Instant Forest Walkway or Outdoor Room Floor!



"Making Foot-paths out of nothing at all... out of nothing at all..." (Sung to the tune of "making love out of nothing at all")

Hello my sparkly Friends! Continuing work on the labyrinth, I started getting bored with the same ol' "Rock*Brick*Gravel theme and thought I would mix it up a bit! I want this side of the Labyrinth to lead to a "Garden Room" and I wanted something prettier for the floor. After googling how I could grow moss with beer and buttermilk, I decided I just don't want to wait that long for moss to grow!
So I came up with a thrifty streak of green genius! First, lay your main floor/walkway rocks. Then we are going to transplant hardy grasses and moss to fill in the cracks and look like it has been there for years using my simple technique!
This idea came to me while being scolded by the hubs that "Sod needs full sun to grow it's going to die!" when he saw my $5.00 patch of Home Depot sod that I decided looks a bit "too perfect" for my taste. It is like the metrosexual of the plant kingdom. It's way too well groomed. So perfect it's creepy (like a guy with a manicure and shiny nails! EEWWW) It's like grass that really needs to address it's "grassuality" and decide if it is really grass or not. Poor confused sod. You belong on a golf course. With Tiger. Nuff said about that. I actually like golf by the way so don't think I am judging!

So my brilliant and "muy" (that's spanish for "very") THRIFTY idea was to search out sod's unrefined redneck cousin... Crabgrass, who everybody knows is the bad guy at the lawn party who is not afraid to kick green butt of any plant naive enough to think it can grow close to him.
Yep- this is what I'm talking about!

Search out a nice, firm, ruggedly handsome clump of crabgrass, and carefully pull him up by his roots.
Take your scissors, and give him a brazilian.
Then you can artfully plant him in between your rocks! Try and mix up grass varieties and textures.

Then you can fill in the gaps with moss that you must have growing somewhere on your property.

Continue this until you have the desired size walkway or floor.
I am not nearly finished yet as you can see!

So there you have it! My nice, green shade loving MACHO SOD that will grow even if I forget about him. You can't beat that! If only husbands were more like sod.... Ha! The GRASS is always greener... you know the rest! LOL!

Jack, do you never sleep ---
does the green still run deep in your heart?
Or will these changing times,
motorways, powerlines,
keep us apart?
Well, I don't think so ---
I saw some grass growing through the pavements today.
Ian Anderson


Sparkly Hugs,
Tobi and the Pixies





Happy White Wednesday! Pixie Edition

Hello my Sparkly Friends! Today is White Wednesday and this is my first! As you know, Pixies rule in my neck of the woods, so I thought it fitting to start my White Wednesdays with a peek at my Pixie Collection!
I love the way they all wink...
Looks like the little cherub wants to talk, and she just pretends not to hear...

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little Pixies, there are more so keep coming back for White Wednesday!
Be sure to visit Faded Charm Cottage and see all the White Wednesday participants!
Sparkly Hugs,
Tobi and the Pixies

Mommy...Where do Pixies Come From???

Hello My Sparkly Friends! I thought you might like a peek into the Pink Pixie Forest Workshop to see where the trees are created. I was feeling better yesterday and the Pixies convinced me to organize the workshop and like a dummy I listened! Today I am paying for it, but laying up here in bed I feel good knowing that we prettied up the workspace and I can now find stuff!








Have A Wonderful Weekend!!

Got Labyrinth?!

Almost! I did 3/4 today, and it will be done tomorrow!
This was what my labyrinth looked like at 9am this morning. I figured it was time to get some of my projects done, and since the rain has finally gone someplace else for the next 4 days, I decided to start on the first thing on my list... PROJECT: LABYRINTH!

First I decided where to put the center. I made it to actually face in the same direction as Chartres, the famous labyrinth in France. Next step was to lay down the landscaping fabric.

Then I got a google pic of a 5 circuit modified Chartres labyrinth, and laid out the bricks.

After adding a sitting log and mini fire pit to the center, I started to make a fancy dancy entrance and start filling in with crushed stone.
Well, I am pooped now and off to bed, stay tuned to the same bat channel for tomorrows toil!!
Sparkly Hugs,
Tobi and the Pixies!



More Bricks Please!!!



HA!!! (Sung like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood)
"It's a sparkely day in my neighborhood,
A sparkely day for a neighbor,
Do you have Bircks?
Could I have Bricks?!"

Well, I got an email from the "Brick Man" that I met on Craigs List last year and guess what?? HE HAS MORE BRICKS FOR ME!!!
YAY is all I can say.
"Why Tobi..." you may ask
"Don't you still have a huge pile of bricks you got from him last year and haven't moved them an inch?"
"Why YES..." I reply, "I certainly DO still have them, but NOW I don't have to decide between a Labyrinth or the waterfall brick walkway!"

The Best part of all this is- IT"S SATURDAY AND the HUBS isn't home and that means I am in like Flynn!!
I will post some pics for you later!
Sparkly Bricks,
Tobi !!

Hurry Up Spring PART 2 Unfinished Business...

So I am hoping that by posting my unfinished projects here, I may be inspired to really finish them! Like I told you in Hurry Up Spring, I had a bunch of projects that just didn't get done last summer because of the :
Rain
Mosquitos
Procrastination

Weeds growing on my pile of topsoil that became known as the "Huge lawn weed chia pet burial mound" and had my husband threatening me with Preen when i wasn't looking to get rid of the weeds and stop the neighbors from whispering about us.

Being Fairy Friendly, of course I begged and so far he hasn't done it.

I am determined to get this all done this year so I am hoping by posting this y'all will hold me accountable to be a trustworthy yard steward and finish what i have started! Here are a few picture to give you an actual view of why my husband was complaining. :) Smeeze!


This is my waterfall walkway: it needs to be cemented but I am not sure if I want to use the bricks for my labyrinth. What do you think? Keep it? Labyrinth it?


This is the "Broken Sidewalk Project"- concrete rubble that i am going to make beautiful boulders out of! You can stop laughing now.

This is the "Huge lawn weed chia pet burial mound" - it is being sneeky right now... it looks perfectly harmless but once sunshine and spring hit, it will turn into a gigantic chia pet and have hubby heading for the preen.
Ok- If you feel like it you can unleash your inner pest and keep asking me when I am going to get started! Every week should do!
Don't take excuses!
I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Vintage Alphabet Party- This Week It's "C and D"!





Prince Albert in a CAN...Hey- Can someone please let him out?? That was an old joke my dad used to tell.


CAT string holder...can you believe I actually bought this??? Sheesh!

CUP and saucer
Really Cool Cabinet!

Copper Candlestick!

Well, better late than never! Here are my Cs and D's!