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From the dawn of time humans have used stone to create safe havens of shelter. Not much has changed and the history of modern architecture includes many various types of stone houses even though we no longer build from stone simply for safety. Sometimes the use of stone is to create a sense of grandeur but sometimes it's a matter of necessity. Stone houses were usually built most often in places where wood wasn't readily available but even that forced masonry has been very creative.

Brownstones have a rather unique challenge when it comes to landscaping. Row houses don't have room for more than a planter or two on the front stoop, so tiny little gardens filled as much space as possible in the back yard. I've designed this tutorial to work in two ways. It can be a stand-alone vignette if you use the wooden base, or it can be worked into the back garden of your Brownstone dollhouse. Either way, it's a lovely little scene that makes me think of quiet evenings spent potting plants in the backyard with the sound of crickets chirping. It's very homey and earthy and peaceful.

From the time I was old enough to walk I was always sneaking off to play in the dirt. If I had access to water than my goal was to play in the mud, but I'd settle for dust if that was all I could get. So it's not surprising that after all those childhood years of mud pies and sand castles, I learned that dirt is beautiful.

Hello sweeties! Come in and sit down comfy for awhile. I'm sorry if there's a little dust in the air but I've been spring cleaning. Isn't it just the best feeling when you shake out all the winter dust and make everything all clean and shining again? Today I've taken every single item out of every single room and then dusted and polished every floor, window frame and door. After that I cleaned and dusted every single item before I put them all back into the spotlessly clean rooms. Whew! That was a lot of work, but it looks so good in the dollhouse that I'm thinking of hiring someone to do it to my real house next week.

For this month, I would love to introduce you to a wonderful member of the forums, Kabrina. Kabrina has been a member of the Greenleaf forums since June 25, 2009. She is a very talented, sweet, and caring person. She is a good person to know and I thought we would all like to get to know her a little bit better. Kabrina resides in Arizona with her husband, her son Aiden, daughter Elora Dawn, and a host of furbabies. Oh! And a turtle named Koopa.

In a recent study, hamsters were found to be an efficient source of power for small Dremel type tools when their exercise wheels were hooked up to a small generator. With the exception of a few soggy wood chips, hamster power is a clean source of energy. Unfortunately, hamsters are prone to taking sudden naps and extended lunch hours so they aren't a consistent power source. They are however, still the cutest bundle of energy we ever saw!.

Thanks to Brae for sharing such a cute picture with us. Sydney is a Robo Hamster and he will receive a $25 gift certificate from Petsmart for being featured in this month's Critter Corner.

If you'd like to submit your pet's picture for consideration for the Critter Corner, you can upload pictures in the "Good Pets acting bad!" or "Good Pets acting cute!" galleries at the Greenleaf Forum.