Michelle's Candle Tray

Yet another old project dusted off and finished.

I posted about the candle tray I mosaic-ed for my friend Michelle way back in 2005.
I had the same problem as I described before, with the glue not holding up.

I took a metal tray that I purchased at a thrift store, mosaic-ed using Coca-Cola themed broken plates, and embellished with bottlecaps, marbles, and mini bottles.

So I finally re-glued some of the mini Coke bottles and marbles.
You can't even see the pic I posted earlier, so these are much better.
Michelle, obviously, is a collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia.

Jen's Mosaic-ed Plant Pot. Finally.

I'm determined to finish some old projects this year.
I started a mosaic on a plant pot for my friend Jen way back in 2005.
Oh my gosh, I finally finished it!

Way back then, I had started out using a couple different construction grades of PL glue that are used with a caulking gun, but they were too heavy duty and too messy.
Also too hard to remove if I had any excess.

I switched over to Liquid Nails for Small Projects to hold all the extra decorative trinkets.
When I grouted, however, the grout just knocked all the trinkets off.
Aarrggghhh!
I did some research on glue, and reviews suggested Weldbond.
Unfortunately, I had the same problem--the decorative items just wouldn't stick.
So frustrating!
I got so annoyed that I just wrapped up the projects and stashed them away.

Finally, I think I've solved the problem.
E6000 seems to actually hold, and it dries clear.
I'm crossing my fingers it lasts.
So far so good.

This pot started out when Jen bought a condiment tray in Mexico, and broke it even before she got it home.
I asked her if I could have the pieces, and I made her this pot as a surprise for her birthday (that I um, stashed away until now).
I used garden imagery throughout.

I also used other broken plates, broken pottery, and I embellished with pebbles, rocks, tumbled stones, marbles, half-marbles, jewelry, metal pins, coins, and buttons.
See the coin on the right? (click on the photos to enlarge)
There are three butterflies--two pins, and one that had been part of a plant pot.

I love the caterpillar on the mug handle, and the frog face.
There are three ladybugs.
I enjoy working in layers, and I love the three dimensional quality, versus just thinking in terms of pieces being flat.


Jen loves frogs, so there are three different frogs on this pot--this gold brooch, the green face that was a pitcher, and a small ceramic one that had been on a vase.
The dragonfly is a large button.
Note some of the additional broken plates include more sunflowers.
I think the large leaves may have been part of Jen's original item.
I added another mug handle, this time a solid blue, both to counter-balance the one on the opposite side, and to add fun to the design.

The little caterpillar figurine is by Hagen Renaker, and is one of my favorite embellishments on the pot.
There are three watering cans (or parts of) on the piece--the silver one was a pin, the small white spout below was a figurine, and the large blue spout was on a vase.
Note the ceramic rose, and there's the froggie.
See the ceramic stem with thorns? What an awesome find that was! (that was thrifted, but I did purchase some embellishments on ebay. Most of the other plates used I already had in my stash).
The small silver sunflowers are buttons
The large silver sunflower is a brooch.
The little gray bird is from a larger figurine, if I remember correctly. This is one of three birds on the piece.
The three dimensional piece is part of one of the condiment trays of the original piece Jen purchased--a blue-glazed pottery with a sunflower design, it featured of six (or was it four?) trays that grouped together side by side to form a circle.

Watts Towers

Seeing Watts Towers is on my bucket list.
I will have to make a point of seeing it this year.

This awesome image is from Charles Phoenix.

Collage with Jewelry

I am fascinated with the idea of using costume jewelry in collage and/or mosaics.
I don't know what it is about jumbling trinkets together, but I absolutely love this form of art.

Way back in the 80's, my then boyfriend's mom had framed a Christmas tree-shape made of jewelry.
I guess the idea just stuck with me, because I would love to make something like this (this amazing wreath especially appeals to me).

Nimue's grandma made one of these framed tree shapes--isn't it great?!
She says this is a craft right out of the 1960's.
Read more here.

Family Fun has a tutorial for a Trinket Tree.
This project reminds me of memory jugs.

