Mosaic Garden Table Craft

This do-it-yourself table is decorative and suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

Materials
Bag of sand mix concrete
Trowel
Round lid for a garbage can (or other similar mold, 1-2 ft. wide, 2-3 in. deep)
Round plastic storage container at least 6 in. wide x 2 in. deep
Large tub or bucket for mixing
Water
Marker
Ruler
Packaging tape
Pen knife
Sponge
Pieces of broken pottery, ceramics*
1 piece of 2 ft. x 2 in. metal pipe
2 pieces of 1.5 ft. x ½ in. metal pipe
2 straight connectors for 2 in. metal pipe

*For this you can buy old dishes and pots at a thrift store & break them into small shards

Preparing The Mold
Begin by placing the connector into the center of the larger mold. Carefully trace around the connector, and then cut out the circle from the mold, cutting on the inside of the marking, so that the connector will fit snugly. Slide the connector into the hole so that it just protrudes from the underside of the mold by a fraction of an inch. If there are any gaps between the connector and the mold, fill these with rubber cement, so that the concrete mix will not get out. Cover the top opening of the connector with strips of packaging tape to seal it.

Tabletop
Next, mix the concrete according to the package directions. Carefully pour the mixture into the mold, filling it about halfway. Place the 2 thin pipes onto the poured mix in an "X". This will make your table stronger. Continue pouring the mixture on top of these pipes, stopping when the concrete mix reaches about ¼ from the top edge of the mold. Use the trowel to smooth the surface. Start adding pieces of pottery to the wet concrete. The pattern is up to you, but one idea is to spiral the pieces out from the center, in alternating stripes of color. Once you have your pattern laid out, press each piece until it is flush with the concrete. Use the sponge to clean any excess concrete mix from the surface of the pottery pieces. Allow the tabletop to dry completely, as per the package information.

Leg
First, secure the remaining connector onto one end of the length of 2 in. pipe. Place the connector end into the center of the smaller mold. Have someone hold the pipe steady while you fill the mold with concrete, up to the very top edge. If necessary, brace or tie the pipe so that it stays upright and level as the concrete dries.

Assembly
Once the concrete is dry, the plastic molds should peel away from it rather easily, but you may find it easier to cut it away with your pen knife. Remove the molds from the concrete slabs and slide the tabletop onto the pipe base until it is snug.