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Tag: holiday decor


christmas in a teacup

11
December

gnomes in a teacup close up

Would you like to try a Christmas craft that is a little different from creating a gingerbread house?  Maybe even a little less intimidating?  How about crafting a holiday scene in a teacup?

gnomes in a teacup

I recently met a good friend at a tea house for breakfast and came upon these lovely centerpieces on the tables…instant smile makers!

reindeer with a teacup

Of course this one is my favorite…it most closely matches my decorating style!

teacup snowballs for sale

Isn’t this a great DIY craft idea?  Even for inexperienced crafters, creating a little holiday teacup scene is not intimidating at all!  A few little decorative items and some artificial snow are all that is needed to transform a teacup and saucer into an enchanting holiday scene!

penguin in a teacup

I love this idea!  I have plenty of vintage teacups since I sometimes use them to serve crème brulees or to plant moss or small plants.  If you don’t own any, pick one, or several, up at any Goodwill or tag sale.  Better yet, use a family heirloom to build your miniature scene!

birdbath in a teacup

I can’t wait to take out my box of miniature white bottle brush trees to get started!  You know I don’t decorate in red and green for the holidays, so I can’t wait to create some scenes in neutrals!  I think shells and sea glass are also in order!  I see coastal holiday scene teacups in my future!

snow house in a teacup

I hope I have inspired you to create some Christmas scene teacups of your own this holiday!  Use your imagination and have fun with it!

cardinal on a bench tea cup

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

Comments Off on christmas in a teacup | diy, holiday, inspiration

holiday 2018 at terrain

27
November

zinc village at terrain

This may be the first year since it opened that I did not attend the holiday open house at Terrain.  I know I usually share some photos from the day since the store is so inspiring!

lights for the holidays

holiday ferns

A few followers that live out of the area emailed and asked me about the open house – hoping to see some photos again this year.  Since I don’t want to disappoint…I made a trip over last Sunday morning so I could take a few photos and share them with you!  Walking around early on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee proved to be a peaceful and beautiful way to start the day!

dining at terrain westport

It is not exactly the same as the magnificent open house day, but for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to have a Terrain within visiting distance, the photos are fun to look at!

holiday tree at terrain

My favorite things are always the plants and I was not disappointed.  The terrariums and the way they incorporate holiday elements are fabulous!

christmas terrarium

holiday terrarium

The miniature zinc village is one of the stars of the show…as it was last year.  It looks like some new pieces were added this year.  I am still totally in love with the zinc advent calendar!

Terrain advent calendar

Santa forgot to bring it to me last year…maybe I will have better luck this year!

zinc trees at terrain

Sorry I didn’t get open house photos posted this year.  I hope you got a little bit of a Terrain holiday fix from these Sunday morning photos!

holiday lights

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great start to this holiday season!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on holiday 2018 at terrain | holiday, inspiration

christmas movie nostalgia

5
January

The Winter Warlock

Last year I shared photos from the holiday display at the Beaumont Farm in Wallingford, Connecticut.  It was such a cool display of scenes from the movie Christmas Vacation.  Since I shared those photos, I came to realize that Bill Beaumont, owner of the farm, creates a display every year and has been for around 15 years.

the workshop

entrance to santas workshop

Each year, Beaumont creates a display using a classic Christmas movie as inspiration.  This year, I didn’t make it to the farm until after Christmas, but I still want to share this year’s display for today’s Friday field trip.

mountain of the whispering winds

Beaumont chose an oldie this year – a stop motion Christmas television special originally broadcast in 1970.  The Rankin/Bass production is called Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, based on the song of the same name.

Topper the penguin

If you have ever seen this classic, you know Fred Astaire is the narrator of the movie.  He tells the story of how Santa Claus and several traditions came to be.

North Pole mail

Beaumont did an amazing job of portraying the movie on the corner of his farm – creating 9 characters and 6 scenes that truly give visitors the feel of the original production.

santas worskhop window

Welcome to Somber Town

I wasn’t sure I had seen the movie, but once I started touring the display, I instantly recognized the evil Winter Warlock…I also remembered Burgermeister Meisterburger and Fred Astaire’s postal carrier character.

Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger

How about you?  Do you remember this movie?

wanted Kris Kringle

I would love to request Elf for next year’s display.  ;)

winter warlock

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

To see last year’s Christmas Vacation display, click here. 

Comments Off on christmas movie nostalgia | holiday, nostalgia

terrain holiday 2017

21
November

lighted wreath wall

Typically, this is the week everyone starts thinking about holiday shopping.

lighted balls Terrain

fir trees at Terrain

I have definitely started thinking about it myself and I have visited a few of my favorite stores.  Because I am such a visual person, I don’t really enjoy internet shopping.  I like to see the merchandise and enjoy how it is styled and displayed.  And, I certainly appreciate a beautifully and creatively wrapped purchase over a box left at my doorstep!

lighted tree Terrain

building a zinc village

As a homage to brick and mortar stores, this week I am sharing a few photos from my favorites this holiday season.

greens for the holidays at Terrain

Holiday Magic at Terrain

Today, some photos from my favorite home and garden store – Terrain.  For overall holiday décor, Terrain is hard to beat!  A visit to the Westport store is a sure way to put your holiday spirit into overdrive as well as inspire your holiday décor!

Terrain Holiday

holiday plant at Terrain Westport

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday tree with red bulbs

Remember to take pleasure in simple things and have a blessed Thanksgiving!   xo Jackie

Comments Off on terrain holiday 2017 | field trips, holiday, inspiration, style

bird in a jar holiday decor

16
December

pleasure in simple things ornament diy

I have a fun and easy holiday décor DIY!

On today’s Friday field trip, I am demonstrating ‘a bird in a jar!’  Remember the year I put everything in jars for my holiday décor?  Gingerbread cookies as well as holiday ornaments were on display in jars of snow a few years back.  This is a little bit different from that display.

I have highlighted a single ornament in a pretty jar of snow.  I happened to choose a bird ornament, but you can easily change it up to your own theme.  I grouped three similar jars to create a display in my downstairs bathroom for the holidays.

diy bird in bottle pleasure in simple things

Only one ornament is needed for each jar; so it is an economical display as well as a pretty one!  The idea started from a beautiful little blue glass bird ornament I purchased new this year.  I wanted to showcase this beauty!  I looked through my ornaments and picked out two other bird ornaments – one was on a clip.

pleasure in simple things bird diy

I used one bird per jar and grouped the three jars on a bathroom shelf.  I am sorry the photos did not come out very well, but it is near impossible to get a good photo of a glass jar!  And even harder to get a good photo of one in a bathroom with no windows!  So I took the jars into another room to photograph.  I hope you get the idea of how you can create a grouping in a similar way.

The pretty blue bird is suspended with a little piece of clear packing tape to the top of the jar.  A second, sliver bird, sits in a pile of snow in another jar.  I clipped the third bird onto a sparkly piece of a branch – cutting the branch to the exact width of the third jar so it would fit snugly inside!   The three ‘bird in a jar’ creations make up an adorable holiday display!

christmas ornament bird pleasure in simple things

I hope I have inspired you to create your own ornament display in jars!

birds in the bathroom pleasure in simple things blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

2 comments » | diy, holiday, inspiration

a terrain holiday

2
December

terrain-terrarium-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

I do feel so sorry for those of you that may not live close enough to a Terrain store to experience it at holiday time!

plant-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

It is such an inspirational experience!

terrain-snow-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

For today’s Friday field trip, I am providing a few glimpses of the Terrain holiday display so you can experience it for yourself!

terrain-ornaments-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

If you live close enough for a visit, please don’t miss the chance to experience a Terrain holiday!  Enjoy!

terrain-deer-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-poinsettias-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-holiday-trees-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-holly-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-purple-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-pinecone-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-holiday-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

terrain-hanging-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

2 comments » | field trips, garden, holiday, style

diy candle advent calendar

25
November

advent-calendar-diy-pleasure-in-simple-things

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now that we have officially started the holiday season, today’s Friday field trip is a visit to my holiday workshop to create a super quick and easy Advent calendar!

This year’s Advent calendar was inspired by one for sale at Terrain.

styling-a-terrain-advent-calendar-pleasure-in-simple-things-blog

The Advent calendar from Terrain that inspired my DIY – styled by me on my holiday table in a glass container with ‘snow.’

