My Pool in Paradise

Today I'm not revealing give away winners.

I'm not answering any #$% questions.

I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT ME ME ME ME ME!!!

I want to share some more about how I transformed my pool area.

BUT FIRST!!!!!

Let me tell you about last night.

Being a BIG party animal.....

I don't like to go out at night.

But last night, my next door neighbors had a party to celebrate something very special (which I don't need to go into here, as it's none of your #$% business.)

I live in a neighborhood that's truly wonderful, as most of us have become good friends over the course of the last 8 years, but....

I DON'T LIKE GOING OUT AT NIGHT ANYMORE!!

But, I said I would gooooo.......

So I washed my hair (god I hate washing my hair)

Then I blow dried it (god I hate blow drying my hair)

and then, and then, and then.....

I PUT MAKE UP ON!!!!!

On top of all this, I wore something other than a tee shirt and sweat pants.

Now this is not the type of neighborhood that most people think of, when they think of Florida.

It's full of lots of young and beautiful people.

So I kinda  stand out.

But as I tend to be very immature, most of these guys forget how much older I am than they are.

anyway...

EVERYONE WHO SAW ME LAST NIGHT

commented on how nice I looked with makeup on,

 etc. etc .etc.

Now people............. 

what this really means............. 

is the rest of the time I look like a piece of @#$.

I'm just sayin, ya know??!!

OK, now that I got that off my chest.....
I would like to share with the class how it feels looking out into my pool area. Now, this is a really bad photograph, but it does catch the impact of having the outside space as part of my living room.......

I don't know why I bothered to watermark it, as it is one pathetic effort at photography. 
I am taking a class, and bought books, and read blogs on photography, but it doesn't seem to have helped in the above image.
I would tell myself to not quit my day job, but I don't work anymore.........


It took me 9 years of fiddling around with this space to get it to where I feel it is pretty and cozy.
Remember the before????????

Sooooooo.....
This is what I did......
You know from my previous post, that I cut down the spa to make it into a planter, I replaced the blue liner tile, I covered the concrete with brick pavers, but 
THEN I DID MORE!!!!!
I need a lot of stuff to feel cozy.
Fabric.....
tshatshkes (knick knacks)....
Stuff.........


Sooooooooooo...........
I added the look of valances over the sliding doors by having awnings made out of a botanical outdoor fabric.

The awning guy thought I was nuts......

(lots of people think I'm nuts)

I made the cabana curtains with my own little hands, using hardware from Pottery Barn to hang them.

But the sliding doors still looked bare to me.

 So, I thought, and I thought, and I thought....

Now, this took place over two years.

Sometimes the most obvious solution eludes me.

So, there I am, being neighborly, friendly, congenial....

Visiting some folks that live across the street in the same model house I have.....

When what do I see?????

THE ANSWER TO MY DILEMMA!!!!!!!

Hinged plantation shutters!!!!!

I never thought of hinging them like french doors.

I had only seen them as sliders on sliding doors.

Who Knew?????

Well, I couldn't order them fast enough, right from Home Depot. I got them within two weeks, 'cuz they are made right here in southern Florida.

So THIS FIXED MY PROBLEM!!!!!mm

They look so great with only one side opened like french doors......

Now......about the tshatshkes .....

Most of what I got for this little house I bought for it after I moved in.....

but a couple of things I moved down from Massachusetts.

These pelicans are made out of concrete.

I couldn't choose something light to ship, oh know.

But!!! THEY IS WAY COOL!!!!

Then I added some completely unnecessary

stuff over the doors into the living room.....

And, not stopping there.....

I figured, why not ruin some perfectly good paint by numbers flamingos by hanging them outside to 

warp.

 Notice the wonderful orchids I have flowering.

Orchids grow really easily in south Florida.

Sooooooo.....

Everyone thinks these are real!!!!!!

THEY BE FAKE!!!

To really confuse the issue,

I put little real ones in pots in between the snake plants.

And finally......

I hung a French antique out here, just because I am a total whack job.

That's a faux bamboo hook set I found on ebay in France.

To balance it off, I hung a thermometer from

 Home Depot over it.

Mix and match, people!

Mix and match.

(Notice how I forgot to take the white tag off the blue pot???)

 (Well it's too late now!!)

Now the sitting area by the pools is where I spend most of my time....

Looking at my beautiful pygmy date palm...

Don't forget......

Oy Vey!!! Q&A!!! Tuesday!!!

Is coming up, so I'll see ya soon.

Betsy

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