garden — pleasure in simple things

Tag: garden

‘spruced up’ in westport

April

It is that time of year in Connecticut…the time when ones thoughts are consumed with warm weather and gardening (as you can tell, I am still in a gardening state of mind)…And, for Friday field trip this week, I am going to take you on a visit to a new home and garden store in Westport center called Spruce.

The store has been opened almost a year, but quite honestly, I only recently became aware of it because I usually tend to concentrate my store perusal to Main Street when I am in that part of Westport. Spruce is definitely worth the short walk from Main…it is located at 90 Post Road East. A Paper Source has recently opened right next door which gives me two great reasons to walk over to the Post Road when I am in the downtown area.

In 2010, Spruce started with one store in Connecticut…there are now 7 Spruce stores in 3 states.

As you can see, they carry a lovely selection of home and garden items, gifts, jewelry and clothing, and other accessories.

I hope these few photos gave you a little bit of an idea of what Spruce has to offer…I had a great time visiting!

and Chad at Spruce in Westport, CT help to make your shopping experience a fun time!

Patty and Chad at Spruce in Westport, CT help to make your shopping experience at this home and garden decor store a fun time!

Hope you enjoyed our Friday field trip to Spruce in Westport, Connecticut. You can learn more about the store by visiting the Spruce website. Be sure to visit the store if you find yourself in the Westport area.

Have a really wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

I am sharing at Little Red House and The Tablescaper.

7 comments » | field trips, style

transforming terracotta pots

April

We won’t be going very far for Friday field trip today…just outdoors! The weather this week in Connecticut has been amazing, and any free time I had this week was spent on planting preparations… It didn’t help that I had a garden club meeting this week…during the lecture portion of our meeting, I was furiously writing notes of all the things I ~~want~~ need for my garden. My thoughts have been consumed with plants!

Planting isn’t done around ‘these parts’ until Mother’s Day (my traditional planting day), but that hasn’t stopped me from planning and dreaming. It is going to be a particularly tough year to make the yard look nice since we had a couple really bad storms this year that destroyed much of the garden – particularly large shrubs and trees.

The beautiful results of my terracotta pot transformation using house paint and gel stain.

Because of this, there is so much more I ~~want~~ need than my budget will allow. One thing I was determined to replace this year was the ugly terracotta pots that we use to plant some of the herbs. I say ‘ugly’ because I really dislike that new terracotta orange (you know how I feel about orange) look. For me, they are an eyesore. I thought they may ‘accidently’ break in the garage before planting season this year, but I want to use my garden budget to buy more living things, not to replace pots.

So, I decided to see what I could do to transform the terracotta pots I already have into something I could enjoy looking at! I found it was a really easy fix and I wanted to share the process with you in case there are others out there that are cringing over the look of their terracotta!

Certainly there are plenty of methods to ‘weather’ terracotta or to create moss, etc. I did not do that. I went on a ‘hunt’ around the house to find things I could use for the transformation without making a purchase.

And, I found I needed very little. Some leftover house paint, stain, and a rag did the trick!

First, I simply painted the (bright terracotta) pot with some house paint (it happened to be Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray). This color will coordinate nicely with the exterior of my house which is sided in cedar and stained with ‘driftwood’ (of course my house is painted a color with a ‘beachy’ name…what did you expect lol).

After that dried (I left it overnight), I used some gel stain (Minwax in Hickory that I had left in the basement) on a rag to give some dimension to the look. I rubbed some on, and using the rag, rubbed it off…pretty easy, right? My pot had a design on it and I made sure to get a lot of stain on the design part so that I could have it settle into the crevices. Although my pot had a bright, new look, it was a few years old which made it even better for this process since any cracks or scratches looked great when the stain settled in. You can do this same process repeatedly if you want more color or depth. After I was done, I dabbed a little of the paint onto the highest part of the design…just as a highlight.

My first purchase of the season…some herbs from Gilbertie’s.

What an easy way to give terracotta pots a little more interest without making any purchases! If you don’t have these items in your house, you can do a simple whitewash. Everyone has some white paint left somewhere…just thin it down a little bit and paint it over your pot to get rid of the new orange look. These pots may be the least expensive, but they don’t have to look that way! You can easily transform them with some leftover paint and/or stain. Have fun with it! I can’t wait to add some plants to my new creation :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Crafts a la Mode, Craftionary, and The Well Crafted Home.