The trinket tree also makes me think of Outsapop's spraypainted toys for craft projects
Which in turn makes me think of this bowling ball turned into garden art, made with painted plastic lizards (note the base is an old fire extinguisher).(how-to of similar bowling ball projects)

Along the same line, good ideas include collaging jewelry onto frames, boxes, and magnets (a trash to treasure project).
One commenter on this forum says,

"Get yourself a framed mirror and glue them all around the frame then, for a cohesive look, use acrylics in old gold, antique silver, and brass and paint the pieces. I try to really pile on the jewelry (sometimes forming a base with foil)to give it some depth. What I love about doing this is that it can very much be a project that is ongoing as you collect more jewelry to fill the frame. I have also many times added "found objects" like nuts, bolts, screws, coins, small plastic toys, chains, etc"

But back to jewelry.
I was at Rogers Gardens on Saturday, and was blown away by the beauty of Margaret Larkin's Jewelry Trees.
There is really only one word to describe these: Stunning.

I only have a couple of blurry cell phone pics, as I thought for sure she'd have a website (but I can't find any information on the artist).
I was so positive there would be a website, I didn't even read information about her at the store (if anyone finds a website, please let me know).
These are entirely composed of costume jewelry--usually in a color theme of silver or gold, but also whimsical christmas-themed ones.
Each one sells for several hundred dollars.

Mosaic for Tracie

I think she liked it!


I started a mosaic project for my friend Tracie a couple of years ago.
I got this idea to do a glass-on-glass using shards of stained glass scrap.
I chose greens and reds because Tracie loves jewel tones, but when I started gluing these...they just seemed over-the-top.
I wanted to start over with amber-colored glass, but I couldn't get the pieces off that I had already glued.
Too, truth be told, amber is something I would like, but the project wasn't for me--it was for Tracie, and she likes the bright colors.

Anyway, initially I was going to use a vase, but I found this pretty clear crystal bowl at the thrift store for only $3 because the rim was chipped.
It seemed the perfect foundation.
So, I started gluing, didn't like what I was seeing...
and it sat in my garage for over two years just gathering dust.

This year, I really needed a birthday present but was limited on funds.
It just made sense to use what I had, so I pulled it out and started gluing again.
Initially, it was just too muchy much, but then it somehow just got better and better.

I grouted it in black to simulate the lead on stained glass, which toned it down beautifully.
I added rectangular black opalescent tiles to the top edge to cover the chips.
I took the irregular, organic glass shapes and arranged them on the bowl using a glue that dries clear so the bowl can be illuminated and the flame will shine through.
But let me tell you, irregular shapes on a curved surface...whew, what a puzzle!

Here's the back:

(click on image to enlarge)

Here's the right side.
I made no attempt to form designs on the whole, though that would have been nice.
I did, however, form a flower on this side since I had these teardrop-shaped pieces.


Left side:


And for the front, I followed a section of the bowl that was frosted, and I attached all sorts of charms that represent Tracie--karate girl (she's a black belt), coffee and wine lover, Viking ship (her husband's heritage), a Greek coin (her dad), US Airways button (she used to work there), cross and sand dollar for her Christianity, swimsuit for her former beauty queen title, her love of baseball, pilgrim pig (joke between us), etc.
My mom's comment to this was "wow, it looks like a real artist made that!". Uh, thanks (I think).

(you can click on the image to zoom the detail)


For her birthday cake I usually make a German Chocolate, but since we combined Christmas with her birthday this year, I thought it more festive to make Red Velvet.

I posted about this before. Recipe here.

Mosaic for debs

I purchased a Christopher Radko ornament for my friend debs for Christmas--a disco Santa (Santa striking a John Travolta pose ala Saturday Night Fever).
Well, I was moving it or something, and dropped it...
and I broke the toe.

Hmmm...what to do?

I decided to mosaic a rectangular box, and place charms applicable to debs around the ornament.
I figured she could use it to hold Christmas cards.


(click on image to enlarge)

I had intended to just glue a few items to the corner of a metal box, but I couldn't find the right box.
I ended up choosing this terra cotta planter box, and just mosaic'ing the rim with broken purple and white plate pieces in a Notre Dame/Parisian theme.
I supplemented with some gold tiles and a few other items, then grouted it in purple.



