One More Patio Added

In the spring of 2014, I've written the post: Our Patio Tiles Are DONE! (see link below post...) and that was it we thought. All part of our Water Control program. We did leave out ONE corner without tiles because we still had our healthy Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc living there. See a post from a healthy shrub in 2011. 

BUT... our Hibiscus started looking bad and husband Pieter took starters last year, in order to rescue at least some 'Offspring'...

Meanwhile, with the photos of the tile boxes and all info, in front of me from the post about: Our Patio Tiles & Freeze Warning, I found them on the Internet! Home Depot had long discontinued them...

Yep, at a STOVER'S LIQUIDATION warehouse in Knoxville, Tennessee at some 7 hours driving distance from our home. They even were open on Sunday! So I drove there on June 11 of 2017, to pick up our order of 10 boxes with the Marazzi Orizzonti Sunset 12" x 12" tiles. 

We'd spent a night at a Hyatt hotel in Atlanta and from the warehouse I did drive straight home.

Photo is from April 26 after our pot plants had been moved back from the greenhouse and after all patios had been scrubbed clean to match this NEW one!

This is on March 10, a day that it was not 'wet'... We have had our share of rain this spring! 

Materials are inside front porch for protection.

Concrete is being poured by hand...

Our workers did a neat job!

See how green the wood work in our front porch was from all the rain and pollen...

That has been scrubbed clean too.

The old wheelbarrow functioned for mixing the concrete.

April 26 from the bay window area to the front with all our pot plants already out.

There are dwarf Mondo grasses growing along the edging.

New Patio Corner where the Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc once stood...

Left and right are now both tiled and looking a lot better!

May 20 and you can see that husband Pieter took this photo in-between showers.

We have had such enormous rain for weeks on end and more to come!

Our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold is therefore not looking its GOLDEN BEST...

Sunshine makes all the difference!

We also missed good photo options for the blooming Yucca lilies... They're all gone due to so much rain.

Hope you enjoyed this update!

Will visit you within a couple of days, have been rather sick but am on the mend.

Thanks for your visit and comment.

{Our Patio Tiles Are DONE!} | previous post by me
{Our Patio Tiles & Freeze Warning} | previous post by me where you see the tile boxes and name info
{Our Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc & Our Life in Italy} | previous post by me

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Kitchen Bay Window New Crocheted ROSE Curtains & IKEA Roller Blind

At the time that we lived and worked in Indonesia, I had crocheted the Rose Curtain for our Bay Window. Well, that was without ever being able to see the results on the actual window... I've always felt they were a bit 'skimpy'... So in 2017, after completing the new curtains for our Veranda, I knew I had to replace the Bay Window's as well!
Well, first I had to find new Roller Blinds for replacing the old ones.
That worked with IKEA's SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blinds in white.
Except, they did NOT have the size for the large window; only for the sides....
So I had to order that from Europe!
It arrived via my brother Jan in The Netherlands, on July 13.
On July 23, Pieter hung them all three in a perfect way!
Since the Ikea Roller Blinds are with aluminum, I could not use brass curtain rings to go with that.
So I found 20.5mm Sterling Silver CLOSED Jump Rings on Etsy.

Last week's white roses that came home from Trader Joe's Atlanta...
Let me show you first the IKEA SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blind in white that I'd found.

Ikea.com as always has great pricing and the size for our side windows, 32" was perfect!
BUT... they did NOT have the size for our large window... ARGH!
So what to do?

Ordering the large size of 140 cm or 55" in The Netherlands and having it shipped to my brother (nope they do not ship to the USA!) and he did forward it to us.
Worked very well, no custom charges either as I ordered it in my name, having used my brother's address as p/o address for delivery.
They arrived on July 13.
So now we could start working with them.
Pieter hung all 3 of them on July 23.

Most important thing DONE!
Meanwhile I had ordered more of the HH Lizbeth thread because I had still some left over from the Fleur de Lys Crocheted Curtains in the Veranda...
This time it was only 16 hours of speed crocheting for the center window and 8 hours each for the side windows.

 With one additional 1 kg cone, yes I had enough thread!
Let me show you first the before:

Never liked this but this was the previous roller blind, hidden more or less behind the white rod with brass ends. Curtain hung on rod with plastic clips!

Aside from these curtains being rather skimpy, it didn't look RIGHT!

ARGH those white plastic clips broke so easily and new ones are white but the old ones turn ugly yellow.

To the left the new IKEA SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blind versus the old on on the right...

Here you still see to the right (through the roller blind) the holes from previous roller blind and rod not yet being filled in.
Looks so much better and flat against the window, not gaping any more and the entire window gets covered now.

Using the same crocheted filet lace rose curtain that I made before but now with 2 edgings instead of just one. See link below blog {More of Our Kitchen}.

Yes, RAND MET BLOEMEN in Dutch or EDGE WITH FLOWERS
Roses that is!

