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| Photo Credit: Lorraine Shannon |
| A homemade stepping-stone is a fun and affordable way to decorate the garden. | Gardens are the perfect place to display all kinds of memories. Maybe it’s a statue you picked up on a special trip or a memorial tree or shrub. But you can also create new memories by making your own garden accessories – and an ideal way to do this is by crafting homemade stepping-stones. It’s a great project to display your creativity, and it’s fun and easy for kids of all ages – including adults!
Your stepping-stone design possibilities are truly endless. You can place a variety of decorative materials in the wet concrete and add any words you’d like. Create stones adorning the names of family members or pets, or write an inspirational word on each. If you’d like to display a stone or two near your front or back door, make a “welcome” path, or write out the names of your favorite herbs for creative décor in your kitchen garden.
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| Photo Credit: Lorraine Shannon |
| You only need a few supplies and a little creativity for this easy project. |
A stepping-stone also makes a wonderful homemade gift for newlyweds, as well as a nice housewarming present or a special remembrance of a person or pet who has passed. With a few inexpensive materials purchased at a craft store or found around the house or yard, you can create more than another garden ornament – you can make lasting memories.
Materials:
- An old plastic tablecloth or plastic sheeting
- Prepackaged stepping-stone mix purchased at a craft store
- Large bowl for mixing the concrete
- Paint stirrer
- Water (2 cups for making one 12-inch stepping-stone or two 8-inch stepping-stones)
- Plastic stepping-stone mold purchased at a craft store
- Putty knife or spatula
- Items to decorate your stone (mosaic tiles, flattened marbles, beads, pebbles, seashells, buttons, etc.)
- Wooden craft stick or pencil for writing in wet concrete
- Old cookie cutters (optional)
- Stone stamps purchased at a craft store (optional)
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| Photo Credit: Lorraine Shannon |
| Mix the dry powder with water until it’s well-blended. | Step 1: Prepare your work space by covering the area with an old plastic tablecloth or plastic sheeting. Mix the concrete by following the directions on the box. (Basically add 2 cups of water to the 8 pounds of powder, and mix by hand with a paint stirrer until it’s well-blended.) The mixture should be the consistency of cookie batter. Add additional water little by little if needed.
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