She’s got the whole world in her hands (while doing dishes, tending the garden, feeding the kids, juggling work, and trying to maintain a social life). Thank you to all the ferociously fabulous females and happy Women’s Month to you! Life is a Garden is celebrating the ladies with this classy DIY hands planter that’ll make the perfect gift for the green-fingered goddess in your life. Let’s get started!
“I raise up my voice, not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard” - Malala Yousafzai, activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
You will need
- A dust mask
- 1 bag of casting/sculpting concrete mix (the smooth one that doesn’t have any stones)
- A mixing bucket and a mixing rod
- A small gardening spade
- A pair of plastic gloves
- Stones or bricks to help hold your hands in place as they dry
- Outdoor paint suitable for concrete (optional)
- A pair of scissors
- Potting soil, compost, and stunning succulents from your GCA Garden Centre
Resources at your fingertips: Your local hardware store will have a variety of concrete to choose from. Make sure you get one that is for casting or sculpting. Your GCA Garden Centre has all the rest of the gardening goodies you need, go check it out.
“If you're always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou, Pulitzer-prize nominated poet.
Get a grip on your hands
- With your dust mask on, it’s time to mix the concrete. Follow the instructions on the bag for a nice smooth consistency.
- Using a gardening spade, carefully fill each glove with the casting concrete. You’ll have to work quickly here and make sure that the mixture reaches the tip of each finger. Squeeze the concrete all the way down to ensure your hands and fingers will be evenly set once dried.
- Quickly prop your hands against the stones and bricks and shape them in a way that they will be able to adequately hold soil and plants inside the palms. You’re looking for a “these hands can hold the whole world” shape.
Try this: Buy a few extra pairs of plastic gloves and experiment with different hand postures. You could try clasping one hand over the other or forming a tight bowl shape with the palms and fingers.
“We’re all water from different rivers, that’s why it’s so easy to meet; we’re all water in this vast, vast ocean, someday we’ll evaporate together.” – Yoko Ono, performance artist and peace activist.
- Consult your concrete packaging to see how long it needs to set for. Once nice and solid, use the scissors to cut the gloves open and then peel off the remaining plastic.
- It’s time to paint your gorgeous hands! For extra character, you may even want to add painted fingernails in your favourite woman’s colour.
- Mix your potting soil and compost and add a layer to the hands. Transplant your succulents and arrange as desired. Tuck in the new arrivals with some more potting soil and compost. Give them a good watering and enjoy the heart smiles of the lucky lady you choose to gift this to.
Top tip: Since you’ll have leftover concrete, try filling different gloves such as dishwashing gloves, surgical gloves, and even an old pair of gardening gloves to see which one will give you the best hand effect (and to have back-ups in case something goes wrong, or spares to give as gifts).
“Age is getting to know all the ways the world turns, so that if you cannot turn the world the way you want, you can at least get out of the way so you won’t get run over.” - Miriam Makeba, South African singer, United Nations goodwill ambassador, and civil rights activist.
Have a fearless Women’s Month and enjoy showing off your DIY skills with your fancy hand planters. This heart-warming garden décor can be displayed at the entrance of your home, on the stoep, or even on a windowsill to bring in some colour and life. Far from looking homemade, this DIY will surely pay homage to the hands that raise our future generations; be they children, plants, or animals. Life is a Garden and Mother Nature is the custodian - how will you celebrate Her?
