Today I'm sharing something I've never done before and it had me leaping outside of my comfort zone. I've made concrete stepping stones many years ago but never have I covered anything in concrete.

I had no idea if it was going to work, especially considering I was combining ceramics and wood. Always up for a challenge, I persevered and made this unique DIY concrete succulent planter.

Hand-Held Cement Succulent Planter

Here's where I started with these bits and bobs. If the hand looks familiar that's because you saw it in my Ombre Wood Bead Garland post last week before it was covered in concrete.

The hand is so tippy because the base isn't level and I've been wanting to mount it onto something for years. I figured our challenge this month was the perfect opportunity to finally get it done.

You may be wondering why I would cover a perfectly good ceramic hand with concrete. Well, today is our Int'l Bloggers Club challenge and the theme this month is cast in concrete.

While my hand isn't technically cast in concrete, it sure looks like it! I did, however, cast the hearts embellishing the planter in concrete.

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the globe who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project.

We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The theme for our last challenge was I Love Resin and I shared how to make Damask Resin Drink Coasters for beginners.

The hand used to hold a clear acrylic photo frame and I have no idea where it went. I rummaged through my stash to find something else for the hand to hold. When I found a small wooden box missing a lid the concrete planter idea was born.

Everything about this concrete craft is faux, faux, faux. From the faux cast concrete to the faux succulents. Real ones wouldn't stand a chance with my brown thumb.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to make the DIY cement planter, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Okay enough with my blabbering, let me show you how I did it.

Here's How I Did It

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Once I had the square wood plaque and the wooden box glued to the hand with Gorilla contact adhesive, it was time to play with some quick set premixed concrete and artist palette knives.

Covering The Bits And Bobs In Concrete

I'm not going to lie, this step was TEDIOUS applying thin layers of the quick-set concrete and waiting for it to dry between coats.

Having never covered anything in concrete before, I found it challenging to layer the cement perfectly smooth. I'm not sure but perhaps it was the type of ready mix concrete I used. I smoothed it as best I could with palette knives but it still went on rather rough.

In hindsight, I wonder if it would have been easier to dip the hand into the bucket of concrete instead. Pictured below is after the first layer while it was still wet.

Smoothing The Concrete

It took three or maybe it was four coats (I lost track after the second) to get full coverage. Once the last layer was completely dry, I attempted to smooth the concrete with water in a misting spray bottle and wet/dry sandpaper.

I tried several different grits of sandpaper and found the 80 and 120 grit worked the best. It took some time to smooth the dried concrete and I probably could have gotten it smoother had I persisted. I worked at it slowly over the span of a few days.

It's not perfect but I decided to embrace the imperfections and declare it has a time-worn patina. 😏

Cast Concrete Hearts

I did do some cast concrete by making small concrete hearts to embellish the small planter box. I made them with plastic heart molds that I had on hand but I highly recommend using silicone heart molds instead.

On some of the hearts, I placed a small dowel at the top to make holes. I'll be using them in an upcoming project. Ignore my feeble attempt at making concrete votive candle holders pictured in the background above. After four days the concrete was still sopping wet inside the plastic containers.

Next, I attached the concrete hearts to the planter with Gorilla contact adhesive.

Adding Moss To The Concrete Planter

After allowing the glue to cure for a few hours I got busy adding real and faux moss to the cement hand succulent planter.

Working in sections, I brushed generous amounts of white school glue and then dabbed ground dried moss over top. To grind the dried moss into more of a powder I used a mortise & pestle.

I strategically added the moss to what would naturally be the shaded parts of the concrete hand statute.

Once again working in sections, I lightly misted the area with water and brushed french sage artisan powder with an art brush.

Adding Faux Succulents

Last but not least, it was time to add the succulents. I cut a small piece of florist foam to fit inside the planter box. I covered the foam with a layer of dried moss. Then I trimmed the faux succulents to fit the scale of the box and poked the wire through the foam.

It was a fun project, despite stepping way out of my comfort zone. Now that I've tried my first attempt at covering decor with premixed concrete, I decided to try another faux concrete option. You can find those two thrift store upcycles here in my Faux Concrete Paper Mache Bunny and Faux Concrete Ceramic Bust Statue posts.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today. I hope you were inspired by the DIY Concrete Succulent Planter. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this Concrete Hand Succulent Planter, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your DIY Concrete Decor Ideas or Succulent Planter Ideas board on Pinterest.

Now let's see what my talented friend's made for our Cast In Concrete challenge by clicking the links below.

DIY Rustic Avocado Sailboat | A Crafty Mix

Zen Styled Garden Decor | Unique Creations By Anita

How To Make A Cement Planter | Birdz Of A Feather

DIY Vintage Farmhouse Faux Concrete Eggs | Raggedy Bits

How To Make A Cement Block Garden Planter | What Meegan Makes

Unique DIY Concrete Succulent Planter | Interior Frugalista

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.