Randomness

Something new!
My friend and fellow blogger Lorena is having "Share your collections party" and would like some others to join in. So go check her blog to get the particulars.
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Several people have asked me to get a photo of the gazebo at night so we went out the other night when it got dark and COOL. It's been so hot here in the desert and since we're pretty far north it stays light until about 9:45 - 10 pm in the summer. This was just before 10 pm and the sky was still a bit twilight.

This is our patio with the lights I strung and a little canning jar candle I hung out there. It's a steel patio that looks like wood but we figured it would last far longer out there with our temperature extremes. The only negative thing is that hubs has to put in cup holders for me to put things up so that limits me. The lights are simply wrapped around a metal pole he put up for me to put the sheers on and then he put the cup hook on the 3rd side for the lantern and to hold the lights up on that side.

Here it is before I plugged in the lights..........

And here it is with the lights on.

Just a different view from another side. It really is lovely in person.

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I asked Love Bunny to make me a fireplace screen for in front of the mantel for the fireplace that doesn't exist. He asked why. I said "ambiance." He then got the picture, and we went to Home Depot to purchase wood. Now, this was to be a simple fireplace screen but you would have thought I had asked him to build me a Louis XIV desk or something as elegant. *Sigh*.......

We settled on a sheet of plywood that I could paint. I'm not kidding you when I tell you that he agonized over that every time I brought it up about the dimensions. It was NOT a real fireplace that it was going to be in front of so I didn't care too much about the dimensions, only that the screen didn't cover up the entire space. I wanted some pink to show through and to just be a bit of "fluff" for that space.

We finally settled on dimension of 36" high and 36" wide, but he came in just before he cut it and asked if I was sure. I said yes. He cut the main piece and then the sides, which he was putting together with piano hinges. We decided on 12" and then I changed my mind to 9" and he cut them. When he put them on I thought an "angle" would look appropriate and pretty on those side pieces since I wasn't going to get "scalloped" or pretty edges. He just about fainted. (He can be a tad overdramatic at times, but that is NOT very often so I'll forgive him.) He was just about to put the piano hinges on so he stopped, measured again, cut the angles and finished it so I could work MY magic on it. Why do men make it seem like a major project when it is soooooo simple for us women???

The back is not going to be painted because no one will ever see it.

I painted it white and will start froufrou-ing it up as soon as I decide on the decals I want to use.

A blogger, and I can't remember who, suggested I put some faux greenery in there while I'm making the fireplace screen. I did and this is how it looks. I appreciated that suggestion and it looks really nice not being so bare for the time being.