Laying Pavers, Before and After

Oh, what to do with a large flower bed. Having a front yard with afternoon shade and nowhere to sit, I had a good idea. This was no easy project for someone inexperienced as myself. I often have ideas circulating in my head and decide to just go for it, entirely on a hunch (and the occasional Youtube tutorial). But on the way home from making my purchases, and a trunk full on heavy supplies, I panic, and wonder if I can really accomplish the task. This one was purely a job of trial and error.

Here's how it went: First, I removed the mulch, weed barrier, and a few shrubs. Next, I leveled the slope, filling in wherever needed with extra soil, packed, then topped with paver sand, packed again. Next, I arranged the heavy stones in a pattern (several times until it was right), filled in between with pea gravel, then edged with large river rocks. Last, I took two Ibuprofen and limped with a sore lower back for two days. Sounds easy, huh?