Basically, all that is needed for this DIY is a single candle… isn’t a candle the perfect vehicle for an advent calendar?  Who doesn’t use a candle during the holiday season?

make-a-candle-advent-calendar-pleasure-in-simple-things

My favorite candle as a DIY Advent calendar!

Utilize a favorite candle you already own (or treat yourself to a new one) and affix (I used rubber cement) an appropriate sized piece of paper printed with a December calendar…so simple and so cute!

a-finished-advent-calendar-diy-pleasure-in-simple-things

I simply typed the word ‘December’ and the numbers 1 to 25 using a simple typestyle and printed it out on regular computer paper.  I made mine 3” x 3” to fit nicely on a favorite woodland scented candle.  Use a favorite typestyle and vary the finished size of the calendar to best fit the candle you choose to use.

If you want to make one up to give as a gift; tie a red, green, or metalllic marker with a piece of twine to the finished candle!

styling-a-terrain-advent-calendar-pleasure-in-simple-things

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things,  Jackie

Comments Off on diy candle advent calendar | diy, gift ideas, holiday, inspiration

holiday theme 2016

15
November

diy ornament

For someone that normally has a holiday theme chosen well over 6 months before December, this year is very different for me.  I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted for 2016’s holiday theme until recently.  Once the start of November happened, I decided I needed to choose a theme,  quick!  Every year, so much of my holiday planning is tied into my chosen theme and this year I started November with no plans!

terrain-mug

Initial mugs always make great gifts on their own or filled with sweets or a succulent. This one from Terrain is a beauty!

What did I decide?  A typography theme!  At first, I thought I might call my theme “to the letter,”, but I really didn’t want to leave out the numbers!  Then I thought maybe I should go with “by the numbers,“ but that would leave out the letters!  Typography might not sound as cute, but it includes both numbers and letters!

number-glasses

The glasses I adore from Mark and Graham…perfect to use on my holiday table!

When I start thinking about all the possibilities using a typography theme, it really puts my creative spirit into overdrive!  Here is some of my initial brainstorming.  We shall see how it plays out!

ws-doormat

Williams-Sonoma’s initial doormat makes a great gift and is right on theme!

Wrapping Ideas

  • Initial key chain or luggage tag as package tag
  • Book pages as wrapping
  • Number gift tags using rubber stamps
  • House numbers tied to packages

See what I mean?  So much to work with!  Remember the DIY wire gift tags I made into words a couple years back?  Click here to see them.

etsy-4lovecustomgifts

4lovecustomgifts on Etsy makes wonderful custom initial or name signs like this one!

Gift Ideas

    • Initial doormat
    • Initial necklace
    • House number or last name sign
    • Sign using coordinates of a place with special meaning
    • Personalized stationary
    • Monogrammed items
    • Initialed items
    • Initial wine bottle stopper with bottle and opener
    • Gifts with personalized zip codes

 

made-by-nest-on-etsy-

Initial necklaces may have been around for a while, but there are always some different choices to give as gifts. I love this one made by nest on Etsy!

Gift ideas are super easy to come up with using a typography theme!  And I have made some gifts in the past that would work well…remember the zip code tray, the zip code pillows, or the embellished mason jar.  (Click on the names to see the tutorials.)

Tabletop

  • Number/letter sparklers
  • Number glasses for desserts
  • Initial cheese tray
ws-initial-cheeseboard

This William-Sonoma cheese tray is just perfect for a typography themed Christmas!

 

papersource-sparklers

These beautiful gold numbers and letters I found at Paper Source are sparklers, but I won’t actually be using them as sparklers in my holiday decor…I just love the way they look! Maybe I will spell out Joy and place them in a dessert or use them at individual place settings.

I also have tons of ideas for my holiday tabletop with my new theme!  I really want to serve dessert in these really cool glasses with numbers that I found.  My traditional holiday rosemary shortbreads can be cut with alphabet and/or number cookie cutters!

Home Décor/Tree

  • Initial ornaments
  • Ornaments made from book pages
  • An initial wreath
ballard-design-wreath

If you would rather not make your own initial wreath, Ballard Designs has them ready made!

