Mushrooms are often used to decorate the site. But purchased mushrooms are expensive, and besides, you can’t always find exactly what you would like to see in your garden on sale. Let's try to make them yourself.
Materials for garden mushroom
You will need:
- Cement,
- Sand,
- Thick kapron stockings - for one mushroom two pieces,
- Primer front or universal,
- Facade paint, concrete paint or acrylic.
More details about the solution from which we will "pour out" the mushroom. To prepare it, in a container (an old basin, for example), we mix three parts of sand with one part of cement. A portion of water, mixing the mass, to get a homogeneous, similar to a thick cream. You can add a plasticizer for concrete (sold in the construction shop) - this reduces the risk of cracks on the surface of the craft for the garden. But if small cracks still appear when the cement fungus dries, they just need to be covered with a small amount of fresh mortar.
How to make a mushroom for the garden - step by step
Once the solution is ready, put in the nylon stocking a portion sufficient to form the leg.
Immediately put in the second stocking part of the solution for the cap of the mushroom.
We hang stockings with cement on some rail, pipe, crossbar.
According to the same principle, cement pumpkins can also be made, only we drag the cross onto the cross with twine.
Now comes the fun part - we need to form a leg and a hat. We put a jar under the stocking with the future hat so that the solution is not completely on weight, but as if it is a little blurred. At the top of the solution we knit the stocking. Between the solution and the jar we lay a polyethylene film so that after hardening the jar can be easily removed.
Under the stocking, in which the leg of the mushroom freezes, we also put a jar in order to form a flat surface (cut) of the leg.
We leave elements of our future garden decoration to freeze. But not for too long - if the cement mortar hardens completely, it will be difficult to fasten the details of the craft.
Take out the parts mushroom from stockings, insert some metal pin into the middle of the leg (you can use a long nail), put a hat on it.
If time is lost and the solution is too dry, you will have to fasten the fungus in another way. You can drill holes in the parts with a drill and fasten the pin in them with a fresh solution. If the cap and the cut of the legs are large, you can also glue them with building glue or the same solution.
It will not work to remove stockings from the hardened cement, leave them in place, and apply a small layer of mortar to the dried craft to hide the material.
Dry mushroom will be, depending on size, from three days. After that, it can and should be sanded with sandpaper to remove bumps.
We apply a primer to the surface of the garden crafts, leave it to dry for a day.
We color the hat and leg with suitable colors. If we want our mushroom to shine, after the paint dries, apply a layer of facade varnish.
Master Class
- Cut off the neck of a plastic bottle.
- Prepare a solution of water, grated soap and sunflower oil. Mix well and wait for all elements to dissolve.
- Lubricate the inner walls of the bottle with a solution using a silicone brush.
- Dilute the gypsum in the required amount as indicated in the instructions on the package.
- Make the leg of the fungus in this way: pour the gypsum mixture into the neck of the bottle, wait until it sets completely (40 minutes).
- To make the fungus leg empty inside, insert a small plastic bottle with its neck down into the set gypsum mixture. Then press down with a stone or heavy object so that the bottle does not rise up.
- Cut the bottle and remove the leg of the fungus.
- Trim the protruding part of the bottle forming a void inside the fungus.
- Form the hat of the fungus in this way: take a cup or saucer, tightly wrap the inside of the dishes with cling film.
- Dilute the gypsum in the required amount as indicated in the instructions on the package.
- Pour the gypsum mixture into the cup, let stand for 3 minutes and evenly insert the fungus leg.
- Leave on for 40 minutes to completely freeze the figure.
- Make the bases for the mushroom in this way: take a bowl or plate, cover with cling film and pour out the gypsum mixture.
- Wrap the mushroom leg with cling film, immerse in the base and wait 40 minutes.
- Remove the figure and remove the film.
- Blind small figures from gypsum (flowers, leaves ...) in order to further decorate the fungus's hat or its base. Use molds and do not forget to pre-lubricate them with emulsion to easily get the figure after solidification.
- Put the fungus for two days in a warm place without drafts.
- Think of a pattern for the mushroom, after drawing it on a regular sheet.
- Draw a simple pencil drawing on the mushroom.
- Circle the pattern with a needle.
- Dissolve PVA glue with water, cover it with a mushroom and wait until it dries completely.
- Paint the mushroom with acrylics and let it dry completely.
- Cover the fungus with varnish in several layers, so that it becomes moisture resistant and does not lose the brightness of the colors after a bad weather.
A plaster mushroom is ready! I recommend to watch a video master class!
By the same principle, you can make a turtle, hedgehog, flowers, caterpillar and everything you want. Before you begin, think carefully about the details of the future crafts and create it in stages. Also browse the photo gallery of plaster crafts, get inspired and create with your own hands!
