Hey Lisa! It’s Claire, your favorite niece!

Cute story…

I was chillin’ at The Garden Gate taking pics of flowers & stuff , & Dad comes staggering in, lost, clutching a list in his hand.

I knew what Mom had put on that list–inside stuff. So I went to help him.

I took him room to room & he tripped out when he saw all the cool stuff we have at home that he’s been taking for granted.

So he got the list & I talked him into buying those pj’s I told you about–remember? And yeah, I’m totally snagging them after Mom wears em once.

I miss you, aunt Lisa! I love you! Come home soon! Bye.

Our site:
http://www.thegardengates.com/

St. Jean de Fos Luminaire Anduze Pottery, $620:
http://www.thegardengates.com/St-Jean-de-Fos-Luminaire-Anduze-Pottery-p/fos-7473.htm

Nouvele Urn Candles, $40:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Nouvelle-Urn-Candles-p/nv-10070.htm

Eighty Days Dew Drop Hummingbird Feeder, $55:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Eighty-Days-Dew-Drop-Hummingbird-Feeder-p/ps-1009.htm

Guarding Rome No. 1 print by Roy Barloga $75:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Barloga-Guarding-Rome-No-1-Print-p/bar-9456c.htm

Dried Lavender Bunches $9.50:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Dried-Lavender-Bunches-p/dzi-1006.htm

Long Oval Wire Basket $80:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Long-Oval-Wire-Basket-p/adg-9304.htm

Tall Architectural Lamp with 2 Shades $540:
http://www.thegardengates.com/Tall-Architectural-Lamp-with-2-Shades-p/adg-8373.htm

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In our home we find all kind of things that we need to improve.   Its really funny that we just completely renovated our home from top to bottom and I still see a million things that we either need to change or improve.

Our boys bathroom really needs the finishing touches.  We wanted to have a custom vanity built but just can not seem to find the right builder.  We have put great thought and found that we could use a French Curved Dresser with modifications like a marble top and under mount basin.

Our kitchen turnout great after the second go around with typical contractor issues.  A friend of mine, Marc, used  the Tuscan Kitchen Island to add additional storage and a meeting point in the home.  After seeing it in his home, I am jealous that we didn’t do the   same thing.

Our bedroom is just yummy.  I have talked about it before and I will say that it gets better everyday.  Our Belle Notte Bridal White linens are so comfortable.  I am noticing that each time we wash our linens, they get softer and softer.

Our bathroom has been a long time coming.  Beth has waited for this bathroom for a long time, over 10 years.  Well, it has all the wonderful things a bathroom should have and more.  We have filled our bathroom with Savannah Bee Bath and Body Products.  I use the hand cream every night.  Beth use to complained about my dry hands and told me that even men need to use moisturizer.  So I started using a variety of different products that I found at the local drugstore and then decided to try Savannah Bee products that were at the shop.  I couldn’t believe the difference in how my hands felt in the morning.  Then I  started using it on my legs, elbows and knees to help with all problem areas.

Our family room has really taken shape.  We spend most of our time in this space as a family, I guess thats why its called the family room.  Beth picked out a great sofa with matching “swallow you alive”chairs by Four Seasons.  I thought she lost her mind when it showed up in “Charleston White” seeing that we have 2 growing boys but they are learning the rules around the sofa quickly.  I think Beth has them so scared that she will take a limb off if they get it dirty that they think before the sit.

Our landscape has really come together and looks really mature for such a young garden.  We held off on the landscaping because I want to raise the house to 11 feet so I can park under the house and keep it above any possible flood that could come our way but Beth just wanted it finished.     We have one of our signature French Anduze pots in the center of the front garden with a beautiful white flowering vine growing on an obelisk.  We also have a tremendous amount boxwoods, 3500 1 gallon plants, not thats a lot for such a small yard.  Our backyard is really simple and clean.  We planted boxwoods, holly trees and seasonal color.  Our pool house has 2 beautiful copper hayracks planted with “ of course white flowers” to tie in the copper gutters on the house.

The one distinct thing that you can always tell in our home when you walk in the door is we always having some wonderful smell lingering throughout the rooms.  Somedays its a Seda France candle or one of the  Sienna Arts candles delivering such an inviting warm sense.  Our boys, Aiden and Ashton  have become so accustom to the smells that they are often the one to light a candle first.

I think sometimes its because they like fire but others days I think its because they have come to appreciate the little things in life.  It only took me 38 years to figure it out.

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One day I needed to order the fountain heads for a pool I was building and I started my google search as I typically do with everything today.  I didn’t realize that you needed to google water spitter to find a wide range of water features.  I ended up ordering 3 different styles of water spitters and ended up not finding any that worked. 

So we were buying some pottery in the South of France and notice that the potter made really nice water features.  Beth and I ordered a lot of different colors and styles.  I didn’t realize that the fountain heads were so nice until they arrived.  I quickly came up with a simple design and built a display to show people how they can be mounted and used.  

I used cinder blocks and portland cement to build a basin and mounting wall.  We used a large liner to hold the water and finished the exterior with a portland/stucco rub.  If I would have thought about it a little bit more, I would have mixed a color into the portland cement.  The plumbing was really simple.  A few fountain pumps, some pvc pipe and a few miscellaneous fittings and we had flowing water.  

front and rear of fountain wall

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Beautiful patinas on the pottery

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90 days in production

Here are the pots we selected for production in St. Jean de Fos, France. The production time is approximately 180 days and 90 days in the kilns.

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A week goes by and Houston needs up with our container. Of course now we have to hire another shipper to transport it via trucking to New Orleans. I am glad to say that Tuesday Morning August 5, 2008 we will finally receive a shipment that we placed in March 2007.

Life is always a great adventure….

Angel Pottery from Anduze

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