With the 3-day weekend around the corner I'm making time to get back to an all summer long project - tackling the piece of dirt my landlord calls a lawn.

A little over a year ago my mom, her boyfriend and I made a patio. It was a fairly inexpensive and fairly easy project we completed in one weekend. My landlord even agreed to go half-sies on it with me. Poor renters take note: Always ask when you're going to do some sort of home renovation. You shouldn't expect your landlord to pay for the whole thing but you can usually sway them to help out when you talk about how much you like living there but would love to increase the value in some beautifying way. Be prepared to present a budget and if it's going to create more of an inconvenience for the other tenants than what it's worth.

ReadyMade provides a great how-to article to make a stone paver patio. Leveling the ground with sand is key. I wasn't super concerned as I was just looking for some extra sitting/eating area. We don't get a lot of rain in these parts either, so worrying about puddles forming in front of my door wasn't a concern. Never having to weed again was the objective so we laid a heavy black plastic. Since then I've found damp newspaper also does the trick. When the occasional renegade weed does poke through I opt for boiling hot water or vinegar instead of reaching for icky chemical killers.

My patio care of half my yard problem and provided a great outdoor extension to my free-standing studio. Since then I've fantasized about complete outdoor space to house more guests, more parties, more outdoor time.




When I moved in to my studio I immediately started filling the outdoors with potted plants. The Sunset Nursery is my neighborhood resource. I collect succulents and plumerias. My major concern is that any plant I bring home has to be drought resistant (I'm environmental and I'm lazy!). Both types of plants are easy to care for. They thrive under the LA sun, and remind me of places my family and I visit. The cactus and succulents are for my extended family in Arizona & New Mexico, the plumerias are for Hawaii. I've always kept my plants in pots because I am the non-committal renter ready to move them at any notice.

I've been gathering inspiration little by little to bring continuity to my taste and have come up with a Palm Springs meets Mexican dessert theme. I've been collecting yard sale and swap meet finds. Hopefully by this weekend things will continue to come together.

The biggest hurtle is covering the dirt-yard with something attractive and environment friendly. I do not want to be weeding a garden or mowing a lawn on my off time. I love what Philip Dixon has done with pebbles and concrete.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping