It’s a rare opportunity to have a  tree stump large enough to hollow out and build a feature like this.

Daniels Wood Land makes something a little less restrained (though they do custom work and I speak from experience when I tell you that they are great to partner with).   When I worked with them, all of their play structures were built on real stumps sourced responsibly in California wilderness’s but after a visit to their website,  it looks like they have now moved on to fabricate stumps (Huge tree stumps presumably not being an easily renewable resource.). Personally, I think the fairy garden house above is an appealing folly feature (if you are lucky enough to have an enormous stump in your garden) but (maybe it’s because my own kids have gotten a little older) the appeal of the pirate ship below is a little beyond me.  What do you think?

akes Daniels Wood Land.

The Heat!! The Heat!! — I melt just walking to the veg patch.  I can’t get my work boots on because I (stupidly) walked barefoot across my asphalt driveway and burnt the bottoms so badly that I even have a blister and two days and many Epsom salt baths later, they still ache.

I have been thinking about a better way to manage all the sorts of dirty but re-usable beach towels that end up draped across our cars so they can dry out.  Perhaps a garden feature of sorts?  But the heat also has me thinking that an outdoor shower would be lovely.  It is a place where the little people can shower off the beach sand.  Where I can wash my dirty gardening self before going inside and on a hot day, we can all cool down.

Images via Flickr, Dwell and Sunset, remodelista.

I have collected over 30 (31 to be precise) images of beautiful outdoor showers for our inspiration.  Each has something great ideas to borrow and re-create in your own garden.  (Click on the images above to see them bigger).  I wish mine were already in place — I think I am going to need it this weekend…I am finishing my cobblestone patio and starting on painting the house…and the heat is still on.  Are you working the garden this weekend? What are you creating?

By troymckaskle

Here is a little inspiration for you that I found over at Cretique (click for more images).  It has me thinking of garden buildings that have the roof built inside the structure, play structures that are knitted, and Lincoln log- like construction…as well as jaw dropping coolness….

Hakone Pavilion. Woods of Net Tezuka Architects, Hakone – Japan. Photography by Iwan Baan.

Click through for more images.

I know we already had one Daily Garden today….but I just don’t want to put this off until monday….now that I have these images uploaded from my camera I am giddy to share them with you.

I got a Macro Lens for my birthday and I have been doing a little playing around with it.  My Foxgloves are just about to go off now, but I snapped these pictures about a week ago.  This little corner of my own garden is about the only area I am mostly happy with at the moment.  I look around and all I can see is projects.  When I get overwhelmed (constantly) I cast my eyes back to this, take a deep breath, put my head down and keep chugging away in other areas.  Eventually it will all be this beautiful and I can look in any direction I want from my garden chair (which desperately needs to be repainted) and feel the smug satisfaction of “yeah, I created that”.

oh — and the foxgloves (which really are show stopping) — 6′ tall, from seed, scattered haphazardly, 3 years ago, by my then 4 year old.

Who has their own version of this ramshackle shed tucked away at the back of the garden?

Ok – put your hands down….and take a moment to be inspired by how much you can do with what might seem like a useless tear-down.

found at apartment therapy.

Imagining the future potential of a space and what it will look like after an upgrade is something most people struggle with.  It’s why designers are hired and it is why drawing skills are really important.   I have used a number of techniques from drawing over images, Axonometric drawings, mood boards, Sketch-up, and free hand sketches..but I haven’t exactly done the photoshop makeover, have you? I have seen others do it with odd ball software products that they bought at the hardware store, but have never thought the results were interesting.  But Angela over at Cottage Magpie took this technique to a new level and has inspired me to take another look at this option as a possible tool.

Pretty good I think. I am intrigued by how she make the plants in the bed on the left look layered.  And making everything have the right perspective must have been a struggle.  Do you use any tools to create this type of rendering?  What are they, and what do you think of them?