decor — pleasure in simple things

Tag: decor

christmas in october

October

Hi friends! Earlier this week I shared my first Christmas post of the season with a gift tag tutorial. Today, I am continuing the holiday spirit with a shopping trip! Who doesn’t love a shopping trip, right! For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing some of the items I’ve seen on an early shopping trip and am excited about for the upcoming holiday season. So, grab a cup of cocoa or tea on this cold, windy day and enjoy!

The first photo is one of some bottle trees at Terrain. You probably already know of my love for Terrain. This season, they are carrying bottle brush trees in many shades – including aqua and teal (did you see the photo on my Instagram?)…so exciting! Another really cool item I saw in the Westport store, was a candleholder in the shape of a house and made of cinnamon bark…can’t you just imagine the smell when the candle is lit!? I wish you had a scratch and sniff screen!

I also loved these cocktail napkins..so natural yet elegant! Since there are only two Terrain stores in the country, you may not have the opportunity to shop this fabulous home and garden resource. If not, take some time to check the website for some great holiday inspiration.

Talking about inspiration…what about this chalkboard wrapping paper at Paper Source! Definitely 50 feet of fun!

Christmas always involves ornaments and I love looking at the variety of ornaments offered at each of my favorite stores throughout the holidays. With my passion for typography, I could not ignore this stunner from Pottery Barn! I want to hang them up in many word combinations…like fa la la and ho ho ho!

I have been enarmored with this mistletoe ornament at Crate & Barrel for a couple of years now…so happy they are still offering it! I love to put them on packages of bridal shower or engagement gifts…so lovely!

I LOVE this Terrain ornament! Any favorite dried flower can be added…from your own garden or from a special bouquet! Even a lock of hair or small photo would be a great addition!

Mercury glass votives are always a lovely way to add some sparkle during the holidays. This year, Crate & Barrel not only offers some really inexpensive options, but has colors that remind me of the sea. At only $4.95 each, you can create a pretty cluster at a reasonable price for a beautiful sea inspired glow. :) Also, be sure to check out their snowflake hurricanes.

Fresh flowers are great all the time, but at the holidays they are always a requirement. Anthropologie has not yet put out their holiday merchandise, but I love these pinched vases as an artistic way to display a few beautiful blooms.

Ballard Designs always offers some beautiful holiday items, and this year is no exception. These gray and white antler totes really appeal to my neutral color passion! The Suzanne Kasler collection this year also features bears in a gray tone.

Christmas is always so very exciting for the children and it is wonderful to find great items for the kids (or the kids in us!) :) This cookie stamp from Crate & Barrel is sure to leave a smile on the faces of the kids during a Christmas Eve cookie making session for Santa!

Decorating the children’s rooms in a special way during the holiday is a great way to add to the excitement to the season. This year, Garnet Hill has a pattern called “North Pole” that is cheery and seasonal…

And, for the cutest little night light, how about this flameless squirrel candle from West Elm that can be used all year long!

With all the shopping and decorating, a relaxing cup of tea is always in order during the holidays…even better in a pretty mug. This monogrammed vine mug is from Terrain and oh, so pretty! It would also make a great holiday gift for that special teacher!

The last item I am going to share is also from Terrain. I love this inexpensive hanging zinc bucket as an alternative to a front door wreath! Filled with greens or holly, it makes for a really interesting addition to the outdoor decor! Don’t you love the dots! It would also make a great indoor organizer for wrapping supplies.

So that is it for today’s Friday field trip! I hope you enjoyed our little preseason holiday shopping trip! There is so much more to explore as the stores start stocking up…let me know some of your favorites!!

Please note that none of the photos in this post were taken by me…they came from the respective store websites.

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

Sharing at Shabby Nest.

1 comment » | field trips, gift ideas, holiday, inspiration

shopping coastal cool

August

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing a little eye candy from one of the best coastal lifestyle stores in Connecticut.

In addition to the best in home, personal, and gift wares, this store carries both Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint! The only shop in my state to sell both paints, Grace in the center of Niantic, is definitely a one-stop shop for everything beautifully coastal!

I definitely needed a ‘beachy’ fix today…I hope you agree! It is such a great time of year and I am having trouble thinking about it ending! I am having a really tough time seeing Halloween candy in stores already! :( Walking into Grace is like walking into a warm salt water breeze! :)

My detailed nature always prompts me to make one final observation when I leave a location – at a restaurant this is always a trip to the ladies room – was as much thought put into the ladies room decor and amenities as in the rest of the restaurant? In a shop, this test is in the way the purchases are presented to the customer…

I think Grace has it covered nicely!

I hope you enjoyed Friday field trip to Grace in Niantic. If you are in the area, be sure to visit…Niantic celebrates Main Street’s Bargains by the Bay Tent & Sidewalk Sale now through Sunday so this weekend would be the perfect time to plan a visit!

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

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homage to earth day

April

Pretty much every item you can think of on this earth (pun intended) has been covered with chalkboard paint, hasn’t it? So, I am pretty certain someone has already thought to paint a globe with chalkboard paint.

I think it is a great way to revamp an outdated globe and to honor our dear Mother Earth on Earth Day! I just couldn’t convince myself to throw it out during the purging of all the old ‘stuff’ I cleared from the ‘new’ guest room…I have a particular fondness for globes – outdated or not – since one of my children was born on Earth Day!

So, now the old globe sits proudly in the new guest room.

