more on stepping stones

We've been checking out mountains of books from the Library. The great debate is what goes between the stones in the path – gravel? grass? other plants? Some favorite inspirations below:

imagine a stepping stone path

splatter painting in the backyard

One of my favorite blogs is Artful Parent. This entry on doing splatter painting outdoors looked like a lot of fun to me. And so this week we finally did it. With a mischievous smile and a question in her eyes, Julia took a swipe on her legs. I told her it was ok and she proceeded to paint herself and then me. She also did some "ice skating" (a recent obsession) in the wet paint. We both were greatly amused.

Helpful hint: A good scrubbing does not remove the paint. Wear pants the next day.

Backyard project beginnings...

We're started! The stone floor and pergola project is officially underway.

Ottawa Hills Garden Tour

J. and I went on a Saturday morning adventure together last weekend. We strolled the beautiful Ottawa Hills neighborhood and the 15 gardens that were open to the public (and the tour is free!). All of the homes in this neighborhood are older. My favorite gardens were in the small urban backyards. I love that feeling of enclosure – your own private paradise!

My biggest inspiration was the idea of a side yard garden or path. I don't have quite the same width or a tall fence along my house but I am becoming quite enamored with the idea of strolling from the front yard through an arch and into our in-progress outdoor room.