1 comment » | diy, garden

a day at the philadelphia flower show

March

For Friday field trip this week, I am sharing some of my day in Philadelphia last Saturday…so; technically…I guess it is a Saturday field trip!

My weekend was planned around the fact that the largest and oldest flower show in the world was taking place at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The theme for the 2013 show was “Brilliant!” and was a homage to all things British.

I had never been to a flower show – never mind the largest – so I was excited!

Since I was visiting my daughter for the weekend, I decided to plan my flower show visit during the time she was working at the hospital.

I got an early start and headed over to the Free Library for a couple hours before the flower show started at 11:00. I was very lucky that the programming for “One Book, One Philadelphia” happened to coincide with my visit. The selection for the year is The Buddha in the Attic. I really enjoyed the book so it was easy to spend time at the library checking out the exhibits related to this year’s selection.

A photo of the Free Library in Philadelphia.

As 11:00 approached, I reluctantly left the library (I didn’t have enough time to see the rare book collection) and headed over to the Convention Center. Wow! What a crowd had formed waiting for the 11:00 start. While I waited, I was intrigued by this sculpture in the lobby:

Cool, right?

When I got into the flower show, I checked the schedule and decided to attend some presentations in the seminar rooms before making my way into the main show area. Living outside New York City and having attended various shows at the Javits, I was pretty right on with what I expected to find inside the show as far as crowd, etc. ($4.50 for an iced tea!) But, I had no experience on attending garden shows and I was a little taken aback by the darkened room and theatrical lighting. I thought to myself I think I made a mistake with this. But, I soon found out there was ‘something for everyone’ as I made my way around the show area. Although the theatrical type displays did not appeal to me, I found some areas that were more in tune with the natural elements I admire.

My favorite part of the show was probably the Gardener’s Studio. This was a presentation area and every hour, on the hour, I rushed back; anxious to see the next presentation.

Jonathan Wright from Chanticleer – a public garden outside Philadelphia – demonstrates how to create indoor arrangements by using branches from the winter garden.

It was impossible to get photos of the flower exhibits because of the sheer mass of people and because of the crazy lighting. I did take a few photos, but not of the typical things everyone else seemed to take. If you want to learn more about the show, you can check the Philadelphia Flower Show website or see some of the many photos on line. Better still, plan a visit next year because you really have to be there in person to truly appreciate it…besides, everyone should attend the Philadelphia Flower Show at least once in their lifetime!

A photo of some curious egg-shaped sculptures at the Philadelphia Flower Show – one from hoses and one from tires.

In addition to all the flower displays, the retail area was really fun. Some of the retailers rivaled the flower displays in their creativity and beauty. I fell in love with Chive, a Canadian company that sells a wide array of vessels for flowers. They carry some really unique pieces…all beautiful. Here is an example of one:

One of the many unique flower vessels available from the Canadian company, Chive.

Aren’t these flatware holders adorable? Cutlery Couture offered a wide selection:

One of the many styles of cutlery holders offered at the Cutlery Couture booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Some really unique jewelry pieces were available at Elements:

A selection of the offerings of Elements at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

I had to stop and admire the fresh flowers from The Hawaii Tropical Flower Council. They were even hand crafting orchid leis to order! Beautiful!

This wonderful item is the work of artist Michelle Masters – a creator of topiary art and fine art originals:

A sample of the topiary art by Michelle Masters at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

If I hadn’t had a ticket for the afternoon tea, I may still be wondering around the marketplace area! The tea was a lovely way to meet some new people and admire the fresh roses that were everywhere.

After the tea, it was time to meet my daughter so I said ‘cheerio’ to the Philadelphia Flower Show, but not before making a vow to return next year. Wait! We had one last stop before we left Center City for the day. We can never be in Center City and not visit the West Elm Philly store!

NOW we can say good-bye to Center City for the day…a day well spent :) Especially the part I got to spend with my daughter :)

Thanks so much for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend, Jackie

1 comment » | field trips, garden

planting succulents in a pumpkin

October

seasonal succulents

I have taken a real interest in succulents recently. There are probably two big reasons for this. One is that I saw a photo of a succulent garden in a huge conch shell. I love shells, so the photo immediately caught my interest and got me excited to try and plant some succulents in shells. Second, a new Home Depot nearby carries a huge selection of succulents.

