Last year when I was making hypertufa containers, I tried to make a hand to hold succulents like I had seen on Pinterest.
I broke my fingers. It was not pretty.
But, I wasn't going to let losing a few fingers keep me from my dream, so this year I decided to try again.
I used Playtex gloves as my hand form. And my gloves came with free flower seeds. Score!
I sprayed the inside of the glove with Pam cooking spray (named after me, because I'm so slick).
And wound up this florist wire onto a pencil to make these little corkscrew thingies and stuffed them in each finger (sort of like using rebar when they pour a concrete slab)
See my post on hypertufa containers for the recipe and safety instructions for making basic hypertufa. Since I wanted to make my hands super strong this time, I altered that recipe by doubling the amount of Portland cement used for this project.
I mixed up my hyertufa and stuffed the glove with the mixture, taking extra care to squish it down to the tips of the fingers.
After it was fairly full, I put tiny pin pricks in the end of each finger (of the gloves, not my own fingers) to let out a little trapped air and allow the fingers to be completely filled.
I put the filled glove in a plastic bag and let it cure for 7 days.
After it had cured, I used a razor knife to cut the glove off of it. Razors are sharp. Please do not cut yourself.
A slightly curved hand would have made a better planting surface, but I sort of like the hand coming out of the ground look!
It's very Addams Family-ish! In a cute way.
Carlene @ Organized Clutter
Very cute. I guess I would have to use the generic Pam since I'm not that slick!
creativegoddess
This is great! I have to try it.
dee in oregon
Thanks for your humor. . . you always make me smile! The hands turned out good and your idea about the Pam-made rebar is an excellant idea.
Musings from Kim K.
Another winner! I must show this to my Halloween crazy husband. It's pretty fabulous. We have body parts in our flower beds during the month of October, but I think we might need a few more during the summer months.
Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME/Doublewide Decor
I have never heard of such a thing. What a neat idea to use the glove....glad you didn't break your fingers this time.
Joanne Noragon
Well I never...
My girlfriend went through a spate of a hand on her bathroom counter holding a guest towel between thumb and forefinger. They were porcelain factory forms for making rubber gloves. They were lovely.
There was a booth at a fair once that made plaster keepsake forms. Baby's hand, lover's hands, stuff like that. I made one of my hand. It was pretty scrawny and laughable.
Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces
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Vickie @ Ranger 911
He he...very creepilicious I'd say! Please leave one where the mailman walks on his daily route. And make sure you're Gladys Kravitzing out the window the first time he almost steps on it. I'm bad.
Do you think this stuff would make a good gnome home for a fairy garden? hmmmm......
Olive
Hi Slick, it is kind of "Walking Dead" like there coming out of the ground. What on earth are you gonna do next? xo, olive
TARYTERRE
I really like this idea. I have a hand holding a light switch on my sideboard.
susie @ persimmon moon cottage
Love your hypertufa hand and the planters you have shown in the past. I hope to quit procrastinating and use your recipe and instructions to make a planter or maybe even a hand. As much as I procrastinate, I am still an impatient person. It would have been hard to make myself wait seven days to see how the hand turned out.
Ida
This was very interesting and clever.
Twiggs
Great Project! The possibilities are endless... I could imagine two hands (left and right) coming vertically out of the ground with a bowling ball in the middle.. or basketball if you're a family who loves basketball.. ha! You would be taking orders in no time at all!
Oh my I gotta do this one.. I amaze myself!ha!
Jayne
So cool! I love it 🙂
Vetsy
I really like the fact that we can make light weight planters or containers out of material that looks like concrete. I really want to start this sometime soon...
I currently live in an apartment so I don't have the room to do it..But it is fun to watch others like you do it. It would be fun to make a hand a place a little bird in it.... Nice Job I like it.
Anonymous
When making hypertufa make sour you get real peat moss not the stuff called sphagam peat moss. It makes a difference in finished product.
Jennifer BNHblog
Wow, what a great idea! I love the look. Good for you for sticking with it.
Anonymous
your hand tuned out awesome, love the idea of putting wire in the fingers for extra support.
Anonymous
Well Pam!, your just the type of person I need for my gardening ideas ! I like to have things in the garden that are new to the eye, not the everyday garden store elf, this hand has really caught my eye and I can't wait to try it! Thanks for ingenuity you have !
diyhypertufa
Thanks for sharing this great tutorial Pam!! 🙂
I've just posted a link to this on my DIY hypertufa blog.
Christine S
Thanks for the tutes! And the hoots (of laughter!) I loved the fingerless ooops! moment. I think I will make some hands using concrete colorant for Halloween!! I have been trying to find some of these type planters for some small red maple trees I am growing. I really like The Rustic look that yours have, even though that wasn't your intention. That's the look I'm going for. I couldn't find any so I greatly appreciate the recipe you provided. I'm heading to the store this morning to get my supplies. Thanks again!!
Pam
You are welcome!!! Hope you enjoy making them!
Beth
Can you leave them out in the snow or do they need to be stored for winter?
Pam
I've taken them out of the dirt and stored them in the garage for the winter. I live in Ohio though and we can have a lot of freezing and thawing each winter, so I'm paranoid they'll crack.
Diane
I read an article from someone in Ohio, they said they wintered some pots under a sheltered deck and left some outside (raised, not on the ground, sitting in water and snow) and the pots out in the open survived better than the sheltered ones!
Karen
Vrty nice would like to mske a foot do you think the toe socks they sell would work?
Pam
That sounds like a fun idea!!! If you can find some that are a tight enough weave that the mixture won't leak out that might work. Or try spraying them with a heavy duty waterproofing spray like you'd use on your boots?
Karen
Sorry about spelling big fingers