And, since the globe is an accessory (my second!) in the room where guests will be staying, my idea was to decorate the chalkboard in one of two ways:

1. To write Welcome! in an outline shape of my state (Connecticut), or

2. Draw two states – mine and the one the visiting guests hail from!

In light of the occasion, you may also enjoy this post on repurposing brown bags…Happy Earth Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I took the butterfly photos in this post used with the quotes last summer – we haven’t had any weather yet this year that warrants butterflies!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with Finding Silver Pennies, Sand & Sisal, and Coastal Charm.

Comments Off on homage to earth day | diy, holiday, inspiration

outside the color palette?

April

For Friday field trip today, I am adding the first accessory to my newly ~~decorated~~ painted guest room.

I hadn’t really planned to redo any rooms upstairs. Honest. But, one of the bedrooms desperately needed painting and that (of course) started the whole ball rolling! That, my friends, is not the surprising part since it doesn’t usually take much to get me going in the redecorating direction! The surprising part? My new room color isn’t part of my usual color palette!

The color palette I created for my downstairs rooms from a photo I took of an oyster shell. I color matched my paint colors to the colors I took from the photo.

I agonized over paint swatches for a good month – finally deciding on a color called ‘shortbread’ from the Martha Stewart Living paint line at Home Depot.

As a yellow/gold tone – it was a departure from my usual coastal colors. Once the room was cleaned and painted (even though my free time should really have been devoted to tax preparation!) I decided to use my limited funds on a bed frame and bedding so the room could be utilized as a guest room right away. The rest I can complete a little at a time when the mood (or funds) are right.

I chose a bed frame in a gray/brown (driftwood looking) color from Ikea and proceeded to stalk all the home stores for bedding. I decided on a gray textured spread at Home Goods and picked out some contrasting pillows – limiting myself to just two. I also picked up a sheet set in a color that looked surprisingly similar to the color of the shortbread paint. Basics completed! Ready for guests!

Now, for my first official accessory for the new room, I am planting some pansies in a beautiful gold tone chippy planter that I found at Anthropologie. The pot cost me $8 and I picked up some pansies at Home Depot – my first accessory cost under $15 and I love it!

You know – now that I really look at that room – the shortbread paint could easily be called marsh grass or coastal twilight…don’t you think? ;)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Little Red House, Craftberry Bush, Coastal Charm, and Mona’s Picturesque.

Comments Off on outside the color palette? | diy, field trips, garden, style

spring obsessions

March

We are in the home stretch! Spring is almost here!

Here are some of the top things I am ‘jonesing for’ as we start the new season!

Even though I already own Kiel James Patrick, there are always plenty of beautiful nautical-inspired items to add to my collection…for spring, I really want this ‘go with anything’ bracelet! Anchors away! (photo from the KJP website)

I am totally obsessed with branches during the spring…after the long, snowy winter, I crave any nature I can bring into the house! They don’t even have to be flowering branches…any branch will do..the bigger, the better…they just look so beautiful indoors! (Of course flowering branches are always lovely too…I start forcing flowering branches in February.) I took the photo here on Yale University’s campus, so I didn’t actually pick these – but aren’t they gorgeous!

Okay, if you aren’t already obsessed with these Ray-Ban aviator flash lenses, you certainly should be! They come in plenty of yummy colors and are the coolest! (photo from the Ray-Ban website)

Does it seems strange to see eggs on my list of obsessions? It is not the actual eggs I am obsessed with…it is the decorating! I start in February and continue until Easter and beyond! It is good that eggs are on the less expensive side considering the amount I go through! It doesn’t stop there…after Easter, I use the leftover pieces of colored egg shells to make mosaics! Obsessed!

I become obsessed with a lot of the merchandise at Anthropologie – particularly the home goods. For spring, these little beauties are the obsession of the season – sooo casual chic! The beauty of the Anthro candle is that the container is always so awesome, that even when the candle is gone, the container finds a new use and lives on! The Illume land & sky candle is totally gorgeous and the scents are addicting! (photo from the Anthropologie website)

The color mint is everywhere this spring…my favorite though, is in nail polish. I think Essie’s mint candy apple is the perfect fun spring shade and is an easy way to add mint to my spring wardrobe with a very small investment! (photo from Essie’s website)

Like me, I am sure most of the country is obsessed with Ben & Jerry’s core ice creams flavors …how has this not been invented earlier? My biggest obsession is the salted caramel flavor. Other flavors include That’s My Jam, Hazed & Confused, and Peanut Butter Fudge. (photo from Ben & Jerry’s website)

Yes, I am totally obsessed with white jeans…actually, it is not just a spring time obsession…I am obsessed with them pretty much any time of year! I am currently obsessed with a pair offered by J. Crew since they offer a great tall size that accommodates my long legs nicely! :) Can’t wait to pair them with a pastel sweater or with nautical stripe flats! (photo from the J. Crew website)

Right now, anyone that knows me is reading this and thinking my obsession with Harry Connick, Jr. is definitely not limited to the spring. You are right…I am now, and always have been, obsessed with Harry. I have seen him in person more times than any other entertainer…I have been in the front row of many concerts, holiday special tapings, and even his Broadway performance – sitting closer to the stage than Jill (if you are a Harry fan, you know Jill is his wife’s name)…BUT, NEVER until now, have I ever watched American Idol! What power you have over me Harry! ;) I am so happy that so many people in America are now discovering what I have always known about Harry…he is the coolest! (photo from the American Idol website)