A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a Cocktails & Canapés fundraising event at a good friend’s house, to take place in her garden on a balmy Summer’s evening in July.
Whilst this all sounded rather wonderful, there was one obvious obstacle – the state of the garden!
Overgrown with weeds, the fence had also partially fallen down and broken glass from the old greenhouse littered the gravel.
Clearly, a lot of work was needed to tidy up the garden enough to make it a relaxing and pleasant environment in which to spend an entire evening, so all hands were on deck to muck in and help.
Her eldest son and her father-in-law (in the background) set to work sprucing up the tired garden furniture with a few coats of suitable paint or oil.
Didn’t they turn out well?
The derelict octagonal aluminium framed greenhouse had lost all of its glass and weeds had long since replaced the tomatoes.
A parasol whose pole had broken made the perfect weatherproof roof for the greenhouse which, with the addition of some fabric panels and bunting, was transformed into a fabulous cocktail bar!
Mr. H-L did a great job of fixing the fencing and strengthening the ‘bar’ worktops, and the bunting from my gazebo at home lends a celebratory air to the area.
The Boy’s black/white board served as a useful stand for the cocktails menu.
The bar was stocked with all manner of ingredients and accessories, all essential elements in the strive to make the perfect cocktail.
Several seating areas were created to form conversational groups.
Hedges were trimmed, lawn was mown, gravel was weeded and finally, after more than a week’s solid hard work, this is the result!
The evening kicked off with a glass of bubbly to set the mood.
Our hostess served the most delicious homemade canapés throughout the entire night.
The Boys even had a whole platter to themselves!
As dusk gradually fell, the garden filled up with guests, all eager to sample the fine food and drink on offer.
Our host found his calling as cocktail inventor supreme!
The best Cosmopolitan I’ve ever tasted….
…and a totally dangerous Vodka Martini were just a couple that we tried throughout the night.
The atmosphere was amazing, helped by neon lighting around the bar and numerous candles and lanterns dotted around the garden, and disco tunes from the 70s and 80s that were playing through an ad hoc speaker system.
No.3 Son eventually collapsed about ten thirty, curled up cosily under one of my crocheted blankets and fell fast asleep until we left after midnight.
No.2 Son lasted the distance wrapped up in another of my blankets, but slept in until gone nine the next morning.
A brilliant night was had by all and we were delighted to find out that over £350 had been raised for the cause – and what better way to get your garden done than to set yourself a tight deadline of a garden party and ask all your friends to help?!
Might have to try that……
August 4, 2015 at 2:27 pm
Alan Titchmark eat your heart out! Amazing transformation!
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August 4, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Well, no redesign was necessary, just elbow grease for a good tidy up!
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August 4, 2015 at 2:34 pm
Lovely ideas here ~ so nice that everyone pitched in, and enjoyed a good time for a deserving cause. Thanks for inviting us. . . please pass those canapés one more time! (Hope the flying midges skipped the party!)
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August 4, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Yes, it’s lovely when people come together to make something like this possible. It was well worth all the effort and not a midge in sight!
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August 4, 2015 at 3:05 pm
You all did an excellent job! The garden looks so fancy after the make up session! I wish I were there and have a Mojito! I think I saw some mint leaves in the bar…. 🙂
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August 4, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Oh, the mojitos were fantastic but the pina coladas were my favourite:)
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August 5, 2015 at 4:00 pm
LOL 🙂 🙂 🙂
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August 4, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Looks like a wonderful time was had by all!!
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August 4, 2015 at 4:44 pm
It certainly was! There’s not much that can beat good food, good drinks and all in the company of good friends:)
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August 4, 2015 at 4:32 pm
What a great result, both for charity and the host’s garden 🙂
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August 4, 2015 at 4:45 pm
I know, it’s a win-win and great fun to boot!
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August 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Sounds like one great party!!
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August 4, 2015 at 6:22 pm
What an amazing make-over! Fab job! Marianne xx
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August 4, 2015 at 7:05 pm
It was amazing that it was finished on time considering the amount of work there was to do!
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August 4, 2015 at 7:45 pm
Fabulous way to get the garden sorted. looks like a wonderful party and a great way to raise money for charity.
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August 6, 2015 at 7:47 am
And do you know what? They spend so much time in their new garden as it’s now so lovely. They can’t go out there without canapés and a cocktail either – now that’s the way to enjoy your garden!
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August 6, 2015 at 9:46 am
certainly is 🙂
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August 4, 2015 at 8:27 pm
What a difference – love the ‘cocktail bar’! Can’t think of a better way to spend a summer evening than this…………..
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August 6, 2015 at 7:49 am
It’s brilliant, isn’t it? They can’t go out there now, without a cocktail in hand and they’re using the garden so much more.
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August 4, 2015 at 9:32 pm
Great job all the way around.
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August 6, 2015 at 7:50 am
It looks so lovely now, even without the bunting and fully stocked bar. I may have to make them some bunting of their own though, as they are now spending so much time in the garden.
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August 6, 2015 at 3:48 pm
It is like that movie quote “If you build it they will come” but in your case if you tidy it up. 🙂
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August 5, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Sounds like a brilliant evening and that crochet blanket looks very cosy!
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August 6, 2015 at 7:52 am
It was indeed a great night and the new garden means that they’re more inclined to sit out of an evening. We needed the blankets later on though, it did get a bit chilly!
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August 5, 2015 at 3:50 pm
That greenhouse cum bar is just ingenious! There’s nothing more that makes you tidy your garden/house than the threat of friends coming around!
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August 6, 2015 at 7:53 am
Ain’t that the truth!!
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August 6, 2015 at 6:38 pm
What a transformation! It’s like one of those a makeover programs in the telly! Glad the sun shone for you after all that hard work 😀
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August 7, 2015 at 6:04 pm
It felt a bit like we were on a garden makeover show, to be honest, as we were working to a tight deadline too! The only thing that didn’t get done was the Summerhouse, which is still full of junk. The idea was to create a dry seating area in case of rain, but luckily it stayed dry all night:)
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August 12, 2015 at 9:23 pm
What a terrific party and fundraiser. Congratulations!
I love the transformation of your garden. Turning a greenhouse into a bar was genius! Looks like fun for all.
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August 13, 2015 at 8:19 am
Thank you – it was a friend’s garden and we just helped to get it ready for the event. It was a brilliant night and such a fun way to raise money:)
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August 13, 2015 at 4:06 pm
I somehow missed that it was a friends garden. She must be tickled pink. Going back to read again. I must have been having too much fun with all the before and after photos. I can never get enough of those.
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