I actually had a really early love for succulents. The first plant I ever personally owned as a kid was a cactus plant I bought in Arizona when I visited Phoenix with my grandparents. My first magazine subscription wasn’t Teen Beat, but rather Arizona Highways because I adored the pages filled with photos of various desert plants across the backdrop of gorgeous sunsets! Although the varieties of succulents available here in New England aren’t the same as out West, Home Depot does have quite a large selection.

I read as much as I could find on the subject of succulent container gardens and also watched some videos on the subject. The cool thing about succulents is that they can be planted in virtually any type of container. I decided since it is October, I would try a pumpkin as my first container garden. Also, because I love the way white pumpkins mix with succulents.

Planting is pretty simple. The big difference from planting any other type of plant is that succulents require a fast draining soil. Instructions on creating an appropriate soil are easy to find, but it is actually more cost effective to just buy a prepared soil at Home Depot.

Most succulent container gardens use a top dressing – most often rocks. I would love to use sea glass in a future garden, but for the pumpkin I decide to use some reindeer moss and also decorate with some Spanish moss. I will probably use the sea glass idea for a terrarium when the pumpkin starts breaking down and I need to move the plants to a new container.

A photo of succulents planted in a white pumpkin.

Don’t they look great in the white pumpkin? Small white pumpkins planted with succulents would look great at individual place settings at the Thanksgiving table!

I hope you enjoyed succulent gardening in a white pumpkin!

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie

7 comments » | garden

make the most of grocery store flowers

September

friday field trip

Today’s field trip is to the local Stop ‘n Shop to visit the floral department. I want to show you how easy it is to utilize the florist at your local grocery store. Why spend a lot at a traditional florist when you can buy flowers for giving at the grocery store for a more reasonable price. An added perk is that many grocery stores, like Stop ‘n Shop, are open 24 hours! You can pretty much buy a gift at any time of the day or night that fits into your schedule.

Use these five tips to make grocery store flowers work for you.

1. STICK WITH THE SAME COLOR OR VARIETY OF FLOWER. Instead of buying a bouquet that contains a mixture of colors and varieties of flowers, pick one color or one type of flower and stick with it. You will get much better visual impact for your budget.

2. CONSIDER A POTTED PLANT. Very often, potted plants in season are less expensive than cut flowers and look much better/healthier. Plus, the recipient has the added benefit of enjoying a permanent plant rather than a fleeting bouquet. Some grocery stores even sell potted herbs – a nice departure from a traditional flower if the recipient happens to be a foodie! Containers sold in the floral section are very reasonably priced and can be a great alternative to wrapping.

A potted plant is paired with a cute container that was priced at onlyl $4 in the Stop ‘n Shop floral department.

3. USE YOUR OWN FLOURISHES. I always use my own ribbon and tissue when preparing grocery store flowers for giving, rather than relying on the limited selection available at the grocery store. The gift not only looks prettier, but using your own touches helps give your gift a personal flair.

I used two potted plants and a basket from the floral department for a cost of less than $20 (and less than the price of a dozen roses). I added my own tissue paper and ribbon to complete the look and add my own personal touch.

4. MAKE THE MOST OF SPECIALS. If roses are $25 and a special on tulips makes them a quarter of the price…how much nicer to make a combined bouquet of four bunches of tulips! A potted orchid on sale may be less than a bouquet and more appropriate for the recipient. Be sure to check all the specials.

Shopping for cut flowers, two bunches of sunflowers on special were less than an assorted bouquet and provide much better visual appeal.

5. SHOP FOR ADD-ONS. With all the items available at the grocery store, there are many options available to you to add a little something to your gift, should the occasion or budget warrant it. What a great added feature of doing your flower shopping at the grocery store! A gift of engagement flowers can include a wedding magazine or some chocolates…flowers to welcome a new baby can include a bib or pacifier…just hop over to the appropriate aisle. At this time of year, a trip to the produce aisle can mean the purchase of a pumpkin to serve as a great seasonal container for your flowers. Perfect to house Halloween or Thanksgiving flowers for giving. (I love the white ones!) Grocery stores also sell gift certificates, so you can also easily tuck in a certificate for a cup of coffee or the latest music.

Whether you are shopping for yourself, or for a gift, remember these five tips when shopping for flowers in the grocery store.

Hope you enjoyed these tips for making the grocery store florist work for you. Why not pick out some flowers for your own home?

