Zen in the Garden
14 Sep 2009 2 Comments
in Garden Projects Tags: beach rock art, Garden Project, Inexpensive Garden Design, Rock Stacking, Stepping Stones, Zen Garden Theme
Abandoned Stepping Stones
My friend called me this week to tell me she found some old stepping stones on the side of the road and knew that I would find a way to put them to use. Since I have been working on her garden this month, and she requested a ZEN THEME, I thought it would be a creative (and cheap) addition. What is the saying?… One person’s trash is another person’s treasure? After cleaning them up, I hunted for some supplies and found a can of blue paint in the garage along with a tube of red and black acrylic paint. I looked up different symbols that would represent a Zen type theme on Google Images, and found that the Chinese characters for peace was perfect. I printed out the image and my daughter painted it for me on the stone- who says teenagers are lazy? She did a great job and it was just the perfect stepping stone for my friend’s garden. I brushed a thin layer of clear exterior furniture varnish on top to make it more weather resistant.
Next, I wanted to create something next to the stepping stone to add to the Zen Theme. By stacking several round beach rocks one on top of the other (glued with liquid nails) and placing it adjacent to the stepping stone it added a nice vertical dimension.
If you have ever driven in San Diego between Encinitas and Solana Beach on Highway 101 you will see rock stacking. On the large boulders that separate the highway and beach are these tall and fragile rock stacks… only they are not stacked with liquid nails so it doesn’t last long! It has become a popular art form, but very temporary. I will get a photo for you next time I’m down at the beach for a future blog, but see this photo below to get the idea. Very peaceful.
Chinese Characters for Peace
Thank you for visiting my blog: nadiaknows.com
” I know that I want to keep creating, growing and having fun.”
Sep 15, 2009 @ 10:40:32
I’m “the friend” and lucky recipient of the “peace stepping stone”. Also the finder of the “trash”, which Nadia and T so cleverly made into a “treasure” for me. I can see it from my desk and as I work from home I get to enjoy it a lot… Love it!
THANX Nad & T
Mar 17, 2010 @ 07:11:04
Thanks for spending some spare time to post this excellent post. We’ve lived in Encinitas since the moment I was given birth to and could hardly be more happy with our city.