Stained Glass Mosaic Doggie Mirror

Materials and Tools:

wood-framed mirror
black acrylic paint
stencil vinyl
clear Contact paper
opaque sheet glass (adhesive will show though transparent glass)
assorted crushed glass "frits"
tile adhesive
black tile grout
paint pens
low tack painter?s tape
2-part resin
resin bubble remover spray
black card stock paper
picture hanger hardware
paintbrush
craft knife
glasscutter
glass tile nippers
glass band or ring saw
kiln
mixing cups and stirrers
tile grout float tool
sponge
hot glue gun
glue
rubber gloves
eye protection
apron
respirator equipped with filters for fumes
green scrubby
serrated plastic knife
straight edge ruler
glass cleaner
level
heat gun
cotton sheet or large towel
large piece of cardboard for tent
electric sander
cling food wrap

Figure B

Steps:

1. Draw design on paper and choose glass.

2. Fire the glass while preparing project materials. Cut 1/4 inch red, white and caramel marble strips using a glasscutter. Prepare the glass for the doggies by sprinkling a piece of white sheet glass with black frit. Fire in kiln to 1350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool overnight.

3. Remove the mirror from the frame and set aside. Paint the frame with black acrylic paint. Let dry.

Figure D

4. Cut a piece of Contact paper as wide as the frame and about six inches longer.

5. Center the Contact paper, sticky side up, on the front of the frame and wrap the ends to the back of the frame. Tape in place.

6. Use a craft knife to peel away white paper backing exposing the sticky side of the Contact paper on the front of the frame. Set aside.

Figure E

7. Draw bone and doggie shapes on stencil vinyl and cut out with a craft knife.

8. Trace shapes onto plain glass and cooled fused glass sheet with the stencil and black paint pen. Cut shapes using glass ring saw. Wear safety glasses.

9.. Remove any remaining paint lines on the glass with a green scrubby and water.

10. Create a double border with two different colors of 1/4-inch strips on the outside of the frame and around the center opening. Cut 1/4-inch strips to border size. Stick strips to the Contact paper "face down."
Tip: All pieces are stuck to the Contact paper face down. Later when it comes time to adhere with tile adhesive, it will be flipped so that the right side will be up.

Figure I

11. Arrange one doggie shape in each corner and two dog bones along each side.

12. Cut 1/2-inch strips of the caramel color glass to fill in the mosaic background.

13. Using tile nippers cut the caramel strips into triangle-shapes and fill in the background. Nip pieces to fit. Remove tape, which is holding the contact paper to the wooden frame, and slide the mosaic onto the table.

Figure K

14. Spread tile adhesive onto the front of the frame using a serrated plastic knife.

15. Flip frame onto the glass mosaic to stick and then carefully flip both together right side up. Let set about 20 minutes then carefully remove the Contact paper starting at one corner and pulling diagonally close to the surface. Adjust any pieces that might have shifted. Let dry 24 hours.

Figure L

16. Mix grout to a milk-shake consistency and spread onto the surface using tile "float tool". Work into the spaces between the glass. Let set about 15 minutes.

17. Carefully wipe away excess grout from the surface with a damp sponge. Let set another hour and do a final cleanup. Let dry 24 hours. Carefully clean the surface of the mosaic with glass cleaner and paper towels.

18. Draw faces on the doggie shapes using paint pens.

19. To get a thick top coating of resin that doesn't immediately drip away, tape low-tack tape around perimeter of frame and around the center opening so that there is about a 1/2-inch lip of tape extending above the surface of the mosaic. This little wall will allow the resin to thicken on top until it is removed for a "controlled" drip.

20. Cover the work surface with paper then elevate the mosaic by putting an upside-down plastic cup under each corner.

21. Use folded paper to shim as needed until the entire mosaic is level.

22. Wearing a respirator and rubber gloves, mix resin using one part resin to one part hardener. Five ounces of each will make a nice coating on one square foot mosaic.

Figure N

23. Pour resin onto the mosaic. Cardboard makes a good spreader. Let set about 10 minutes.

24. Squirt "bubble removing spray" onto the surface to remove large bubbles. Scoop out any visible pieces of dust with a piece of cardboard.

25. To remove tiny bubbles, carefully wave a heat gun over the mosaic. This makes bubbles expand and move to the surface. Move the heat gun constantly to avoid burning the surface.

26. Make a tent using a cotton sheet, plastic cups and a sheet of cardboard so that entire mosaic is protected. Let set for about one hour — warmer weather will cause resin to cure faster.

Figure O

27. Carefully remove the tape from the mosaic so that the resin drips over the sides. This is a very messy step. Run your finger along the bottom edge of the mosaic to smooth out resin drips. It will continue to slowly drip.

28. Cover mosaic with the tent and let set for 72 hours. No peeking for the first 24 hours.

29. Remove the tent and place the mosaic face down on a folded towel. Place a piece of cling wrap on the face of the mosaic to avoid scratches when it is face down on the towel.

30. Remove drips with an electric sander. Touch up the back of the frame with black acrylic paint.

31. Insert the mirror into the center opening and secure with hot glue. Glue a square of black cardstock onto the back to provide a finished look. Attach picture-hanging hardware.

Website: www.florestanisstudio.com