

Yes, white flowers are my favorite flowers. Sometimes an exception happens. When I planned and planted the garden at my current home, I kept a very healthy, well-established hydrangea planted by the previous owner.

If I had planted one myself, of course, I would have chosen one with a white bloom. The one in my yard is not white. So, during the summer, there are a burst of blue and purple from this lone, non-white blooming shrub in the garden!

There are so many blooms, that no matter how many I cut to display inside or to give away, there still remains a big pop of color in the garden!

The photos I am sharing here are the current arrangements in my house – all from the same single hydrangea in my yard.

I didn’t have a flower frog large enough for the pretty low container I used (purchased last year at Target) so I improvised with some scotch tape to help keep the blooms in place. The tall vases I used are vintage.

My tips for long-lasting indoor hydrangea blooms:

Cut the blooms in the early morning. Remove as many leaves as possible. I like to keep a couple leaves just because I like the way they look in an arrangement. But, because the leaves use water as well as the flowers – the less, the better. Using scissors or a knife, make one or two vertical cuts in the stem. Then, use something heavy to smash the bottom of the stem. Immediately run the stem under hot water. These steps stop goop on the inside of the stem from clogging in the bottom of the stem which prevents it from absorbing water. Immediately put the stem into its container of water. Follow the same process for each stem.

I hope I have inspired you to bring some outdoor blooms inside! If you don’t have any flowers in your yard, Trader Joes has very affordable prices for cut flowers!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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summer skies at the beach

July 1, 2022

I definitely have a thing for clouds. No doubt about it. I am fascinated by them.

I love it in the summer when I have a little down time and I can truly appreciate the sky – especially in the evening.

Though my daughter much prefers a cloudless sky over the water – the kind of sky that creates a watercolor of pink painted across the horizon – like this one,

I prefer a cloudy sky. The clouds provide an endless variety of unique skies and reflections of colors. The photos I am sharing here are just a few examples – none are altered with filters or in any way – they are just images taken with a phone camera.