How to Make a Concrete Air Plant Holder

1. 1

   Step 1: Mix the Concrete

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   Mix your concrete in a bucket following the ratio printed on the bag. Megan uses a quick-set concrete she had on hand and adds a splash of extra water so the mix pours a little runnier. A looser mix fills small molds cleanly and settles into the corners instead of leaving voids.

   Stir with a paint stick until there are no dry pockets and it looks like thick oatmeal. Do not go too soupy or the block ends up weak. You want it pourable but still holding its shape on the stick.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Add the water in small pours. It is easy to loosen a stiff mix and almost impossible to un-soup one that has gone too wet.

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   Used in this stepconcrete or cement mixmixing bucketpaint stir stick

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2. 2

   Step 2: Fill the Molds and Set the Skewers

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   Scoop the wet concrete into two small plastic grower pots. These are your molds, and the tapered shape pops the finished block out easily. Pack the concrete down hard with the paint stick so it fills the bottom and edges.

   Push a couple of wood skewers straight down into the center of each pot. They hold open a channel you will glue the wire into later. Tamp everything down again, then tap the pots on the table a few times to bring any trapped air bubbles up to the surface.

   Tip:

   Watch this step A quick spritz of cooking spray inside the pot before you fill it makes the cured block slide out with almost no fight.

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   Used in this stepplastic grower potswood skewerscooking spray or mold release

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3. 3

   Step 3: Demold and Sand

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   When the concrete is about halfway set, pull the skewers straight out. Wait too long and they lock in, so a firm tug at the halfway point saves you from digging them out with pliers later. Let the blocks finish curing fully before you unmold.

   To release each block, tap the bottom of the plastic pot with a hammer until the concrete slides free. Run a scrap of sandpaper over the edges to knock off the sharp lip and any rough grit from the mold. Sand lightly for a crisp look or harder for a soft, distressed stone finish.

   Tip:

   Watch this step If a block will not budge, flex the plastic pot gently all the way around before you reach for the hammer. The pot deforms and breaks the suction.

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   Used in this stepsandpaperhammer

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4. 4

   Step 4: Mask a Torn Gold Line

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   Tear a piece of construction paper so it has a rough, ragged edge instead of a clean straight cut. That torn line is what gives the gold its organic, hand-made look once you spray. Do not aim for anything perfect here.

   Wrap the paper around a block and tape it in place, leaving bare only the strip of concrete you want to turn gold. Megan does one holder with the gold band up near the top and the other with it down at the bottom, so the finished pair looks intentional rather than identical.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Press the tape down hard along the torn edge. Any gap lets overspray creep under and blurs the crisp line you tore on purpose.

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   Used in this stepconstruction paperpainter's tape

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5. 5

   Step 5: Spray the Gold

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   Take the masked blocks somewhere with airflow and spray the exposed concrete with metallic gold paint. Hold the can back a few inches and keep it moving so the paint lands as an even mist, not a puddle. Two or three light coats beat one heavy one.

   Check for bare spots along the torn edge and touch them up before the paint sets. Then leave the blocks alone for about half an hour, just long enough for the gold to dry to the touch.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Concrete is thirsty and drinks the first coat, so it can look patchy at first. Let that coat flash off, then go again and the color evens right out.

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   Used in this stepmetallic gold spray paintgloves

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6. 6

   Step 6: Glue in the Wire

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   Peel off the paper once the paint is dry and check that you like the gold line on both blocks. Now for the part that turns a block into a holder. Squeeze E6000 craft glue into the channel the skewer left behind in the top of each one.

   Push a length of 14-gauge gold wire down into the glued hole so it stands up straight. Do not shape it yet. Just anchor it and prop the loose end against something steady while the glue expands and grabs. E6000 needs time to cure, so walk away and let it set.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Prop the wire so it dries dead vertical. If it sets at a lean, the whole nest tips and the air plant slides off later.

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   Used in this stepE6000 craft glue14-gauge gold wire

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7. 7

   Step 7: Shape the Nest and Add the Air Plant

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   With the glue cured, bend the free wire into an open nest or spiral that will cradle the air plant. Hold your Tillandsia against the wire as you shape it so the nest ends up sized to the plant, snug enough to hold it but open enough that air still gets to the base.

   Use needle-nose pliers for the tight coils on the smaller holder and just your hands for the looser shape on the bigger one. Set the air plant into the finished nest and you are done. Two little concrete holders, ready for a shelf or to give away.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Lift the plant out to water it. Soak the Tillandsia in a bowl, shake it dry, then drop it back into the nest so no water sits against the wire.

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   Used in this stepair plant (Tillandsia)needle-nose pliers14-gauge gold wire

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Keep going

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Tools we recommend

• E6000

  E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)

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• OLFA

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  The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.

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