Concrete cupcake planters
I was looking at an empty cupcake tray (after eating all the cupcakes... on my own) and thought it would make the perfect mould for small succulent planters.
The cupcake tray would add a decorative edge to the concrete planters and was just the right size for small succulents. You can make a set for yourself, or give them as a gift.
YOU WILL NEED:
Cupcake tray
Small lids or object to make the hole in the centre and weights*
Spray 'n Cook
Long-nose pliers
Rust-Oleum Metallic copper spray paint
Colourful succulents and some soil
Buy the materials and supplies for this project at your local Builders Warehouse.
*To make holes in the centre of each planter I used small lids and some glass pebbles that I had in the cupboard. You want something to make a hole large enough to plant a small succulent.
HERE'S HOW:
1. Spray the cupcake tray with a liberal amount of spray 'n cook. This will make it easier to remove the concrete planters once the cement has set.
2. Mix the Rockset using only as much water as is required to make a thick paste. Put the powder into a disposable cup and use a disposable spoon and slowly add water... very slowly. I used disposable items as you can't pour any leftover mix down the drain, so rather throw them away.
3. Pour into the cupcake containers to a level of about 5mm. I poured too much in and had to sort this out later on. Leave to cure overnight.
4. Next day, spray whatever you are using to make the centre holes liberally with spray 'n cook and pop these into the centre on top of the cured concrete.
5. To stop the items from lifting, add something weighty to the centre items. I used glass pebbles.
6. Mix up another batch of Rockset and pour this slowly into the mould to fill up to the top level. Again, leave to cure overnight.
7. Use pliers to twist and turn and pull out the centres.
8. Use soapy water and a kitchen scourer to remove any spray 'n cook residue, as this will prevent the spray paint from adhering to the surface.
9. As mentioned in Step 3 above, I didn't push my centres down deep enough. You only need a 5mm thick base and to ensure the holes were big enough I used my Dremel 8200 and a sanding stone to make the holes deeper.
10. The cupcake concrete planters were sprayed with Rust-Oleum Metallic in copper. Metallics are trending right now and I love the rich finish the shiny metallic copper adds to the concrete.
