Mosaic Monday

Yesterday while having a family gathering celebrating our 1 year old, I made a sale on Etsy. I have to say, as I often do, the best thing about selling through Etsy is the absolute joy of seeing the notification that I sold a mosaic. It always makes me stop and say "thank you" to the Universe. I am grateful and truly blessed to have a gift I enjoy tremendously and that others seem to like as well.

This is the mosaic that sold. It's a stained glass plate entitled "Pathways". As described in my shop: "I created this mosaic during a time of great personal stress in my life. I had many choices to make and they all seemed to get pushed around and connect, then disconnect. This piece of art is directly a result of the way I was thinking during that stressful time, trying to make sense of the next leg in my personal journey.

All the colors in stained glass, blending and contracting. Placed all together like this, they seem to flow easily which is exactly what happened in my own journey. Life is good!"

Indeed it is!

SOLD

Here are a few mosaics including plates from my shop that are still available. Click on the links under the photos to take you to them.

Mosaic Stained Glass Plate, Mosaic Plate, Trivet, Fall Colors, Earth Tones, Abstract Mosaic Art, For The Home, Autumn Decor - 15 inches

Mosaic Plate, Shabby Chic, Pique Assiette, Cottage Chic, Decorative Plate, Upcycled Silver-Plated Dish, Great Gift, For The Home - 6 Inches

Mosaic Stained Glass Vase, Lotus Flower, Bohemian, Flower Vase, Hippie, Mosaic Candle Holder, For The Home, Wedding Gift - 8 x 3 Inches

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.

From The Studio - Friday

I've got a few projects going on simultaneously, so I thought I'd share the latest thing I'm working on.

A good friend gave me a vase with small glass beads on it, asking me if I could use it by taking the beads off and reusing them plus the vase. Of course I said yes and set to work on it in between working on the other things I mentioned in my last post.

Using warm water with a paint brush and digging out the grout and then the beads seemed to be working but was really hard on my hands for very little to show for it after working at it for an hour.

Unfortunately, as I was digging out the grout, I noticed a small crack in the glass and when I pushed on a certain spot on the vase with one of the tools, it cracked a whole lot worse and I knew I had lost the chance to use the vase again!

So I began to nip around the vase, getting small pieces of glass with the beads on it until only the bottom with its large cracks remained.

At this point, I thought soaking the pieces in warm soapy water would do the trick to help them separate from the glass. It didn't really help much but I was able to get a few more beads saved.

What I'm doing now, and what seems to be working, although still very slowly, is soaking them in white vinegar, digging out a little grout around the edges of the beads, then nipping the glass they are attached to a little bit, causing the adhesive that was used to hold these little things in place to disengage from the glass. At that point, I can pop off a few beads around the outer edges and continue to soak the rest. And repeat until it's completely finished.

Not many people realize the hard work and dedicated process it takes to do things like this. This will take at least 3 more days before I have all the beads off of the glass. It's worth it, though, and why I continue. Aren't those little glass beads cool?!



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.

From The Studio - Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!!

I've gotten the surprise mosaic I was working on, grouted and gifted!

This was a broken wine glass that said "Happy Birthday" in bright and colorful letters.

You can see more photos from the previous Wednesday's post here.

Bright orange grout to pick up the colors in the lettering was used.

I was very pleased to be able to get all the lettering of "Happy Birthday" on this cute little sphere.

The base is the bottom of the broken wine glass and I added some wooden beads to the top.

On the table now are 4 pastel colored dishes shaped like a flower. Each one is getting the mosaic treatment. With some help from my oldest daughter's step daughter - Asuka, who comes up to work with me on occasion for a few hours during the weekends when she's here, we're getting them finished quickly. We're adding tempered glass and clear glass 1/2 circles on the dishes.

This is the one I'm working on.

This is the one Asuka is working on.

She doesn't have a lot of experience with mosaics, but she's taken to it easily. I enjoy spending time with her and sharing some of what I do with her.

