Rhubarb Leaf Birdbath: My rhubarb plant is out of control! The leaves are big enough to hide a small child under and it's crowding out tomatoes that I value way more than the rhubarb. So I put the gigantic leaves to good use and made a concrete birdbath using them to add…
My friend and I got together one night and made these. they were so easy I thought I would show everyone how to make them. Hopefully I am able to make...
I made 2 concrete birdbaths for my garden for less than 6 dollars each, which is way cheaper than it would have cost to purchase one from a retailer and this is…
Learn how to make a concrete birdbath for your garden in this easy to follow tutorial. I will tell you exactly what I used to make this design.
Easy to Make Concrete Bowls and Planters...: For a quick, fun and very easy garden project, grab a bag of concrete, your imagination, and follow me! Concrete planters and garden ornamentation are a wonderful addition to the outdoor setting around one's home. Often, such decor comes with a h…
Concrete decorations for the yard, especially birdbaths, are heavy and immobile due to the weight. A hypertufa birdbath looks like concrete but is more lightweight and easier to manage. Use any container as a mold for a birdbath. Look around, find a design that is preferable, and make a hypertufa birdbath.
Get creative and build DIY concrete ornaments to add cozyness and beauty to your home and backyard. Build something great today.
DIY concrete planters are simple to make with this step-by-step guide. Plus get design ideas and tips for using your new planters.
Create this leaf-shaped birdbath in a few hours with common tools and materials.
Rhubarb Leaf Birdbath: My rhubarb plant is out of control! The leaves are big enough to hide a small child under and it's crowding out tomatoes that I value way more than the rhubarb. So I put the gigantic leaves to good use and made a concrete birdbath using them to add…
It is easy to clean a cement bird bath to make it a safe and fun place for birds to enjoy. This step by step tutorial shows how to do it in just minutes.
Customize your own birdbath using any large leaf, sand and concrete mix and some paint to really make it your own.
Step by step instructions on how to create a birdbath planter. I came away from my recent trip to Nova Scotia with a renewed fascination for some of plant…
I made several of these from a leftover bag of cement and some rhubarb leaves. The birds love them, and so easy to make. Make a mound of sand or dirt, lay the l…
Even with limited space, you can still enjoy roses by learning to grow miniature roses in containers, as flowerbed borders, hedges, or as groundcover.
Last week I shared all the details on how to make your own concrete bowls. I am following up on that blog post with the methods I used to get three completely different looks. Each method uses the same basic supplies and follows the same process for making the bowls. METHOD #1: Regular gray concrete... View Post
I set out this week to make something to add some structure around a couple of Japanese Maples that I have, so I decided to make myself a couple of simple birdbaths. Here is what you will need: 1. A pair of good gloves 2. Dust mask 3. Something to mix the concrete with (trowel, hoe, etc) 4. Molds 5. Mold release spray-I use cheap cooking spray 6. Hardware cloth or chicken wire for reinforcement 7. Wheelbarrow or tub large enough to mix the concrete in 8. Concrete or a cement recipe of your choice, I used Quikcrete Commercial Grade Crack Resistant (for durability in my zone 5 climate) 9. Water 10. Pair of cutters to trim the hardware cloth Here are the steps to create your own masterpiece: 1. Pick a set of molds-you will need three pieces for a birdbath. I went around the house and garage and put pieces together to see what looked interesting and picked what I liked best. Note: the inner mold should be no more than 2 inches because birds do not like deep water. Some of the "molds" that I was considering I went with this to start: 2. Clean and dry the molds you are going to use. 3. Trim your hardware cloth to fit in the molds-make sure it is smaller than the mold. For the bowl: For the pedestal: 4. Cover any holes in the molds with tape: 5. Oil the molds: Take a paper towel and wipe off excess: All ready to go: 6. Dump concrete mix in tub or wheelbarrow (I used 2 bags which was more than enough for the size of molds I had chosen): 7. Add water as recommended by manufacturer, I always start with less water and add it as needed. Too much water weakens the concrete. 8. Begin mixing-I like to mix with my hands and a handheld hoe. This is the consistency I prefer 9. Begin filling the molds-at a couple of inches in the bottom first, pressing it in the mold to try and remove air pockets. Press it down in the mold When you have a couple of inches in the bottom add the hardware cloth, center it so it is not near the sides: Add concrete around and inside the hardware cloth pressing it down as much as you can to release air bubbles: Fill in the sides and the middle-continue pressing it down Finish filling almost to the top: Press as you add concrete Now the other mold: Fill the bottom Add hardware cloth Time to add the inner mold Add the inner mold-make sure to fill it with sand or rocks to weigh it down: Set it in the outer mold, center as much as you can Add concrete around the sides Press it down to get rid of air bubbles Add caption All filled-I added more weight to keep the inner mold in place Here are the other molds I filled (I made extra so I made 2 birdbaths, 2 bowls and 1 basketball): 10. Cover them with plastic and let them set up (in a level area if possible) for approximately 24 hours. 11. After 24 hours unmold them somewhere soft. Some will slip right out: and some will be difficult (plastic can be cut off): These two I had to crack the plastic off: 12. Cure for a week covered with plastic make sure they stay moist, or use a water bath. I prefer to cure my concrete in a water bath. I use my pond when it is clean or you can use large plastic tubs/storage containers. 13. Seal the concrete or paint it-I use Rustoleum water based concrete seal. 14. Place them out in the garden for the birds (if you are worried about the top falling off you can use construction adhesive to attach the top to the bottom): There you are-sturdy, durable birdbaths that you can make for a fraction of what it costs to buy one from a retailer. Remember, you can embellish them if you would like. Just do it after you fill the molds (while still wet), you can press gems, stones or shells into the rim or glue leaves in the molds themselves before you spray them with mold release. Either way, I think you will love your results. So, until next time-Happy Planting! Rhonda
