Have A (Cement) Heart

Maybe it’s because I’m a heart-lovin’, love-lovin’, Valentines-Day-anticipating girl, or maybe it’s just because I’m feeling crafty, I whipped up some portland cement this week and made a darling little doorstop.

That’s it. Way down there. Little 3-lb heartsy.

I guess it’s fitting that it’s displayed in the house this time of year, but in all likeliness, it’ll remain a piece of year-round decor.  Who says the hearts need to be buried once the upcoming-lovefest-holiday wraps? It’s cute. And functional. Right? Totally right.

Our bedroom door needs a little help staying open, especially during the summertime when a breeze comes through the windows (not that we’re dealing with that in February), so I took an opportunity to make a fix, and stop the door sway. Because I couldn’t find a heart mold large enough to be substantial and thick (cookie cutters were briefly considered but decidedly too thin and tiny), I created a mold out of newspaper. Simply, I cut a strip from the long folded end of our local paper (a thicker section).

Using the fold in the paper to my advantage, I curled it up and taped it lightly to create a heart formation.

I haven’t used portland cement aside from making a few cement planters (shown here and here) but I knew enough about its consistency through those experiences to trust that sitting the paper form on a piece of cardboard on the concrete basement floor it would be fine, not too messy, and not gushing around anywhere; it wouldn’t require extra sealing around the base to keep all of the cement in place, but that’s because I made the mixture thick-thick (keep a-readin’). To help reinforce the shape of the simple newspaper mold, I did place some scrap wood along the edges and poke a mitered slab into the heart-dent. It’s heavy enough to hold the form in place and not shift under pressure from the wet cement.

I mixed up about 1 quart of leftover portland cement until it was thick in a big plastic watering jug. Purposely making it thicker than the bag instructed, thicker than what I mixed when I made the cement planter, it was really more like a peanut butter or cookie dough consistency. More like heavy mortar than runny cement you’d mix in your wheelbarrow with the garden hose.

Poured and scooped into the mold, it still had enough natural liquidity to it settle into the nooks and crannies, slowly evening itself out until the top exposed layer was very smooth. I shook the mold and the pieces of wood a little bit to relieve any trapped air bubbles (which there seemed to be plenty of), and then left it to sit and self-level on the cardboard.

It began to visibly cure within just minutes, a cool phenomenon. But nonetheless, kind of like watching Playdoh dry.

I left it alone to dry overnight, but brought it upstairs to bask in the sunlight the following morning It was still wet but definitely a solid form, like a piece of cement that you dunked in the pool. (Note: that a piece of plastic beneath that paper to keep any remaining moisture from hitting the hardwoods.)

It lifted easily from the cardboard base (no stickage) and the newspaper flaked away effortlessly, even in the heart-dent area where I was secretly semi-concerned that the paper would be solidly locked for eternity.

Letting it dry another day in the sunlight, it had cured a little more and I took a piece of light sandpaper to smooth out the edges and any little bumps of roughness. It was nowhere near “flawless” but it was plenty sweet to me. I was impressed.

Resting in front of the bedroom door, it’s at home. And simple. And effective. At about 3 pounds (yes I weighed it), it’s strong enough to do the job but not heavy enough to scuff up the floor if it slides around. It could always be wedged like a traditional door stopper, but I think I’m more likely to kick it while it’s positioned like this.

Better off keeping it fully exposed, resting on it’s side in front of the door.

Surely I could segue this into something lovey and Valentine-related for you v-day project seekers out there thinking about DIY gifts, but I’ll let you use your own imagination and make your lover something special. Enjoy!