- Skill Level: Suitable for kids
DIY stepping stones placed along a walkway or path offer an excellent way to give your garden a personal touch. Besides adding visual interest as hardscape features, they also serve as thoughtful presents and memorable keepsakes for relatives and friends. Create one of these stones using a child’s handprints, footprints, or special mementos to give it an even more meaningful touch.
Although buying a kit is an option, gathering your own materials can reduce the expense considerably. You can actually produce an entire collection of homemade stepping stones for the price of one kit. In essence, stepping stones are created by combining concrete, decorating the mixture, transferring it into a mold, and letting it harden. Could anything be easier?
Supplies You’ll Need
Tools / Equipment
- Form
- Pail
- Concrete stirrer
- Latex gloves
- Newsprint
- Protective covering
Required Materials
- Fast-curing concrete or “stepping stone” mix
- Release spray or petroleum jelly
- Decorative items like broken pottery pieces, marbles, miniature toys, tiles or board-game dice, dried blossoms or greenery, sea glass, glitter, and more
Directions
Material Suggestions
- Plastic stepping-stone forms are available at craft stores; choosing an unconventional design, such as a hexagon, can be fun. However, if you prefer a basic rectangle, square, or circle, less expensive forms are easy to find. Retired cake pans or baking dishes are useful, and a cereal carton can work perfectly for a single project.
- For a collection of stones intended for a spacious garden, visit a nearby home-improvement store and purchase a 4- or 8-pound bag of fast-setting concrete. When making only a couple of small stones, look for “stepping stone concrete” at a local craft retailer.
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Set Up the Work Area and Forms
First, spread newspaper and/or a protective cloth over the ground. Working outside is preferable since the process can be untidy. Coat the form or forms with cooking spray or petroleum jelly.
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Fill the Form With Concrete
Prepare the concrete by following the directions printed on the bag. Then pour the mixture into the form or forms.
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Decorate With Embellishments
Place decorative pieces on the concrete’s surface. Along with embedding items in the form, you can also make concrete “casts,” or impressions of objects that are later taken away. For example, once the concrete begins firming up, children can press their hands and/or feet into the softening surface. Leaves, shells, and other items from nature can create appealing impressions as well.
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Give the Concrete Time to Dry
Let the stepping stone cure for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours. Take it out of the form and set it in your garden!