Stepping Stones with a Personal Touch

Garden Crafts

Stepping Stones:

These are great keepsakes and will last for many years in your garden.

What you will need:

1. Cement or mortar (Don't get the concrete mix that has rocks in it.)

2. Mixing buckets

3. Plastic gloves

4. Garden trowel, paint stick, or something to mix the cement

5. *Dusk mask or bandana to cover you mouth and nose.

6. Plastic to cover the wet cement if it is hot and dry outside

7. Pretty stones, ceramic tiles, marbles, sea shells, or other decorative items

Shop for Craft Supplies at Grandma's Attic or your local craft supply store.

What to do:

Before you start get everything ready. If the design is complicated, lay it out before you start. If you are going to add words, place the letters in order and make sure you have enough room before you start.

There are a lot of different craft kits available that provide everything you need to make the stones. These kits will save you a lot of time finding everything you need. You can reuse the molds, and use different decorative items to make them all look different. Some of the kits come with letter stamps that can be used over and over. You can also buy the letter stamps separately from AllCraftSupplies.com.

If you don't want to spend money on molds, you can make your own out of cardboard and hot melt glue. Below is a pattern for the six-sided stone. Press down hard with a pen when you are drawing the pattern on the cardboard so that the cardboard will fold on the lines easily. Fold up on all the lines and glue with hot melt glue. You might be able to use the molds more than once. You can also use plastic containers from the grocery store. Check out the deli department for different sandwich and vegetable tray containers. I was able to buy just the containers for just a few cents. If you don't want to use a mold, you can dig a hole in the ground, line it with small stones, and pour the cement directly into the holes.

Fill one bucket with water. Use another one to mix the cement. Use a bucket that doesn't have any bumps in the bottom to mix the cement. Make sure you use rubber or plastic gloves when handling the cement because it can cause skin irritation. ONLY ADULTS SHOULD MIX THE CEMENT! It tends to spatter when mixing so cover your skin with long sleeves and long pants. Keep children back when you are mixing. Where a dust mask or bandana when mixing. You don't want to breath in the dust. Have children wear gloves when decorating their stones.

The frog stepping stone kit is great for young children because they don't work with the wet cement which can be irritating to the eyes and skin. The frog stepping stone is made first. When it is dry your child glues the mosaic pieces onto of the top frog shape. An adult can then use the left over cement to fill in the cracks. AllCraftSupplies.com has a Mosaic Turtle Kit that is made in the same way.

#255989 Purchase this Craft Kit from AllCraftSupplies.com

Keep a bucket of clean water available in case the cement gets on your skin. It's a good idea to keep some eye wash close just in case, or better yet wear goggles. Make sure your children know to be careful when working with cement. If you are putting foot prints or hand prints into the cement, cover the skin with Vaseline beforehand, and have wash your skin with soap and water immediately afterwards.

Follow the direction on the package for mixing the cement. I used about 14 cups of cement to 3 1/2 to 4 cups of water. Start with a cup of water and gradually add the cement stirring as you go. Keep adding cement until it is the consistency of oatmeal. Do not breath in the dust.

Pour the cement into the mold. You want it to be about 2 inches deep. Gently pick up a side of the mold and tap it on the ground to get rid of the air bubbles. Wait until the water on the top is gone about 10 minutes, or until the cement leaves a lasting impression, then start adding your decorations.

When you are finished cover your stones with plastic so that they don't dry too fast. This will keep them from cracking. Do not move the stones for at least 12 hours or longer. When they are completely dry, remove the cardboard or mold.