Use Leaves to Make Cement Lawn Ornaments
Creating molds out of leaves is a fun and easy craft. There are many kinds of mixes you could use to create molds out of leaves--including concrete mixes. Oftentimes, a hand print, name imprint, or found objects--such as seashells and leaves--will be embedded into the concrete tiles of floors but they can also be used separately to make molds to decorate lawns and gardens.
Instructions
1. Choose a leaf with intricate and bulging venous patterns so that it can set into the concrete clearly. The size of the leaf can vary.
2. Lay a mound of sand onto a working tabletop and cover the mound with a plastic tarp or trash bag. Make sure that the mound's peak is more level, rather than a defined peak. Lay paperweights or rocks on the edges of the plastic tarp to keep it in place.
3. Cut a section of chicken wire in approximately the same shape and size of the leaf.
4. Lay the leaf face-down onto the sand mound so that the backside is facing upward.
5. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on mix the concrete mix.
6. Apply a fairly thin coat of concrete onto the backside of the leaf. Then place the pre-cut chicken wire onto the concrete while it is still wet. Apply another coat of concrete to cover the chicken wire. Smooth out the edges and surface with a trowel. Cover it with a trash bag and let it dry.
7. Peel the leaf. When the concrete mold is completely cured, peel the leaf off the mold.
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