Other Garden Art and Tip of the Day

I suppose some readers are wondering "Where's the Folk Art?" because this is all garden art.  I decided to start with my garden art because it is winter and many gardeners are home making their plans for spring.  I thought garden art would be something fun for them to plan to incorporate into their gardens. I will start posting pictures of some of my other types of art soon.

In an earlier Tip of the Day I had suggested that people who were new to Arts and Crafts  begin studying different types of Folk Art and see how they could incorporate those types of art into their own projects.  This stepping stone is one example of doing just that.  When I was first learning about Folk Art I studied Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. (I have pictures of hex signs I painted that I will post later.) 

This is a picture of a stepping stone I painted for my garden.  It is painted on a cement stepping stone that I cast myself and painted.  The stepping stones are less expensive if you purchase a mold and a bag of cement and cast your own stones if you plan to make several.  Make sure to clean your mold thoroughly between each use.

Many people paint their stones with acrylic craft paint.  That tends to fade over time.  I use an acrylic enamel paint used for painting glass that is set by heating it in the oven..  (Make sure you open your windows to ventilate.) The brands I use are Pebeo Porcelaine and Liquitex Glossies.  The baked enamel can stay outside for years and still retain its color.  There is an area where the paint has flaked off on the neck of the bird.  That was not due to weathering, but because I carried two stepping stones out on top of each other.  The stone on top scraped against the lower stone and removed some paint.  There is always a lesson to be learned. 

I seal my stones with Armourcrete concrete sealant.

Tip of the day:  If you plan to cast several stepping stones, purchase a bag of cement from the hardware store.  It will be less expensive than the single stone bags purchased at a craft shop.  Mix up as much cement as you need for the molds you have.  The remainder of the bagged cement will keep long enough that you can cast a mold each day until you have finished the bag provided you keep it in a dry place.  Don't expect the bag to sit for any length of time.  Plan on casting the stepping stones as quickly as possible. 

I also use an acrylic admix along when mixing the cement.  It helps to waterproof the stone and it won't absorb water when sitting on the ground.