Here are my Sources!

I was enormously pleased with all of the lovely comments that I received from you both on the blog, and personally, about how much you liked the lanai. This means a lot because this project was huge for me. This was the first, big, solo thing that I did since Jim passed away. It's kind of scary making big decisions like this on your own, but it's also quite liberating. I feel very fortunate to have found Joe Rogers, the master carpenter who did such wonderful work, and from there I was filled with so much confidence that I thought nothing could stop me.

A number of you have asked me for sources of various items, so I'm going to give you a chronology of the things that I bought, how I bought them, and give resources at the same time.

The fan came first, believe it or not. I spotted one with palm leaf blades and bought it. I stored it in the garage for about seven months before it was put to use. You can find a similar one here.

 Next was this green pouf. I struggled trying to decide on color. It was between the orange one and the green, and I eventually decided upon green. My granddaughter and grandson both love sitting on various small chairs, poufs, floor pillows, and the like, that I have scattered around the house. I knew that I was going to have to find some seats that would suit them out on the lanai as well. So, I did a Google search for “outdoor pouf.” That search led me to this page on Amazon.

After making the purchase, I realized, that the rug shown in the picture underneath the pouf was exactly what I wanted for this space, and these were the colors that I wanted to use, so both problems was easily solved. While the pouf was available through Amazon, it was drop-shipped from Plow and Hearth. I headed to the P&H website and searched for the rug. I felt very fortunate that I found it, so I ordered that next. Once I decided that I wanted a tropical/Mexican theme (and considering the rug's name was Talavera), I decided that I needed a Talavera piece in the colors I was going to be using, so searched on eBay, and found this wonderful frog.

After that, I decided that I was going to need an orange tray, so I grabbed one that I had around the house and spray-painted it orange. The glasses on top of the tray came from Pier One, and I'd used those before, and you can see them here, here, here, here, and here. Can you tell that I love them?

The napkins that someone asked about I made myself. They are made out of fabric that was called “Hawaiian quilting fabric,” and I found it on eBay. 

The table in the corner was one that I had gotten from Pier 1. The top is a beautiful mosaic, but in colors that I didn't plan to use in this room. So, I knew I was going to have to cover it up. My hope, of course, was that I would be able to match the colors in the rug. So, yet again, sight unseen, I did a search for a long tablecloth in a deep turquoise for the base, and then searched good old reliable eBay for a Hawaiian smaller tablecloth to go on top. I couldn't believe how fabulously it worked out. The turquoise tablecloth underneath comes in a variety of colors, and you can find it on Amazon here. (This is a wonderful tablecloth at an astoundingly low price. I have two others, one in brown that I use for Thanksgiving, and another in forest green that I use at Christmas.) The floral tablecloth on top is Tommy Bahama. The lantern is from Pottery Barn.

The furniture took me a long time to find. I knew I wanted something study and nice, but shopping for an entire set of furniture online is daunting! This set came with striped throw pillows in soft, rather neutral tones, and I knew they would not do. I have saved them though, because they perfectly match a beautiful coastal picture that I have, and it would be very easy to change this room entirely, by putting the original pillows with it, pulling up the rug, and putting down one in sisal. So, I may have a little fun as the season progresses, or do something different in spring with the lighter colors, and then pull out the orange, green, and blue for summer.

 This furniture came from Joss & Main, as did the orange pillows and the leafy tropical pillows. How everything managed to match, I'll never know.

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Welcome to the Lanai!

You've probably been wondering where I've been. Now you have the answer, the deck is finished! It surpassed even my wildest dreams! Joe could not have done a better job; I absolutely love my new space. Not only did he build the deck and do a marvelous job, but he also helped me carry out some of the furniture.

To refresh your memory, I started out with this...

...and ended up with this.

I furnished this entire space, now referred to as the lanai, totally off of the Internet, with everything sight unseen. This was a scary thing for me, as I imagine it would be for anybody. Never in my life have I done such a thing, or made as large an expenditure as the furniture, and all of the items that you see here, having not seen one of them in person.

As the boxes began to arrive (and trust me, I have boxes in my garage that look like a small village), I began to wonder if perhaps I was just a little bit crazy. This, I said to myself, cannot possibly work. Everything is not going to go together in reality as beautifully as it went together in my head. But, as it turns out, it did.

This is my spot.

One thing that I'd like your opinion on: the table in the corner, where I have my morning breakfast, or afternoon tea, depending upon the weather, has a chair behind it that was an extra in a set of patio furniture. It's very comfortable, and I like it with this table, but I think it should be painted a color other than the existing black. I posted the query on Facebook, and got a lot of interesting answers, what do you think? Should I leave it? Or, should I paint it white? Lime green? Orange? Turquoise? Let me know in the comments section below.

Come join me for cake and coffee!

Oh, one more thing, with this lovely small table, you can expect to see some fun and dynamic table settings for one, or perhaps, two. Stay tuned!

 This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

 Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

All Decked Out (Part Three!)

It may seem to all of you like a mere three weeks since the deck project began, but in reality, we are starting our sixth week. When this week draws to a close, the deck will be completed. Here's what has taken place since I last posted.

The flooring is in place and it looks absolutely beautiful. I never realized how much like real wood outdoor flooring could appear. Stepping from the breakfast room out onto the deck is a smooth transition.

The shingles are all in place, and the addition has been added beautifully to the house.

The tray ceiling went in, as well as the electricity, and the fan has been mounted.

The rails went up around the open area, and the solar light caps were put into place. I'm very pleased with the way the railing looks. I had the option of choosing what the other neighbors had on their decks, namely the standard white rails, or to go a bit different with this rail with the black bars. I'm so happy that I did this. It looks a bit more high-end, and makes the space feel so much more open. I couldn't be happier!

During this last week of construction the guttering will be installed, the screening will go up, and the support posts will be wrapped in the composite material. As soon as everything is completed, you just know that I'm going to be dragging that rug out onto the deck and starting to move out the furniture. I can hardly wait! Come back next week and see what it all looks like.

Photos by Joe Rogers of Advanced Carpentry and Remodeling, LLC,