I can't answer your question, but **had** to throw in my 2 cents....personally I like the uneven lower edge! They aren't perfect in nature, so it looks more natural to me.

FWIW,
Pat

You really think there's something 'wrong' with this???!!! CD is right; I'm thinking if you even it out, it'll look 'fake' cuz Ma Nature sure doesn't even them out!
I love it!

But it looks beautiful, I love it. Mushrooms really arent even anyway in nature. I think its perfect.
Bianchi

Well I sure appreciate y'all, my DH was telling me the same thing, but I'm such a nitpicker when I do something like this. I guess I'll look at it again in the morning before I make up my mind. Well, I do need to do the bottom once the top is stable, but I mean about the edge.

It's funny, I don't expect as much of anyone else as I do from myself, and only in certain things. My house is always needing some cleaning or un-cluttering, and that doesn't bother me, but my crafts need to be as good as I can get them or I get upset with myself, LOL!;0

Panther, you should view it from the angle that it will be sitting, on the ground. I think you won't see a problem with it at all. It looks awesome

Panther, I love your mushroom! I think NT is right about the perspective. It looks great! I'm watching and learning because I can't wait to try one of these.

Nice, I didn't even think about the fact that it's rim is almost at eye level... DOH!!! I will put it down on the ground once it has a bit more drying time, so I can see what it looks like from a higher view. Thanks!

OHMYGOODNESS. I'd be sooooooo happy w/this mushroom. No WAY would I think the edges were flawed. It looks so natural to me. That is a wonderful job!

Having seen yours, PANTHER, I'd make it that way INTENTIONALLY myself when I do one! I vote with everyone else, Leave It Alone! And I hope she'll let you mosaic it!

Roni

I want to throw in my 2 cents worth of agreement. I also think it looks fantastic the way it is! That 'shroom has caricature! Perfection isn't necessary and some times messes with our minds.

I think the vote is in, and I should leave well enough alone, LOL. But if Klinger is around, I'd still be interested in how to go back and change a concrete shape by adding/sculpting. You never know when that may come in handy. I'm still gearing myself up to making the block & carving like her wonderful garden sculptures.

Panther! I too am sooo impressed with this shroom!!! FANTABULOUS!!!! I agree with everyone else, once it's down, you will see it is perfect! I see nuthin' wrong!!!!
Cindy was, I believe, talking about sculpting it with grout perhaps, that is what I did with my hand I made and I was able to define the knuckles and such. Here is the hand but it does not show the knuckles, sorry... But it is my first wire mesh creation, even tho it is looking like a King Kong arthritic hand!lol!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Girl I agree with every one lse looks great.

Hi Panther, Janie-bo called me and told me to take a look here. I've been working again, boo hoo.I think your edge look fine. However adding to concrete is not hard to do. You must always add to concrete which has been wet. You can spray or hose it down with water, and add new mix to that. The way to blend it so there is no line might be to do a skim coat over the while thing with a paint brush dipped in a watery cement mixture. I always add an admix to the water when I am adding more mix to an already existing area. I buy my admix from home depot. Because I'm doing enough cement work it makes sense for me to do this. A great substitute for admix is white glue, like aylmers or wellbond. Mix some of that in your water. I've also used good old latex house paint if I'm in a bind. My girls face I wet down with water and admix, mixed a small amount of cement up using 50/50 water and admix. Then I applied it right on the face and shaped it as closely as possible to what I wanted it to look like. Then I left it for a couple of hours for it to set up a bit and then went back and used some carving tools and carved it to get more the look I wanted.Hope this helps you, just always remember you must wet down your piece before adding to it, and some admix or white glue will give you a stronger bond,
Cindy

Thank you! That will give me a way to do any repairs if I find any lath showing through too. I had missed a few little places, and went back and added a bit to where I saw it. It was hard to see against the wet clay (awk! I meant cement, I'm used to working in clay) since it was shiny, but as it began to dry out I saw some little glints.

I'm going to set it on the ground and look at it before I do the underneath part. If anyplace just really looks bad I might try to do as you said. Otherwise I'll just cover the lath underneath & leave it.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement & kind words!

Leave it alone...It's perfect!!!! Mother nature would be proud of this! :)

Another one for leave it as it is. It looks so natural. I would have a hard time not doing mosaic on it though. Heheheeh

Chris

Oh yeah, leave it alone! Look to nature if you want to see something as it should be. Our idea of perfection and natures idea of perfection are different. I'll choose nature's any time. Therefore the mushroom is perfect! I rest my case.

Ramona

I was looking back through some of my old pictures, and even though this one was "imperfect" I took a picture because I liked it. So I'm not going to worry about uneven edges anymore!

Thanks for all the replies.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Oh no!! Now YOURS looks too perfect! LOL!!!

I know, I feel like I need to take an ax to the side of the cap now, LOL.

Been reading this but just realized I haven't said anything. Great mushroom. Glad you went for the more natural look!!

Can't have too many mushrooms!

Maria

Well I was in HD today, but had my Mustang. DH & I had gone next door to get a battery for his truck, and we were looking at some molding so he could get it with the truck. I asked him to get me more metal lath, some sand, and some mortar mix so I could mix my own next time (they were out of sand when I went to get the stuff for the current one, so I got the premixed & the sand is very coarse).

He just raised his eyebrows & said OK, LOL, so hopefully I'll be making one for me soon.

Great job on the mushroom!
I've tried some smaller stuff but have yet to do the mushroom.
Sure looks like a fun project.
Have you decided to mosaic or not?

Crystal

I finished up the bottom today, and it's drying. Once I put them together again on the ground, I'll take a picture for my mom & show it to her, then get her to decide. I may have to drag it over so she can see it in her own yard, hopefully not in case she wants it mosaicked. Or I could leave it there & do it.
I'm definitely doing my own though, so if she says she wants it plain, I'll be getting going on mine once DH picks up the supplies for me.
I found some old pottery pieces in the garage that I'm figuring I can practice on before I do the mushroom maybe. I'm not too worried about putting the design on, but I've never grouted anything before.

Grouted, schmouted.... ain't no biggie. Smear and wipe.

Smear and wipe... I can do that! How many baby bottoms have I cleaned up in my time? LOL

So you are leaving that shroom as is? Not even an outdoor craft paint? I've also seen where people make a moss ans yogurt blender mix and pour it on and it grows like moss!

I sent her a picture of it sitting in my sand/weeds/grass, and she called me and said she wants it "as is". (I'm wondering if I should seal it anyway.) The frogs it's to compliment are also plain, so I guess she figures it will kind of match.

If I remember to take my camera, I'll take a picture of it set up in her yard. My dad died in May of 2006, and my brother took all the remaining grass out (my dad had begun the project) & put in mulch so she has no mowing to be taken care of or grass to water. So it should show up pretty nicely against the mulch & plants.

DH has his list of things to get with the truck for me to make another one though, & I'm thinking of colors, designs for it, LOL.