“The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it.
She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was.
It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place. The few books she had read and liked had been fairy-story books, and she had read of secret gardens in some of the stories.”
~ Frances Hodgson Burnett
Today I’m so excited to be part of a really fun challenge…..Creating With the Classics. If you stopped by from The Hunted Interior….so happy you are here.
Eight bloggers are partnering together to bring the classics to life through fabric and design. We were each assigned a classic novel and then we designed a space using fabric and the novel as our inspiration.
And you know how much I love a challenge.
My classic novel I was given is one written by Frances Hodgson Burnett that is close to my heart…..
….A Secret Garden.
Here on the farm we have a creek on one side of the property and a pond on the other.
And at the very back of our land…..there is a tall forest with trees and bushes and trails and fallen logs and garden paths full of honeysuckle and wild flowers and moss and trailing vines.
The perfect setting for a secret garden.
And when I was younger and I read about Mary and Colin and Dickon and the robin prancing and dancing on the garden wall….
….I used to dream of a place like the ivy-covered garden with roses and benches and garden walkways.
A place all my own.
Just for me.
A place where the trees overheads whispered quietly as the leaves rustled out an unspoken melody.
Where the crickets chirped and the bees buzzed.
And the forest wrapped itself around and around….
…..and encircled the garden with a simple beauty.
And the summer breezes blew gently.
And the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and sprinkled through the trees.
And a the ivy covered the branches and hidden pathways.
Where time slowed and the minutes stretched quietly into hours in that secret garden….
….surrounded by everything that is real and right.
And the garden waited patiently as the clouds drifted by.
And you dreamed all the dreams you had forgotten you ever wished for.
And there….for a moment…..in the middle of the busy that is this wonderful thing called life….
….you remembered the joy of taking a moment to do absolutely nothing.
To sit and simply….be.
Just a green carpet of grass and sunshine overhead…..
….and a secret garden.
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ~Frances Hodgnes Burnett
Be sure to visit the next stop on the tour….The Handmade Home.
And just in case you are planning a secret garden of your own here’s the fabrics I used in my post.
You can click on the links to find out more about each fabric.
disclaimer: All fabrics are from Online Fabrics. I was provided with fabric by Online Fabrics as part of the promotion.
All opinions on totally amazing fabrics and secret gardens are completely my own. 🙂
This post was totally amazing! I feel so relaxed and anew. The fabrics used were simply amazing!
Can I come and stay a while!? The secret garden looks simply divine!
I love secrets -- and to have a garden no one knows about -- just me and you, of course -- I'll share that secret. To giggle and laugh and to whisper and dream. Books are magical and so are secret gardens. Beautiful photos, my friend and you did an excellent job of making that magical place. I'm just glad that for a classic you didn't get Lady Chatterley's Lover :-) An English garden -- a tryst hmmmmmmm!!
Good morning, Karianne, What a fun challenge. I love the wooded, tucked-away space, surrounded by all that lush greenery. Always a pleasure to pop by and see what you're up to. Enjoy your day, Lisa
Curious if you sew your own pillows? If so, might a tutorial be in the future on your blog?
I love the Color outside the Lines pillow. Where could I find that fanric or pillow. Love your color combos!
Beautiful pictures as always - not as beautiful as you - enjoy your day.
I love gardens where you don't have to pull weeds and water twice a day. Absolutely beautiful! I need a place to just "BE".
You do have the perfect setting for a secret garden!! Such an amazing little hideaway!
Love this post, Karianne! I love your little secret garden and the story you've written about it :)
Hey Karianne, you executed so beautifully and created a magical space! Love it! I too would like to know source info for Color Outside the Lines fabric. Tx for sharing. Ciao, Dee
What a fun idea and all the different fabrics are amazing.
You choose the perfect fabrics for your Secret Garden! The Secret Garden is one of my favorite childhood books too. This is such a fun idea! I love your Secret garden!
How beautiful !!! We have a little shaded garden ( outside the back yard that I'm dying to turn into a secret garden just as soon as I can crawl out of the worst home renovation I have EVER taken on lol ) LOVE your little secret garden - just perfect! XOX
Perfect. Just perfect. Sigh . . . :) Enjoy today's sunshine!
What a fun challenge! I'm a flamingo girl myself :)
Amazing. Of course. Rock star. ;}
I adore this little outdoor nook KariAnne! You create the most welcoming spaces every single time!!
I just love your fabric choices! They all coordinate so well with each other. Your farm sounds amazing with all that space, our neighbors are practically on top of us where I live :-(
A beautiful post about one of my favorite books! Love your approach to the challenge and especially being transported back to The Secret Garden through your writing.
Oooooh, so lovely! I'm in the process of creating a secret garden. I suspect it will be some time before it looks anywhere near as lush as yours!
Very sweet! Your little garden and story...you really are a fantastic writer. The fabrics are great, too! Jane
I would hang out in that secret garden anytime!,,,,
this project is such a great idea, and I love your interpretation of the secret garden. well done!
A creek AND a pond? How lucky are you, KariAnne?!? I'm taking a mental vacation while sitting at my desk here at work. Your secret garden is so inviting and beautiful.
What a wickedly awesome Secret Garden! I am loving this idea & will be sure to make something like this for my granddaughter for when she visits next.
How so very beautiful....and serene...definitely a Secret Garden to be enjoyed.
I am quite The Secret Garden fan and I really enjoyed this. Looks like a lovely place to hide and relax. I grew up with the Hallmark movie and just recently got to visit Highclere Castle where is was filmed, fulfilling my dreams.
KariAnne- I mean, really?! How could anyone refuse that?! But, also, of COURSE you got my favorite-childrens-novel-of-all-time-that-spoke-to-my-heart! Of course you did. It was fate. And it is beautiful. I am reading this tardy for the party so I know about the poison ivy so I will not hangout there, but let's recreate it somewhere else and we can play and drink sweet tea. Yeah? xoxoxo
No matter whether the office is far from your area, as long as they are willing to visit your place and carry out the project, then it will be a great help on your end. The first rule of home improvement is to learn as much as you can before starting a project. This is the area responsible for planning, judgment, and self-control which is the last to mature in adolescents and the reason why so many teenagers get into trouble during these troubled years.