Stained-Glass Stepping Stones

For more than 2,000 years, artists have been creating stained-glass windows. Today, that ancient art form has been taken a step further. Dean Merillat from Glass Magic and host Rebecca Kolls show how to make stained-glass stepping stones for the garden.

The first thing to learn is how to cut glass. This can be done at a local glass store. You'll need some eyeglasses and a good-quality cutter, which can be purchased at the stained-glass store. Take the cutter in your hand and rest your thumb right along the edge of the piece of glass.

Put your cutter on the glass, lift it up, and with about six pounds of pressure, just push it forward to the other end of the glass. If you use seven pounds of pressure, it's not a problem. Pick the glass up, pinch it and snap it apart.

Next, pick a pattern. There are many different patterns to choose from in stained-glass books, but any pattern will work. Rebecca chooses a sun design because it's very simple and perfect for the beginner.

Enlarge the pattern to the size you want your stepping stone to be and make a copy using carbon paper. Using a chisel-tip felt-tip marker, trace over each of these lines. The width of this line will become your grout line. That's what holds the glass in place. So, for this step, a thick marker really works best. Then, it's very important to cut to each side of the marker line as you remove your pattern pieces. Once the pieces are all cut out, choose the color of stained glass you want for your design. Then, glue each pattern piece to the appropriate color of glass.

Once you've got everything glued up, it's time to cut. After all the pieces are cut, tape the second copy of your pattern to the window and trace the design on the reverse side. Then, place the reverse side up on your work board and cover it with clear contact paper, sticky side up. Once the contact paper is down, you can remove your hands.

The next step is building it like a pineapple upside-down cake. You've removed the patterns from the glass. Place them in the appropriate places. Now, take the pan, which you obtained at a local stained-glass shop. Pre-greased the edges with a little petroleum jelly. And, with a little help, lift it right in. This is where the contact paper works nicely. It keeps everything in place.

Now, mix the grout. Sanded tile grout works best for this project. Fill a two-pound coffee can one-third full, add water and mix until you get a brownie-like mixture. Pour the mix on top of your design and spread it into all the corners. To make sure the grout sinks in, tap and spin the form several times. Then, it's time for the cement. Mix the concrete until it has a consistency of wet cookie dough.

Place a few scoops in the pan. Once the pan is half-full, lay in chicken wire. This reinforces the stone. Then, fill the rest of the pan with concrete. With all wet concrete, of course, you have to put your initials in it.

After 24 hours, remove the stone from the pan. Then pull off the contact paper. Finally, use a steel brush to clean off your beautiful stained-glass stepping stone.

Allow your stepping stone to cure. After that, apply a sealant on top to keep the water out. Then you'll have yourself a stepping stone that will last a lifetime.