Ever since my daughter was born, we have been on a pretty tight budget. But even being on a tight budget, I try to re-create things at home that bring joy.
We’ve been so lucky to receive a generous annual gift of a membership to our local botanical garden. Each year, we explore the gardens and attend all of their amazing events. Pre Covid of course…
Out of all of the sights to see and the beautiful sculptures and water, her favorite thing to enjoy was a giant slate wall with water and paint brushes used to create. It’s a bit hidden in the children’s garden, in fact I didn’t know it even existed for a while.
When she was about 2 1/2 years old, I had the crazy idea to try and figure out how we could replicate a similar wall at our home. Her father and I brainstormed first a bit and finally decided to do it. It would be the perfect addition to the small fairy garden I was creating for her.
We were able to find affordable pieces of slate at Floor and Decor. I tried getting several pieces wet to make sure that water would show up when we paint with it. Finally, we found a good match. With the size that we wanted, we only needed 6. Well, 6 pieces of slate doesn’t seem that bad, until you pick them up and hold them. We needed something strong to hold it all up and to keep it safe on the ground.
First, we needed to get 3/4 inch plywood cut to the size of our wall and tiling board cut to the same size. We bought 6 2×4’s for holding up the wall, and 1×2 pieces of wood for the border. We needed wood screws and decking nails to put it together.
Then, we had to put together the plywood and the tiling board with the nails. We purchased grout to make sure the tile stayed on really well. And nailed in the border and the wood stakes. We used those 2×4 wood as stakes to bury into the ground so the wall wouldn’t tip over since it is very heavy.
Finally, we picked out colors that we had on hand and decided to paint the legs and trim. We also added a small ledge so we could rest the chalk or paintbrushes and cups of water.
Almost 3 years and a move later, it still seems to be holding up pretty well. And it is working out perfectly for our homeschooling and outdoor classroom!
Creations of an Imperfect Mom 