Crafting Stained Glass Mosaic Stepping Stones for Your Home and Garden

Making your own stepping stones is actually quite easy, a bit messy and a lot of fun. It's a wonderful outside family craft for a warm seasonal day. Crafting a personalized hand-print and/or footprint stepping stone for each child, parent and even the pets will not only add charm to your garden path but also become prized keepsakes. The kids will enjoy comparing their hands and feet to their parents as they grow and the parents will cherish the memories the little prints' will hold of childhood for many years to come.

The easiest way to craft stepping stones is to make them using a method called the "Stone Topper". If you have never made a mosaic stepping stone or are looking for a quick and inexpensive way of crafting a number of stones, this method is perfect. No molds, no expensive kits, little mess and you probably have most of the needed materials on hand!

For each stone you will need:

1. A 12" already made plain cement stepping stone. Any shape will work.
2. Five pounds of Cement Mortar Mix, this can be purchased at most home improvement stores.
3. Broken pieces of stained glass, glass nuggets and/or marbles.
4. A roll of strong and sturdy duct tape, enough to wrap around the edge of the stone.
5. Water.
6. A plastic bucket or large plastic bowl.
7. Measuring cup for liquids.
8. A garden trowel or old large spoon.
9. Dust mask, eyewear protection, and latex gloves.
10. A level work surface covered with paper or plastic.
11. Paper towels and trash bag for clean-up.

To make:

• Soak your stone in water until thoroughly wet.
• Wrap the top of the stone with duct tape forming a 1" deep bed into which you will pour your cement mortar.
• Mix your cement following the manufacturer's guidelines.
• Pour the cement into the duct tape bed leveling the mortar evenly throughout.
• Press your hand or foot into the wet cement.
• Decorate with the glass and let dry 5 to 7 days before placing outside.

The garden stones can easily be made in an afternoon and after a few days of drying they will be ready to set in your yard or they can become the perfect gifts for the Grandparents to enjoy in their yard.

Stained Glass Mosaic Stepping Stones are one of the easiest crafts to learn. It doesn't require a great deal of artistic knowledge or technique to make a simple beautiful piece. If you love the look of stained glass and the fun of putting together a jigsaw puzzle you will love crafting these garden stones.

To see a fabulous free photo tutorial on making stepping stones using the Topper Method visit "Make Stepping Stones the Easy Way" at http://www.squidoo.com/mosaic-projects-how-to-mosaic

For more crafting ideas be sure to check out my blog at http://stainedglasscobbles.wordpress.com

Rita Wise, Creative Director of Stained Glass Cobbles and Optimum Art Glass Inc., is a freelance writer and creative intuitive working primarily in the arts and crafts market. She specializes in creating new applications for existing products combining usefulness with artistic attitude.