oops rabbity, didn't see your question. Just about all these leaves are rhubarb. The last pic of the pot on the oatmeal box is made from heuchera leaves.

your stepping stones and birdbaths are beautiful, would you mind sharing how you made them?
I would really appreciate learning the steps.
thanks, lydia

Oh my GOODNESS...those are incredible. I would also love to learn how to make those. Could you put a link or something to get us instructions? WHEW~!

Totally inspirational, again.

Here is some information I found on-line .

quote:

Originally posted by lydia-og:
would you mind sharing how you made them?
I would really appreciate learning the steps.
thanks, lydia

I didn't see this post way back when. Anyone interested should definitely try these leaf castings. They are so fun.

If you google concrete leaf castings you can probably get directions with pictures. I don't have pictures but I'm glad to share my instructions. You basically turn a leaf upside down and pat cement onto the back, but here's a little more detail:

For bowls or any leaf with a shape (not flat) the most important first step is a sand bed. I take as much time or more shaping my sand beds that actually laying the concrete. I get a pile of damp sand a little larger than the leaf and make a mound (this in reverse will be your bowl. Then start working in the shape of the individual leaf. You can sculpt that sand bed to have all the ups and downs and wrinkles you want. It's important to use sand that is very damp so it holds together, I always have a spray bottle of water handy.

When you get the sand bed right cover it with plastic (big garbage bag works well). Lay your leaf on the covered sand with the underside up.

Then mix up your cement. I use a 5 gal bucket, a GOOD DUST MASK, and good rubber gloves. A note on mixes: I've tried many, and I recommend "Quickwall". It's a ready mix quickcrete product. It's easy to work with and catches the details of your leaves beautifully. One drawback might be that it's white, not the traditional grey some people want in concrete. If you like grey I suggest a concrete patcher or resurfacer product. They are more plasticy and easier to work with than regular cement. They are also very fine mixes and don't have the coarser sand that obliterates detail. Add a little water at a time to the dry mix, and use less water than you think you'll need. The more you work the cement the wetter it gets. If you take a handfull of mixed cement and pat it a few times in your hand it will change and become wetter. I add the last bits of water with a spray bottle.

Now that the leaf is ready, and the cement mixed you just start patting the cement on, starting in the middle and work to the edges. I pat it pretty good trying to get any air bubbles out. The thickness of your cement depends on how big the leaf is. One tip on making a nice edge: press your cement mix out to the edge, then grab the leaf and plastic under it and roll it back over the cement. This leaves a nice clean edge.

When you're happy with the cement cover it with plastic and/or damp towels. You need to keep it moist while it's setting up. After 2 days you can turn it over and remove the leaf, then wrap it back up in wet towels, keeping it wet for another week or 2. I put mine is a water bath to cure.

Wow Pogo, I've just been cruising this crafts portion of the forum and discovered these beauties. They are awe-inspiring and make me want to try something similar. I tried making stepping stones once with quickcrete but they fell apart after a couple of winters. I have a couple of buckets full of ceramic pieces I've collected from my yard and garden that I'd like to incorporate into some yard art. Thanx for sharing and inspiring.

Are you selling these? And if so, how much do you want? I am astounding by your creations! And are you going to paint them?

Thanks Chris. I haven't sold any yet. I paint the bowls and wall plaques, but not the bird baths or stepping stones. There's a pic of a painted bowl in this post. That bowl is 14 inches long and 11 wide, and I think I would ask around $40-$45 for it.

I was just thinking about this dilemna. I love making these, it's a creative outlet and I want to try out some new ideas. On the other hand I'm pretty saturated with my own work, and my friends and relatives all have something, so I really don't need any more concrete leaf stuff. Then my question is, do I just keep making these hoping to find a home for them someday? I think that's a problem will all hobby artist/crafters... the need to create without a good outlet for our wares.

Are there any independent nurseries or wild bird stores in your area that might be interested in taking some of your lovely pieces on consignment for a percentage?

WOW! I don't usually check this page, but WOW that is .... incredible! WOW!

I think that Breezy is right, you are the creative person, you need someone who is more business orientated. A shop would love to showcase a local artist of THIS QUALITY.

And even if you had to travel 60-90 miles, if you could make a delivery to one spot such as store, that would save on the shipping. If you like it, but are less confident by yourself, have someone you trust take in the stuff for you. One look and a businessman is going to see opportunity.

Often times, we are taught as children not to brag on ourselves, and that makes it difficult for creative people to push their wares.

WOW I could not believe them. They were awesome! Mrs.K

Thanks for all the nice comments again. I think you people are just too easily impressed! LOL

You're right Mrs K. I have a terrible head for business. I make a very bad salesman. There's a store here that I thought would be perfect to sell my gourds <(shameless plug for my gourds). When I finally got up the nerve to go in and ask they said they only sold goods from their vendors, no locals. Ack! I thought that was very bad business in a small community like this one. My friend told me to become a vendor then, but how if they won't even talk to me? I made made some stuff to bring in and they wouldn't even look. I guess I pouted because I haven't finished a new gourd since then, except a few gifts.

But the comments here have encouraged me to make more cement stuff this summer. I have some ideas I want to work out in the cement, and I might set up a work area tonight even. Maybe next fall I'll make another post like this one with new stuff. Thanks for the kick in the butt I needed!

I have a couple of questions:
what is the cost per leaf, say a 12" stepping stone one - in materials?

what is the time involved?

What do you "paint" them with?

Thanks,
Red

The cost is very little, maybe $1 per stepping stone. The materials are sand and portland cement, both are very cheap. Even the premixed quickwall that I use on my bowls, which is the most expensive stuff I use, is $14 for a 50 pound bag. I can get 8 to 10 bowls out of a bag, so you see materials costs aren't high. Oh yeah, the stones in these photos have pigment in the cement mix. That pigment probably adds around 70 cents per stone - pretty pricy stuff

The time I spend on each item can be a lot though. I'd say I spend around 3 to 4 hours on a 12 inch leaf stepping stone. This is for set up (shaping the sand bed, and getting everythnig ready), laying the cement, clean up, filing the edges, and last applying sealer. My bowls of similar size and a single leaf probably take me around 5 hours total. I've gotten faster this year.

I don't paint stepping stones because paint on the surface wouldn't hold up to the abuse of foot traffic. Any color is from the pigment in the mix. I have done some this year using acid stains on the surface. Acid stains cause a chemical reaction with the cement so it colors the cement and is much more permanent than paints. I use acrylic paints on my bowls.

Words can't begin to describe how awesome those are.

Thank you pogo.
I wonder if hair die would work? :~p
Did you make your own mold? Do I have to buy a mold too?
Knowing me, I would just make-shift a mold out of something...
Glad to hear it is not hard on the wallet!