Concrete Style: DIY Planters

Since I've been getting into gardening and planting a lot more, I wanted to play around with the idea of concrete containers. I decided on doing a small DIY of two concrete bowls: a gilded bowl for bits and bobs, and a concrete planter.

These are my first attempts at making concrete pots and planters and it was quite an easy project to execute. Perfecting the shapes came later, and I ended up making five different containers. Here are the results, and a "how-to" guide on creating them below. There are two methods that I used. The first method is by using acrylic glass and the second I used a recycled cardboard or carton in the shape of the planter I wanted. Both work, but the easiest is by using a cardboard or carton container because it's easier clean up.

Materials:

dry concrete mixture
vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
liquid gold paint or metallic paint
paintbrush
water
2 acrylic moulds or cardboard moulds (I used 2 containers 16 cm wide, & one approx. 5 cm wide)
1 weight with a circular edge or candle
shaping tool or spoon (optional)
sandpaper
gloves


*If you use a cardboard mould, then you don't need to use oil to grease it, just go to step 2.

What do you think of these handmade planters? 

Do you have any plants in your home or work space?