Table Makeover

In December 2023 my cousin brought me an old disassembled MDF table that was no longer needed in her home. I asked her to save it for me thinking if nothing else, I could break it down and use the pieces in some artful way.

It sat in our garage for about 6 months until I decided I should look it over. I discovered not all the hardware was with it but also the legs had split where the connections to the base of the table would go. It's not easy to repair MDF once it's split. It will always split again at some point even if you don't use the original holes to put things back in place.

My father was a woodworker all my life and although he worked with actual wood and rarely with MDF the rules are basically the same. You can repair it but it might not look like it originally did especially with MDF pieces. He repaired antiques and you'd never know there was a crack or a leg missing once he finished his magic. MDF isn't wood and I'm not comparing what I did here with what he did. However, I felt his guidance from above as I worked. He was definitely helping me decide how to take what was and make it new once more. He passed in August of 2024 so didn't get to see the result of my labor but I know he was with me, just the same. And I feel he'd approve of my efforts.

I primed all the pieces in early 2024 and as I did, I thought I'd try to use the legs in a different way and put them on the base. I wasn't successful ... no matter how I thought they'd go, there was a gap or a tilt or a whole section of just basically air from point A to point B.

So ... it sat. And I stared at it and kept thinking.

 And it sat. And I thought some more.

The arrow is a reminder that the other side of this panel needed a hole fixed.

 

Until one day in September of 2024, I bought paint called Tibetan Turquoise made by Behr. In February 2025, I purchased hairpin legs through Amazon, making the decision to add new legs instead of trying to use the old ones. The old pieces shown in the photo above are in the mosaic pile to be used to make wall art. Like I always say, nothing goes to waste.

Eventually, I felt strong enough physically to paint and add the legs. Plus a little bit of mosaic magic to it. It felt great being in the Purple Palace again working on a small mosaic!

This is similar to what it looked like when it was brand new. Legs were on an angle and not straight up and down, but basically this is what it looked like.

Here it is primed with it's new legs.

 

Adding the paint was a true joy. To see it coming together was an amazing experience. I don't usually do makeovers like this. I definitely want to do something more at some point. It was fun!

Finishing mosaic touches make it truly my style.

 

I love how this turned out and will continue to be useful for years. Please think before you decide to toss out something. There's always a way to reuse or revamp so many things and save them from the landfill.

Thanks to my cousin, who used the original table from 2012 to 2023 and saved it for me, I was able to give it new life. Huzzah!!

What do you think? Leave a comment if you'd like and consider some inexpensive makeovers you can do. I'm no expert but if you have a questions about how to do something, please feel free to reach out. I'll help you if I'm able or direct you toward someone who can.

Until next time ... Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

WIP Wednesday - Styrofoam Mosaic Shrine

One of the things I love the most about using Styrofoam is how lightweight it is and yet very sturdy most times. For my shrine, however, I need to make sure it will hold the pieces I've used to build it. To begin with, I taped the pieces, crudely cut in some instances (which I LOVE!) together to make pillars and the base.

You may have seen this in previous posts but I'm sharing as the "before" photo because once completed with mosaic magic, it will still have the same shape but look completely different.

I don't want to leave it all taped up and assume that will hold heavy tess and grout. What's needed is some layers of thin-set and plaster cast strips to bond things together and make it one piece instead of many pieces taped together.

I like using thin-set mortar for some things, especially if it should have strength to it. I mixed some of this up and used it in the joints.

I buttered it on the pieces and stuck them together. The color turns white when it's completely dry.

The circles and oblong indentations will also get some thin-set on them to make this as flat a surface as possible.

Here are the pillars, looking rather weird at the moment. They will get covered in thin-set and attached to the top and bottom parts soon.

After all the pieces are attached, I'll use plaster cast strips to cover the whole thing and once that's dry, I'll put more thin-set on it. Then it'll be ready for the fun stuff. The mosaic!

I'll share step-by-step how I do this as the weeks progress. This is going to be a fun side project in between making mosaics for my Etsy shop.

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

WIP Wednesday

Before I start on the next project(s), I wanted to do some prep work on pieces of Styrofoam. I've used it often, especially spheres, to make mosaics. This time, I have a bunch of bits and pieces from packing materials I've accumulated over the last few months. I never throw it out but space is limited so I can't keep them as they are for long.

Starting with small, flat pieces measuring 9-1/2 inches by 5-1/2 inches, I covered them with plaster cast strips.

These are the perfect size to make some mosaic magic!

