Welcome to my blog ~ where aesthetics are a passion, details are a priority, and pleasure in simple things is celebrated!
I invite you to share my inspirations for a creative life and a lifetime of adventures.
Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie
You must know my love for neutrals by now! And, in the fall, white pumpkins are my fave!
In my last post, I showed you some of the more traditional pumpkin sightings I’ve seen so far this year. Today, I am sharing some of the more neutral pumpkins I’ve seen. Enjoy!
I would like to substitute white pumpkins to mix with these daisies! More like this –
Not white, but what a lovely neutral!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!
Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
I do feel just a little bit guilty posting these photos while it is still officially summer! Not one to easily give into fall, I did visit a couple farms to check out what was displayed for the upcoming season. Here are some of my favorites from the traditional – orange – color pumpkins. (My favorite – white pumpkins – will be in my next post!)
I love the addition of green – with plants or squash – to a fall arrangement!
A squatted pumpkin shape is so much more interesting than a round one!
How great do these colors look together?
I always love an interesting stem!!
It is the best time of year for visiting farm shops and garden centers! So much to explore! Have you started yet?
Have a great weekend and start to the new season! Thanks for stopping by!
Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on pumpkin peeping 2024 | garden, inspiration
I did a couple posts this fall about color and styling of pumpkins. There is one more color palette I want to mention before we leave this topic!
When styling pumpkins for fall, green is an option we hadn’t really seen in the past. What fun varieties there are now! So, in this post, I am offering up some examples of how the color green can be added to pumpkin vignettes!
Not only are pumpkins offered in a variety of colors, but have you noticed there are pumpkin offerings in softer, muted looking tones?
Of course, a multi-color theme is a styling option as well and incorporating fall flowers is so fun! And though pumpkins come in a variety of colors, fall flowers, like the colors of the falling leaves, are available in even more!
No matter your preference, I hope you are having fun with color this fall – whether it be with pumpkins and/or flowers!
And yes, I know Christmas décor is coming in hot, but it is technically still fall and I like to embrace the fall décor at least until Thanksgiving!
Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on shades of green pumpkins | diy, garden, inspiration, style
Growing up, pumpkins were one shape and one color only. Today, there is a myriad of varieties of pumpkins/squash that are so far beyond the plain round, orange pumpkin from my childhood!
Of course, there are certainly plenty of styling options staying within the traditional orange color palette, if that is your preference – but so many more choices than just a round orange pumpkin!
The photos here are some fun vignettes I’ve seen this year!
Are you inspired to put out some pumpkins?
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things,
Jackie
Comments Off on pumpkin’ to talk about | garden, inspiration, style
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 1st, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on pumpkin play | diy, inspiration, style
If you’ve shopped for pumpkins recently, you know the pumpkins available today are not your grandmother’s pumpkins!
The basic round orange pumpkins I knew as a kid have been replaced with endless varieties of pumpkins and squash. A trip to a local farm stand can be as aesthetically stimulating as a visit to a museum!
With the weather in Connecticut starting to get crisp, I spent part of a recent day off checking out such a museum – a local farm! I wasn’t planning on buying anything – just checking out what was on display!
I’m sharing some of what I saw on my visit – probably my last farm stop of the season – though I may make a stop at the one that serves apple cider slushies!
I hope you are enjoying some of what fall has to offer near where you live.
Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on not your grandma’s pumpkins | field trips
At Terrain recently, I couldn’t help but admire some of the pumpkins adorned with natural elements. They reminded me of some pumpkins I decorated with found materials last year. You can see those by clicking here.
I thought you may be inspired by the ones I saw at Terrain. I especially like the decorated heirloom pumpkins!
I hope these photos will get you started on decorating some of your own!
Enjoy!
Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on pumpkins with natural style | diy, inspiration, style
Gone are the days when pumpkins were only orange! Those of us neutral décor lovers were certainly ecstatic when white pumpkins came onto the scene years ago…what could be better?!
But there are other options these days, and although white pumpkins are still my fave, some of the heirloom varieties make me weak in the knees!
Heirloom pumpkins are more widely available now – I recently saw some lovely ones priced very reasonably in shades of green and gray at Trader Joe’s.
Decorating for fall in hues of green takes on a whole new meaning when pumpkins in smokey sage can be added to the mix!
Today I am sharing some swoon-worthy décor using green tones during a recent visit to Terrain.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!
Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
P.S. Fun fact – for years I avoided wearing green because I have green eyes and I hated the attention when green clothing would accentuate my eyes!
Comments Off on falling for green | garden, inspiration, style
If you have been to any stores or shopping online, you already know that holiday merchandise is out for sale extra early this year. I think this is a good thing.
Hopefully, it will eliminate crowds as people finish their shopping before the traditional rush.
I’ve always been an early shopper anyway and traditionally wrap holiday gifts on Thanksgiving weekend. So, even if it wasn’t a pandemic, I would be fine with early holiday displays.
On an ‘out and about’ trip this week, I saw plenty of holiday and that was kind of the intent of a friend and I – to check out some of the displays in our favorite stores.
But I couldn’t help appreciating some fall décor (even if the temps were 74 degrees!) as a farewell – and, to score a few good pumpkins stems (at 25% off!) to make a few more velvet pumpkins.
I hope you are inspired to appreciate fall one more time before the holiday takes over! Use the weekend to enjoy some cider donuts…go leaf peeping…visit a farm.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Thanks for stopping by, Jackie
Comments Off on christmas is coming | holiday, inspiration
When I was young, I would love to save colorful fall leaves by using a hot iron to preserve them between two pieces of wax paper. Do children still do this?
I used a similar technique recently to save some leaves I admired. Instead of wax paper, I used Mod Podge as a preservative and added them to mini baby boo pumpkins.
I had foraged some items that caught my eye on a morning walk and I really wanted to use them in some way. So, I decided to incorporate the items I found, as well as some small pine cones (I had previously bleached) and acorns (I had previously painted), as ornamentation on white baby boos pumpkins.
This is such an easy DIY that anyone can do. There are so many possibilities! All you need are some foraged items from outdoors, a glue gun, Mod Podge and some pumpkins. Mod Podge isn’t even necessary, but I used it to glue down some of the leaves and also to preserve them. I brushed the Mod Podge on both sides of each leaf and glued some of the leaves to the surface of the pumpkin.
Using found materials and a 69-cent pumpkin (from Trader Joe’s), this DIY is super affordable!
I hope I have inspired you to create some of your own pumpkin creations from foraged materials!
Thanks for stopping by.
Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie
Comments Off on diy pumpkins with foraged materials | diy, garden, inspiration
