mosaic magic

 

At one time or another I have tried almost all types of crafting, I enjoy it, I like doing new things, I really enjoy creating things for my home! Beautiful things that I can look at and know that I enjoyed doing and spent hours making! Some I have continued to do and other have really just been too much  effort and some have just not endeared themselves to me so I have never done them again.

 

I have never tried to mosaic - I remember buying some bits and bobs to try many years ago but I never got round to making whatever it was I was going to make..... (you know me - I was probably onto the next thing I had seen...) It just never seemed to appeal to me, I have friends who love it and are mosaic mad but as I said - me not so much!

 

Yes , I am getting there.....

 

A few weeks ago I decided that I need a quiet spot in my garden to sit and well.... be quiet! so I got LSO to level out some ground under a tree for me! It was PERFECT! I added some pavers(well LSO did - the darling man!!) and then moved a very old Mexican fire pot to the spot and went out and bought some beautiful BeAuTiFuL bright blue pots, they matched the blue rim at the top of the Mexican fire pot! I then moved an old table an chairs onto it , but ALAS..... the wood on the table was rotten, it had been eaten by "turnbites" as Little Madame so eloquently put it! As I did REALLY, REALLY not want to spend a fortune on this small garden project I was very unhappy!! 

My Quiet Place

Over the next few day I had a look around at various shops and garden centres, but all the tables were very dear. In one garden centre I spotted a mosaic table and BAM!! Yes, you guessed it I thought why not mosaic the top of the old one!

We had some old wood  boarding lying around so I got our handy man Stephen to cut a circle out for me. I varnished it to protect it from the weather. Then the search was on for beautiful blue tiles, the amount of gorgeous tile you can find is astounding..... I was at a loss and as I didn't have a clue what pattern I was going to follow I just bought a whole pile of random tiles and a tile cutter.  I also had the idea of a willow type pattern and got Little Madame to break two old plates for me...... with much gusto she smashed them onto the slate next to our pool - I think she thought I had gone mad.....Asking "are you sure mama?"

 

A Box Of Beautiful Blue Tiles

Joy!

So one beautiful sunny morning I sat down with Little Madame and got started, I didn't want to follow any pattern I just want to be creative and see were it went, a BEAUTIFUL blue and white ceramic rose was glued into the centre and off we went!  I was pleasantly surprised because doing mosaic was really very quick and relatively easy! I drew a circle in the middle of the table and filled it in with the broken willow pattern plates, it looked good, Little Madame then circled around that with mirror tiles   and tiny squares came next! The outer edge of the table was next, I placed a greeny/bluey butterfly every 20 or so tiles...... it looked lovely! 

  

Willow Pattern Circle




See What I Mean

I really must say that I think what  really helped the creative juices to flow was the fact that we were working outside on our veranda. So much of our life is spent on our back veranda, we lounge there under blankets in the winter with piping hot coffee's and in the summer months we  love lying in the cool breeze after long swims in our pool. We eat outside often, watch the sun come peeking up over the trees in the morning and now it has become our make shift craft room!  And after a chilly winter, finally it looks like spring is on the way and working with all the beautiful aqua blue colours in the warm  sun  was food for the soul! (ohhhh I am waxing again - but I do so LOVE our home!)

Now the middle of the table proved to be a bit of a challenge for us....... Nothing looked quiet right. Maybe working with a pattern would have been better for novice 'mosaicers'(is that even a word?) We changed it a few times before we were totally happy with it! And then it really was a case of filling in the rest of the table!

I ran out of tiles at this stage, and went into a bit of a PANIC, but luckily found the exact tiles again! WHEW!!

And so, the top of the table was finally finished, and I was as pleased as punch!(I wonder where that saying comes from? - Anyone  know?)

 

The rim was tricky and I had to balance it every which way to get the tiles to stick and eventually tied them on with a piece of string, to be honest I just did not have the patience to wait for some to dry then turn it and wait again.... I wanted it to be done! The next day I made the grout and slopped it all onto the top of the table and got stuck in, it was messy but  such  fun! I also need to say that my hands got a bit cut, not badly but a few of those tiny little irritating cuts that are just achy - So what I am trying to you  here is make sure that your tiles are the same width, so that they don't poke up and  cut your little hands! I could tell you exactly how to mosaic but really it is simple cut tiles, glue them on and grout!



 

And so here it is my BIG FAT MOSAIC.... TA DAH!!!!!! And as you will see the Ta Dah is in shouty capitals so I think it is safe to say that I am very H-A-P-P-Y with it!

 



It looks like a different spot now! I also added some more pots and a few pretty little tea light lanterns (which look so gorgeous at night, butI couldn't get a good picture - Sorry!) I am thinking of painting a few old pallets blue and fixing them to the fence behind the tree, which would add some privacy. I also think some to fairy lights for the tree would add to the loveliness.  I think that my magical mosaic reading/relaxing/contemplating life spot is nearly complete. All that I need now is a warm fire in the Mexican fire pot,a good book and a really good cup of coffee and I will be all set(Oh and maybe a babysitter) - Anyone care to join me?......... xxx