So glad I'd saved my magazines and got them now scanned in, to go back to.

Where the arrow is to the left, that's the length of my 1st curtain.
Now I was going to make it full length.
Since these IKEA Roller Blinds were out of aluminum I could not use brass curtain rings like I did in the veranda where I used Mom's old ones.

So I searched and found them at 5starFindings.etsy.com just click hyperlink.
20.5mm Sterling Silver 18ga CLOSED Jump Rings, Made in India

Excellent for using with the crochet thread as these will not stain the cotton when being laundered!

On July 23, showing you the large curtain, almost being done. Well, 3 more points that is... of total 8 = 16 hours at high speed!
I've used a low oak bench on top of my sofa, for having the pattern right next to me at proper height for eye movement.
You see also two more cones in the corner as I did set up for ALL 3 at once. The beginning is the hardest thing to do, counting all those stitches and getting it RIHGT.

Next day, on July 24 I started sewing on those Sterling Silver CLOSED Jumper Rings, for hanging.

July 24, just before dark the largest curtain HANGS!
Now the side windows, each 4 points or half of this one = 8 hours each...

On August 8, almost a small curtain done... Other projects do lie lined up on the sofa...
Wearing my biking gear, as we did keep up with that too!
Did not wear those sandals for biking though.

Pieter made me look up from my speed crochet as he placed a cup of tea in front of me...

Later on August 8, the small one for the side window was hanging!
Only one more to go = 8 hours of speed crochet.

August 10, staying in my silk Laurèl nightgown after breakfast to continuously speed crochet.
Wanting to get it DONE!

Yay, August 11, the last filet crochet rose curtain was up and hanging!
SO HAPPY...

This shows two curtains hanging...

Stepping back on August 11, to show the entire bay window area with the 3 SKOGSLÖVER Roller Blinds and the 3 crocheted rose filet curtains.
So happy that got all DONE!
Finally I managed to share this mega job with you.

Thanks for your visit!

Related links:
{More of Our Kitchen} | Previous post by me

My 2nd Fleur de Lys Crocheted Curtain is Hanging | Previous post by me

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SaveSave

WOW Finally my Tonelli Design Strata Desk from Italy is HERE!

A very long wait from March 2, but so worth it!

When I found this DREAM desk Strata by Tonelli Design in Italy, it made me search for a USA connection.

Sure enough UltraModern could handle that!

It had to be shipped all the way from Italy and of course there had to be a FULL order for making it worthwhile.
Speckie-girl is inspecting it...

But this morning at 10:50 AM we got our truck delivery with the heavy 80 kg/176 lb plus the added weight of pallet and crate.
This photo shows the removed crate...

This was the picture that made me fall in love with it... from the above link at the top.

Perfect ergonomics!

FB Page Tonelli Design does show the special structural glue, used for the welded glass parts!

It looks like a dream...

Quite an upgrade from June 2013, when we just had remodeled our office.

This old PC crashed in August of 2015 and we replaced it with an Apple.

So my Summer started off perfect; even if the weather was a bit rainy.

Perfect for getting the office ready, cleaning it out and receiving my new treasure.

Hope you like it too.

Thanks for your visit and comments!

Related link:

{Our Smaller Office} | previous post by me, showing the remodeled office

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WELCOME SPRING

On March 6, we did have our Azaleas near the Gazebo, looking their BEST. But it was a rather dreary day without sunshine... Hard to capture them! I did anyway...

All winter we are looking forward to this and then the moment is  there!

Bees happy humming around...

March 6, husband Pieter started feeding the roses and azaleas...

Spooky boy is almost like a doggy, always nearby and walks back and forth to the greenhouse with Pieter.

Two days later, on March 8, the sun came out so I snapped these photos!

Showing you also the blue sky above our Gazebo...

Closer to the gazebo where pink and white azaleas look their best.

Some yellow Carolina jasmines intertwined with them.

Nature's Poetry!

Imagine, being a bee and visiting all these blossoms...

Also their buds look lovely in a darker shade of pink...

Husband Pieter did bring in these HUGE white Azaleas that grow across the creek near one of our bridges.

Because I was crocheting again to finish my 2nd curtain with Fleur de Lys.

Yes, it is up and hanging since March 16 and I'm very happy!

But last week we suddenly had quite some frost on March 16 as it turned to -3°C (26.6 °F) by 6:36 AM

By 7:41 AM it even dropped to -4°C or  24.8°F...

Needless to say that so many tender blossoms and also young leaves got damaged!
All our Azaleas look brown, the Pomegranate trees are totally browned and so are the leaves from our Japanese Magnolias... A sad sight!

That's life and we have to hope for the best in weeks to come.

Hope you too have had some Spring Awakening in your area, or beginning of the Fall in the Southern Hemisphere.

Thank you for visiting me and I will catch up one of these days; promise!

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