Sunday, October 5, 2014

MAKE THIS FUN NEST PLANTER


Make this simple container for a unique garden holiday decoration now and use it as an interesting planter in spring.
  


What You Need:
Plastic covered work surface
1 bag sand topping concrete mix and your favorite hypertufa recipe
mixing pail
large bowl cover with plastic wrap
mud gloves
concrete trowl
pruning shears and a pile of branches

What You Do


1. Cover large bowl with plastic wrap and place open side down on plastic-covered work surface.  Use the pruning shears to cut 3-4-inch lengths of twigs from the branches.  Use the forked branches as well as these will help to provide a natural look. Cut the twigs at  45-degree angle and build up a nice pile…whose going to count?

2. Mix  sand topping concrete mix with water to a clay-like consistency and cover the surface of the bowl with an inch-thick layer of concrete. Pat lightly for a nice smooth surface. Poke a drain hole in the bottom with your finger. Hypertufa works perfectly for this portion of the project and results in a much lighter finished result. 


3. When you’ve covered the bowl, add a thick rim of concrete along the outside edge of the bowl.  Do not smooth this out.  Instead make it rough and uneven.


4. Stick the ends of the twigs into the concrete rim at an angle and move completely around the bowl until you have built a nest.  Allow to harden overnight.


5.  The next day all you have to do is turn the nest container over, remove the bowl, trim up any rough spots and decorate for the holidays.  This container can stay outside year round.

No comments:

Post a Comment