We've decided to redo our path between our driveway and side door, and I want to make a bunch of hexagonal stepping stones decorated with pretty colorful stones and things like that.

I know that Hobby Lobby sells little tiny bags of stones for a couple bucks each but that is not going to work given how many stepping stones we're going to make!

So, where are you all getting your colorful stones and similar artifacts??

Dave,

Your path idea sounds great...be sure to show us when it's all finished.

Three inexpensive places:
1.Walmart
2.Dollar store...bigger bags of fun colorful stones in the candle aisle ... at least here.
3. Goodwill. Sometimes they have bags bunched together super cheap. I purchased a larger bag of bright blue glass circles that way.

Others will pipe in too.

Trish had suggested the dollar store. I'm definitely going to check there next time I'm in town.

Bags of marbles work as well.

Yes, Dollar Stores, Goodwill, etc. ... also can be gotten at places that sell gravel, crushed rock, river rock and stones in bulk like some hardware stores do. Also check your Yellow Pages.

Dave, Bubbles has access to tumbled glass, it's part of their recycling process there. The tumbled glass is great, though not uniform in size. I'm going to use it in stepping stones too. A little would go a long way, i think. She sent me about 45 pounds of it. I'm figuring it will make several stepping stone designs.
(If I ever get over the lifting of the box it came in.)

I know about those amazing glass pebbles that Bubbles gets in Austin. I was so jealous when I saw her glass pathway!

Good tips all - thank you! I'll let you know what I find.

Well, we could all get together and send you a bago of stones and you could make a block from each one of us. How about that. I have a couple bags of marbles I can send. Can always go to Dollar store and get more. You supply the concrete, I'll send you a bag of pretty rocks.....

Our walmart has bags of stones in the craft section. They're cheap too.

Debbie - Virginia Debbie is saving pizza boxes for her molds/forms. I'm betting you could go to a local pizzeria and they would sell you as many boxes as you need for cheap. Course 4 pieces of lumber works as well and you can keep re-using the forms.

Be sure to throw some mesh/re-rod/any old pieces of metal you may have into the concrete before it sets up. You want the metal 40% from the bottom.

I don't know how many stepping stones you're making but if it's more than a dozen, it would be cheaper to go to your local brick and block place and buy bag(s) of Portland Cement and then go the to gravel place and have them dump 3/4 mix into the bed of your truck. The mix would be 5 to 1 with 5 being the 3/4 mix.

If the stones or glass don't pan out, pebbles on top look really well too. I love the look of exposed aggregate.

http://www.google.com/search?q...

We had exposed aggregate knee walls along our walks in OH. Loved the look of it.

Can't WAIT to see the finished product

Mosiac Dave, Think of the possibilities....????

This is good. We went to the dollar store and got a bunch of different smooth glass pieces. We also went to Wal-Mart and got several bags of stones and one bag of shells.

We also got a couple bags of small gravel from the aquarium section.

I got home and had a tree mail from Bubbles offering to send me a box of glass (thank you - I replied!).

So, I think we're pretty established here.

I haven't fully measured yet but I estimate it'll take around 50 stones total. They stones will be hexagons and about 9" wide.

Here's a picture of our stones purchases:

You could go on a shell-collecting day trip down to Galveston.
Here is a link to the best shell collecting beaches: http://www.coastalliving.com/t...

June, shell collecting sure would be fun! I remember doing that when I was a child.

Here's a couple pictures of some stones that some of our children made a few days ago. The stones are wet in the photo because they've been in water while curing. I took them out for the photos and then back in they went!

A heart-shaped stone made by one of our daughters:


The first of many hexagon stones:

and don't forget hand prints, feet prints, pennies

Oh, they're beautiful! I love the colors!

vic said:and don't forget hand prints, feet prints, pennies

Definitely! And some leaf prints, too.

Awesome, Dave!! I do like Charlene's idea of sending you some stones to make it personal from each of us. Send me a tree mail and I would be willing to send some to you.

I do love that idea but it'll get expensive and cause a lot of trouble for everyone, and I'm pretty sure that we have enough supplies now, especially since Bubbles is so generously sending us a big priority box of glass.

You are all so kind. What a wonderful group of people you are.

And you will not believe the amount of glass Bubbles can get into one of those boxes!!!
How fun. Y'all got some good stones and shells.

I'm really looking forward to it.