Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Stained Block

For the last few Christmas's, we've always wanted to make the lighted glass blocks. I am sure that you have seen them. They are quite stunning when all lit up.

So, this year I got everything together to make them. The first big obstacle was to drill a hole in the block. The first drill bit I used was just a carbide tip drill bit and did nothing to cut the glass and after awhile it just got the glass so hot, it cracked the glass.

Back to the drawing board I went. Eventually, I found some diamond tip hole saws that got the job done lickity split. Just make sure you keep squirting water on it while it is drilling. I then used my kitchen sink spray hose to clean the glass residue out of the inside of the block.

My first idea was to use the stained glass paint I had found at Michael's. But for a single coat the light was to strong for it and you could not see it. After many attempts at painting on it, I finally got some results that looked good. I think in the future, I will just do the ribbon wrapped around it. But I did see some nice ones that had little scenes built on them that I may try next year.

Anyways, while I was doing the painted blocks, I got an idea to do a block that was covered with stained glass. I just snipped some glass that fit into a picture that I had printed off and then glued them to the block. After I got all the pieces on, I then used black grout to set them off and to make it look like a stained glass window. I believe it turned out well. The picture is below and as with most mosaics, the picture does not depict an accurate representation of the object.

I am quite happy with the results of the stained glass on the glass block and I am now in the search of different lights to use on the inside, instead of a string of Christmas lights. So give it a try and if you have any questions, please ask.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Ice Storm Cometh!

Wow, what a week it has been! As amazingly beautiful as the after effects of an ice storm can be, it also can be dangerous and very troublesome.

Most of my town, including us, were without power for few days. No power after a thunderstorm is one thing, but no power after an ice storm and temps dropping to 15 degrees is another! Thankfully, we have family that put up with us for those few days and now everything is back to normal.

I have been ordering tiles and some stained glass for future projects and had a co-worker cut up some MDF for me for the next project I am going to do. I won't tell you what it is, but it will be featured on here, soon I hope.

So till then, take care and be good!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My First Project!

My first project was definitely fun, but also taught me alot about mosaics.

When I started doing mosaics, I got the basics and was ready to go. I started by making somthing simple, a house number sign. I bought some supplies at the local Michael's and got started on my project.

The first obstacle was finding a glue that worked good and would last out in the weather. After many trials, I have found that Liquid Nails for Small Projects (clear) works great for all my projects and then I don't have to worry about if it goes outside or not.

Once I had the correct glue, everything went according to plan. But the end result was a little disappointing, as I wrongly predicted the outcome of the shade of the grout. A note here to everyone, do not use white grout, unless it is needed for the scheme of the project.
Below is the final result of my first project. It didn't turn out too bad, just needed better color coordination. Let me know what you think.




Monday, January 8, 2007

Thanks HGTV!




I have done different types of crafts for many years. I can't paint or draw, or sculpt. So for many years I have had this creative monster inside me just trying to find the right medium.


My first interest in mosaics started when I seen an interesting episode of That's Clever on HGTV. So, a big THANK YOU to HGTV! As soon as I seen this project started, I knew this art form was for me.

I have been looking for many months at the different type of mosaics, the different type of tiles used etc. There are many, many outlets in the mosaic world and I think I will be very busy for a long time.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Start Out Slow!

I am starting my blog with some background information on some of the things that I have learned in the short time I have been doing mosaics before I just jump in with a full blown project.

One of the things that I have found out when I started doing mosaics is to start out slow. I would find something that would interest me and get supplies for it and go to start to find that maybe I should have used a different type of tile or I had a dozen questions when I actually started.

This may have been from poor preparation, not enough research or just plain excited to get going on a project. What ever the reason I have learned to start out slow till I am positive that I know what I am doing for every step of that project.

The best thing that I have done since I started is to designate a permanent space for doing my projects. I have included a picture of my work space for you to look at. It is not anything extravagant, but serves the purpose.

Hope you enjoyed this post and am looking forward to any comments or questions that you may have. I am in no way an expert, but I will do everything possible to find the answer for you. So till next post, have a great mosaic day!

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

A Great Mosaic Resource Site!

I have only been doing mosaics for a few months now. One of the things that I did before starting is read, read and read. Of course the Internet provides a lot of info on everything and that includes mosaics.

Unfortunately, most of the sites on mosaics just showed mosaics that they have done, commissioned mosaics that they have done and not a lot of anything else. But, I have found one that I find extremely helpful.

The Joy of Shards is the complete resource guide for anything mosaic. This includes how-to's, history, tips and tricks and even has a large list of featured mosaic artists.

So. if you are interested in starting in mosaics, are a beginner or even a seasoned vet, there is something for all at The Joy of Shards. So visit today and enjoy.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Welcome!

Welcome to Mosaics 'n More!

This blog will mainly concentrate on anything to do with mosaics, especially projects that I am working on. From time to time I will throw in another craft project into the mix as well.

So stay tuned and enjoy the art of mosaics!