DIY Heart-Shaped Concrete Planter
As promised, I want to explain in a bit more detail how I made the DIY heart-shaped concrete succulent planter for Walker’s Valentine’s Day gift. While I could have easily gone to the hardware and craft stores for all of the supplies for the project, I chose to simplify my life and buy a “Cast Your Own” planter kit from NativeCast for $10 that included the exact supplies I needed (and the concrete is “green!”).
Photo Source: www.nativecast.com
If you decide to go find the supplies yourself, you will need to find a small bag of concrete mix (good luck on this one… concrete mix is usually sold in large bags of 50 lbs. or more! Keep your eyes peeled for a smaller “patching” kit) and a cardboard mold (craft stores sell cardboard craft boxes like the one pictured above in many shapes/sizes). Thankfully, my kit included just the right amount of concrete mix for my little planter so I didn’t have to hunt it down.
Start by wetting the cardboard box mold to ensure that you will be able separate the mold from the concrete after it dries. Then, following the instructions on your concrete mix packaging, add the appropriate amount of water to the mix so that you get a pliable paste.
My kit came with a little wooden spreading tool but you can use a disposable spoon or something similar to spread the concrete along the inside of the cardboard mold, adding a drop or two of water to the mix if it becomes too dry.
Once all of the concrete has been spread out in the mold, use the spoon to smooth out all of the edges and make a small hole at the bottom for drainage. Set aside your project so that the concrete can dry according to the directions (mine took 12 hours but I left it for 24 hours to be sure).
Once the concrete has dried, tear or cut the cardboard mold away from the concrete. If any of the cardboard sticks, use a wet cloth to soak away the remaining pieces.
Your planter is done! How easy was that!? I added soil and succulents to my heart-shaped planter before giving it to my valentine. I love the rustic look and the handmade feel of the concrete planter. We may have to order a few more kits and make a bunch of these for our backyard! :)
**I was in no way compensated for this post by NativeCast… I just think their product is awesome! :)**
**So let’s get back to that video thing. I positively hate watching myself on camera but I would love your opinion, especially if you feel differently! Yay or nay on future video tutorials? Did you enjoy the change of pace? I will aim to make them shorter in the future but I was just having so much fun playing with dirt on my kitchen table. ;)**
And remember that 
Beautiful, soft, green grass!! We still have a little ways to go since some of it is a bit patchy, although I think the gardeners cut the grass a bit too short in some places. But considering last month we were living in a dirt pit, this is a huge deal! Plus, I know very few people that have successfully managed to grow grass (or anything at all for that matter) in August in Los Angeles.
Oh well. We will keep our fingers crossed for next year. We will just have to drink some zinfandel wine from the store in the grape plant’s honor this year! ;)
What a little cutie!
R.I.P. trees… we will miss you.
Apparently these little guys are called “the gardener’s unpaid handyman.” First of all, they tunnel through the top 12″ of your soil, aerating it and leaving room for plant roots to grow more freely. No more hard-packed soil! Secondly, (and bear with me here… I’m about to get a little gross) earthworm waste contains five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus, eleven times more potassium, and 1,000 times more good bacteria than the material it consumed. So worms make the quality of the soil better as well as the structure. You may think I know a lot about worms but really all I did was read the back of the worm container! :)
Anyway, now that we have gotten a little down and dirty, let’s move forward. Once Walker came up with the brilliant idea to use worms to help our soil (he’s so smart!) and I read the back of the worm can to figure out what the heck he was talking about, we followed the instructions to give the little worms a new home in our yard.
So there is a little life back there but keep your fingers crossed for our backyard’s healthy recovery!
Progress is a beautiful thing, my friends! We have 4 big bunches and 1 small bunch going (and I think that will be it). So we may only get a little sip of wine when all of this is said and done. Totally worth it! ;)
Needless to say, we got some pretty strange looks. I had to drive slowly and everyone hated me. But we got our tree home in one piece and Walker planted it in front of the bathroom window so hopefully it will give us some privacy (and also block the view of the side neighbor’s hideous new satellite dish). Happy Arbor Day!
