Decorative Garden Stones from Copper Molds

Years ago, I made a mosaic stepping stone that featured an outdoor key hider underneath it. More recently, I had a hankering to try playing with concrete once again. But this time, I decided to use some copper molds from the thrift store to make some decorative garden stones.

My first and only concrete craft project:

But back to today’s upcycling idea! Let’s face it, these copper are ALL OVER thrift store shelves…in any number of shapes and sizes.

This upcycling idea was also a chance for me to try a stepping stone kit instead of the standard Quikcrete, which is a little burdensome to use for craft projects.

Either way, I gathered up some copper molds to try making some decorative garden stones for my yard. Think my idea will work? There was only one way to find out!

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

Upcycling the Copper Molds

I used this stepping stone kit as my source of cement, but it’s also available in most craft stores (for a lot less money, too). I really loved that it was a set amount of cement that would be mixed with a set amount of water.

Unlike Quikcrete, which is a guessing game!

First, I followed the directions on the box and mixed up the concrete in a bucket. It was much smoother than Quikcrete, without any aggregate (stones) to deal with.

Before I poured the cement into the copper molds, however, I sprayed them generously with nonstick spray.

This is an absolutely CRUCIAL step, and don’t be stingy with the spray, Make sure you thoroughly coat the bottom of AND sides of the stone mold.

Once the copper molds were sufficiently lubricated, I carefully poured the cement mix into each one. From that 8-pound box of concrete, I was able to create three decorative garden stones.

Pro tip: I REALLY wish I had purchased a used wooden spoon from the thrift store before doing this project. It would have been ideal for mixing the cement AND guiding it into the jelly moulds.

Then, I let everything sit overnight before carefully removing the garden stones from the copper jello molds.

It may not have been needed, but I let the naked stones sit for an additional night before decorating them.

Before I started decorating them, though, I brushed each one with a stiff-bristled paint brush to remove concrete dust, loose particles, etc.

Painting the Decorative Garden Stones

Next, I spray painted my decorative garden stones. I gave each one 2 or 3 light coats of paint to achieve a vivid color.

Concrete is porous, so a few coats made a big difference.

When all was said and done, this is what the stone garden ornaments were shaping up to look like!

I used foil to wrap parts of the pineapple in order to get both colors with spray paint.

Next, I hand painted a couple of the concrete lawn ornaments to give them a little more dimension. For this step, I just used regular craft paint.

Last but not least, I applied a top coat to each side of the decorative garden stones with a basic polyacrylic.

This will protect them from the elements, as they’ll be living outside!

Decorative Garden Stones from Copper Molds

And that was it! I had fun little trio of decorative garden stones that were bright and festive to add to my yard. My upcycling idea for copper molds worked out better than I could have hoped!

I still have the cat and fish shaped copper molds to work with, too. I just need to grab another box of stepping stone mix from the craft store!

Guess what today is? It’s Thrift Store Decor Team Day! Please check out what my blogging friends did with these thrift store items (See the links underneath collage photo).

1. DIY Rustic Bathroom Mirror

2. Painted Wicker Basket

3. Repurposed Little Red Wagon

4. DIY Antique Crock

5. Making Decorative Garden Stones from Copper Molds

6. Repurposed Chandelier

7. Night Stand Makeover

8. DIY Decorative Painted Box

Back to the garden stones, here are a couple I made for the Charlotte Region ReStores. I seriously can’t stop making these!

And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for your lawn and garden, then you’ll love this hanging bird bath I made with a glass lid!

Craft on!

S

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