the backyard and pool reveal!

the two readers of my blog have called... they want photos of the backyard since the pool has been completed. and who am i not to oblige my in-laws. so i headed outside (covered with bug spray and long sleeves to ward off any west-nile-virus carrying mosquitoes...yes, i'm paranoid) this evening and took a few shots.

but before i show you all the photos of the finished pool and patio, let's remember back a few months ago to what the backyard looked like when the pool was first dug.

 DURING

as you can see the pool fit perfectly in a little niche up close to the house, surrounded by an L-shaped patio.

and drumroll please.... somebody, anybody......pixel?

THE AFTER

hang on to your hats..... there's a lot of photos coming up. but remember, you (and you know who you are) asked for it.

the pool as seen from the patio

a closeup of the waterline tile

the spillway. it makes a soothing, bubbling sound that doesn't drown out conversation.

and now for the patio. we searched high and low for outdoor furniture. everything that was comfortable was out of our budget (i had issues with paying more for an outdoor sofa than my indoor restoration hardware sofa.... call me crazy). and if it was in our budget, it was, well, ugly.

we finally found a gorgeous set in a local store  but discovered that we were only looking at the price tag for one section of the set. the price tripled when we added up all the sections. we left with the maker of the set and model/style. we found it online for about half the price with free shipping and no tax. they quoted me a 4-6 week delivery time (a little disappointing). i was ecstatic when it showed up in 2 weeks! i loved also that i could pick out the fabric color. this is sunbrella's canvas palm. it was just what i wanted. i found the black and white pillows at joss and main.

the sofas and ottomans can be moved around in a multitude of ways. and if we get a storm i lift up the ottoman cushion and store the pillows in the base.

 we had the sheers from last year's end-of-summer sale at restoration hardware. i bought black outdoor curtains to pair with them.

we got creative with our hardware. we went to home depot and found plumbing pipes. steve anchored them to the ceiling as our rods. i love them. and they were about 1/10 of the price of outdoor curtain rods... another bonus.

we weren't sure how we were going to hold back the curtains given that our posts are brick. again, we got a little creative. we found rope at home depot. steve knotted it using his boyscout skills from 35 years ago. way to go, honey. and we used metal clips to hold the curtain tiebacks.

i found these two green garden stools at ross (for $29 apiece!) when steve and i were out one night running errands.i knew they'd be perfect for the patio.

one day my neighbor rang my doorbell to let me know that another neighbor had these blue adirondacks out by her curb with a FREE sign on them. she said, i don't have room for them, but you do! SCORE! i plan on spray painting them when it cools off. still a blue, but maybe a little darker.

pretty blue lantern.

purslane.... my new favorite, mainly because it hasn't died yet... it actually thrives in the texas heat. it blooms pretty dark pink flowers all day long and then they go to sleep every night.

 

we found this tapioca tree at a local nursery. i love it.  the leaf stems are pink.

 

and there you have it.... the backyard reveal! we're gearing up for our first holiday weekend with the new backyard. we've got friends comng over saturday to swim and cook out. should be fun. have a great long weekend!

wisteria

i had only ever received their drool-worthy catalogs, and visited their online store,  ...until saturday. i made a trip to wisteria dallas, by love field airport, where there is a flea market in the back of the store. the front of the store is gorgeous. i was in awe of their beautiful furniture, pillows, lighting, and accessories. i managed to snap a few photos.

i bought one of these. everyone needs a chinese calligraphy brush... don't they?

this stopped me in my tracks. i would have bought it if not for the price tag. just a little a lot out of my range right now, but it is gorgeous.

and this. just beautiful. i've seen this fabric before but can't recall the designer. i adore it. and those lavender pillows were just the right shade.

i really wanted this for a side table in our living room. but again, the price was a little out of my range. (and actually, when i got home and looked through my wisteria catalog, i saw it for less... what's up with that, wisteria?)

i bought one of these tall navy jars.

loved the ikat chandelier shades.

i would have gladly taken this velvet sofa off their hands if it was half  one-third one-quarter the price.

i'm not sure when my love affair with green started. i didn't decorate with it at all in seattle, but i do decorate with it here in dallas. maybe it's because i miss the lush green of seattle and am trying to subconsciously bring it into my home here.

and, another chest like the green one above, but in cobalt.

i have to say that i was disappointed with the flea market section of the store. i saw several furniture pieces heavily damaged that were the identical price as the same items in the front of the store in perfect condition. and i found only a few items heavily marked down.

i now request that all our visitors requiring airport pickup fly into love field airport so that i can stop by wisteria enroute. it truly is a beautiful store with beautiful merchandise. and very helpful sales associates.

LOL

do y'all have cats? if so, you'll appreciate this. it made me laugh out loud. (love his martini with goldfish.)

happy weekend! we're finally putting the finishing touches on the patio/pool/backyard this weekend. i'll be back next week with photos.

cartoon from here.

if you need me this weekend,

i'll be here. we went from this to this in a week.
it's 99% done. we still need the stone cap on the spillway. but yes, it's swimmable. we took our first swim last night. it was heaven. it seems odd to see it in the backyard, just a few feet from the house. it makes me feel like i'm on vacation... permanently. i've only ever had access to a swimming pool while on a vacation.

we still need some landscaping completed and once it is, i'll post pictures of the whole shebang.