06 June,2023 02:10 PM IST | Mumbai | Sammohinee Ghosh
The kit includes a mould and coloured cement
Give us a pair of scissors, a few sheets of marble paper, some adhesive and a motif to replicate, and chances are we'll just cut the paper into shreds for confetti. The fact of the matter is that we are not the âcrafty' kind. Delicate objects requiring finesse make us uncomfortable. And yet we are eager to try our hands at a DIY cement planter kit that has been put together by BookAWorkshop and Bharat Floorings and Tiles. What motivates us? The wish to find a handmade home for our pothos on the kitchen counter.
The kit is delivered to us in a bubble-wrapped cardboard box. On peering into it, we find three packets of coloured cement. There is buttercup yellow, pinkish peach and a bright shade of green. Other appendages of the box include paper glasses, disposable spoons and stirrers, and a silicone mould. At this point, we refer to the digital video that takes us through the process step by step.
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The sessions are easy and detailed and most importantly, they remind us that the material we are dealing with is cement. A disclaimer cautions us against dumping the leftover cement mix in the sink or commode as it will eventually harden, causing a civic nuisance. The process requires us to pour some water into the cement and mix it well until we achieve a mousse-like consistency. We then pour it into the mould and keep it in our balcony garden to solidify. It's that simple.
The planter can take a couple of days, depending on the weather, to get its rock-hard texture. It takes us a day. Although the process is easy, we feel an animated or a close-up video can come in handy for tweens and young teens.
The cute planter that now adorns our kitchen top reminds us of summer holidays that were reserved for spontaneous, and sometimes dangerous, experiments.
Log on to bookaworkshop.in
Cost Rs 749 onwards