Romantic Country Party & A Giveaway!!

Karla's Cottage is having a Romantic Country Party! She's asking party goers to post photos of what they love and find most romantic about their homes. Well, those of you who follow my blog know there is really only one good answer to that question this fall. It's my new patio of course!! It's finally done and I LOVE it!!! It is so blissful to sit out there sipping hot cocoa, listening to the crickets and watching the sun set. Let's go on a patio tour!
This is right outside the backdoor. We started with a traditional French gravel border but switched to Japanese style rocks. They look marvelous when wet and glistening with rain. And there is a lot of rain here :)
The main seating area. It has a canopy over it right now so it can stay cool and damp for moss growing. And look closely ... it's working! We built it right up to the lemon thyme and English lavender and oh, how divine it smells when the wind blows through!

And this is looking up the shallow tiered risers to what will be the potted herb and vegetable area. The "culinary patio". It was the last bit to be finished and you can still see paving sand that needs to be swept away and surplus bags of rock. But we already have two potted peppermint plants there growing tall! Eep! Don't look at the grass! It was hard to mow around 50 lb. pavers and rock, so we just let it go.

It has been a long journey getting this patio done, but sitting out there in the autumn evenings ... well worth it!! It's a wonderful place to retreat to and the most romantic spot in my house to me :) In my imagination, it's five years down the road....all the pavers are mossy, white climbing roses blanket the fence, a small fountain is babbling and I'm plucking fresh berries from a potted blueberry bush for the breakfast laid out on the table. I can even smell the fresh squeezed orange juice and chocolate croissants. Ahh! Blissful!!

And now....as promised....in celebration of finally getting the patio finished ... A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

A. Tiny Keys
B. Vintage Style: Old Agate & Turquoise (reworked into my signature hoops)
C. Classic Everyday Pearl Drops
D. Peacock Feathers
E. Magical Fairy Tale Stars
F. Happy Ladybugs (a brighter, cheerier yellow in person than in the photo)

I'm giving the giveaway a bit of a twist because I'm a modern girl who believes in having choices :) I also really want you to love what you win! Take a look at the photo montage above and choose your favorite earrings. Then comment on this post making sure to mention which pair (A,B,C,D,E or F) you want to win. Blogger doesn't always automatically capture your email/blog link, so please put a way to contact you if needed. I'm giving away all six earrings, so we'll have 6 winners!! (Oh! I almost forgot. These all have surgical steel earwires so most metal sensitives can wear them.)

Good luck to everyone entering the giveaway! And if you'd like to see more romantic homes celebrating, you'll find a list of participants at Karla's Cottage!