Surprise Birthday In the Garden

Today's tablescape is a surprise birthday party

for

Jann Olson.  

It is so fun when a true surprise happens!!

Some of you know her from

Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Some of you may know that Jann has had 

a rough couple of years with breast cancer 

and now brain cancer, so we wanted to spoil 

her tonight.  

The table was set in our favorite summer spot 

for our crafting group in Joanne's barn turned 

into gazebo.  But alas, we also found out that 

the barn was coming down, so it was our farewell 

dinner here.  

You have seen before how Joanne fills 

the old open-air gazebo with all kinds 

of beauties.

We always have such a grand time and hate to leave.

It truly has become an outdoor room, so when 

it slipped out that it was being torn down we 

all went into mourning.  (A few days later it also 

slipped out that they have plans for something new there,

so we can't wait to see what her husband will create.) 

Hooray!

Joanne loves to find thrift store plates to 

create her tablescapes.

And she is the one who taught us how to create 

beautiful mannequins.

We all take food assignments to create our dinners. 

Amy @-thebakeaholic made the cake.

Becky, our newest member created this gorgeous 

doll that looks like Jann with each of our names 

embroidered around her skirt.  

Karen filled the table with flowers.

I made chicken for our fajitas.  

When everyone helps, it creates a 

great party.

Natalie provided gift bags from a local store called 

Busy Biddy.

Besides surprising Jann with a beautiful doll, cake, and dinner, 

we were all surprised with Nashville's singing storyteller, 

Kate Campbell, who gave us a private concert.  She is a 

southern charmer and had us all so entertained as she told 

the backstories of some of her songs.  

Check out her music.  You can find 

her @katemuses on Instagram.

Jann took off soon after to celebrate her birthday 

with her husband by going on a river cruise.  

We can't wait to hear about that!

It was sad to celebrate our last dinner here, 

but we all know Joanne's husband is so talented, 

and Joanne loves entertaining in this space, that 

we have something wonderful to look forward to.

If you are like me, you are running so hard to 

just have as much fun as you can, that it is hard 

to do any blogging and any visiting, so I truly 

appreciate you stopping by!  It will disappear 

before we know, and here in Utah, it only arrived

the last couple of weeks - alas!  

I will be posting this with

Tablescapes Thursday

Romantic Gazebo Redecoration

Welcome to my romantic She Space!

Rather than a She Shed, I have created this

romantic gazebo - my She Space, in the garden.

The basic structure has been there for 16 years,

and has always had a table in it, and it has

been featured in many of my summer tablescapes.

Here is a picture of what it looked like from day to day

before.

The chandelier was added a few years ago when

the clear crystal one became too rusted.

I guess that was the color inspiration.

Two summers ago it was featured in 

our Mother Daughter Garden Party,

and I brought this hutch down for the serving.

It was also the backdrop for a wedding reception 

a week before that.

You can tell the gazebo is well loved in our garden,

and now it is a romantic, girly spot for sitting

or even napping.

 The tufted pink velvet sofa even folds down into a bed.

The sofa is flanked by a pretty pink garden stool

and a gold and mirrored end table.

I have two antique columns that have been out under

the deck and I moved them in the gazebo.

I added pillows, a shag rug and some

acrylic legged ottomans.

 The hand painted backdrop was left in place, but sheer

curtains were layered over it.  I got the netting panels from IKEA.

I have used them in the gazebo before.  They are so inexpensive, and

come two in a package (around $6 for the package),

and I used 12 panels on the back.  The backdrop has

aged over the years, but it is a great wind break.

 The corners were also draped in netting and tied

off with artificial peonies.

Potted urns flank the front entrance.

 Hubby loves it just as much as I do.  Now he is asking

when we are going to have a party here.

Tonight I added two acrylic chairs in the front corners

but didn't get a picture.

Of course it has sprinkled almost every afternoon

since I got it decorated, but I bought a waterproof

outdoor sofa cover to keep it dry, and I grabbed

the rug and put it in the house.

