Small Garden Ornaments to Make

Cement Garden Ornaments

• It's fun to make small cement garden ornaments. The easiest way is to buy ornament molds available at most craft stores. You'll need a small bag of cement and some sand and water.

  Following the instructions on the cement bag, add sand and water to make your mix. A good way to gauge the correct consistency of your mix is to run a knife along the top of it and watch how quickly the line disappears. If it disappears immediately, the mix is too runny.

  You can add pigment to the mix before pouring for added color. Pour your mixture into the mold and let set according to instructions. Once it's formed and dry, pop it out and it's ready for your garden.

Tree Ornaments

• Trees in gardens in Mexico often have small, colorful metal ornaments hanging from them. These ornaments are simple to make. You'll need squares of sheet metal that measure about 8 by 10 inches, a pair of tin snips, small tubes of oil paint and brushes, heavy-gauge sandpaper, thin metal wire, and a pattern on a piece of paper, such as a bird, fish or cat.

  Sand the sheet metal and wipe off remaining dust. Outline your pattern onto the sanded sheet metal using a thin-point Sharpie or other kind of marker, then use your tin snips to cut it out. Puncture a hole into the top for hanging. Paint the metal and let dry. Brush on a sealant, such as Top Coat, and let dry.

  String wire through and hang from a tree. Clusters of small garden ornaments create more visual impact.

Painting Terra-Cotta Pots

• According to Claudia Brownlie, owner of The-artistic-garden.com, painting terra-cotta pots is an easy way to add your personal artistic stamp to your garden art. Water-based acrylic paints are well suited for this project.

  If you're painting used pots, clean the surface before painting. Soak the pot in a water and bleach solution overnight, using about eight parts water to one part bleach. Use a wire brush to remove any debris. Soak the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let dry thoroughly.

  New pots just need to be wiped off. Keep water from seeping through to the outside of the pot by coating the inside twice using a clear acrylic spray, such as Krylon. Using your acrylic paints, apply a base coat to the outside of your pot before painting your design. Once you've painted the outside of your pot, let dry and then use two or three coats of Krylon to seal the pot. Let dry for a week or so before using. These garden ornaments are a great project to do with your kids.

Precautions

• Prepare your surfaces and seal properly to help prevent premature aging from weather and sun exposure. Wear a smock, and paint on a covered surface. Water-based acrylic paints and oil paints do not come off clothing.