All the photos in this post were taken in the floral department at Stop ‘n Shop. Thanks for visiting, Jackie

1 comment » | garden

squash blossoms…farm to table

September

An easy do-it-yourself pictorial.

For the first time this year, I picked my own squash blossoms when I visited Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT. I happened to overhear someone asking directions to the appropriate field to pick them. I immediately got excited about the prospect of picking some myself. I have had fried squash blossoms in restaurants and really enjoyed them – even though I am not a big fried food lover. I decided to take the opportunity to try and cook some up myself.

I originally posted these photos on my facebook page, but have had many requests to put them on a blog post for those that don’t use facebook. So, here is how I prepared the squash blossoms…it was very easy and they were very delicious!

Easy! Hope you enjoyed these photos on preparing squash blossoms…farm to table!

Thanks for visiting! Enjoy your holiday weekend, Jackie

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discovering a sunflower maze

August

Navigating through 350,000 sunflowers.

I have been to many corn mazes in my lifetime, but had never heard of a sunflower maze until last week. I certainly was intrigued by the idea of it. Imagine a field full of sunflowers…it just sounded so Provence. Not caring so much about the maze, but more about the sunflowers, I decided to make the trip to Middlefield, CT to check it out. It was my first trip to the 1,100 acre Lyman Orchards farm.

A photo of a sunflower at the Lyman Orchards sunflower maze in Middlefield, CT.

I had imagined a field of yellow. But, as I approached the field, I discovered that there were many varieties and colors of sunflowers that made up the maze. My favorites were not the yellows at all, but some of the varieties in the darker hues. They were all beautiful. It didn’t even bother me when I got so terribly lost in the maze… I was too busy taking in all the varieties of sunflowers and trying my darndest to avoid all the bees. (I felt lucky to only sustain one bite.)

A photo from the sunflower maze. The flowers are ‘sterile’ meaning there is no pollen…this discourages the bees from hanging around for very long.

I have included a very short piece of video at the end of the post that I took with my son’s GoPro camera, hoping to capture a little of the experience for you…needless to say, a very rookie job…what can

I say…it was my first attempt! It is very tough to take video without a viewfinder!

A photo of one of my favorite sunflowers at the sunflower maze. Lyman Orchards is the 12th oldest family-owned business in the U.S., operating since 1741 and currently run by the eighth generation!

My first visit to a sunflower maze was a wonderful experience. Please enjoy the photos of this truly lovely place.

Thanks for visiting, Jackie

2 comments » | garden

5 great ways to use sea glass

July

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”
—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Okay, after spending countless hours searching for sea glass, you are pleased with your collection this season. Are you tempted to add it to that one big jar you have in some nondescript location? Don’t do it! There are better ways to put these beautiful treasures on display. Here are five great and easy ways to use your favorite pieces of sea glass…no drill, glue, or special talent required. (Be sure to click on the photo collages below to see the sea glass treasures full screen.)

IN YOUR GARDEN Sea glass looks great as a decorative touch in your garden. It gives a fresh look to a birdbath or garden container. It is also a neat way to finish off a potted plant by covering the top of the soil. Maybe the thank you gift for the weekend you spent at your friend’s beach house is a plant finished off with the treasures you collected while visiting.

ON A SHELF A great way to display favorite pieces in your home is on a shelf, bookcase, or coffee table. Just use a couple favorite pieces to highlight them as special, or group them by color for some great impact. They look wonderful used in combination with other natural items like driftwood or a bird’s nest. A unique piece can look great under a small dome on your mantle.

AS A VASE FILLER Using sea glass to fill a vase is always a great way to bring the beach into your home. Pieces can be used in a vase with fresh flowers or to anchor a candle in a jar. Putting pieces in a mason jar and adding an old nostalgic black and white beach photo is a great addition to a summer mantle. If you have a large collection, filling a glass lamp is another option. I like to use a filled vase to serve skewered summer appetizers or desserts.

MAKE AN EASY AIR FRESHENER Gather some pieces of sea glass into a small dish or teacup to use as an air freshener. Just add your choice of fragance oil. I found some really great oils at a local herb store, but most craft stores also carry it. You can pick a floral scent or something reminiscent of the sea and surf. Yard sales or Goodwill stores are great sources for pretty dishes that are sure to sell for under a dollar. Or, use that odd teacup you haven’t been able to throw away.