If you can't get ahold of me, come into the garden.

You may find me here!

Thanks for stopping by to relax in my She Space with me.

I will be bringing my She Space to the

Garden Party with my dear friends

Linda, Liz, and Jann and others.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Garden Accessories

Today is the last day for my Giveaway
and a chance to win one of 2 Cuisinart Ice Cream Makers.

See my sidebar or click here for more information.

In fashion and interior design you are never

complete

without your accessories.

So it goes with garden design.

I wanted to share with you a few of my

favorites

tucked throughout my garden.

Enter through my garden gate on the north side of our

yard.

We have a small lot. It measures only 80 x 100 feet, but we have a

view lot with nothing but a canal and mountains

behind us so it feels larger.

Whenever I am having a party I fill this wire basket

that I have wired to the gate with fresh flowers

to

welcome

my guests.

These were all picked this week, even with the

heat.  I try to trim the dead ones back and

that way I get roses all summer.

I introduced my garden on Summer Sundays

last week during twilight hours.

Here it is in the daytime showing the canal to

the right.  It is very narrow and we tried

several different backyard layouts over the years

 until we did this about 9 years ago.

My

 inspiration

 was a magazine picture that I had

cut out at least 10 years before that and found again.

It was a similar sized yard with a stucco home and

metal rail just like ours. 

We transformed it from

grass and a fish pond.

The grass didn't grow well and the neighbor's cat's

loved licking their chops after a tasty fresh fish

meal.

 We finally found something we loved.

My oldest daughter fell in love with it as we

changed it and said that it would make a great

place for a wedding reception.  She had her

reception there a year later!

The garden then inspired a total home remodel

about 3 years later turning it from contemporary

to Old World.

The gazebo at the north end holds a dining table.  It is

lit at night with a chandelier and rope

lighting which I featured last week.

Click here to see that post.

The twilight photos were my first attempt at night lighting.

My friend Paula painted the back canvas and as it ages

it just becomes more authentic looking.

This is one of four pots that welcome you to my front door.

I love a profusion of flowers.  I buy them at

the local nursery and set them in my stone pots.

At the end of the season they are so easy to

dispose of, you just lift the inexpensive
peat or plastic pots out of the big
decorative pots and throw them away.

The pots create the Italianate feeling and add

height to the garden.

I love the details on the pots.

Of course the fountain is the centerpiece.  For my

daughter's wedding reception we had goldfish

swimming in it and flowers and candles

floating on it.

What Italianate garden is complete without palms?

We bring these two palms indoors during the winter.

They help to mask our hot tub and when I sit in

the hot tub and see the palms swaying, I

almost feel like I am on vacation.

We have beautiful glass candle lanterns everywhere.

These are Maxxinista finds.

Even little jeweled ones that I found in Frederickburg, Texas.

These were garden sculptures used to decorate one of my

husband's bath showrooms.  For once I was smart

enough to not throw something out!

These urns permanently top the columns.  We purchased

these from Bombay.  Oh, how I miss that store!

They have survived years of snow.

And every garden needs a bit of whimsy.  This is the

 Fairy Queen's castle.

  Click here to see my fairy garden.

Complete with fairy houses.

Mother's Day last year was my gas fire pit.

And since I was raised with the importance of

growing fruits and vegetables, I tuck my vegetables

between the flowers.  This far end of the garden is

anchored by 3 trellises and has the biggest garden

space where I can grow pumpkins

and such.

The arbors also light up at night.

Because, if you don't grow produce like pumpkins,

what is going to happen when Cinderella needs one?

Last but not least are my bling bling garden shoes!

Who knew that they put bling on garden shoes.

But a girl needs those to go along with her bling bling

toenails!

(It keeps the garden dirt from showing under your nails.)

I will be posting this with

Summer Sundays

Bloomin' Tuesdays

and

Outdoor Wednesdays.