I learned how to make the leaves last july, 2003 in the seattle area. My mom's neighbor taught me with a rhubarb leaf. I painted and shipped them home to Chicago, and spent the rest of the summer making leaves. I had @ 50 leaves on my patio to paint. I seal them with cement sealer before I paint them with Patio paint. I've left me leaves out all winter (and it's really cold here) and they look good as new. I saw a bunch of elephant ears while driving and knocked at the guy's door and he ended up giving me a few and of course I made and painted one for him. At the start of fall he called me and requested another for his son and gave me the rest of the leaves before he dug them up to store for winter. I must say I'm addicted.Last night I made my first batch of the season, 5 very large rhubarb leaves and I also took 5 large hollycock leaves and made them into a bowl shape. Can't wait to unveil them. I also planted 3 elephant ear plants for myself, giant hostas and one gunnera. I may have to bring the gunnera in and let it grow larger til next summer. It's a pokey grower. So far all of my leaves have been acquired from begging at strangers' doors. Everyone has been very generous and I always give them one in return. I've make some giant hosta leaves also and some giant crazy looking weeds. I've sold many at a holiday show last December and will try to sell them in an art fair I will be in next weekend. I've been experimenting with pricing because it''s so hard to decide what to charge. I spend alot of time painting them to get a multi-dimensional look. Wish me luck, people seem pretty intriged with them. Oh yeah Canna leaves make pretty castings and I put painted balls under them as feet and place on a table. and on and on and on. Sorry I'm so long winded, but I can't say enough about it. P.S. I wear a mask when mixing my cement. Last yaer I could feel that fine dust in my lungs. After smoking for many years, (I've since quit) that's all I don't need.

Thats really lovely! Mickis are pretty too. I'm amazed that you can walk on them, seems like they should be more breakable than they are. kathy

I did not read all comments in detail as by the time I saw this (Sept 2015), some of dates went back to '09. I make flowers also...I have settled on E6000, I have tried GE , Goop, etc....and I always return to E600. I sell at many various events, have now for 2 years. This is my "routine", clean and wash the dishes, then clean with acetone, I use a dremel tool to roughen up the edges of contact. Some things can be glued all at once depending on how they nestle into each other and will lay for curing, or I do "sections" of each project and then put the sections together. I also pay attention to how the glue will settle and sag into gravity. (sounds scientific huh?? LOL) A lot of things get cured upside down....I let things cure for a good 2 weeks if not more before selling and anything that hangs, gets hung in my garage for a few weeks too, to be sure they don't fall apart. I use uniform salt shakers for all my projects, restaurant grade, these are the only things I purchase new. I found thrift shop ones did not hold up and we liked the uniformity of using the same shakers which led us to uniform size of conduit etc...kind of like a factory line. Please visit me at: https://www.facebook.com/dishitupwhimsyz Happy Flower Making!! PS. tried many times to download a pix and could not...

Hi, Ken finally wrote me today after I told him I was on the forums. He apologized profulsely explaining that he'd been in the gulf and busy with an ill mother. He will make the stone today and send it in 2 weeks and will include another stone as an apology. He claims that he never got my past emails as his 'filters' on his system must not have let them through. I would like to believe him. These things happen sometimes I guess. I'll let you know if I don't get the stone. Thanks to all who responded. Cindi