How to Make a Leaf Shaped Bird Bath
If you love the birds and enjoy crafts, make a decorative and unique bird bath for your backyard garden. All you need are a pile of play sand, a bucket of water, rubber gloves, plastic trash bags, a bag of acrylic concrete patch mix, and a large leaf with decorative veins and ribs.
I made this leaf-embossed bird bath for my garden last summer. It only took about an hour to mix and colorize the concrete, mold it on the leaf, shape the edges and cover the concrete. The resulting bird bath is natural-looking and blends into my garden decor beautifully. The birds like the shallow water and broad edges of the leaf shape. It's light enough to lift up and dump, even though it's made from a thin concrete slab.
I made this leaf-embossed bird bath for my garden last summer. It only took about an hour to mix and colorize the concrete, mold it on the leaf, shape the edges and cover the concrete. The resulting bird bath is natural-looking and blends into my garden decor beautifully. The birds like the shallow water and broad edges of the leaf shape. It's light enough to lift up and dump, even though it's made from a thin concrete slab.
Preparing the Leaf Pattern Stamper
You'll be using a leaf to create a "stamper" to make the embossed design for the surface of your bird bath. Select a large, broad leaf with strong vein patterns and few or no defects or holes. I used a large leaf from a giant sunflower growing in my garden.Trim the stem end away from the leaf and patch any holes with small bits of waterproof masking tape or duct tape.
Safety First With Concrete and Cement Mix
Concrete is caustic and can irritate skin, eyes and mucous membranes.
Always wear eye protection, dust mask and rubber gloves when working with concrete mix.
Before opening concrete mix, read instructions and safety information.
Materials and Tools to Make Sand Cast Garden Crafts
- Small pile of sand, or bag of play sand
- Small bucket of water
- Plastic dish pan or wheel barrow to mix up concrete
- Garden trowel to mix and blend concrete with water
- 3 large plastic trash bags, or 3 pieces of thin plastic sheeting (painter's drop cloths will work fine) each one about 3 feet square
- 1 bag of acrylic concrete patch mix
- 1 large plant leaf with prominent ribs and veins(Sunflower, Elephant Ear, Caladium etc)
Concrete colorant, if desired (I used a bit of terra cotta colorant for my bird bath concrete mixture)
Protective Gear: Dust mask, rubber gloves, safety glasses
Preparing the Sand Cast Mold
Pour a mound of sand onto a plastic sheet, or dump it into a child's small plastic pool or large waterproof tub. I used a sheet of plastic in the back yard, right on the lawn. You'll need just enough sand so that the mound will be slightly larger than the leaf you will use for the stamper. The pile should be about 4 inches deep to begin.Mound the sand slightly (about 3 inches high) in the center, slightly larger all around than the size of the leaf shape.
Smooth out and curve the mound down so that the edges are about at ground level with a bit of sand around the outside of where the leaf will fit.
Cover the smooth sand with a plastic bag or sheet of thin plastic drop cloth.
Place the leaf on top of the plastic, face down, centered on the sand mound.
Shaping the Concrete on the Leaf
Prepare the Concrete Mix
Following directions on the package, add water to the concrete powder mix starting with the minimum amount. If you want to add colorant to the concrete mix, add a small amount and mix in thoroughly with the water. Use a small trowel or planting shovel to blend the mix, water and colorant together.
Mix well until the concrete mix is the consistency of stiff cookie dough.
The mix should not be watery; it should be workable like play clay or craft modeling dough.
Mix well until the concrete mix is the consistency of stiff cookie dough.
The mix should not be watery; it should be workable like play clay or craft modeling dough.
Shaping the Bird Bath Concrete Mold
To form the birdbath, place handsful of concrete mix on top of the leaf, beginning in the center. Gently pat down to about 1" thickness as if you were making mud pies or rolled cookies. Continue to add more concrete mix, patting and smoothing and working toward the outer edges.When you have completely covered the leaf, gently press the concrete between your fingers to form a smooth rolled edge all along the outside border. Take care not to add sand to the mix; keep the leaf snuggly against the concrete.
Shaping Bird Bath Edge
Curing Sand Cast Concrete Crafts
After you've finished molding and shaping the concrete on top of leaf, carefully drape with another plastic bag or sheet of thin plastic to seal out rain or dust while the concrete dries and sets. Weight down the sides to prevent wind from blowing off the cover.Your concrete needs to dry slowly to cure and not crack, so keeping it covered lets the moisture evaporate slowly. It can take up to 2 days for your cast concrete project to completely dry and cure.
Cleaning Leaf Bits from the Finished Bird Bath
Drying and Cleaning Concrete Garden Crafts
Your sand cast concrete project must dry completely before you remove the plastic cover. Drying can take up to 2 days; I start checking after 24 hours.When the piece feels dry to touch, remove the plastic, turn over the birdbath, and carefully peel off the remaining bits of leaf. You many need to use a sharp tool to scrape off tiny bits, or wait a day or two and scrub with a wire brush to remove stubborn bits.
Sealing the Birdbath
Cast concrete garden crafts are weather proof after they dry and cure. You can decorate cured concrete with acrylic paints to add more color interest, or simply coat the finished project with concrete sealer to make it easier to clean and add a high gloss finish.I let my leaf pattern bird bath cure for a few months outdoors in the sun and rain, then I painted on a clear acrylic sealer. It added more depth to the color and made the vein pattern stand out nicely. After sealing, the bird bath is stain resistant and easier to keep clean, plus water cannot be absorbed into the concrete.
Finished Project: Leaf Shaped Bird Bath
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I could have used one of these little scooter seats while I was working on my sand cast concrete project. I've got this on my wishlist for a future gift.
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Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 11/11/2009)
Leaf Pattern Sand Cast Bird Bath Garden Craft Photos
Step by step pictures for how to make a leaf-embossed bird bath
curated content from Flickr
I Love Gardening and Birds
I enjoy all types of crafts. Here's more about what I do on Squidoo.
Lensmaster Pastiche, aka Lee Hansen, has been a member since August 12 2007, has rated 1,345 lenses, favorited 502, and has created 121 lenses from scratch. Lee Hansen donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and Room to Read. This member's top-ranked page is "Make Your Own Costumes, Masks and Face Paint". See all my lenses
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Garden Artists - Share Your Comments Here
Did you enjoy this project?
Have you made a sand cast concrete garden project? Did this lens inspire you to design one? (It's EASY. My leaf shape bird bath took me about an hour to prepare and mold!)
Marelisa wrote...
What a beautiful lens! I've featured it in my "100s of Ways to Celebrate Life" lens.
Posted July 18, 2009
SemperFidelis wrote...
Blessed by a SquidAngel today!
www.squidoo.com/squid-angel
~ Colleen :o)
Posted April 22, 2009
by Pastiche
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