Make this DIY planter for Women’s Month
You could try clasping one hand over the other or forming a tight bowl shape with the palms and fingers.
She’s got the whole world in her hands while doing dishes, tending to the garden, feeding the kids, juggling work, and trying to maintain a social life. Life is a Garden is celebrating women with this classy DIY hands planter that’ll make the perfect gift for the green-fingered goddess in your life. You will need:
- A dust mask.
- One bag of casting/ sculpting concrete mix (the smooth one that doesn’t have any stones).
- A mixing bucket and a mixing rod.
- A small gardening spade.
- A pair of plastic gloves.
- Stones or bricks to help hold your hands in place as they dry.
- Outdoor paint suitable for concrete (optional).
- A pair of scissors.
- Potting soil, compost, and stunning succulents.
Resources at your fingertips: Your local hardware store will have a variety of concrete to choose from. Make sure you get one that is for casting or sculpting.
Get a grip on your hands
- With your dust mask on, it’s time to mix the concrete. Follow the instructions on the bag for a nice smooth consistency.
- Using a gardening spade, carefully fill each glove with the casting concrete. You’ll have to work quickly and make sure that the mixture reaches the tip of each finger. Squeeze the concrete all the way down to ensure your hands and fingers will be evenly set once dried.
- Quickly prop your hands against the stones and bricks and shape them in a way that they will be able to adequately hold soil and plants inside the palms. You’re looking for a “these hands can hold the whole world” shape.
Try this: Buy a few extra pairs of plastic gloves and experiment with different hand postures. You could try clasping one hand over the other or forming a tight bowl shape with the palms and fingers.
- Consult your concrete packaging to see how long it needs to set for. Once nice and solid, use the scissors to cut the gloves open and then peel off the remaining plastic.
- It’s time to paint your gorgeous hands. For extra character, you may even want to add painted fingernails.
- Mix your potting soil and compost and add a layer to the hands. Transplant your succulents and arrange as desired. Tuck in the new arrivals with some more potting soil and compost.
Top tip: Since you’ll have leftover concrete, try filling different gloves such as dishwashing gloves, surgical gloves, and even an old pair of gardening gloves to see which one will give you the best hand effect (and to have back-ups in case something goes wrong, or spares to give as gifts).
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