Ok, details, details...do you grout upside-down, too, or right-side-up after the tiles are on? Love that beveled edge!!!

Wow, that's cool. I haven't done indirect yet...I haven't done much of anything lately. I sound like Marvin...nicethyme will understand.

Thank's MM! I put the tiles out on contact paper (tiles upside down and letters backwards) then placed in mold and poured concrete over the design and filled the mold.
After set...take out of mold, peel off contact paper and clean up. There were a few holes that needed filling so I went over them with a "slurry" of cement and water...kind of like grouting but for the most part the concrete filled in really well.
The tiles are vitreous tiles from Maria's. The letters were a bit tricky to figure out but all in all I am happy with the outcome. I'm working on another one for the other son and his wife.

Lookin' good! This is my favorite way to make stones.

First attempt?? Wow! Wish I could do something that nice for the first time! You have the talent, it turned out so pretty! Way to go!

VERY nice first attempt. I'm sure they loved it!!

My only suggestion for future stones is more tile/glass/tesserae, less background/concrete. Makes for more visual interest and gives another excuse to buy more materials!

WOW great first time stone. I like it. I don't make mine that way but would like to try that way. Great job.

Very nice. I like the simplicity of your design.

Nice stone, Livnlife!

MW, I thought for stepping stones, you wanted more concrete for traction. The only ones I've made were for decorative puproses rather than stepping on but I have some planned soon that actually will be stepped on.

OH, OH, OH. I LOVE this just the way it is. It looks like you've been doing that for years. Talented lady.

Cool, I doubt I'll try to write anything if I ever attempt one! good job

Great Job!

where did you get the mold?

My son made me a 16 x 16 form out of 2x4's and added 3/4 inch chamfer strips (molding?) for the beveled edge. I put plastic down on the work bench and set the mold on the plastic.
I dont think I will make the next ones as big.

WOW.......! Great..........WOW

Just BEAUTIFUL!! Love the braided look of the glass strips.

I had to do some lettering backwards a couple of times. I wrote it out on paper then put in on my window backwards and drew the lines on the back side of the paper. Then you can tape it to the clear contact paper and the words/letters are backwards as you need them to be.

Very nice. I must try this!!

Chris

Excellent! Thanks for sharing the info on it too! AND pics say 1000 words!

Nice job. You did good on the lettering

Wench..I like your thinking there!LOL

Maria

I haven't tried that method yet either. I'd never try words
on my first one! I can't use the ones I made, I slid and fell the first time it rained...learned the hard way about
not leaving enough rough surface! Great job livnlife!

Hazie

me again...

define "plastic." I was coming here this morning to ask about what you lined the 2x4s with to 'unmold it' when it was done...I'm assuming this "plastic" is said lining? Are we talking about saran wrap, or something stiffer?

I totally need stepping stones, so this project needs to be pushed somewhere near the front of the list...

Great job; can't believe it was your 1st indirect! I'd still be trying to get the letters the right way. Like the weave effect; looks very complicated.

Thanks again, everyone!I love the comments and suggestions! It really helps to get feedback!

MM...The plastic I used was stuff my hubby had from a construction job (I think it's called visqueen). I placed it on the surface of the work bench in the garage just under the form. I did not use it as a liner, although you could do it that way and it doesn't have to be construction grade...it could be saran if your careful. I sprayed the inside of the 2x4 form with cooking spray (the cheap stuff from the $$ store) it acts as a release. You could use any kind of oil or even WD40 and you dont need to over coat it...just a nice thin layer will do. You dont need the spray if you line with plastic.
I learned a lot about working with cement in the "hypertufa" forum on the garden side of the garden web...but there are a lot of gals here with a lot more experience than me on making stepping stones!
I'm sure others could chime in with more suggestions!

Go for it! It's fun!

Crystal

Here is a link that might be useful: mosaic stepping stone

Thanks for the link Crystal!! And her hand painted tiles are wonderful!!!

Chris

WD40 warning: I used it once and it reacted with my contact paper. It caused it to crinkle up and cause ridges (like a brain looks). I kind of liked the overall look, but I didn't want them all to look like that. Plus, it was a pain in the behind digging the contact paper out of the grooves. I don't know if I used too much or if it just didn't like the brand of paper I used. I switched to cheap cooking spray and haven't had any problems.

Great idea for a Christmas gift. I made house numbers for my family this year. Guess what they are getting next year.Thanks for the idea. It looks great!
LaLa

What a great gift, Livnlife! All those letters.. backward! Impressive! I like the design, too!
Thanks also for the tutorials!
Katie

Very pretty! Love how you created the beveled edges - those look great. And your design is very pretty, and great job on the lettering! Very cool!