The tree and home décor is fun to think about.  I will definitely make an initial wreath for my  front door this year and ornaments will be fun to create…remember when I made the animals from book pages?   Or, the Ikea heart with script?  (Click on them to see the DIYs.)  I am sure I can come up with some new ones!  If you would rather purchase ornaments, there are always great initial ones at Anthropologie as well as some of the other stores during the holiday season.

pottery-barn-initial

A great initial ornament from Pottery Barn if you would rather purchase an initial ornament over making one.

Well, that is the start of holiday theme 2016!  Do you use a theme for your holiday?  I hope I inspired you to start thinking about one…what will you come up with for this year?

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

Note:  The product photos shown here were taken from the respective websites.

Comments Off on holiday theme 2016 | diy, food & festivities, gift ideas, holiday

holiday dreaming

3
November

candles on the beach pleasure in simple things blog

The last couple of years, I have been behind schedule on holiday preparations. When I think that it is already November and I am just now putting down some thoughts about my 2015 holiday theme, I feel so off my holiday game!

I have chosen a theme. Sea glass is my overall theme for this year. Of course, there are sure to be some other coastal influences mixed in. Inspired by one of the sea glass photos I took, I painted a few swatches of colors I would like to use for my holiday.

sea glass christmas paint

Looking through some more of my photos, my thoughts run to other things I may bring into my holiday décor…

seagulls for a beach glass xmas pleasure in simple things blog

Seagulls are a staple at the beach in the winter. I like the idea of representing them with feathers.  I always love adding feathers to the tree. I can also use them with twine in some of my gift wrap in plenty of sea glass colors.  The color of snow and the colors of sea glass look so perfect together for the holidays!

bottles for xmas pleasure in simple things blog

I also like the idea of ‘message in a bottle.’ I think I will make some ornaments in this theme.

I’m sure I will make a sea creature ornament or two also!  And, of course I will use plenty of driftwood from my collection.  The Christmas tree and piles of gifts will go into big baskets.  I have plenty to work with!

inspiration pleasure in simple things coastal holiday

My first DIY for the holiday season will be to create an advent calendar. I bought bagged Halloween candy; now on clearance. The bags of small boxed treats are perfect to craft an advent calendar. Buy some now yourself (be sure to get 24 – and maybe a few extra for snitching) to use for your calendar. If you don’t like my sea themed idea, you can always make a variation of it. I will show you how in an upcoming post.

Do you use a theme for your holiday?  What did you choose for this year?

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

Comments Off on holiday dreaming | holiday, inspiration, sand & sea

forest in a jar centerpiece

19
December

forest in a jar pleasure in simple things blog

Originally, holiday 2014 in my house was intended to have a sea glass theme using aqua as an accent color. But, as you know if you read my blog, I was so wrapped up in last year’s outdoor theme that I had to continue it for one more year…I just had too many ideas left to use! The sea glass theme is being pushed out to 2015…can’t wait!

easy to make  forest in a jar pleasure in simple things blog

You may also know, one of my fascinations this year has been with jars, bottles, (even salt shakers) …any type of glass container. I just can’t seem to get enough! Putting some favorite items in a jar can really elevate them to the status they deserve and it puts a smile on your face in the process!

DIY forest in a jar pleasure in simple things blog

Case in point – my favorite trees from Terrain this year. The trees are just so beautiful, I wanted to highlight them in some way. I decided to make a very simple forest in a jar! Rather than use the typical snow for the bottom of the jar, I used white beans. I love the simplicity of the design!

outdoor theme holiday decor pleasure in simple things blog

The jar? I bought it at Target. In fact, I bought quite a few. They come in 3 sizes and are very reasonably priced – ranging in price from $3.99 to $14.99.

easy forest in a jar pleasure in simple things blog

neutral tree cookies pleasure in simple things blogThen, I got so stuck on the forest in a jar idea, I made one out of cookies also! On this one I used sugar ‘snow.’ I made gingerbread cookies and let them sit around for a while so they got really rigid before I used them – better for standing!  The cookies can easily be decorated to match your decor!

Happy planting! What will you use to make your forest in a jar?

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed Friday field trip’s quick and easy way to create a holiday centerpiece!  Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at House of HipstersThe Shabby Nest, Crafts a la Mode, and Craftberry Bush.

 

2 comments » | diy, food & festivities, holiday, inspiration

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