TO CREATE WRAPPING PAPER Take a photo of some pieces of your collection. Get a color print of it on your home printer or at the local copy center to use as wrapping paper. An easy way to add the beauty of the sea to a gift. Use raffia or pretty sea-colored ribbon and tie on a shell to complete the look. Use your new giftwrap for any occasion. It is a great departure from the giftwrap typically used for the holidays..using it brings recollections of warm memories of the sand and sea no matter how cold it may be outside :)

Thanks for visiting, Jackie

This project is being submitted to Celebrating Everyday LIfe recycled & repurposed diy project linky party

5 comments » | diy

diy painted glass vase

July

easy color-coordinated vase

Have you painted the inside of an old jar yet? It seems to be very popular right now. When I first started seeing them around, I had to laugh, because when I was young, painting old jars was something my friends and I would do at the summer playground when we ran out of all other craft materials…after exhausting all the supplies for making tile ashtrays and gimp keychains.

Over the years, I have painted an occasional jar as a nostalgic activity. I haven’t really been motivated to do it lately…not, that is, until I was in Anthropologie the other day and saw the many jars the store was using as props for their in-store displays. They had painted the insides of mason jars. But, rather than painting each jar a solid color, several colors were used in each jar. The result was almost a tie-dyed look. Using pastel colors in similar hues, I thought the effect was really beautiful.

With my coneflowers in full bloom, I decided to paint a jar in colors to coordinate with the color of the coneflower blooms. I have purple coneflowers, so I would use subtle shades of lavender and gray.

It is such an easy process…if you haven’t yet tried it, don’t feel intimidated. You can’t mess up :) Simply pour a little paint into the jar and swirl it around to cover the inside of the glass…that’s it!

I found out that my craft store plastic paint bottles were perfect for the multi-color application. I just squeezed the various colors into the jar and swirled them around. I added a little splash of silver too, just to add a little sparkle. You can control the pattern the paint creates by controlling which colors hit the glass first. Let some paint drip from the top to the bottom of the glass. Then, pour some paint in the bottom of the jar and swirl it around, tipping it to cover the sides.

If you make an experimental jar first, you can get the feel for how you can control the pattern of the paint covering the glass. I experimented on a couple of Snapple jars that were in my recycling bin, but I saved a mason jar for the vase I intended for the coneflowers.

The great appeal of this project is being able to create a vase in any color scheme you choose, at virtually no cost – repurposing old jars and leftover paint. It’s easy to instantly create a vase to match a color scheme for a party or a room in your home.

Give it a try! Please post a photo of your creation on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/insimplethings

Note: I put a plastic cup inside the jar to contain the water. I don’t think the water sitting in the paint would provide a happy result ;)

3 comments » | diy

oozing with inspiration

May

terrain’s opening

Since I have been anticipating the opening of Terrain in Connecticut for quite some time, I was thrilled to find out the official opening was scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend. I decided that would be a perfect treat on Mother’s Day morning – to visit the new store. Owned by Urban Outfitters, Terrain is a home and garden store, that up until this weekend, only existed in Glen Mills, PA. The store has that same hip vibe as Anthropologie (also owned by Urban Outfitters), but with a gardening aesthetic. An old car dealership in Westport, CT was transformed into a 16,000 square foot retail space, a restaurant with an outdoor patio, a coffee bar, and an outdoor nursery…Terrain.

Relief prints by Connecticut artist Bryan Nash Gill

It was hard to resist not calling in sick to work on Friday to attend the opening day of the store. I had been driving by occasionally during the construction process and was very excited to finally see the store completed. I could not wait to look around inside. Finally, I was able to check it out and I soon found out that I would not be disappointed.

Free sessions in container planting – this one was with herbs.

The store is oozing with inspiration. I especially love the beautiful hand blown glass terrariums by Vermont artisan Simon Pearce. They can be planted by one of the Terrain staff, tailor-made to the purchasers tastes… when I was there on Sunday, many were being created to bring home to a mom on her special day. I vowed to put a Terrain terrarium on my birthday wish list so I could someday put one on my desk at work. There would be no reason not to smile every morning with a work of art like that in your workspace.

The frame of a 1920’s green house is used in the decor.

The knowledge of the barista at the coffee bar was extremely impressive and I am sure the 7:30 am opening time will make it a popular spot for locals to make a quick stop before heading off to work. I didn’t take the time to sample the menu, but the café boasts a Food & Wine “Best New Chef” of 2011 on staff and provided both a visually interesting indoor seating area as well as seating on an outdoor patio.