We each have 1 more to work on after these are finished. Then grouting! Of course!!

Last week I mentioned I was going to use black grout on the large candle holder I made (photo below) but I've since changed my mind. I'm going to use grey grout. I still want the drama but I don't want it too severe. It'll be in a room that has a grey lamp in it, so I thought that would be a nice complementary choice.

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.

Mosaic Monday

I'm am so very honored and delighted to share with you all that I am the Featured Artist of the Month for the Luna Mosaic Arts blog. Yay!!

Featured Artist of the Month

What a nice way to start the month! Please take the time to read the post and let me know what you think.

As you may recall, I shared some "close to being finished" photos of the large candle holder I've been working on. It's now in the "to be grouted" pile.

The person it's being gifted to loves it! I'll share a photo of it once grouted. I'm going with black grout for this one. It will make the colors pop!

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.

 

From The Studio - Wednesday

Zen time at the work table is a necessity for me. There are times when I zone out and forget to write blog posts or forget to share the ones I've written. Such is the case this past week. I didn't write a post on Friday nor did I share Monday's post with the usual social media gang. Still and all, I'd like to say I enjoyed the time at the table as much as I always do. And therefore, the Universe is smiling.

Here is the large candle holder almost completed and ready for resting and allowing the glue to dry before I grout.

A few days ago I was moving around the small 3 inch ornaments that I haven't yet put any mosaic magic on and decided to use it on a small project.

During one of our gatherings here in our home, one of the rambunctious children knocked over a wine glass that had "Happy Birthday" on it. Knowing I might be able to do something with it, later after the party, I was asked if I could maybe make a mosaic out of it or use it in some way? Indeed I could!

I started cutting up the pieces, some mirror and stained glass in bright colors matching the lettering in the broken glass. I cut off the stem of the wine glass and used it as a base, put the small sphere on top and started in on my quest to take something broken and make it into something magical and new.

I was able to get most of "Happy Birthday" and some candles on it and then used the rest of what I had to decorate the sphere in an abstract way.

This was a fun thing to do and fairly easy! Grouting color will be decided soon. I want to use a color that will compliment, not fracture the pieces or make it too dramatic. While it rests, I have time to figure that out!

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.

 

Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Stained Glass Vase, Lotus Flower, Bohemian, Flower Vase, Hippie, Mosaic Candle Holder, For The Home, Wedding Gift - 8 x 3 Inches

 

Lotus Flower Mosaic Stained Glass Vase. Petals are in all different hues of blue in stained glass; all hand cut. The center is a piece of depression glass from a broken plate. Around the flower are green/blue and purple stained glass.

This is such a gorgeous mosaic vase. From top to bottom this mosaic is filled with small square and flower petal shaped hand cut pieces. I'm very proud of this vase and it's beauty. The mosaic muse really came through for us this time! Rich concentrated colors inhabit this beauty.

Use this vase with natural light when you meditate. It's a great mandala to study and creates a wonderful Zen feeling. Especially when a candle or lights are inside. Flowers look beautiful in this vase or it can sit on a shelf or windowsill and shine on it's own. Add some LED lights inside for a nice table setting or as added interest for a corner in any room. Pull this out for special occasions or use it every single day. We love useful and decorative art.

This vase is handmade with love and one of my favorite mosaic decor items to create and give.

DO NOT SUBMERGE IN WATER.

Measures 8 x 3 inches

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.

From The Studio - Wednesday

It's been a busy week at the work table. Gotta love these days!

I'm working on a glass-on-glass large candle holder as a gift for a sweet family friend. She provided the vessel and I am providing the rest.

Red, gold, black and green are being used.

Adding what I call "confetti" in glass.

She sent me some helpful color swatches in photos to use as I make the mosaic.

Got the purple heart for the donation to Florida finished. The original one I was working on came out pretty badly due to thinset getting all over the top of the glass. I wasn't able to get it cleaned off properly. So, starting over was the only option.

This 5 inch heart will be sent to Orlando very soon for the mural in honor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016.

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.