It’s tradition in the Air Force to donate something to the squadron, usually a piece of artwork. A friend of mine (actually my neighbor) is an incredibly talented artist and she does these amazing glass work using recycled glass. I wanted to commission her to make something for our squadron, but unfortunately she was too busy with other commissions, and she was outside of our meager price range. I attempted to contact other artists in the region, but no one was willing to do what I was looking for. So I took to the internet, and ordered the supplies I needed to build a mosaic of my husband’s squadron patch. Due to me not quite knowing the readership of this blog, I won’t be posting the finished product yet.
Anyway, I needed so many tiles, that I ended up with a severe surplus of tiles, and grout. So I made another project for my son’s school. They just were donated land at the local college, and just did a ground breaking last month. I made a puzzle piece mosaic. I needed to buy even MORE tile to complete that project. At the end of it, I had over 7 containers of glass mosaic tiles, glue, and grout. I found wooden canvases at Michael’s. So I started making more mosaics. It’s fun, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s something I probably will end up selling on Etsy, for those people who don’t have the time, or energy to do cool decor in their own home. Anyway, if you want to try making a mosaic wall hanging (or any other type of mosaic, here’s how you do it):
What you will need:
Tiles ($14.99)
Grout and Mosaic Glue ($7.99 for the grout, glue is $14.99– not pictured):
Grout Snippers ($9.99):
Wood Canvas ($13.99)
To make:
- Draw a simple design… For the V, I also bought 12X12 letter stencils. For the starfish, I took a starfish and traced it twice on the wood.
- Select, and arrange the color tiles you want. The more circular the design the more you will have to snip the tiles with the snippers
- Glue the tiles down, and let it dry 2-3 hours. This part of the project is the longest. Make sure you have strong hands, because the glue is thick. Also wear gloves, because it hurts when you peel the old glue off…
The Starfish and “V” initial before grouting - Mix grout and spread it on the design. This is also relatively time consuming part of the project. Make sure all the visible wood has plenty of grout. I put it on really, really thick, and spread it with a plastic putty knife. Let dry for 30 minutes
- Sponge off with a damp (not soaking wet, but not dry) soft sponge, and old towel…
Finished products:
The “V” one is with black grout, the starfish is white grout…
Jodi's Going 180 