STONE COLD SOBER

Unless you wake up and dive into a martini first thing in the morning, it's no secret that our country...and the world...is in a major financial mess. Instead of throwing stones, we should buckle down, breath and just get through it. For an Interior Designer a depressed economy is a sad place to be but it forces the creative mind to, well, get creative. A few days ago I was zipping down to the grocery store (coupons in hand, of course) when I passed a sign on the side of the road that read "free stones for the taking" so, naturally, I jammed on my brakes and got stoned. After finishing an elaborate deck and patio for a client, the fun (and expensive) task of furnishing the outdoor spaces was lingering over us like a bad Mexican meal. After discovering my free goodies just a stones throw from my clients home, I loaded my truck and delivered a good idea to my great friend. As she poured us a glass of wine, I showed her how to create several sitting areas around her new found square footage. Using round stepping stones (if you don't pass a freebie on the road like I did, Home Depot and Lowe's sell these jewels for under $5/each) on top of flower pots of various sizes creates interesting, weather proof cocktail tables. For a larger table in front of an outdoor sofa, I placed three different sized pots with round stepping stones on top. This great, inexpensive idea made me drunk with pride!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Twenty minutes
COST: Free for me but stepping stones are available at all home improvement stores in various shapes and sizes for under $5
STRESS LEVEL: Loving these rolling stones: LOW