Plaster Garden Toadstool

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mommy's out there! I had a wonderful day! I brought the kids to my mom's house, they rode their 4-wheelers and jeeps. Overall, a pretty good time. I finished my mom's garden mushroom, and it turned out fabulously, so now I'm making 5,000 more for my own gardens, yay! But, as I promised, here's the HOW-TO!!


Plaster Garden Toadstool
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I used plaster, and I will be waiting to see if it holds up to the weather, we'll see. IF NOT.........USE MORTAR OR CEMENT! It's more durable, but I'm not sure about painting it....

plaster
styrofoam cups
styrofoam bowls
tent stakes
acrylic paint
polyurethane
plastic spoon (for mixing)

1. In a styrofoam bowl, mix the plaster as specified. I personally like mine a little more liquidy to make it more even, but whatever. Pour the mixture in a styrofoam cup, stick your tent stake in the center, and let dry.
2. Once dry, peel off the styrofoam stuck to the plaster cup.
3. Mix more plaster in another styrofoam bowl, ALMOST to the rim.
4. Put your cup/stake (which is the stem, obviously) in the center of the bowl. Let dry.
5. Turn it right side up, peel the plaster off, and you should have an object that looks like a mushroom. .
6. Start painting with acrylics. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH THE PAINT, EVEN WHEN DRY!
It will rub off right away. Soooo....
7. Finish it off with a coat of polyurethane to seal everything in. Let dry.
8. Stick it in the ground with the stake.




I just got finished with my cement patio for my garden bench so I can sit and watch the kids play some basketball. Once I'm done completely letting the joints settle, I will post a How-To.