How to Make a Bird Bath With Rhubarb Leaves
- 1). Choose a rhubarb leaf that is intact with no holes or tears. Make sure it was picked one day in advance to make working with the leaf easier.
- 2). Make a pile of sand large enough for the leaf to rest upon with a few inches around the edges to spare. A medium size leaf could use up to 40 pounds of sand so it is better to have more on hand. Smooth out the sand and in the center make an indentation.
- 3). Pour some water into the indentation in the sand. Mix the sand with just enough water to give it a doughy consistency. Mold the sand into whatever shape you would like it to be. Use your imagination. You can make it any shape you would like.
- 4). Cover your shaped sand with a layer of plastic cling wrap. Carefully lay the leaf on the plastic wrap with the "good" or bowl side facing down. Do not rip or break the leaf when doing this.
- 5). Press some extra sand about one inch higher than the leaf all the way around your mold. This will hold your leaf in place. Work gently so as not to disturb the sand pile or the leaf.
- 6). Mix the cement in the bucket according to the directions on the bag. Make sure the mixture is spreadable.
- 7). Apply the cement onto your leaf, as you would when icing a cake. The center should be about two inches thick. You can use a little less toward the edges. Spread it gently but make sure you have covered the whole area of the leaf.
- 8). Prepare a lip by cutting the tubular concrete form to the size you want and making it into a circle. Press the circle into the top of the wet cement. Place several handfuls of cement all the way around the outside of the ring smoothing it with your hands as you work.
- 9). Cover the entire project with plastic cling wrap. Set the whole thing aside for about five days. Try not to keep it in full sun.
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When the mold is dry, turn the whole thing over. If you have used a really big leaf, ask a friend to give you a hand. This is the most difficult part and must be done slowly and evenly. - 11
Start peeling away the plastic wrap. This should come up easily. Then peel away the leaf. If a little of the leaf sticks to the cement, use a scrub brush to get it off. You should have a beautiful impression of the leaf dried into the cement. - 12
Let the cement sit for another week. This will act as curing and make the cement stronger. - 13
Paint the leaf using non-toxic paint and experiment with the colors. When you are finished and the paint is thoroughly dry, apply the water-based sealer according to the directions on the package. Use the natural contour of the leaf as a guide to shade or use deeper colors as you are painting.