Mickey Head walkway?

[HeatherPage]

A couple of years ago I remember seeing in a Disney Magazine in their letters section that a father had made a Mickey Head walkway out to the sandbox/swing area that was a giant Mickey head. It was just black circular stone-type things, but I'm not sure what kind of stone or where he might have gotten them from, the head part was larger than the ears and he made a cute little curving path of them up to the play area. Would anyone know what kind of stone/granite/etc...these could be or point me in the direction of where to buy these? Thanks for any help!

 

[Snowwark]

Hi Heather!

I get the Disney magazine but I don't remember that letter.

The stone might have been precast concrete, which comes in lots of colours and different shapes. You should be able to purchase them at any builders supply outlet. Of course you would have to design what you want.

Did the letter say that the man was using the stone just for the walkway? I wouldn't recommend using stone under a swingset. In Ontario it is the law that you can only use sand or rubber paving under play equipment, swingsets, monkey bars, etc., at least in playgrounds. Unfortunately, rubber paving, which is made of shredded tires, is VERY expensive.

Let us know how your project progresses!

Kim

 

[HeatherPage]

Thanks Snowark, I'm sorry I should have said that it lead up to a giant Mickey head that was a filled in sandbox type area (the border was wood and shaped like a big Mickey head with sand filling in the area and the swing was setting inside this sandy area). I'm still in the thought process stage, trying to convince DH to do it for me. Will see how it goes.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

Okay, this is just a thought (can't you see the steam pouring out my ears) why not get the round stepping stone forms from Micheals' (popular shape for Mother's Day gifts) they come in two sizes. You could use quick crete (spelling error I'm sure) and color it with concrete color. That way you could make as many stones as you would like. The downside would be that the project would be time consuming.

I'm thinking this would be real cute going off my patio into the back yard instead of the peeble round stones I have. Hmmmmmmm.............

Melissa

 

[HeatherPage]

Great idea Melissa! Now I just gotta find out what you're talking about. Actually I think I have a pretty good idea-I'm off to the Michael's website to see if they have anything about that on there. Thanks again

 

[HeatherPage]

Saw this article after doing a google.com search, thought it sounded interesting.

Profits will be set in stone with this job

by SHEA C. ALLEN, Daily News columnist

I got this e-mail from a friend, Sally Baughsworthy from Boston. She had this really great idea that she made a lot of money from. She made her own stepping stones. She mixed a bag of cement into decorative cake pans that were shaped like many things, for example Mickey Mouse, Giant Shells, etc. She can produce any kind of design that she can find or make a mold for. She can even take custom orders.

Usually a 60 lb. bag of concrete costs around $2. This bag will make four or five large stepping stones. This means with just $10 you can make 20 to 25 stones. Remember custom stones may make the price rise a little more if you have to find or make a certain mold for them. Keep your prices reasonable so that your customers are happy.

Your molds can be made from cardboard or you can find some large cake pans that are shaped into various designs. My family has some that look like a guitar, Barney, and even a teddy bear. Some pans may be reusable and last over and over again. You can also buy a dye that colors the concrete. You can find many of these at discount stores, kitchen shops, or even at yard sales.

Sally charged per stepping stone she made. People usually ordered 10 to 12 at a time. She sold each individual stone for around $3. This gave her enough money to have fun with, and also money to buy more concrete and search for new mold creations. She made close to $20 an order, and she got several customers.

She got most of her customers by going door-to-door with some of her samples. Sally also set some out front of her house with a sign next to them so people would see them as they drove by. You could also talk to the school about using these as a fundraiser, plus you may even sell some to the teachers.

Always make sure that your mold has dried completely before taking it out of the pan. Otherwise you might have to start all over with that stone because it is hard to patch a broken stone to make it look normal. You may want to smooth down any sharp edges when your done. Ask your customer if they need help putting the stones in place, as a bonus to your service.

Your future is written in concrete with this business! Good luck!

If you have a business that you do, or have done as a kid, and wish to share with others, or have questions about previous columns, write to me at "Sharing Ideas with Shea" Box 642 Destin, Florida 32540, or by email to SheaAllen.com or visit my web site at www.SheAllen.com.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

That's exactly what I was thinking about. The shapes at Micheal's are made of a clear flimsy plastic - the cake pans would probably work great and you could probably pick them up at a dollar store prettty cheap.

I used these to make Mother'd Day presents when I was teaching pre-K and the stones were precious.

Good luck!