We were proud of our first try at making concrete leaves, but mine remind me of a grade school art project; cute but a little rough around the edges. After drying we turned the concrete mounds over and started peeling the leaves from the surface. They were stuck, so we decided to wait a few more days to let them dry and get brittle. A power washer finally blasted the plants loose.
I discovered the wet concrete had seeped between the edges of the rhubarb leaf and the plastic covering the wet sand leaving a weird pattern around the perimeter obscuring the design of the veins. In retrospect we think we should have stopped the concrete just short of the edges of the leaf. Nevertheless I love my huge, heavy homemade leaves and am contemplating whether or not to paint them, apply a concrete seal coat, or leave as is. At the moment they grace the rose garden and serve as bird baths and we made fun memories with our day playing in the mud.
Gail Niebrugge, leafmeister
What a cool project! I think they would look great stained/painted in fall colors.
Now this looks and sounds like my sort of fun! Please do show us the leaves in the rose garden – and also if you do paint them.
It sounds like the sort of thing I could do with my Grandsons when they are a little older.
Love,
Noella
Noella, give it a try. Fun, fun, I think it would be a perfect grandkid project. Gail
Kimberly,
I’m thinkin’ layers of colored transparent washes and let what happens happen. Finished with a coat of clear coat cement finish. Meanwhile they are full of water from the rain.
Gail
The leaves look great! They remind me of tree branches in winter. Our only concrete decoration in our garden is a slab that says, “Garden of Weedin’ “.
I need one of those!