Garden Craft: Step Stones with Mosaic Designs
Mosaic stepping stone kits complete with mold, concrete mix and decorative glass or marbles are available in craft stores, garden shops or from online stores and specialty boutiques. Mosaic stepping stone kits are easy to use, but you might want to design your own stepping stones to use shells or pieces of tile and pottery you have already.
If you want to design your own mosaic step stones and save some money, you can buy a bag of concrete mix, buy or make concrete step stone molds and collect shells, pottery shards, interesting stones, and stained glass mosaic pieces to decorate the surface of your custom garden stepping stones.
I made a decorative garden step stone with leftover concrete from a sand cast bird bath project. I decorated my little stepping stone with rocks I collected that were shaped like my favorite states, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Materials to Make a Garden Stepping Stones
Plastic flower pot drain saucer or storage container base, wooden strips nailed together, disposable aluminum pans, or other container in the size you want for your stone. The depth should be 1-3/4 to 2-inches.
Clean Water
Mixing Container
Garden Trowel or Hand Shovel
Plastic Trash Bags or Drop Cloths
Decorative stones, shells, pottery shards, beach glass or marbles
Safety Equipment
Rubber Gloves
Eye Protectors
Dust Mask
Setting up a Step Stone Casting Mold
Cover work area with plastic sheeting to protect surface.
If using a purchased concrete casting mold, prepare it for casting according to manufacturer's instructions.
To make a wooden frame mold, cut 2" strips of thin wood to lengths required to make a shape approximately 12-inches to 16-inches square and 2 inches deep. Nail strips together, then place the open mold frame on strong surface or on the ground on a bed of smooth sand.
Line the wooden mold with a plastic bag, carefully smoothing our any wrinkles.
Preparing the Mosaic Step Stone Pattern
Decide on a design ahead of time, or just go for a free form layout
Place your decorative glass, shells and other items face down in a pleasing arrangement within the bounds of your mold frame. Leave about 1/2 inch at the edges to allow concrete to fill in and prevent chipping or loss of stones.
Easy Mosaic Stepping Stones
Mosaic Stepping Stones for Beginners
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
List Price: $12.95
A how to book on creating beautiful concrete and stained glass stepping stones for your garden. With easy to follow instructions and lots of detailed photos anyone can learn to make stepping stones with this book.
Mixing the Stepping Stone Concrete
Prepare concrete mix according to package directions. Add coloring powder if desired. Do not add more water than recommended. Your mix should have the consistency of stiff cookie dough; it should not be watery or "pourable".
Mosaic Step Stone Kit
Milestones' Mosaic Stepping Stone Kit
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 11/26/2009)
Makes a durable, weather resistant concrete mosaic stone.
This kit contains: 7 lbs. of stepping stone mix, 12" reusable plastic mold, 1 lb. stained glass, 1 wooden paddle,writing tool and instructions and design ideas. Warning: choking hazard. Small parts not for children under 3 years; MIX contains silica sand known to the state of California to cause cancer. Parental supervision is required.
Casting the Stepping Stone
Natural Shape Garden Step Stones
Garden Mosaic Project Book
Garden Mosaics
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
List Price: $19.99
Used Price: $29.99
Garden Mosaics Made Easy offers you all the information you need to begin creating your own gorgeous mosaics.
Featured Gardening Lenses
My Favorite Gardening and Garden Decor Tips on Squidoo
-
Garden Crafts - 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...
-
Garden Crafts Decorate Outdoor Living Spaces
-
It's easy and fun to decorate your home's outdoor living spaces with garden crafts - step stones, planters mosaics, wind chimes, and garden decorations you make yourself. You can create beautiful plant stands, garden trellises, shelves, flower pots,...
-
Rain Gardens-Nature's Water Filters
-
A rain garden is a landscape feature that collects storm water runoff from roofs, driveways and paved surfaces in a bermed garden area. Rain garden designs are simple - they're basically a shallow depression or bowl shape surrounded by planted areas....
-
Garden Wildlife Habitats
-
Suburban sprawl and development of farmland and wilderness disrupt and sometimes destroy natural wildlife habitats. Development of suburban communities often displaces animals and plants; they strive to survive in areas adjacent to where they once li...
-
How to Create a Patio With Stone Pavers
-
Do you want to know how to create a patio with stone pavers that looks like a Bob Vila project? Well you've come to the right place to learn how easy it is to create a patio with stone pavers! There is no need to mix and pour concrete to have a b...
Did You Enjoy This Garden Crafts Lens- Mosaic Stepping Stones?
-
Reply
- crosscreations crosscreations Nov 15, 2009 @ 11:59 pm
- these are SO fun to make for kids and adults, but I did it mostly by trial and error, nice page here, entices one to try it, 5*s
-
Reply
- houstondavid26 houstondavid26 Sep 16, 2009 @ 11:35 pm
- I like Flagstone in my Garden. They have very Classic Look. I like your Info on Garden Crafts.
-
Reply
- anaturalphenomenon anaturalphenomenon Jul 19, 2009 @ 11:42 am
- Great stuff! I've been thinking about trying my hand at something like this for my garden! Unfortunately, the weeding has to get done first! Ha!
-
Reply
- mukunda22 mukunda22 Jun 23, 2009 @ 12:01 am
- I've always loved placing rocks and crystals around my garden!!
Thank you!!
-
Reply
- Pastiche Pastiche Jun 20, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
- Thank you for the Angel Blessing!
- Load More
Garden Crafts Showcase: Your Mosaic Stepping Stones Photos
Send me your Flickr links to share your photos
Here's a link to a picture and article about garden stones made by children. Help the kids make a mosaic stone for mom or grandma.
Pebble Mosaics for the Garden
Pebble Mosaics: Step-by-step projects for inside & out
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
List Price: $19.99
Although the results may look complicated, the basic technique is easy to master, allowing even beginners to create original decorative pieces for the home. Talented designer Ann Frith has drawn on the ancient tradition of pebble mosaic to devise 12 contemporary projects using pebbles and other natural materials such as broken slate, flint and glass.
Favorite Garden Decor Sites
- Mr. Twitters Garden Emporium - Rutland Vermont
- Mr. Twitters at the purple fence is a garden and gift emporium featuring 3 unique shops in one location! You'll find everything from gourmet goodies, bird feeders and feeding supplies, garden gifts, wonderful annual and perennial plants, garden decor and expert planting advice. Plus, there's a decorative tile studio and a natural fibers fashion boutique - The Clothes Line - all in the same shop.
- Lull Farm - Hollis and Milford, New Hampshire
- Plants, fresh vegetables, garden decor, baked goods, cider and of course APPLES. Voted Best NH Farm stand, 2007.
Kids Magic Garden Stone Kit
Creativity For Kids Enchanted Garden Stones
Amazon Price: $14.49 (as of 11/26/2009)
Use magic stone mix to make four or more enchanted jeweled stones, or smaller paperweight size stones, Shape any way you like, embed special objects in them. Place butterfly and flower foil pictures in the magic mix and cover them with glass stones to capture the image. Sprinkle glitter dust on your stones so they shimmer. Magic mix hardens in just 10-15 minutes. Includes mix, "jewels," rubber gloves and complete instructions.
by Pastiche
Explore related pages
Garden Crafts - Leaf Shaped Bird Bath- If you love the birds and enjoy crafts, make a decorative and unique bird bath f...
Hydroponics Gardening History- Hydroponics was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means "water" and ponos...
Butterfly Garden Design- What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growin...
- Garden Crafts - Leaf Shaped Bird Bath
- If you love the birds and enjoy crafts, make a decorative and unique bird bath f...
Garden Crafts Decorate Outdoor Living Spaces- It's easy and fun to decorate your home's outdoor living spaces with garden craf...
Garden Wildlife Habitats- Suburban sprawl and development of farmland and wilderness disrupt and sometimes...