Now that they are covered in strips, I'll let them dry overnight and cover them with a watered down layer of thin set. If they feel strong enough to handle a heavy mosaic, they are good to go. If not, I'll add another layer of both strips and cement. I've used 3-5 layers sometimes on the boards just to ensure they'll handle the weight of tess and grout.

Next up is a birthday present for my oldest daughter who is going to be 35 this year. I don't know how that happened!

This is a stargazer lily photo I found online. They are her favorite flowers. I decided to glue the photo down on the board and follow the pattern instead of drawing it. There's a lot of detail in these flowers and I'm pretty sure I have the right kind of glass to go with it. I also have some dish tiles I could use that might be interesting to see used here.

I'll play around with the glass and dishes I have and see how it goes. I might use both! You just never know.

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

From The Studio - Wednesday

I've been working on secret gifts lately so I haven't been able to share much. I am sharing what I've been working on now, which is a birthday gift for my son-in-law but he rarely haunts my news feed on Facebook nor does he read my blog posts, so I'm fairly sure I can share his gift here. On Friday, I'll share the other gift I made because it has been shipped, delivered and well-received.

I'm always looking for great shapes to mosaic on and we always have a bottle or two around here to use. In truth I have 6 empty wine bottles washed out and ready to do things on and have more to use, plus decanters, whiskey bottles and a few other assorted cool looking shapes in bottle form.

My SIL likes whiskey and saved a Four Roses bottle for me last year. I've been pushing it around on the shelf for all that time until it told me it was ready to become a mosaic. His birthday is this month, so that was exactly what I needed to hear.

I used dark purple and chartreuse stained glass, iridescent black glass, silver and green mirror, ball chain and tempered glass.

I put tempered glass over the roses emblem. I considered leaving them exposed but in the end I felt I needed to add glass.

WIP - front

Front - Almost finished

The back is pretty nifty looking too!

Back - Ready for grout

Now it's ready for the grout pile and I think it's awesome. I hope he does too!

Front

Back

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

The fun continues with my "Mr Coffee Candle Holder" mosaic. It's been a slow process, maybe only working for 1/2 an hour in the morning and then after dinner about the same amount of time. I can work in the heat of the day if I wanted to, but I don't. And this piece is for me so it doesn't matter how long it takes. It is super fun to work on, though!

This was where I left off a few days ago.

I didn't get back to this one until yesterday, which means I had a 4 day break from it. That's why I didn't write a blog post on Friday. There really wasn't much to show or share.

Now there's only been a little more added but I'm going slowly and truly enjoying the journey on this mosaic. My breathing slows down as I concentrate on each piece in my hand and where it should be placed. I find listening to New Age music is good on some days, while Classic Rock music works on other days.

These were taken Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully I'll keep going and share the progress on Friday.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that I've made a few sales on Etsy and got a custom order from a good extended family member! Woo-hoo! Believe it or not the custom order is for Christmas presents! Yikes!! I can't believe how fast the major holidays are creeping up on us. While I listen to the grandbabies splashing around in the pool below me when I work at my table, it's hard to believe that the seasons will be changing again soon.

I finally packed up all the reward mosaics for the fundraiser (that debt has been completely paid off) and they are shipping out today! Yay!!

Such a pretty sight to me ... 3 mosaics lovingly packed and heading on out to the folks who donated to the fundraiser last year.

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



Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Moments.
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

In The Studio - Wednesday

I've been working mornings before the heat of the day arrives in my room on this awesome mosaic. It was a coffee maker but is now going to be a candle holder. Oh the fun I'm having!!

One side, at this point when the photo was taken, is almost covered.

One side is covered. Time to get to work on the inside. This is where a self-contained candle will reside.

I'm adding mirror on the inside in a few varied colors to give reflective qualities when the candle is lit.

At the top on the inside, where the coffee used to drip through, I've put a circular mirror. This too will reflect the light from a candle.

I love recycling broken objects in this way. Isn't it cool so far?

Depending on how warm the next week will be will dictate how quickly I get this project completed. But it is so much fun to see it transforming from a dull, black broken machine into a useful piece of mosaic art. I am willing to watch it unfold slowly. I love what I do!

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



Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Moments.
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

In The Studio - Friday

It's been a really fun week here at the mosaic table!

The coffeepot now has beautiful dish shards, millefiori and 1/2 glass circles on it. I'm considering making it into an incense holder and putting a candle inside when it's not used for incense.

Moving on to the actual coffeemaker now. Again it might have a design on it or I might just continue with the fun randomness of the project.

This pot is now in the "to be grouted" pile.

Hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July!

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



Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Moments.
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics