Well...I want to start off by apologizing for a shortened Creative Sunday! The day started off my mom Rozzie and I running errands. This resulted in 2 new pairs of shoes for Rozzie, new cat food for the kitties...And some crafting supplies. Then home for some pampering for me...
Which brings me to the why of the short version of Creative Sunday...
Which brings me to the why of the short version of Creative Sunday...
Sadira escaping to Phoenix with Amy! Wahoo...We both needed a little escape (me from my life and killer dust bunnies, ahem...Amy from her grueling school schedule...Yes, homework is actually worse as you get older!) Amy is an Irish music genius...And was going down to Phoenix to a jam session with her fiddle teacher and a whole group of other musicians...And invited me to ride along...And since we've both been so busy...a chance to have her as a captive audience for 2 hours (each way...plus dinner) was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
The session was really wonderful, I believe that was the first time I got to actually hear Amy play, so it was a real treat for me! (everyone else was good too) I didn't stay for the whole thing as I met up with a really good friend from high school, who took me to play pool. Now, I am not good at pool (in my opinion) even though I grew up with a pool table in my house (so it's a bit embarrassing for me when someone asks me to play, because I should probably be better at this game) However...I won 3 out of 5 games which seems like a fluke, and I was wishing I had some camera footage for proof...But Rene remembers! Either he let me win all those games, or we are both just really bad pool players! Whatever the case may be, I had a really wonderful time...
It was a fun adventure, ending at a ridiculously late hour, and it gave me just the inspiration I needed to finish off the home improvement task starting early Monday morning! This is a project that I've wanted to do since I moved into the house 4 and a half years ago...I did all the work myself, and at any time during the week, you could have driven by and seen me in a skirt (I'm such a girl),and my thongs (which is an interesting way to use a shovel, I must say!) working on this...
Before
The session was really wonderful, I believe that was the first time I got to actually hear Amy play, so it was a real treat for me! (everyone else was good too) I didn't stay for the whole thing as I met up with a really good friend from high school, who took me to play pool. Now, I am not good at pool (in my opinion) even though I grew up with a pool table in my house (so it's a bit embarrassing for me when someone asks me to play, because I should probably be better at this game) However...I won 3 out of 5 games which seems like a fluke, and I was wishing I had some camera footage for proof...But Rene remembers! Either he let me win all those games, or we are both just really bad pool players! Whatever the case may be, I had a really wonderful time...
It was a fun adventure, ending at a ridiculously late hour, and it gave me just the inspiration I needed to finish off the home improvement task starting early Monday morning! This is a project that I've wanted to do since I moved into the house 4 and a half years ago...I did all the work myself, and at any time during the week, you could have driven by and seen me in a skirt (I'm such a girl),and my thongs (which is an interesting way to use a shovel, I must say!) working on this...
Before
This is my "side" patio on the house, where the bar-b-q lives! It is all dirt, and has kind of been a catch all for all my stuff. It's been bothering me and on my mind because I see it almost every time that I come home, as I park my car on the driveway on this side of the house.
During
So, I dug out a lower level, and leveled out a higher level, and put the bar-b-q in it's own space on some lava rocks...These lava rocks are much pinker than I thought! I am calling them my shabby chic lava rocks. I then spread sand on the "floor" of the patio and laid this wonderful stone I found at Wal-Mart. I wanted to lay flagstone to match some of the other details of the house...but it is pretty expensive and uneven and cracks quite a bit up here. So, I found a concrete composite of oddly shaped stones in the same color scheme as the flagstone.
After
I left good size spaces between the stones, mostly because the cost was starting to add up...and brought dirt, rocks and earth from the embankment that the grader leaves after he grades my dirt road that is across the street. Martha, my neighbor who's father built this house in 1924 for their family took pity on me (yes, I have no wheel barrow, and was carrying it over by the shovel full...Exhausting, but working on my bicepts for sure!) and offered to let me borrow her garden cart. That made my job much easier! After I filled in all those holes, I wet it all down a couple of times to let the dirt settle, and let everything "set" and then swept sand over all the stones...and dampened that a bit so it will set!
I like the way it turned out, although, it is different that what I had in my mind, and I am going to just have to adjust to it...but it is an improvement! I do think that the green chair looks a little lonely sitting out there by itself, and I am now wondering if I can find some really great vintage bistro set? And, there are 2 different levels of patio right in front of the bar-b-q...But I don't think this will be a problem. Since this side of the house gets so much sun I really need a cover for the bar-b-q, I have one, but it has holes in it...and I had the idea that maybe I should make one out of some of that waterproof outside table cloth material?
I feel really proud of myself, that I did accomplish this on my own, and I had a bit of a shakey moment at Home Depot when I was picking up 200 lbs. of sand...In four 50 lb. bags, and first putting them in the cart, then into the car from the cart, then from the car to the patio area! I was feeling really sad because I had to do it all by myself, but now seeing the finished product, I am really excited and totally amazed! (and no...the bar-b-q is not really crooked...it just looks that way in the picture!)
It kind of makes me wonder why it took me so long to do it?
During
So, I dug out a lower level, and leveled out a higher level, and put the bar-b-q in it's own space on some lava rocks...These lava rocks are much pinker than I thought! I am calling them my shabby chic lava rocks. I then spread sand on the "floor" of the patio and laid this wonderful stone I found at Wal-Mart. I wanted to lay flagstone to match some of the other details of the house...but it is pretty expensive and uneven and cracks quite a bit up here. So, I found a concrete composite of oddly shaped stones in the same color scheme as the flagstone.
After
I left good size spaces between the stones, mostly because the cost was starting to add up...and brought dirt, rocks and earth from the embankment that the grader leaves after he grades my dirt road that is across the street. Martha, my neighbor who's father built this house in 1924 for their family took pity on me (yes, I have no wheel barrow, and was carrying it over by the shovel full...Exhausting, but working on my bicepts for sure!) and offered to let me borrow her garden cart. That made my job much easier! After I filled in all those holes, I wet it all down a couple of times to let the dirt settle, and let everything "set" and then swept sand over all the stones...and dampened that a bit so it will set!
I like the way it turned out, although, it is different that what I had in my mind, and I am going to just have to adjust to it...but it is an improvement! I do think that the green chair looks a little lonely sitting out there by itself, and I am now wondering if I can find some really great vintage bistro set? And, there are 2 different levels of patio right in front of the bar-b-q...But I don't think this will be a problem. Since this side of the house gets so much sun I really need a cover for the bar-b-q, I have one, but it has holes in it...and I had the idea that maybe I should make one out of some of that waterproof outside table cloth material?
I feel really proud of myself, that I did accomplish this on my own, and I had a bit of a shakey moment at Home Depot when I was picking up 200 lbs. of sand...In four 50 lb. bags, and first putting them in the cart, then into the car from the cart, then from the car to the patio area! I was feeling really sad because I had to do it all by myself, but now seeing the finished product, I am really excited and totally amazed! (and no...the bar-b-q is not really crooked...it just looks that way in the picture!)
It kind of makes me wonder why it took me so long to do it?
2 comments:
That looks so great! You really worked with what you had and made it look professional. Much more usable and not nearly so dreary as it was. It's inspiring to see what can be done with some effort and imagination.
Looks awesome, I will be seeing it in person sometime this summer - probably in July. I will have to make the trip over a weekend so that we can come to creative sunday.
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