I have always had a "type-A" personality. I work very hard and I often overload my schedule with obligations. While I love my career, it is very stressful. A few years ago, I developed insomnia that my doctor told me was likely due to my high-stress life. I knew I had to find a way to relax, but I was unsure how to do it. I didn't want to take pills or anything. I decided to re-visit an old passion of mine, which is painting. I loved to paint in art class in high school, but I hadn't painted since! I bought the supplies I needed and from the moment my paintbrush touched the canvas, I was in love with art again. Art has helped my life so much I want to inspire others to embrace art as therapy. I plan to post many art tips on my new blog!
Embracing Art Can Help You Relax and Unwind
Learn How To Create Unique Christmas Ornaments Out Of Concrete
Jessica Webb
If you are looking for a unique way to decorate your tree this holiday season, consider creating your own ornaments to hang on the tree. Creating custom ornaments is not overly difficult to do and allows you to create a tree that you know no one else will have. The easy-to-follow guide below walks you through the process for creating unique ornaments using concrete.
Choose the Molds You Want to Use for the Ornaments
The first thing you need to do is you need to decide what shapes or designs you want for the ornaments. Visit a craft store and purchase candy molds that have the shapes you want for your ornaments. The molds will hold the concrete in place so that the ornaments have the exact shape you want.
Determine if You Want the Ornaments to be Glittery
Before you start creating the ornaments, you need to decide if you want them to be glittery or not. If you want any of the ornaments to shimmer, you need to add the glitter to the molds before you add any concrete to them. This allows the concrete to harden with the glitter pressed into it. Adding glitter after the concrete has hardened will be nearly impossible.
Mix the Concrete
On the bag of ready-mix concrete, there will be directions for how the concrete should be mixed. Follow the directions closely to ensure that you mix it properly. It is best to mix slightly more concrete than you think you will need just to make sure that you have enough to finish the project. Mixing enough concrete for just one or two ornaments would be a bit difficult because it will take such a small amount of concrete.
Fill the Candy Molds with Concrete
After the concrete is mixed, you will need to add it into the molds. Be careful to only fill the molds until they are a few millimeters from the top of the molds. You do not want to overfill them or you will have ragged edges on them when they harden. Once you have filled all of the molds, stick a toothpick into the molds wherever you want the string to feed through the ornament when you are done. You need a string or wire through each ornament so that you can hang them and you will not be able to create a hole in the ornaments after they harden without destroying them.
Once they have hardened, pop the abstract stone sculptures out of the molds. You can then paint them if you would like. After you string them, you can hang them on your tree and start to enjoy them right away. For more information, contact companies like Realism in Stone Inc.
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