Often it's the little things

Most of us already know this but still, I'm always amazed at the difference little changes can make. Especially when you are happy with the basic bones of a room but want to switch it up a bit and do a refresh.

That's exactly what I did by changing area rugs. I moved the dining room rug to the living room and bought a new rug for the dining room. The darker rug was purchased to help blend the burgundy leather furniture that was once in this room. But years later, new furniture, and I was wanting to lighten things up a bit.
Only time will tell how this holds up with our chocolate lab! (Another reason I went with a dark rug!)

Before

After

What a difference!

Six Years Later...

This post came up in my memories feed from 2013 and as I was cleaning my yard this Spring, I realized just how great these stepping stones still look six years later! So, yes I can still say this was my best project yet!

"Stepping stones. Now you might be wondering why this is such a big deal? I have wanted to put a stepping stone pathway from the gate to the backyard and back towards the patio/pool area for eight years. Eight looooong years. You wouldn't think this would be such hard thing to do now would you? But it was either the money (means about 15-20 stones which can get quite pricey), needing a truck or trailer to haul them, needing help to lift the suckers, or just life that got in the way."



Recently I read some articles about quick and easy stepping stones and it got me thinking that I could make that project quicker and easier by cutting a few corners. You won't believe how easy this was!

1. Buy a bag of Quikrete or regular concrete (each bag makes about 3-4 stones)


2. Dig the sod out, sculpting the size and shape that you would like the stone to be. Depth is about 2".

3. Pat down and shape the dirt then stomp on it a little to pack it down tighter.

4. Mix the concrete to a thick milk shake like consistency and pour into the hole, smooth top with a trowel or hand shovel and let dry. Read more about mixing Quikrete.

Add enough water to make it a milk shake like consistency.
Remember, if it is too thin, let it set for a bit to thicken.
Too thick? Simply add more water.

So simple and so happy with how they turned out! If you wanted to get more creative you could add mosiac tiles or paint glitter or tint the concrete. The sky is the limit really!

Stepping my way to the backyard of my dreams!