Do you have any idea how much 72 bricks weigh? Me and my sore back can tell you they weigh in excess of 300 pounds. Ouch. But it was worth it; take a look.
Like I was gifted the beautiful dollhouse, I was also given two outdoor chairs and that created a happy dilemma.
Where should they go? Where is the perfect location for these adorable red chairs?
The backyard gardens had plenty of seating so I took a good look at the front yard and found a perfect spot in the corner where two fences meet and create a sort of alcove.
I thought it would be a cute place for the angels to have a tea party.
After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to make a 4 x 4 brick patio. I thriftily repurposed bricks from another garden project that no longer brought me joy.
Thanks to a brick calculator and not my math-challenged brain, it appeared that I would need 72 bricks. I didn’t have that many, so I purchased 20 bricks and a bag of sand. The cost of this entire project was less than $20.
The bag of sand weighed 50 pounds and that’s my absolute lifting limit. I almost tore my arms out of their sockets carrying it from the car. But I did it.
The real work was preparing the location, which was on a slight slope and didn’t easily cooperate. Yes, I used a level but I’m also challenged in that area too, so it didn’t really make sense to me and I gave up after a few frustrating attempts.
As I said to many neighbors that walked by and watched me, I was doing my normal half-assed job. I know there are proper ways to do it right with the level and string and stakes blah blah blah, but I literally didn’t care. I wanted to get it done so I could start to decorate.
Before:
I needed to leave that horrible old cactus for two reasons: 1. It’s holding up the fence which somehow separated from the wall. 2. It’s security because no one would even think to try and climb over it.
I went to the nursery and bought a raspberry plant which I anticipate will entwine with the cactus and mask it. I also planted more of my snow peas and their lovely green leaves and pods will create a secret garden atmosphere. In the far corner, I transplanted a fast growing Cup of Gold (Solandra maxima) vine with gigantic yellow flowers.
It took three days to finish, but it’s DONE except for the solar fairy lights that will arrive tomorrow.
As soon as the stores start to carry their spring/summer items, I’ll replace that white table with something else, but it’s OK for now. I definitely need more rocks so that means I need to make a trip to the rock beach.
All in all, if you ignore the uneven bricks, it’s perfect, at least for me!
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 