Around the Santa are items that are significant to debs--a pencil because she's a professional writer, a fleur di lis because she loves that symbol, Bobby McGees buttons from our clubbing back in the day, a pig dressed as Santa (long story), European coins representing her love of travel, and miscellaneous sparkle.

Kind-of a fun, one-of-a-kind item that is no longer broken, but useful and memorable.

Share a Past Project Thursday

I have always, as long as I can remember, picked up found items and have used them in art projects. Old jewelry pieces, wire, bottlecaps, pretty rocks...
and shells.

Shell crafts have a bit of a bad rap--people envision little bazaar animals with googly eyes. But crafting with shells can be really beautiful too.

Here I glued 'junk' shells around a wooden Ikea mirror. These are just bits and pieces, and common shells like mussels that few people value. These are from Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, versus the beautiful shells available elsewhere. I still think it's fun. Taken together, I think these make a handsome frame.
I even used a few pieces of plant life.
The corkscrew on the lower left is a particularly wonderful find.
Made in October 2000.

I am at the beach a lot because I like to walk dogs there. Sure beats asphalt and a leash, I gotta tell ya. But I spend a lot of time looking for treasures, including broken bits of shell that still look great in mosaics, and sea-tumbled rocks.

I painstackingly and tediously paint all the pieces with clear fingernail polish prior to assembly, to bring out the color and the wet look.
Somehow the idea of spray acrylic just doesn't seem like I'd get the same result.
I use a popsicle stick to spread a layer of Alleene's Thick Designer Tacky Glue, then arrange the shells in it.
It dries clear.


Rocks and shells with natural holes in them make excellent beads. Here, a few items swing at the bottom of the mirror on hemp twine.

I have another shell frame that is a memory keepsake using shells collected during a trip to Mexico with an ex. It's very simple, but I really love it. I will post it at a later date.

Janice!

I hope Janice doesn't mind my posting her pic here with the flower pot I made. This photo doesn't do her justice, as she's drop dead gorgeous! I cut myself out because it was just too scary.

Revised image: Janice's Mosaic'ed Flower Pot

Yay, I got a better image of Janice's pot (I posted about this project recently/previously, but the photos were super blurry). You can see how many pieces of slate are layered here now. Fun, huh? Check the previous post for info on the materials I used.

Mosaic'ed Tile

My first 3D mosaic I made in a class in Laguna Beach (I'll have to find the instructor's info and post that later).
There are probably 15 different plate designs here.
The class and instructor pooled resources, and I think the end result is the better for it.
The blue glass lady is from a soap dish I broke and couldn't bear to part with.
The artist in me figures all this stuff can someday be of use (and it usually is. The minute I "de-clutter", I always seem to want and need stuff back).
There is an I-Ching coin, a chopstick, river rocks, stones and shells, halved marbles...
The grout is a terra-cotta color.

I learned so much from this class.
I have taken the info and built on it, and now I do curved surfaces--usually flower pots.

Mosaic'ed candle tray

This is a tray I made for my friend Michelle, who collects Coca-Cola themed items. I mosaiced a long metal tray with plate pieces, mini Coke bottles, and bottlecaps (all purchased via eBay). I embellished with blue, red, and green glass mini marbles, and a silver polar bear in sunglasses charm. The grout is purple. I hope she likes it. I went to IKEA and got some blue votive candles that fit perfectly atop the bottle caps. She'll probably see it here before it surprises her in the mail. Oh well.

Jan's Flower Pot, front view

Sorry for the photo quality, but it's all I've got. I hope you can at least get an idea here. This is an African-themed flower pot I mosaic-ed for my friend Janice. The animal print tiles are broken plates that I bought on ebay, and the focal point is layered pieces of slate, a metal animal brooch, miscellaneous small stones, and a cowrie shell bracelet. I'm just stoked I got Bloggerbot working again. It's tough when you've got a piece of crap computer, but at least it's something. I was just house-sitting for a friend, and her new Dell set-up about had me weeping with joy. Who knew I would ever love all this so much!

Jan's Flower Pot, side view

Top band done in sections of animal prints, separated by river rock. You can see leopard and zebra here, there was also giraffe. The lower band is random tiles. I decided not to tile the mid-back area.