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With so much land (and two very energetic children), we make the most of our acreage. Sometimes though, we make it so far away from the house that a place for me to sit is most welcome. It still allows me to supervise the children and gives them (and our puppies) more time to play, explore and enjoy nature.

That’s why when I came across this little gem, I perked up:

(via readymade.com)

It was love at first sight!! I read the directions here, and pondered, “Do I have the energy for this?” I certainly have the desire! It’s going on my every growing “To Do” List, but after reading the comments and directions several times, I figured out a few shortcuts.

Briefly, the directions that were given:

Figure out where you would want it and the dimensions. Theirs was 8’x4’x4′, which required roughly 150 cubic feet of dirt.

Stake it every 18″, going down 12″.

Attach waferboard with nails.

Shovel in dirt, watering it in lightly every time 12″ of dirt is in and stomp.

Remove structure….

Mold with trowel, sprinkle with fertilizer and gypsite and water.

Add strips of poultry netting for support on arms and back.

Lay sod, staggering rows, and use planting stakes to keep them in place until roots hold.

Water often over the next few weeks, remove stakes, and trim as needed. This is just a brief summary to give you an idea of the directions. The full and detailed directions are here for this particular project.

Because of the amount of dirt, the back-breaking labor involved and from reading comments about how difficult this project (and others similar in nature) is in terms of the dirt and the form, it might be easier to use bricks or cinder blocks as the base/form and pack dirt on top.

Maintaining the look of this might also prove difficult, so maybe instead of grass, try moss? I also wouldn’t want to sit on any little creepy critters 😮 !!

You could also create chairs…

… and seating arrangements!

The chairs were created from a cardboard kit, The Terra Armchair, that sells for about $100 and includes the grass seed, but I’ve got the DIY disease; I think I can create a cardboard form. It’s going to be covered with dirt, so it doesn’t have to be pretty  😉

It would be nice to have a table as well!

The more I’ve thought about this project, the more I like using the land as “clay”. The children might like to create a whole zoo of animals. Maybe some turtles and alligators?

Enjoy the rest of your day!!