Stepping stones are great additions to your garden. However, single round stepping stones can cost up to $6.00. For those who will just be using a few of them to line a short path or to accent your garden, it can be more than highway robbery. A great alternative is to make them on your own. It’s easy and a lot cheaper than buying them.

What you need:

• an old 5-gallon bucket (joint-compound buckets do nicely, you can actually buy molds but that would actually cost you a bit more
• 1 bag of concrete
• water

What to do:

• Mix enough concrete and water to fill 2-inches of the bucket. Check the package or ask the hardware for mixing instructions on the proper amount of water.
• Let it set for a couple of hours. By that time it will still be wet but you can now design it by pressing designs on the surface. Just be careful not to press too hard.
• Sprinkle or spray with a bit of water every now and then to prevent the concrete from cracking.
• It finally sets hard after a couple of days. The flexible joint-compound buckets actually make the removal process a lot easier. Squeeze the mouth of the bucket, turning every squeeze. This will help loosen the concrete. Flip the bucket over to release your new stepping stone. Just make sure you flip it over softer ground or the concrete might break.