Hi Everyone! This is Susan Moncrieff from my blog called Momcrieff. I blog about DIY’s, super simple recipes, gardening and whatever else I’m up to. I’m thrilled to share a fun project with Say Not Sweet Anne readers!!
The Inuksuk is my latest landscaping obsession! They are unique, vary in size and are an individual artistic creation. They easily fill in empty spots, add interest and some height to anyone’s landscape. And they are easy to make!! Even for those of you without a ton of artistic talent (that’s me!).
What is an Inuksuk? Well, the easiest way to describe it is that its a stone figure. About 10ish years ago, when we were visiting family and friends in Canada, people built them beside highways in Ontario. It was really cool to see them! We used to go visit our cabin in the Muskoka’s (cottage country in Ontario) and they were everywhere. Here are a couple we saw along the shore of our lake.
Originally, these were used by the Inuit. They were used as markers. Things like food storage, directions or even a favorite spot were marked with an Inuksuk. Even single stones could be considered an Inuksuk. In the barren north, whatever was available was used. However, it’s the stone Inuksuk, made in the human form, that I LOVE!!!
I had some bare spots in my landscaping due to the cold, nasty winter we had here in Wisconsin. Like, around my blue spruce where I had to dig up 6 dead knockout roses. Rather than plant more roses, I decided to build some Inuksuit (plural of Inuksuk). And I love them! They are unique and garner many comments. I love adding another stone element to my landscaping. Plus they add a little height and some creativity.
There really is no right or wrong way to build these. I used landscaping stones that I already had. Since I prefer the human shaped ones, of course we have to start with the legs!
Then build the body, arms and head. If you don’t like it, change it! I liked my second version better. The three I have in my yard are between 15-20 inches high. Use any stones/rocks you have. Just try to get them fairly stable. Turning them over or sometimes flipping them around often helps. If you don’t have rocks or stones that you can use, you can buy them at any place that sells landscaping rocks.
Here is my first attempt.
I liked the one below better. Just liked the proportions better. It’s a personal thing!
I don’t use any glue. It allows me to change, move and rebuild my Inuksuk. However, if you build a bigger one or have one in a high traffic area, it might be a good idea to solidify your Inuksuk. Just Google ‘gluing rocks’ and you will get lots of suggestions as to what works.
One of my friends had a couple of Inuksuit in her yard and didn’t even know it! She had just piled some rocks that she liked. Don’t you love how these were used in her landscaping? Thank you Lori for letting me share your rock creations with my readers.
Don’t you just love the snail?
Look at the top rock in the picture below. Do you see a smile and a wink? Or, like my kids, do you think I’m weird?
I hope I’ve given you a fun and unique landscaping idea! It’s a quick project that you will get lots of enjoyment out of. Let us know if you’ve made one and how it turned out.
Latest posts by Susan Moncrieff (see all)
- Inuksuk – A Unique Landscaping Feature! - July 10, 2014
I love stacked rocks. I’ve known the stacks as Cairn’s. It’s nice to see and learn about other versions by other peoples that still fulfill the same need.
I’ve heard of them as cairns too, from scottish origin. But I always invisioned cairns as just stacks. I’d never seen the little people version!
Thanks for including my “stacked rocks” in your post! I really did not know they had a name 😉
Your little people-shaped Inuksuit are so cute. You’ve inspired me to make one!
We will be starting a Wisconsin trend! These are just fun to make and not very common around here (yet).
Aww, how sweet are these!? I’ve got a weird spot in my back yard where its too shaded for anything to really grow. This would be great to add height to the spot!