Verandizing

A verb, first coined by Jeannette Cook. It means to socialize on the veranda, preferably with good friends, nice food and a bottle of wine wouldn't hurt.

When we bought this house in 2006, first we worked on my studio which was pitiful at the time. Dark paneling, dated and mismatched linoleum floors, lattice work in the openings, all painted a lovely shade of band-aid. We've come along way, taking the kitchen down to bare studs and installing shiny modern white cabinets and marble countertops. The only thing we kept was the black sink which Mark was adamant about and I was reluctant about. He was right.

Mark reclaimed space for a workshop, we tiled the bathroom, took popcorn off the ceilings, painted and cleaned and then we turned our attention outside. It's been a transformation and I continue to add to the veranda, making it more room like and comfortable.



It's the perfect place to bead, to relax, have a morning coffee or an evening cocktail.



Today I added this planter in the corner and the balls in the tall hurricane pedestal. The first came bottom only, the glass had broken, but soon after I found a second one. They fill out the corner and bring the plants to the other side of the 'room'. Mark doesn't get at all why that is important to me....but he did cut and install the cable so that it would hang at the perfect height.

I also snuck this little fairy into a plant. Mark likes things simple. He is forever putting things away hoping perhaps I won't notice. A candle holder left on the counter top for any length of time is sure to turn up missing and vases are relegated to the back of cabinets. This fairy has been around for at least fifteen years and I think he suits the veranda beautifully.



This is all in time for my company, the wired arts girls, who arrive today. Forever we've tried to plan a little get together when three busy schedules would allow and this week we've managed it.