From The Studio - Wednesday

It's been kind of difficult to share what I've been working on recently as it is a gift for a long-time friend who likes to read my blog posts. Special friends like that are hard to find, but I want her to be surprised when she receives her belated birthday gift, so until she does, I won't share it here.

However, other work on the table has been going along at a nice clip. I've done a lot of grouting over the past few weeks and have 2 more flower plates to grout before I can get them photographed and listed.

These plates are looking really pretty. Very happy with the results.

Finally managed to grout the red ornament and it's now happily in the window.

I also finished up the wall art I was working on. It should be listed as soon as the Camera Goddess wakes up. Right now the Mosaic Muse is taking center stage. But it sure is pretty!

I really hope to get this listed before the end of the week.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

 

Stay Peaceful and Let The Sun Shine In.

In The Studio - Wednesday

I zipped through the 2nd mosaic I needed to do for the fund raiser donation reward this past week. It took 2 days!

End of day 1.

Working on an abstract this time was really easy for me. I am most comfortable using these colors and doing abstract designs, for sure.

End of day 2.

I'm probably going to grout both the beach scene and this one at the end of the week. I'll share photos when I do!

After I moved, some of my online friends reached out and asked if I needed anything, supplies wise, to get me back on my feet. Such sweet gestures and really appreciated, the first person said they had a few things in their garage they wanted to share with me and sent me a nice box filled with goodies. Some of which I used in the mosaics I just made.

It's always fun to get surprise packages in the mail!

Everything will get used eventually. Shortly after this one arrived, another online friend reminded me she owed me an exchange gift from many years ago and wanted to know if I needed anything in particular or if I wanted her to make me something? I told her honestly, I needed glue! I was finding some of my glass and dish shard stash, I found substrates and my tools. But I never found the glue! Somewhere there is a bottle floating around either in storage or is now long gone but it's not with me. After chatting with her for a bit through messages on Facebook, she sent me a message saying a box was on it's way. She lives in Canada. It took no time at all to get to me!

She handmade a cowl scarf in a favorite color for me last year when I was wearing a lot of scarves (it feels so good against my neck, I love it!), she sent me a mosaic she made, coloring book and pencils, note pads, a journal, small tags to use for gifts after coloring them and FOUR bottles of glue!!

I just can't tell you how blessed I feel. I am one lucky ducky to have online friends this giving. I've never, ever come across a sweeter bunch of people as the artists who create mosaics.

I'll share another post when I do some grouting!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

In The Studio - Friday

Happy weekend!

This week just flew for me ... it's been very busy. I like busy weeks!

I finally finished up the mosaic letters spelling out "Michael". Grouting the last few letters Wednesday evening was the best feeling ever!

This brought with it a huge sigh of relief! I've been working on 2 custom orders for months. I started the celestial set in June and the letters in September.

I've gotten them all packed up and ready to go! Yay!

I had a great sale this week. A newsletter subscriber and returning customer ordered 3 mosaics from my Etsy shop and in doing so, put my shop at 100 items sold since opening in 2009. That's a milestone and a personal achievement as well. I was unsure I should open my shop again after having it closed for 2 years. Obviously this is a good time of year to get sales; many are in the holiday shopping frame of mind. But it has given me the confidence I need to keep it open, even when/if there are no sales in the coming months. I'm more able to weather the storm that is online sales this time around. These 3 items below are what are going to their new home today.

I finished up the cool 3 hook rack wall hanging for my daughter's friend. I'm sharing it here hoping it doesn't get seen until it's been gifted. I'm pretty sure it is safe to share it here.

And as promised, here is the flower pot with the glue slowly drying on it. These photos were taken Wednesday afternoon.

I was going to share the vase I put stained glass on but when I grouted it yesterday pieces of glass popped off. I am not going to mention the glue I used. It is a year old and possibly the problem to not adhering the way it is said to. I've used this glue many times over the years and have often been more disappointed than pleased with it for the past few years. I do believe I'm finished using it. I'd rather use my favorite PVA (Polyvinyl acetate) glue that dries clear and allow the time it takes to dry instead of having to re-glue, re-grout the same mosaic a few times because the glue doesn't hold. I'll be working on it over the weekend and I hope I can share pictures of it next week. I am also hoping I can list it because that was the original idea when I started with it.

Enjoy your weekend and I'll be here on Monday sharing a small collection of items I've found on Etsy in my "Let's Go Shopping!" post.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

 

In The Studio - Friday

What a great week I've had in the studio. It's been so long since I've worked on anything new, other than grouting! I missed it!!

I finished the 3 hook wall rack and it is now in the "to be grouted" pile. I'll happily get to grouting this weekend. Doing a few things in between is definitely better for my state-of-mind.

My daughter thinks it turned out pretty well which makes me happy. White grout will get added soon!

Next up was the vase I started cutting glass for a few days ago. Believe it or not, I'm still nipping away! These colors are just fantastic. So, so pretty.

The vase I'm putting them on is rather large, so I wanted to make sure I had enough of all the colors I want to use to fill it up. I'm almost finished nipping. I'm looking forward to getting started on the mosaic part!

And great news for the Etsy shop. Another sale! Woo-hoo!!

This flower power snow dude is headed to it's new home as I write this. Happy me! His mate, "Peace Snow Dude", is still available and waiting for someone to take him home. Isn't he cute in his flower power hat and fringed vest?!

