Crafters- What are you making???
- Thread starter nccatnip
- Start date
- Oct 10, 2009
- 48
- 2
- 22
Quote:
Love the idea! Easy, hum...how easy?
Pretty darn easy!
I wanted to save this leaf forever because I won best in horticulture at the county fair with it. A first for me!
This is how I did it...
I bought some concrete bonding agent (liquid) at home depot and mixed it with mortar mix (instead of water. This is VERY important because I made things without the bonding stuff and they cracked. Wah! Before mixing this up I took some wet sand, made a mound of it (so that the birdbath will be deep enough to hold water) and then laid the leaf vein side up onto the mound. Spray the leaf with cooking spray so that it is easy to remove later. Then I patted the mortar mix on top of the leaf making sure to press it into the leaf really good. The thickness was about an inch and a half. Let it cure for a week and the CAREFULLY flip it over and peel the leaf off. let it cure for 2 weeks and then seal it with a waterproof concrete sealer.
After that dries (a day) you can paint it. To make the veins look realistic I painted the entire leaf in a dark color (black) and then I sponge painted it lightly in shade of green and then lightly with black again on the edges. You can mess with it all you want because you can't really make a mistake - just go over it again and again until you like it. I sealed it again after painting... just to be sure it didn't get messed up.
If you think it sounds too hard you can practice with a small leaf. I had my daughter and her friends make them and paint them and they thought it was really cool.
I hope you try it because it was really a lot of fun and when you're done it's a piece of art!
Love the idea! Easy, hum...how easy?
Pretty darn easy!
I wanted to save this leaf forever because I won best in horticulture at the county fair with it. A first for me!
This is how I did it...
I bought some concrete bonding agent (liquid) at home depot and mixed it with mortar mix (instead of water. This is VERY important because I made things without the bonding stuff and they cracked. Wah! Before mixing this up I took some wet sand, made a mound of it (so that the birdbath will be deep enough to hold water) and then laid the leaf vein side up onto the mound. Spray the leaf with cooking spray so that it is easy to remove later. Then I patted the mortar mix on top of the leaf making sure to press it into the leaf really good. The thickness was about an inch and a half. Let it cure for a week and the CAREFULLY flip it over and peel the leaf off. let it cure for 2 weeks and then seal it with a waterproof concrete sealer.
After that dries (a day) you can paint it. To make the veins look realistic I painted the entire leaf in a dark color (black) and then I sponge painted it lightly in shade of green and then lightly with black again on the edges. You can mess with it all you want because you can't really make a mistake - just go over it again and again until you like it. I sealed it again after painting... just to be sure it didn't get messed up.
If you think it sounds too hard you can practice with a small leaf. I had my daughter and her friends make them and paint them and they thought it was really cool.
I hope you try it because it was really a lot of fun and when you're done it's a piece of art!
Mother Hen, thanks so much for the step-by-step instructions. You make it sound very doable - now I just have to wait for the right inspiration.
Quote:
Love the idea! Easy, hum...how easy?
Pretty darn easy!
I wanted to save this leaf forever because I won best in horticulture at the county fair with it. A first for me!
This is how I did it...
I bought some concrete bonding agent (liquid) at home depot and mixed it with mortar mix (instead of water. This is VERY important because I made things without the bonding stuff and they cracked. Wah! Before mixing this up I took some wet sand, made a mound of it (so that the birdbath will be deep enough to hold water) and then laid the leaf vein side up onto the mound. Spray the leaf with cooking spray so that it is easy to remove later. Then I patted the mortar mix on top of the leaf making sure to press it into the leaf really good. The thickness was about an inch and a half. Let it cure for a week and the CAREFULLY flip it over and peel the leaf off. let it cure for 2 weeks and then seal it with a waterproof concrete sealer.
After that dries (a day) you can paint it. To make the veins look realistic I painted the entire leaf in a dark color (black) and then I sponge painted it lightly in shade of green and then lightly with black again on the edges. You can mess with it all you want because you can't really make a mistake - just go over it again and again until you like it. I sealed it again after painting... just to be sure it didn't get messed up.
If you think it sounds too hard you can practice with a small leaf. I had my daughter and her friends make them and paint them and they thought it was really cool.
I hope you try it because it was really a lot of fun and when you're done it's a piece of art!
wow, it sounds almost easy when you read it all written out like that! I will try it come springtime! Thank You for sharing, yours looks just amazing, I hope mine comes out half as good!
Love the idea! Easy, hum...how easy?
Pretty darn easy!
I wanted to save this leaf forever because I won best in horticulture at the county fair with it. A first for me!
This is how I did it...
I bought some concrete bonding agent (liquid) at home depot and mixed it with mortar mix (instead of water. This is VERY important because I made things without the bonding stuff and they cracked. Wah! Before mixing this up I took some wet sand, made a mound of it (so that the birdbath will be deep enough to hold water) and then laid the leaf vein side up onto the mound. Spray the leaf with cooking spray so that it is easy to remove later. Then I patted the mortar mix on top of the leaf making sure to press it into the leaf really good. The thickness was about an inch and a half. Let it cure for a week and the CAREFULLY flip it over and peel the leaf off. let it cure for 2 weeks and then seal it with a waterproof concrete sealer.
After that dries (a day) you can paint it. To make the veins look realistic I painted the entire leaf in a dark color (black) and then I sponge painted it lightly in shade of green and then lightly with black again on the edges. You can mess with it all you want because you can't really make a mistake - just go over it again and again until you like it. I sealed it again after painting... just to be sure it didn't get messed up.
If you think it sounds too hard you can practice with a small leaf. I had my daughter and her friends make them and paint them and they thought it was really cool.
I hope you try it because it was really a lot of fun and when you're done it's a piece of art!
wow, it sounds almost easy when you read it all written out like that! I will try it come springtime! Thank You for sharing, yours looks just amazing, I hope mine comes out half as good!
I've been busy spinning yarn dying and making socks with it.
Quote:
Love the colors of the yarn
Nice work on the socks, too
I love homespun yarn that is spun at home.
Love the colors of the yarn
silkie33 - Thats Cool
I wanted to make three or four of those gorgeous bird baths on here made with big leaves for the mold for the bowl! I love them, and plan on doing them next spring for 2010 gifts for sure. I think you can search and bring it up, that woman did a gorgeous job creating these!!! I do gift baskets, going to do one with my Melaleuca products and take to the Alpaca show in Fayetteville, Ark. next week-end. Love doing the baskets!!! All these posts make me want to get busy!!! Money is tight, and I just can't do like I use too. I am looking for a part time job, so I can have money for the little extras I love to do!!!
Silkie33: To spin and dye your own yarn is fabulous!! I admire your talent!!
Jacie
Jacie
silkie33, your yarn is beautiful!
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