Spring / Summer Projects

The weather is warm and we are all outside, what wonderful projects are you working on. Maybe a new trellis, pond, or walkway. Possibly something smaller or crafty like stepping stones please share your Summer time projects here.

If you make these be sure you have enough time to clean them up as soon as they are taken from the cast. The cement is much easier to work with when it is a little green. I never skimp on making cement and after curing for better than 6 months, it's like steel. When I did some of them after uncasting, I could use a rasp and hooked knife to do most of the clean up.

Mike and Lowell told me that after the swap, they were done for the summer. I still have projects up my sleeve though, so we'll see if they really mean it LOL.

LOL "Done for the summer" famous last words. LOL

Hehehe. They might be, but you're not, so .....in effect they're not!!!

Terri, how can they be done 'for the summer' when it isn't even summer yet. They must have meant 'done for the spring'.

Fantastic , Holly!!

Wow, that's so pretty, Holly and Ric! I was thinking about buying a downspout water catcher that was shaped like a leaf, but yours is so much prettier!

Very pretty! I like the texture and patterning of it. Very artistic!

wow, Ric and Holly, that is so nice! how did you make it? I love it

I'm hoping to start on a vintage watering can mosaic today. I have to go get adhesive and grout

so many things to plant and do and this keeps getting put off

Wind there is a step by step on the leaf casting in the old Fall Projects thread and several pics of Sally's leaf castings, too. Here is the link to the thread.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1337916/

Ric is rebuilding a bench for friend J. The metal was rusted and the wood seat rotted. Should have taken a before pic. He sand blasted it yesterday and got a coat of paint on it. Think he will need to repaint it. Rustoleum's idea of Dark Hunter Green was not what I would call it. More like John Deer Green. I will have a few pics when he gets it finished.

thanks Holly, I look forward to checking it out

I didn't have luck getting adhesive today for my mosaic project. got the grout though

wind---

Earlier this year I had a long Thread goi ng on D-mails with "Gourd"----
We go way back--- traded her some plants.
Now she is very busy making head/face castings to use as planters.

Long story short--she mailed me one----as a Thank you for something....

Hers are gorgeous--if you go to the Mosaics Forum--she is all over there...

Anyway--you asked about Glue--as i did also. here is her reply. Hope this helps you.

******************************************************************************************
From "Gourd"---
You can use any glue that isnt water soluable. I use mosaic glue, mastic that hobby lobby sells and the best one is weldbond. The hardware stores carry it like ace hardware, etc.

************************************************************************************************
Gita

thank you Gita. I ended up getting something. It wasn't mastic or weldbond. And it wasn't the one I saw people here mentioning either. I forget the name of the one I ended up with; and, I haven't tried it yet. It said it was water proof and can be used for mosaics on metal. It was one of the few that didn't flat out say in bold print fumes can cause cancer. The warnings are frightening on adhesives!!! I will be gluing my pieces on outside for sure.

If I have trouble, I'll check out the weldbond.

thank you!

Wind I am looking forward to seeing your finished Mosaic.

Don't tell Holly, but I like the leaves we did, that now she has them painted, I want to start digging the fountain steps, just to see what they will look like. LOL

you both do such amazing and creative displays in your gardens!

Each June the HGHA has a picnic and we always have some kind of fun crafty project. This year we made stepping stones. I thought you might enjoying seeing them and hearing about how we made them.
2 weeks ago a few of us got together and made the stepping stones 2 parts sand to 1 part Portland cement. We mixed up the cement and just put down a shovel full on a piece of plywood. Then smoothed it into a round flat stepping stone shape. Then today we brought the stones to the picnic. We glued the glass on to the stones (the side that was on the plywood is very flat) with a 2 part 5 minute epoxy just a small dab to hold them in place. Then when they set up we mixed up more concrete (same mix 2 X 1) and poured it over the top then wiped off the excess with a damp sponge. Once you get most of the excess off and you can see your glass pieces let the concrete set up a bit then with a very dry sponge keep wiping the glass clean. The first pic is the one I did, Second Pic is Ric's pink Flamingo.

A few more

Those are very pretty stepping stones, Holly! :-)

really fun looking!

I'm thinking about going around the house to see what colored glass I might sacrifice for that project. I have a neighbor that I'll try to do it with!!

They are just beautiful!!!

very nice Holly and Ric!! wow you had quite a production of stones!

There were about 20 people makings the stepping stones. We all had a great time, Ric is going to make more stones for us to make. We are going to do square ones.

Holly and Ric, those are really beautiful and fun and creative! =)

Holly and Ric--
I would never wan to step on those! They are too pretty!!!

Funny--how I "see" something in many of them. I bet a lot of what I "see"
was actually intended.
I loved Ric's Flamingo in pic. #2. I "see" a boat with a sail in #3 in the second set....
And--right nect to it--a beautiful red/orange setting sun.

VERY well done! You Guys ROCK!!!!! Haaa.. I just made pun--"Rock"??? get it???

Gita

Heeheeheeheee Gita, ... silly girl! < =P

They have bags of different colored oval flat backed glass pieces at the dollar stores. People use them in vases with real or faux flowers. they would be pretty in stepping stones and they aren't sharp.

I have an ancient broken birdbath. I sunk the top in the ground, but want to make a replacement concrete top.I have to get my relocated plants in the ground before I start any art projects.

LOL Gita, We do "rock"
GardenQuilts several people used those glass stones in their creations and I took a bag of them along with me in case I wanted to use them.
Ric was down in the corral this morning making stepping stones for us to decorated. I think we are going to do a path for the secret garden. I took plenty of pictures probably post them tomorrow when they harden up. He said he is doing another batch tomorrow.

I made another 5 stepping stones this AM. You will have to wait for pics from Holly. I was just wondering if anyone would like to make one at the fall swap? We could possibly put it together at minimal cost, $10 or less per person. You could either bring your own mosaic along or make one here from available materials. I've been making a variety of sizes, from a 10x14" oval to 12x16" and 16x16" squares. Our fellow hobby GH member showed us how to do them, she also says she leaves hers out year round. I'm also refurbishing an old cast iron and wood bench for Jane, a friend, I'll post about it later.

Can't wait to hear more about the bench and see the stones.

That sounds like a really cool idea Ric, I think you can count me as "very interested" in the stepping stone making idea. Look forward to seeing the pics and hearing more (and seeing more!) about that bench!

Wow, I'd love to make one at the fall swap. I've never done anything like that before. Problem is that there's never enough time at these swaps! :)

I need ONE stepping stone to put in the bed by the Bird bath so I can step on it.

That is where i dug out the heirloom Primrose--b/c i was always stepping on it...
A round one (12" is OK) or a rectangular one maybe 8" x !2" would do.
I can buy one from you--or trade something for it....like an Epi start...a potted
Pregnant Onion??....Several potted Curly Spider Plants....I have a MASSIVE sized
DL that is growing and will bloom soon. No other DL in my garden measures up to it.

The leaves are huge! The clump is massive!....The blooms were om 4' stems....
and are a beautiful, ornate version of a Ditch Lily.
It is out of place a bit in my small bed--so I may be digging it out and dividing it
this fall. I have NO idea what is beneath the soil......
You and Ric would, surely, have room for this one....

This is from last year....July

Pic #3--#4---I actually have this same DL (I think it is) in my YUK bed right by the stump.
This Lily is, therefore, called my "Stump Lily"...It just is nowhere as tall--but then it is in
very cramped, non-fed area. Hoe it survives there--I do not know....
Looks the same? Yes??? Maybe not as ornate?

I think some of you may already have this--as the year i dug and divided many of my
DL was Jill's Swap. maybe 3 years ago? I had a box-full of divided DL's.
I know this one was among them.

WHO has one of these growing?????? Do you like it?
G.






What is your wish?

I think it would be a very cool thing to do at the swap!

When our HGHA made them at the picnic it was a really fun project but it took a good 2 hours to complete.
So here is how you can make your own stepping stones. Mix 2 parts sand with 1 part portland cement. Ric used 2 5gal buckets sand and 1 5gal bucket to make all these. You could easily mix up a small batch to just make a few of them. We want some larger pavers so he made a frame with a plywood bottom and 1 1/2 strips. He made 4 16X16 and 2 12 X 16 pavers and then made 3 oval stepping stones with the left overs.
To make the oval stepping stone you just plop down a shovel full of cement onto a piece of scrap plywood smooth out the top and edges with a trowel.

Here are the larger pavers. We used metal plaster lathe since we had some leftover from when we made the leafs last fall. These are pretty good size and Ric wanted them to have some extra strength. You wouldn't need it in a small stepping stone. We let these set overnight and then in the morning broken open the mold and turned over the stepping stones. Now when the cement is still green you can easily scrape off the rough edges and make them a bit smoother.

And the finished product. Let them sit for several days to cure and then use a 2 part epoxy to glue on your glass, tile or other items. Then mix up the same 2 to 1 ratio cement (use a plastic cup for a measure) and mix in a small plastic container. Pour it over the mosaic when you are finished. Then wipe excess off. Not sure when I will get around to starting the mosaic work on them but I will post pictures of them as we get them done.

I see why that'd be too complicated for a swap day project.

That's a pretty ditch lily, Gita!

We would have the stepping stones made and you would all decorate them but I think it would be better to get together on a separate date to decorate the stones. Not sure we want to take 2 hours out of our swapping and visiting time on the day of the swap to do them.