Peace of Heaven

Secret Garden
Every home needs a special, quiet spot: that place where you go at the end of the day to escape from the busyness of work and the hecticness of daily life. Karen and her fiancé, Greg, knew that their home in Meriden was craving such a spot. So, they set out to create a charming garden grotto.

For the Birds
When her interest in gardening first began, Karen thought that bird feeders would be the perfect next addition to her yard. It only seemed right that the plants and bushes would be filled with the sounds of sweet, little chirps. Unfortunately, the birds made such a mess, leaving seed all over Karen's white stones. She decided to stick to plants and leave the bird-watching to her neighbor, Mary. So, the feeders and seed were transported next door, while the "bird garden" became the perfect setting for Karen and Greg's new grotto. A decorative birdhouse replaced the feeders and plants and flowers filled the area, but it wasn't long before Karen knew that some extra flair was needed for the little getaway.

Two of Everything
Karen and Greg certainly had no lack of "flair" to add to their grotto. Whenever a couple meets later in life, it is inevitable that they will end up with a house filled with doubles of many things. Such was the case with Karen and Greg, who found that their new home had two of everything from dinnerware sets to vacuums to bath mats. Being the eclectic couple that they are, they even found themselves with two artsy garden chairs, each of which was equally wonderful, but also lacking a table at which it could be placed. So, in the mind of an artist, the only logical solution was to make a table to complete the set. Once this creation started to take shape, Karen knew that this had been the missing piece of pizzazz that was just what the garden grotto needed.

Mosaic to the Rescue
Working with a small budget but a large stash of creativity, Karen found herself heading back to her new-found love of mosaic-making. Smashing plates and gathering all sorts of materials, Karen began to work on the mosaic that would eventually become an artistic tabletop. Corks became the framework for the mosaic masterpiece. After much searching, Karen found a table base at a local restaurant supply store for only $25. Once spray-painted, it matched the chairs perfectly.

Now complete, it's clear that the mosaic table has finished off the garden grotto just perfectly. With one glance at the tabletop, it is obvious that the piece feels quite at home. Written in mosaic tiles is a saying chosen by Greg, which echoes the purpose and feeling of the garden to a tee. It reads "Peace of Heaven," which is exactly what this little getaway has become.