cement stepping stones

We spend a lot of time in our backyard garden and as time goes by we continue to add fun little embellishments to the space. This year we wanted to add a fun little step stone path and decided this project would be the perfect opportunity to dig into our family shell and rock collection.

The first thing we did was pull out all of our shells and pick select our favorites. Then using slices of a product called Quick-Tube, we traced circles onto an old piece of plywood.

Quick-Tube is fiber building tube made for concrete columns but you can also slice it up and create really simple forms for stepping stones. (FYI- you can also use an old cake pan as a form) 

We had fun arranging our shells and rocks.

Next, Andy mixed up the cement- we used Cement All and added a little bit of pea gravel to the mixture. Then we poured the cement into the forms and on top of our shells and rocks. 

Andy braced the forms with some 2 x 2 pieces of wood to keep things from moving around.

Once the cement cured (we let them sit for about 24 hours), then we popped them out of the forms.

I created a little path with our stepping stones and large river rocks. 

Needless to say, the entire project was a HUGE hit with Lucy! And I love that all those shells and stones that we have collected as a family are embedded into the path.

DIY fire pit

As we made progress on our backyard project we had to decide how we wanted to fill all the space that was cleared. We went back and forth on all kinds of ideas- grass everywhere, mounds with plants, more garden space but we finally settled on dividing up the area in different sections.

The biggest area we had to work with was in the back corner of the yard where the ground slopes. The soil is pretty bad for planting and so we decided to create a fire pit. We loved the idea of having a place to gather and hang out after the sun goes down.

We created a circle that we bordered with large river rock.  We laid down a layer of weed barrier and then added a thick layer of pea gravel to the top.

We went back and forth about digging our own fire pit or purchasing a free standing pit. We decided the free standing pit would be easier for us to contain and clean. We added resin adirondack chairs around the circle.

We even hung a few strands of outdoor lights in the trees above. 

Since finishing the backyard project we have been enjoying lots of gatherings out in our fire pit!

We even keep our fire pit essential on hand!

It doesn't get dark around these parts until after 9:00 pm so we've had some early fires before Lucy's bedtime and then once she goes to bed, Andy and I have been sneaking back outside at dusk to enjoy a little time together. It's been like a wonderful little getaway in our own backyard!

the backyard project part 2

Back in April I shared a peek into our backyard project and for the last three months we have been hard at work trying to get things finished and ready for summer! I happy to share that last week we were able to get the big stuff done and we are so happy with the end result.

When I look at the before photos I am amazed at how much work my dear husband Andy was able to accomplish! It wasn't easy and since it was our first time tackling a project like this, things were challenging at times. But as hard as it was, it feels so good to know that we did it ourselves- WE LOVE a good DIY project! Here is a peek at what we have been up to:

After we finished the garden back in April we had decisions to make about the rest of the space and we went back and forth about what to do. Since the yard slopes into wetlands and since we have soil that is full of clay, we are limited with what can be done. We finally decided to keep things simple and split the space up into a few different areas.

We created a play area for Lucy. We separated this area with a river rock circle and then filled it with pea gravel. We found a cute cedar playhouse at Costco (assembly took about 8 hours!) and made it the focal point of the play area. We have a few more fun things to add to this space but so far Lucy loves it!

We put in a flagstone path, dividing up the space that leads to a fire pit. 

We created a fire pit in the back corner of the yard. This is the area where the ground slopes down the most and it seemed like a great space to add a fire pit for hanging out. I'll be sharing more details about this space later this week.

The last step was to spread topsoil and put in sod which brought everything together!

We still have lots of little projects to finish but the big stuff is done and we are ready to welcome summer!

In the coming weeks I will be sharing more details and DIY projects from our backyard so stay tuned for more!