Creating a Marker from a Tile
Purchase a single tile from a home improvement store. You can use granite, marble, or really any durable material, even porcelain or ceramic. A larger stone will work better, as you'll have more room to work. Get one that's at least 1 ft (30 cm) along one side.
Create a design by hand for a personal touch. If you want, you can simply draw the design you want on the tile with a regular pencil or a wax pencil, depending on the material. A regular pencil will show up on rough tiles, but you may want a wax pencil for smoother surfaces. Make the design with thick lines, centering it with a ruler as you go. Include your pet's name and its birth/death date as appropriate. You could also include a saying, such as "In Loving Memory of Our Favorite Furry Friend."
Make a design on your computer for a cleaner look. Measure the tile and make a design on your computer within those measurements. You can even just use a word processing program. Add your pet's name and choose a simple silhouette for a graphic image, such as a paw print, if you'd like. Pick a large, bold font for your lettering, as you'll be cutting around it. Print out the design. If it's bigger than a single page, you'll need to print it across several pages and tape it together. Then, wipe the tile clean with glass cleaner or alcohol. To create a stencil on the tile, apply contact paper to the tile, working from one edge to the other to stick it down. Place the design on top of the paper and tape one edge down. Lift the paper up and spray the top side of the contact paper and the bottom side of the printed page with spray adhesive. Smooth it out over the tile. Cut the design out with a craft knife, removing the black parts and leaving the white parts behind on the tile. You could also use a computerized cutting machine to cut out a stencil.
Etch out the design you've created. You can use many tools for this task, such as an etcher or a rotary tool. Use this type of tool much like a pen -- turn it on and go over the area you've marked or stenciled with the tool to take off the top layer of tile. If you created a stencil, you could also use a sandblaster. To use a sandblaster, place the tile in your sanding blasting case and then go over the stenciled tile you made with the sandblaster to take off the top layer. If you don't have any of these tools, you can paint on the tile with acrylic paint.
Paint over the letters if you want them to stand out more. With some tiles, particularly light ones, the letters will not show that well. Use a contrasting paint to go over the letters and then let it dry. Use an acrylic paint or other type of paint meant for tile. If you made a stencil, you could also use spray paint.
Peel off the stencil if you used one and seal the tile as needed. Let the paint dry, if you used it, and then peel up the contact paper from one edge. If you used paint on the tile, spray it with a waterproof sealer to keep the paint adhered to the tile.
Attach the tile to a rock or lay it on the ground. If you have a rock, stepping stone, or concrete piece with a mostly flat side, spread mortar on the back of the tile with a trowel. You can find small amounts of pre-made mortar at a home improvement store. Press the tile into place on the rock and let it dry for 24 hours before setting it up as the grave marker. If you don't want to use a rock or concrete marker, just dig a shallow area for the tile and set it in the ground.
Making a Concrete Marker
Find or make a mold for the marker. You can simply use a cardboard box or a cake pan you don't mind throwing out. However, you can also build your own mold. Shape scrap pieces of wood into a frame you like and screw them into place, using a wide piece of scrap wood as the bottom of the mold.
Lay out your letters in the frame to get an idea of what you want to do. You can use plastic mold letters or cardboard letters from a craft store. You could even cut out your own letters from thick cardboard. Add your pet's name and the date of death at the very least. You could also add a phrase, such as "Here Lies Our Fluffy Friend," depending on the size of your letters. Take the pieces out once you like the arrangement.
Line the mold with foil to help prevent leaks. This is especially important if you made the mold yourself or you're using something like a cake mold, where the concrete may be difficult to pull out. Completely cover the bottom and sides of the mold, pressing it down into the corners. Drape the excess over the top edges.
Mix together enough mortar mix to fill the mold. Read the back of the package to decide how much you'll need. Make a little more than you think you'll need if you're not sure. Mix the mortar in a bucket according to the package instructions, making sure to measure the water. You don't want to guess, as you'll most likely end up with mortar that's too wet. You're aiming for mortar the consistency of peanut butter. Use cold water to give yourself more time to work with the mixture, as it slows down the drying time.
Smooth the mixture into the mold. Scoop the mixture over to the mold with a small shovel or trowel, as it will be too thick to pour. Pack it down into the mold with the trowel until it's as tall as you'd like it to be, then smooth out the top with a piece of wood, piece of cardboard, or a trowel. Get the top as smooth as you can since that will be the face of the marker.
Press letters into the surface of the mortar. Lay the letters on the surface of the mortar. Push them down into the mortar. With plastic letters, pull them out as you go and wash them off. With cardboard letters, you can leave them to set in the concrete. You can use a ruler laid across the top of the mortar to create straight lines as needed. Spray the plastic letters with cooking spray to help them release from the concrete. You may need to tap the letters in gently with a hammer. At this point, you could also add in decorations, such as small glass marbles or trinkets. Just press them into the concrete. If you mixed your mortar thick as suggested by the bag, you'll have as little as 30 minutes to do this. If your mortar is fairly wet, you may have 1-2 hours.
Let the mortar set for 2 days. Leave the mold around the mortar and let it dry out completely. You may need to move it to an inconspicuous corner while it's drying. Read the manufacturer's instructions to know how long you should leave your mortar.
Remove the mold and letters, as needed. Take the mortar out of the mold. If you used a cardboard box, you can just cut it away. For a wood mold, unscrew the pieces from the board that backs the frame. For a cake pan, gently turn the pan over and shake the mortar out. Peel out the cardboard letters and foil if you used them.
Sand and paint the project as you'd like. If the front is rough, you can use 150-grit sandpaper to smooth it out. Use an orbital sander or do it by hand by rubbing the surface in a circular motion. If you want, pick a concrete stain or paint to fill in the letters and help them stand out more. Use a paintbrush to apply the stain, and wipe any excess from the surface. If you paint your project, you may want to add a waterproof spray sealer at the end. Pick a polyurethane sealant and add 5 thin coats, letting it dry in between.
Using Other Items as Grave Markers
Paint a brick for an easy, personalized marker. Purchase a brick at a home improvement store and clean it off thoroughly with soap and water. Let it dry and paint your pet's name on it with outdoor paint. Spray the brick with a waterproof sealer and then set it at the head of your pet's grave. You could even write on the brick with a permanent marker instead. Just be sure to use a sealer at the end.
Purchase a small stone statue that looks like your pet for simple, elegant solution. Another way to mark your pet's grave is to set a small statue over it. You could even add the pet's name using an engraver or paint, but even without that addition, it would be a way to mark your beloved pet's resting place.
Plant a tree or bush to mark the location for a living marker. Pick something that reminds you of the pet. For instance, if your dog loved chasing squirrels, pick a tree such as a pecan tree to draw squirrels to the yard. Alternatively, choose one whose name reminds you of your beloved pet. Place the tree where you buried your pet or add some ashes to the hole when you plant it. Its growth will remind you of your pet for many years to come! Pick something that grows well in your area. Ask at a local nursery if you're not sure.
Place a decorative garden item at your pet's resting place for a simple reminder. Your marker doesn't have to say your pet's name. Its purpose is to remind you of your beloved pet, and it doesn't need a name to do that. Try a wind chime, garden flag, or even a small fountain as a grave marker for your pet. Just choose something that makes you think of it. You could also use solar lights or garden accents.
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