Protection From The Scorching Arizona Sun.

The mercury is rising and we Phoenicians,

 can feel the heat closing in and breathing down our necks.

Much like the folks in the East batten down the hatches for the winter,

 we now take our turn battling the elements in the summer.

We prepare for the sizzling heat and the monsoon weather by cranking up the A/C and hiding out till the sun goes down.

When we do venture out of our cool, dark, 

cave like dwellings,

 we are poolside.

Our poolside gazebo cover was looking tired and tattered from surviving 3 years of heat and monsoon weather. 

My husband ordered a replacement cover and I added lighting in the form of a candle chandelier.

 Because our concern here is the blazing sun on a hot summer day, 

we never hung the mosquito netting which originally came with the gazebo,

 netting doesn't offer much protection when it comes to scorching sunlight.

  Instead, I hung curtain panels.

Several years ago,

 we installed panels from Ikea on the back patio 

and they have work wonderfully blocking the killer Arizona sun 

and the same goes for the gazebo.

As for the current gazebo panels, 

they were faded, dirt encrusted and ready for retirement. 

Any serious frugalista knows, 

it takes time to hunt down the bargains to put a project together.

My hunt for bargains always begins at G.W. and once again,

 G.W. didn't let me down.

I found four burlap curtain panels for $5.99 each.

Using the metal gazebo frame as my curtain rod, 

I installed the curtains with these clips I purchased from JCPenney.

The package of clips cost slightly more than the curtains 

but since the clips are metal 

I can use them year after year. 

They slip right over the metal rod and glide perfectly to open and close the curtains.

The curtains went up on the East and West exposure and they will keep gazebo occupants and furniture,

 free from our summer archnemisis, 

the sun. 

Jute,

if you already didn't know,

provides for the perfect curtain tieback.  

Did you notice the trim on the panels?

Did you notice they coordinate with the cover perfectly?

I can only say, 

thank you.

Thank you to my 

my personal shopper who has come through,

 by once again donating my pool patio wish list items 

to G.W. for my decorating enjoyment.

Follow these links and enjoy: