Making Garden Art & Birdbaths
by
Kim Harmeyer
48 Hours
Medium
Making bird baths & garden art out of concrete & leaves
Equal parts of portland cement mix,play sand & water ! Make sure it's portland & not quickcrete !
wire for supports
I used an elephant leaf off of this plant
Mixing the equal parts of portland cement,play sand & water until it is the consistency of icing. This does take some time to get it all mixed together !
plywood,dirt mound, then lay leaf with underside facing up
applying the cement to the leaf , I started in the middle & worked my way out to the edge of the leaf about an inch thick
adding the pieces of wire for support
I added another layer of cement about an inch thick over the wire supports
Now for the hard part ! not touching it for 48 hours !
Still waiting ........
48 hours later & Time to carefully turn it over
peel the leaf off
you can lightly sand the edges
All finished !
All finished ! You could paint or stain it if you want too & I would add some sealer since it is going to be outside
Smaller leaf I made
I used a smaller leaf for these
I added some metallic paint glaze to the smaller leaves,I used a light green & a darker one & dry brushed them
I added some metallic paint glaze to the smaller leaves,I used a light green & a darker one & dry brushed them
I added some metallic paint glaze to the smaller leaves,I used a light green & a darker one & dry brushed them
Playing with colors
Playing with colors
Playing with colors
Playing with colors
Added this cute little guy to the leaf
Added this cute little guy to the leaf
This little guy loves the concrete leaf !
This little guy loves the concrete leaf !
I made a fire bowl today
I made a fire bowl today
Comments
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2 of 109 comments
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So sorry about your shoulder! Your art is gorgeous! I do macrame and had surgery on my left hand. It took about a year to get back to full use. Hopefully you’ll be able to continue your art soon. Take care!
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These are absolutely lovely and the colour palettes are stunning
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Could Quick Crete be substituted ?
What paint and sealer did you use?
your leaves are gorgeous! Can you please tell me the paints and what sealer you used for all the vibrant pearl & metallic leaves at the end of your post? Just beautiful! Thank you!