Very very neat! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Spots still show thru. The caladium I was copying is in the center of pic. I painted them out on one half, but they bled thru and I'll have to reapply 'em, I guess. I do have a back up leaf in the background...but it belongs to the 5 yr old! Not sure how he'd take that news...and he's in Waco for the weekend....

The photo looks good (even the bleed through side), but I am sure your aesthetics will guide you....keep your hands off your grandson's leaf!

I've decided to walk away from it.... Plan to show the group the steps for making the leaf...and what happens if you do something you really don't like.... Then I'll tell them to either make another leaf or paint it out and start over. I find that re-painting removes some of the veining that makes it look like a real leaf. Too late to make another. Glad I took photos.
Think about me when it's over a 100 tomorrow and I'm out in the heat.... oh what fun!

You can thank Dave for this thread. I made quite a mess taking posts over from the TX forum. Somehow, he saw it and asked if I'd like help. And like magic, it was moved over, cleaned up, all shiny and new. Thanks, Dave!

That is SO cool Bubbles.

Thanks vic. Someone needs to wake Missy up now!

Dave is our hero!!!! SERIOUSLY, our hero!

Sandi, I was looking at dates and feeling but now it's all clear.
I love your leaf....and painting it is the finishing touch!!! can't wait to try!

Hmmmm, I had posted earlier but it's gone now.... Anyway Sandi, I'm amazed that your real leaf didn't stick to the cement - it came off so clean. Maybe because I use QuikWall and rhubarb leaves that's the difference. Rhubarb leaves have really deep veins and they can be hard to get out of the QW.

It turned out really nice Sandi! Looking forward to seeing the finished project. Great tutorial!

And I replied to your post Chris That's strange, and worse, I can't remember what I posted!!
I'd like to try the Quikwall one day. After seeing what you've done with it, I have to try some when it gets cooler. I kept the back of the concrete leaf sprayed with water, and the sand was damp also. That might have been what helped the leaf lift.
Gremlins must have taken our posts away.

need to ask Dave...hmmmmmmmmm.

Sorry, that thread is gone and this one was moved over from the Texas Gardening forum.

Thanks Dave... curious minds and all that.

Great Tutorial, Sandi. May have to try it...

Thanks Charleen!

That's OK Dave - just glad to know I'm not losing my mind!

This has been a great help for me, I love these leaves. I usually use Quickrete Instant Mortar Mix, I don't have to add sand to it just water. I have several bags of that around, do you think it would work? I have to drive 60 miles to get to a Lowe's or HD and the small hardware stores don't carry Portland. It's either Quikrete or the store brand and those all have the gravel in it.

I don't like the gravel one either....

I haven't used Quikrete, so I don't know, but wouldn't "mortar mix" mean it was for laying bricks? I thought it wouldn't have gravel in it for mortar. Before you buy a bag of the portland cement, do you think you could screen the mortar mix you already have out from the gravel? Maybe use an old colander? I would think you'd need to use a mask or something to cover your nose and mouth so you wouldn't breathe it.
'Or cover the colander with a cloth.
Maybe try a small leaf if you can? Don't know if that helps or not.