Do you ever buy something, convinced you are going to do something really cool with it? You aren’t 100% certain what that really cool thing will be – you just know it will be once you figure it out.
Well…last year I bought 2 of these glass domes. I knew they were from cage lights, so I figured that’s what I’d do – make a light. So, I searched the internet for some inspiration…
… and I found this Mariner’s Lamp from Restoration Hardware. Loved it!
The only problem was, I could never find the cage part for it.
I really, really loved this Outdoor cage light from Cox and Cox, but again, I couldn’t find a cage.
But then, I saw this nature cloche from Dot & Bo. No, it isn’t a light, but it met my “cool” criteria, and it didn’t require a cage! I love the tree base that looks a bit like tree bark, and decided to see if I could replicate the look, and show you how I did it.
Let’s go!…
The supplies needed are:
a small bag of concrete mix
a bowl to mix it in
a small aluminum pan
something to mix the concrete with
I used one of the beaters from my mixer – it works great in my cordless drill. 🙂
Directions:
Trim off the bottom of the tin and tape it to a box.
Mix up the concrete. The consistency should be a bit thinner than brownie mix. Spoon it into the tin, about 1″ thick.
Stir the concrete to remove air bubbles and gently shake it back and forth to fill all the spaces and level it out, then let it sit and start to harden.
When the concrete starts to firm up, push the glass globe down into the concrete to create a track in it.
Remove the glass to make sure it held the shape of the track. If not, let it dry a bit longer and try again. If the shape holds, allow it to dry for several hours.
When you peel away the aluminum, here’s how it looks.
Now, to make it look like a tree slice, paint the base with a light beige color of paint.
There are several ways to make the edge look like tree bark, but here’s how I did mine.
I used furniture wax (any kind will work), and antiquing powder from Vintage Storehouse.
Using 2 different brushes, I rubbed wax all around the “bark” edge, making sure it went into the crevices, then using another brush, dip the tip of the brush into the antiquing powder, and rub it into all those crevices. Make sure you are working on newspaper, so you don’t make a dark mess on your kitchen table!
Now comes the fun part! Get an old sock or rag and put some furniture wax on it.
Use the wax on the rag to start wiping away the powder that’s on the surface of the edge. The powder sticks in the crevices, making it look like real tree bark!
And look how awesome it looks with a cute little succulent placed inside! 🙂
Here’s the Dot and Bo version and mine, side by side.
Of course, you could make larger versions of this, using a larger pie pan, and larger glass globe. I’ve seen those at Hobby Lobby.
And I think you could also use a regular glass jar from your recycling bin – like a jelly jar.
If I come up with another cool project later, I can just take it off and reuse it, but for now I’m loving how this turned out!
This is SO clever, Angie…I love how this turned out!
Very cool! A genius idea!
That is so cute! Would make a cool gift for the nature lover, apartment dweller, garden enthusiast…types.
I don’t know anybody like that…but I’d think If I did…this would be a cool gift!
hahaha!
really, yours is so cute! Great job Angie!
Hi Angie,
I too have a “thing” for cloches, and I’ve pinned a boatload of ideas to decorate with them, be it for vintage collections, holiday ephemera, plant life, etc. Your base idea is genius! I have never seen small plastic bags of concrete before…. only the huge paper bags that are ao heavy I can’t lift them! Where did you find concrete to use for smaller projects? Anyway, thanks for sharing your fantastic idea Angie, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Love this idea! And I love yours so much better! Have a great day!
Angie, Angie, Angie I LOVE this. Thanks for sharing. You’re so clever and artistic.
What a great idea! Love it so much!!
This is fantastic!! Just beautiful! I see cloches and light covers like this, but generally can’t find a good base for them. I love it.
Great idea. I’m can’t believe a pie pan can mimic wood grain like this. I think a collection of these in different sizes would make a beautiful centerpiece mixed with fresh flowers or pine cones or some antlers.
Becky, you are right – different sizes of these would be awesome. I think they’d look pretty holding food dishes at a wedding or other special event too!
Angie you did a great job and yours looks better than their’s.
Thanks Marlene!! 🙂
Yes, yours is far nicer! Love this, so want to try it, cloche or no cloche!
I like your version best. I just may try this. I’ll add it to the zillion other projects on my list, lol
You are just SO darn clever, girl! The one you made looks ten times better than the other one. Yours looks much more like real bark, darned if it doesn’t! I really want to try it. I’ve always been scared to work with cement, but after seeing you make it look so easy, I think I might try it! Can a seventy-one-year-old grandmother say, “Awesome”? Well, I”m sayin’ it!
Angie
This is brilliant!
And adorable!
<3
Pia
I’m with the other commenters, I think your version is far superior to the Dot and Bo version…you really did a wonderful job on that base…it looks like an actual tree slice! This is such a sweet idea…you could display soooooooo many things in sweet cloches like this! I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so clever come out of concrete mix! 🙂
I am impressed Angie !!! Great tutorial. Can you get the antiquing powder at craft stores?
I love concrete items and will make some of these. Thanks for sharing your brilliant idea.
Hugs,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
This is just plain cool. Great idea, Angie.
Seriously, you are amazing. How do you do it? I know, I know… it just comes naturally, like thinking of making natural cement bases. I’m sitting here looking at some glass jars, guess I should make a slab for them and turn them upside down if I want them to look awesome.
Adorable!! Yours is even better! 🙂