Want to see what new things are in the shops? I've added some new mosaics to Etsy and Aftcra so hop on over and take a look any time!

Monday's post, Let's Go Shopping! will be a nice collection of items I found through Etsy. Just because the Treasury Feature on Etsy is no longer available (sad, but true) doesn't mean I can't make my own! :)

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

 

In The Studio - Wednesday

As the weeks gets closer to the crazy holiday season, I keep telling myself it's time to figure out what I'm going to make. Those I gift each year with a handmade item often don't receive their gift before Christmas. Honestly, each year it becomes harder and harder to figure out. Once I do, it's close to the time to actually give the gift.

As I push things around and look at what I have available In The Studio each day, I am not coming any closer to many decisions yet. I will keep updating the blog about this subject once I get it figured out. IF I do! Wish me luck!

The gift I mentioned last week was finally given over the weekend, so I can share it here. It's Mickey and Minnie! It's functional and wall art, always a bonus when it can be useful. I used mirror in silver and a few colors to make it look like confetti, stained glass and dish tiles too. The sides were covered in blue glass tiles. It measures 5 x 6 inches.

If you look closely you can see I added a hook in the center for a backpack, lightweight jacket, etc. Both Mom and child loved it. That makes me very happy!

I'm back to work in the studio, thank goodness, after a long rest. I'm making a gift for my daughter's friend. She recently moved and gave me some dishes she no longer needed. We're going to give one of them back, in the form of a mosaic.

A 3 hook wall rail is getting some pretty blue flowered dish pieces placed on it. My daughter's friend loves shabby chic, so we'll probably go with white grout to finish it off.

I have a vase I've been staring at for quite some time and started nipping up the glass for it. Lots to be cut yet, so I do a little at a time while watching a show on Netflix or one of the many DVD's I have.

Purple, pink, white with green streaks, light green and burgundy glass are the colors I've chosen. Aren't they a pretty combination? If all goes well with this, I'll probably list it.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

 

In The Studio - Wednesday

It's been a semi-lazy week so far. I have bursts of energy but they quickly leave. I am assuming that is due to the changes in our PA weather. The cooler temps are rolling in slowly. The afternoons are still toasty and I will admit to putting the a/c on some days. But only for an hour or two. Way different than a month ago!

Meanwhile, I thought I'd share this awesome artists painter box my Dad gave me recently. I'm not sure where it came from; it might have been a garage sale find of his. He asked me some time ago if I could use some brushes and maybe, if the paint was still good, would I be interested in it as well. I'm always looking for both and with no real budget, free supplies are always welcome!

Imagine my surprise when I saw this beautiful box. It's weathered and worn. Definitely well-loved. And it might get a bit of a face-lift if I feel the urge to mosaic it. Nothing is safe around a mosaic artist! Isn't it something?

I surprised myself and decided to grout late in the afternoon yesterday. I had done a lot of social media stuff in the morning and thought I'd just chill. However, the muse leaned in and whispered in my ear to get going on that giftie that will be needed this weekend. And so I did that, a coaster my daughter made many years ago when I was still teaching basic mosaic classes and a cute Halloween themed mosaic ornament.

I won't yet share the gift which is shown at the bottom in the photo above. But here is the coaster and the ornament after grouting.

I think my daughter did a great job on her coaster. I'm sorry it took me so long to grout it but it got shoved in a box in storage and just resurfaced again. Isn't that little house funny? It makes me smile each time I see it. Ghost House, I guess should be what it's called. This was going to get an orange paint/water wash on it but I like it just as it is right now. I might paint the back orange, and it will get a hanger.

Recently my daughter helped a friend move. In turn we got a lot of unopened boxes of pasta and tomato sauce plus a few odds and ends she wasn't sure she wanted anymore. She gave me some dishes to smash and my daughter thought it would be nice to use them on a coat rack to give her friend. Sweet idea and I really love making gifts like this for my family and their friends.

After all the grouting is finished (I still have the mosaic letters to grout) I will get right on this cool project for my daughter.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

In The Studio - Wednesday

I'm back playing with glass and grout this week after a long absence and it feels great!!

I started off the week with some grouting. Getting the Custom Ordered Celestial Set grouted was a wonderful feeling. I have touch ups still to do on these, a little more grout here and there, a little more cleaning. But they are looking really good.

Starting with the stars, I added my fav "Starry Night" grout to each one.

It's always so much fun to completely cover the tessarae up and then slowly clean off the grout to see it shine once more.

After these were finished, it was time to tackle the sides of the sun and moon. The moon was easy but the sun ... really the opposite.

Cleaning off the tiles around the sies of the sun was very challenging. I used cotton swabs at one point to get the grout cleaned off a little bit in the small areas where my tools and fingers just wouldn't go. It was worth it, however. Just look at that shine!

I got the "M" grouted for my grandson and gifted it to him for his 9th birthday. He loves it!

I have another custom order to start next for the same customer who ordered the celestial set.

The name "Michael" is completely cut out now and I'll share the progress of how it's going on Friday. The light wasn't with me yesterday afternoon so I couldn't get a good photo.

I'll also be back at it this morning with more grouting. It might take each morning this week to get all the grouting finished of things I've got waiting in the pile, but I'm okay with that.

I'll be doing a "Super Secret Mosaics Lab" project this weekend. Can't share that until the mosaic has been gifted (within the next month) but I'll definitely share it.


Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics