I traced the foundation perimeter outline onto the project board. Because there’s just four inches (10 cm) of clearance, and I learned valuable lessons trying to build out the underneath of the Sea House Warming Hut — only three inches — after it was fixed to its project board, I’m roughing in the base earth now. Using a mixture of glue (actually, old mosaic tile adhesive that I have an excess of — there’s that serial artist thing again) and thin paper toweling, I built up an uneven substrate in the farthest reaches of the foundation. The ground is a mix of fine sand, Irish Breakfast (leafy) and Earl Grey (fine texture) teas. (Which I also have an excess of, because I like tea. I might even collect tea, and these were really old.)
The paper-glue modeling gives enough unevenness to suggest a convincing ground. I’ll be adding in some plant life where the sun might reach. Beyond that, I don’t know.
nancyland.com 
Fragrant sand sounds like a promising start or does tea lose its scent over time?
My teas are well-kept, and yes, this sand is very fragrant. I just started gluing in moss in some of the forward joints and cracks, and I’ve got whatever preservative is used on reindeer moss going on as well. It’s heady :} Hopefully not in a losing-brain-cells kind of way.
Have you tried Argo’s Earl Grey Créme? Mmmmmm.
I have not. But you know I will.
:)
Great idea mixing tea leafs with the sand for a dirt mixture.
It’s a pretty convincing texture for this part of the world. And fragrant :)
~F~A~N~T~A~S~T~I~C~ idea, Nancy! Thanks for sharing! Oh, and if you ever have occasion to stop by Spanaway, WA, I’ll hook you up with some fantastic teas from Pike Place Market!
Thanks, Jodi. We learn from our scraped knuckles. Spanaway sounds like a lovely place for a tea connection :)