Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Concrete Creations (and not just stepping stones!)

One 80 pound bag of concrete, a few days, some household items and some imagination is all you need to make some stepping stones, mosaic tiles, personalized bricks, tic-tac-toe game board and a bowl to keep the tokens safe, sturdy watering bowl for the neighborhood dog, butterfly baths, and even some vases!

Cost:  Will vary depending on what you want to use.  
Time:  Each peice needs at least 24 hours to dry.
Task:  EASY


PLEASE READ THESE SIX TIPS BEFORE STARTING....

 1. This is an outdoor only project!!! DO NOT use your indoor sinks/plumbing for this project either before, during, or after. Use an outdoor water source because you do not want to have a concrete dry and clog up your plumbing inside your home. Reread #1.

 2. Wear old clothes! The oil will splatter for sure, no matter how careful you are. Trust me.

 3. Read warnings on your cement bag. They may suggest using a mask because of the dust. (I grabbed a mask at my last doctors appointment but they do sell them at Home Depot and the like.)

 4. The cement bag may also suggest you wear gloves (Grab a few at your next doctor appointment or they do sell these at the dollar stores, Walmart, Home Depot, etc.)

 5. Remove all rings and bracelets due to the cement that could scratch your jewelry and the oil... It would be bad if your ring slipped off into a concrete stepping stone and you didn't realize it until it's too late.

 6. Moisture is NOT your bag o' concrete's friend. Get some friends to create with you or make sure you have several items to serve as molds and use up the concrete within a week or so. Store in cool, dry place. I was able to make many projects with one 80 pound bag of concrete… And only had one project failure that was the size of a small coffee can.

From one bag, I made: 
9 square stepping stones,
3 round stepping stones,
4 small butterfly bowls,
1 long brick stepping stone,
1 tall vase,
2 shorter vases,
1 block watering bowl...
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