A mosaic garden stone

and this one is for Riley.  

I have done other mosaics in the past for the garden, too.  It's such an enjoyable craft and once I get started I want to do more and more.  You can see my welcome stone here.  Another garden stone here (a blue one).  A yellow mosaic birdhouse here.  And a mosaic bird bath here.  

I've also done mosaics on terra cotta saucers, here and here.

I made this garden stone red for Riley because when he was just a pup the breeder painted his toe nail red so she could tell the pups apart.  There were six in the liter, Otis included and he had his toe nail painted purple.  So ever since then we always bought Riley red collars, red leashes and red sweaters.  

He was always red.  And so, the red garden stone.  

Mosaic with swans

I want to show you my latest mosaic project I finished today. I love mosaics and every now and then I find I just have to make some kind of art out of broken pieces of pottery or glass. This one was started using a terra cotta flower pot saucer. Mosaics are fairly easy to do, and the more you work with them, the easier they get.

This is the finished dish. Three little porcelain swans were added on the lip to give it a bit of artful whimsy. These figurines can be found at thrift shops ~ flower figurines can be pretty too, also little people figurines.

I always end up mixing more grout than I need when doing these mosaic projects, so this face that I formed from the extra grout will go nicely in the garden. A little bit of paint and he'll be finished.

One art project that turned into two!

How to make a mosaic garden stone

Mosaic garden stones are easy to make and they look lovely in the garden. I enjoy working with mosaics and I find myself experimenting with different ways of using broken tiles and pieces of pottery. I'm far from being an expert at this and sometimes just work through a project and figure it out on my own.

This is how I made my garden stone.

Start with a stepping stone that you can buy at Lowes, Home Depot or any garden center.

I use Mosaic Tile Adhesive that I buy at Michaels.

Now use your favorite colors of broken tile (you might have to cut pieces to size using a tile cutter), then glue them to your stepping stone. I let this dry overnight.

I forgot to take a photo of the grout, but you can buy grout at your hardware store, I got mine at Lowes. It's the kind you mix water and then apply. Fill in all the cracks and smooth over. After it drys go over it with a wet cloth.

And there you go! A beautiful mosaic garden stone. Don't worry if it isn't perfect. Sometimes the imperfections are part of its beauty.

A mosaic welcome

This is my finished mosiac project ~ a welcome stepping stone.

I've really been enjoying playing around with mosaics lately. It's a nice break from painting. I have a stash of broken pottery, ceramics and glass that I keep in boxes and every now

and then I check what I have and decide what colors I need and will look for colored plates, etc. when I go to a thrift store. The rest is easy.....just break it and place it.

I used a mocha colored grout this time. Simple, just add water. Looks like chocolate ice cream.

I'm still lugging it around trying to find the perfect spot for it.

I love how it turned out and just might have to make another one.

Enjoy your day!

Donna

Creativity

Imagination is the beginning of creation.

You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine

and at last you create what you will.

~ George Bernard Shaw

Creativity is flowing here at Mourning Dove Cottage. Yesterday I painted this wooden tray that Dear Hubby made in his shop. I had grapes in mind for this one. It's the perfect decorative piece for a kitchen or for serving, and it has pretty leaf handles that are made of metal. It's ready for the shop.






Another project I started is a mosaic piece that I've had in my mind for quite sometime. It all came together for me finally, and I will finish grouting it today. I'll take photos later and show you what it looks like.

Enjoy your day

and go create something!

The finished mosaic

........a yellow birdhouse.

I used some yellow dessert plates that I saved. They were chipped and too pretty to throw away.

I started with one of those small wooden birdhouses you can buy almost anywhere,

and decided,.....rather than paint it,

why not mosaic it.

Voila!


It's amazing what you can do with bits of broken glass.

I'm happy to have another birdhouse, a little yellow birdhouse, to add to my collection here at Mourning Dove Cottage.

Enjoy your day!

Donna

having fun with mosaics

I pulled out my box of broken glass and I'm working on a new project. It's going to be yellow.

I'll show you later in the week when it's finished.

Can you guess what it is?

Birdbath surprise

Remember when I told you my birdbath had fallen and was broken here, and my dearest hubby repaired it, and that I had a surprise for you?

I decided to mosaic it! I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to mosaic the birdbath, and now this was the perfect time to do it.

See the pink rose and the two little white dove.

Here's how it looked when hubby was repairing it.

He mixed up some concrete and filled in the cracks where the birdbath had fallen apart.

Then he secured it with bungy cords, added more concrete and smoothed it out.

Then we waited till it dried.





Now for the mosaics.

Let me remind you that I am definitely not a professional when it comes to doing this. I am rather clumsy, actually.



I cut and broke the pieces of glass and porcelain. I added a few marbles, added the rose and the dove, and then glued everything on with tile glue that I bought at Michaels.








Next for the grout.
I had this grout for another project and it was white, so when I mixed it up I added a little bit of black acrylic paint to make it more gray.

Then I put on my rubber gloves and smeared it all around and in the cracks and then smoothed it out. I'm not sure, but I think I may have put too much grout on.

Trial and error, I say.

After it dried I wiped it off with a wet cloth.






I left it cure for a few days,
then added water.









And now I have a pretty mosaic tiled birdbath.
It was a lot of work but worth it.

And, it's now back in the garden where it belongs.

And the birds are happy.

A mosaic plate

I love mosaics and decided to try my hand at another plate. This is the second one I've ever done, each one being an experiment and a challenge. Using old pieces of glass and pottery and anything else that can be found is what, I think, gives it a unique look. This one is done in mostly earthy colors.


I started with a terra cotta dish that is used under a flower pot, and glued each piece on with mosaic glue.




After the glue dries, mix the grout and fill in the piece, then wait 24 hours and wipe it clean.

And that's it.

Each piece is an original, whimsical creation that is so much fun do to.

I'm already thinking about my next piece.

An old mailbox

A few years ago, while shopping with my sister (antiquing and flea markets), I found this mosaic mailbox in a coffee shop gift shop. I loved it and thought it would look great on the front door of our house. I think I had it on the front door maybe a week and decided I didn't like it there and stored it away in the attic.

Well, I brought it down this week and decided to use it on the back porch. I've always loved the color of it and just wanted to have it out. So, it is now hanging on the screen door and I'm using it for my garden tools. In it I put my pruners and garden gloves.

Great idea, huh?! And it adds a little bit of cottage charm to the old back porch.

Mosaic Ms. Rail Rose

We have a "mosaic" lady in our town named Ms. Rail Rose. She sits at the Wilson Train Station. I just thought I'd introduce you to her. She's a beautiful mosaic piece of art.

Finally, mosaic

My first mosaic project! I have been wanting to do mosaics for such a long time and never got around to it. I did some research on it, however, I must say this was a total trial and error project. I chose a dish, actually it's a terra cotta plate that goes under a flower pot; I primed it with white paint and then just started glueing on the broken pieces of china, pottery, glass, marbles and bits of jewelry. After everything was glued on, it was on to the grouting. This was the scary part. I wasn't sure how much to mix, and didn't know if I would get the right consistency. But I proceeded, slathered it on the plate and filled in all the little nooks and crannies. So, that's done, however, I have a lot of grout left. Panic! What do I do with it. If I let it in the container it will harden, can't rinse it down the drain, where do I pour it? Well, I put down some newspaper and dumped it on there. I shaped a big face, put in some left over tile and marbles, and taa daa, I have a garden stone.

Wow! I'm done. It was a lot of work but I'm already thinking about my next project.