So we are thinking of filling in the pond w/small red lava landscaping rock on bottom (lots of this in a garden we are redoing and I dislike it), then river rocks on top w/the fountain still bubbling up in the middle. Any suggestions on how to do this properly so that the water will not leak out, and we don't have to continue to refill the water level? Thanks for any ideas, I live in Wyoming so there is LOTS of snow in the winter and it is only used in the summer months.

Now we are also going to redo the front of the house w/a full length deck (eventually a roof over it). Have some cinder blocks, and thought about using wood decking over them w/the blocks as support. Do we need to place the blocks in sand to level? Or how should we proceed?

You'll need the stamps, a piece of silverware, a hammer of some kind - I prefer a larger metal mallet type hammer (better to smash your fingers with), a magic marker, something to stamp onto (I used a small brass block that I found in the garage) and for safety you should wear gloves and safety glasses.

Instructions are below the photos and a much more detailed tutorial is on my blog post.

Oh, and I've had quite a few people asking on my blog about using them for weddings (stamping Mr. and Mrs. on forks or wedding dates, etc). Avery cute idea, BTW. I would say if you are expecting people to eat with them, I would skip the steps about using a magic marker, because that could be toxic. And you certainly don't want to start the marriage off on a bad note. If you still want to do the last step where you "color" them in a little, you could use liquid food coloring and wipe it into the letters a little.

Have fun stamping. Watch out for your thumbs and please wear you safety gear!

I also like this project when I need to have a lot of favors for an event. Fill the jar with anything that is appropriate for the event.

Teacher gifts ~ baby showers ~ bridal favors ~ almost any setting works.