Mission Viejo Family Creates Fantasy Land for Kids in Small Backyard

MISSION VIEJO, CA — The backyard of her Mission Viejo home was in need of work. After months of having two little ones at home with not much to do outside, mother Michelle Meza decided enough was enough. With two sons, age 1 and 3-years-old, it was time to create a play place for them.

"Our kids have been sick all summer, and we've spent a lot of time at home," she said.

One day, when her kids were playing in the yard, she saw the stepping stones behind 1-year-old, and the idea for a fantasy land-themed yard struck her.

"Everything just came to me," she said. "I envisioned a magical place for the kids to play and enjoy nature."

Like most parents, Meza and her husband discussed having a yard that their children would enjoy, play in and create lasting memories.

"That's exactly what we wanted for this space," she said of their yard.

Meza and her husband are both from northern California, thus the love of green and lush spaces is a must, but to account for lower water bills, the lack of grass and design was disheartening.

The bones of their yard were good, but like many southern Californians, going drought-tolerant was a must. That, and finishing the project over the course of a weekend.

Brightening, creating fun areas of the yard for her two toddlers to play safely — and to cover up the dirt that was underfoot — was well as moving the playhouse into the yard was something Meza envisioned for the space.

They started with what they had on hand. A trio of cement stepping stones, a backdrop of creeping fig on their back fence, an expressive tree and several planters. The Mezas worked all weekend to turn their backyard into the fantasy land that she envisioned.

Using tester jars of Home Depot Behr paint, she painted the stepping stones red, with white polka dots for a toadstool effect.

Covering the dirt with rubber bark was another idea to remove the dirt from the backyard by obscuring it, without layering down sharp bark which could lead to splinters. Now, the children can be barefoot outside without tracking in dirt.

By spreading the ground cover to the tree, she opened up a play area for the "garden" space and the planters which she filled with edible herbs.

Two resin Adirondack chairs made for a perfect place to sit, along with a few handy garden tools for busy gardeners.

They strung lines and clothespins to hang ready decorations of her sons' artistic creations were a few additional touches. Many of the flowers, butterflies, and unique signs came from the local Dollar Tree.

"We have more areas in the yard with more ideas to come," she said.

Next, putting those stepping stones as a path to the play structure, Meza suddenly was on track for a fantasy land-styled yard.

Planter boxes became a natural storage for toys, and the Mezas aren't done yet.

Some of the yard expansion ideas include a natural play space, such as a living teepee decked in nasturtiums and bright happy flowers for springtime.

Do you have a backyard or home inspired that you want to share? Send it to Ashley.Ludwig@Patch.com or pin to our Bulletin Board! Tell us in Comments what you would add to this Mission Viejo Fantasy Land Backyard Redo!