Freelance Writer and Contributor to LA-Story.com, Cathy Habas returns with this great list of creative DIY projects and crafts that you can do AT HOME on your own to spiff up your indoors and outdoors!
Creative and Crafty Uses for Concrete
Concrete? And crafts? Yes, it’s true! While it seems like a strange combination, concrete is a versatile medium. It can take the shape of any mold, can be painted and glossed, and can make a convincing replica of more expensive materials with the right tools. The sky’s the limit.
Unique Home or Garden Decorations
Anything can be a concrete mold. Yes, anything. Once you realize how true this statement is, the more fun you’ll have creating eclectic decorations.
Check out these ideas:
• Lightbulbs:
Remove the filament and carefully fill the glass with concrete. Embed a screw or a wire loop in the concrete so that you can easily mount it into the wall as a coat hook or hang it up as a decoration. Once the concrete dries, carefully break the glass. Paint the resulting concrete lightbulb any color you want!
• Rubber gloves:
Fill a large rubber glove about halfway with concrete. Then find a container, like a large bowl or a flower pot, to rest the glove in. Arrange the fingers to that they look like they are cupping water. Finish filling the glove all the way to the top. Use a popsicle stick to make dents where the fingernails would be, if you wish. Once the concrete dries, peel away the rubber glove to reveal a unique key or penny holder, or take it out into the garden, fill the hand with some dirt and plant shallow-rooted succulents for an eye-catching piece.
• Silicone Baking Molds:
Create concrete letters, flowers, starfish and any number of designs using baking molds. The flexible nature of silicone makes it easy to pop out the dried concrete, but beware that concrete does not clean up easily. These molds should probably be reserved for crafts and not used for baking. Paint the creations and scatter them throughout your home or garden.
• Personalized Handprints or Paw Prints
This is a great project for the whole family. Create a shallow cardboard mold that is large enough to hold everyone’s hand prints. Fill it with concrete. The mixture should be wet but not runny. Stick both hands palm-down into the mixture. Hold for a count of ten and then carefully lift your hands straight up. Rinse off in a bucket of water, use a popsicle stick to carve your initials and the date into the concrete if you want, and then wait for it to thoroughly dry before removing the mold.
You can do the same with cooperative dogs, but be careful to rinse those paws very thoroughly! Once dried, concrete does not soften!
• One-of-a-Kind Flower Pots or Vases
Does your porch or patio need a few pieces of interest?
Enter: concrete. Fill rubber boots halfway with concrete, and then stuff a large wad of newspaper into a plastic bag, place it in the center of the boot and carefully add concrete around it. Once the concrete dries, remove the bag. Paint the concrete galoshes however you like, and add flowers for a special touch!
A simple idea is to take two bowls, one slightly larger than the other. Before you start, you can add a textured piece of material to the bowl, like lace or crumpled paper, for an intriguing look. Fill the bottom of the large bowl with concrete and then set the second bowl on top. Add concrete to the empty space between the two bowls until it reaches the top. For an extra touch of dazzle, embed colored stones or shells in the top rim of the concrete.
• Other Helpful Materials
According to the concrete experts at TexCon Ready Mix , standard concrete is all you need for decorative purposes, but they recommend oiling any molds to ensure the concrete doesn’t stick. Concrete will naturally pull away from the molds as it dries, but oil helps avoid any mishaps.
Concrete can be permanently colored by adding a special powder when it is mixed, or it can be painted and varnished after it has dried. Texture can be added to flat pieces by using special stamps. And of course, virtually anything can be embedded within the concrete. Shells and stones are popular additions, but any trinket can be fused with your work of art.
Are you feeling inspired? Share your concrete creations in the comments!! We’d love to see what you’ve made!
Cathy Habas
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Bio for Cathy Habas:
Cathy Habas is a freelance writer at Writersquad who specializes in giving practical tips to busy people. She’ll tackle virtually any topic. Cathy is based in Louisville, KY, and works with clients from around the world.
Thanks and appreciation to Cathy Habas for sharing these fun concrete projects! These look like fun and would make a great addition to anyone’s yard, patio or balcony! What a great list of DIY projects! Which ones interest you?
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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