When I started mosaics I would visit the gorgeous studio of Betsy Grury/Sugarloose Studio where there were jars and jars of sorted tile, beads, and more — all at the ready. I would walk around her table and shelves just looking at all the beautiful and fun tiles that were sorted into various glass jars.…
Wabi Sabi: The Ugly Driveway Project
The Problem: An Ugly, Cracked, Old Driveway So about a year ago, we were in the midst of wedding planning. Despite my partner Mark and my agreement that we didn’t need to have a wedding to feel tethered to each other, our kids had other ideas. “But you’re not really married” our youngest would say.…
My First Craft Show: Learning Lessons
When your mosaic addiction becomes strong enough that you need to start selling the results of your addiction, you too may want to try out selling at a craft fair. I recently participated in the Artisans In The Garden event at a local community garden. Here are some of the lessons I learned for my…
Glass On Glass: My Experiment
As Lou Ann Weeks describes in her pinterest for mosaic artists article, Pinterest is a treasure trove of inspiration and ways to connect with other artists. I check my Pinterest feed at least once a day and usually pin one or two mosaic pieces that I love. When I opened my Etsy shop in 2016, I started…
The Group Project: A Wedding Memory
Hopefully this website makes it clear that I am a fully-admitted mosaic addict. So when my partner Mark and I decided we should have a formal celebration to honor our union in front of our friends and family this summer, of course I wanted it to include mosaics! I started to google for ideas and…
The Mosaic Table Project
A Rectangle in a Circular Room Once upon a time, a family decided their rectangular table wasn’t right for their dining room space. “A round table would fit the space better,” they said. So they traded tables with a friend and now had a much more proportionally appropriate table. The base was even perfect for their 1950s…
A Stockpile of Pique Assiette
Recently I found an entire set of dishes that I couldn’t pass up. I usually steer clear of sets of dishes as even the Goodwill employees know that a full set of china is something special. However, this was closer to earthen-ware and not fine porcelain. It was also stained with years of coffee use…
Getting Over the Guilt
I started my mosaic journey by breaking plates with a hammer in a plastic IKEA bag (bad choice of material to use, the glass broke the bag pretty quickly–the recommended wrap is an old towel). I had purchased odds and ends of plates from thrift shops and enjoyed the process of breaking the plates. All…
Thrift Shop & Estate Sale Shopping Strategy
Part of the fun for me is to find, aka treasure hunt. I created this list to make sure I visited all the store sections at the thrift shop or considered how I could use any random items at an estate sale…and make sure I don’t buy anything that would blow the cost of production…
Kick Your Coloring Books To the Curb
Anyone that has shopped in public in the last year will be familiar with the onslaught of specialized coloring books for adults on display. These are not the cheap, brownish colored pages with cartoon characters you may remember from childhood. No, these coloring books are designed for adults and are full of detailed designs that replicate…