Project designed by Connie Sheerin.
Materials:
2" x 2" 1/4-inch thick glass (or any size you desire)
Craftopia frame #16543 (9-3/4" x 11-1/2" wide edge)
pressed dried flowers
scrubbie
flake metal foil pieces or faux foil
colored tissue paper
Gem-Tac permanent adhesive by Beacon
tweezers
foil tape by Plaid Enterprises
Make-It-Mosaics 3/4-inch tiles - plum or royal blue
Make-It-Mosaics iridescent flat-backed marbles
Make-It-Mosaics white sanded grout
Make-It-Mosaics adhesive
tile nippers
safety glasses
disposable containers
craft stick or disposable stirrer
latex gloves
Apple Barrel paint - red violet, pure gold metallic
small brush
newspaper
sandpaper
Steps:
1. Lightly sand the frame and paint the outside molded edge and inner edge with two coats of pure gold metallic paint.
2. Nip the tiles into small pieces (figure A).
3. Use purchased dried flowers or press your own in a flower press or phone book.
4. Apply a coat of Gem-Tac adhesive to one side of a single glass tile.
5. With tweezers, apply metallic flakes until the entire piece of tile is covered (figure B). Wait until it is dry and remove excess with a scrubbie.
6. If using faux foil, scrunch it up and some of the foil will come off. Position pieces of colored tissue down on the glass first, then cover it with the faux foil paper. The colored tissue will show through where the foil has come off.
7. Pick up dried flower or flowers with tweezers and add a dot of glue on the center back of the flower and place over the foil (figure C).
8. Put the second piece of glass over the flower and wrap the foil tape around the sandwich of glass (figure D). The pressed flower tiles are now ready.
9. Place the flower tiles and marbles where you would like them on the frame and trace around them with a pencil.
10. Place glue where the transparent marbles will be and glue down some foil so it will show through the marbles when the glue is dried.
11. Using Make-It-Mosaic adhesive, glue down the flower tiles and marbles. Fill in the remaining area with the broken tiles. Allow it to dry.
12. Mix grout with violet acrylic paint. It will be very thick, so add water until you achieve a fudge-like consistency.
13. Wearing latex gloves, spread the grout/paint mixture over the tiles ( figure E), being careful not to smear grout over the glass tiles but up to them. Allow the grout to set 15 to 20 minutes.
14. Use a dry cloth to wipe away most of the excess grout. Then, using a hard bristle brush or old toothbrush, remove the rest of the grout.
15. Wait another 15 minutes and then wipe away the film left on tiles. Polish the pieces off with the soft cloth.
16. Touch up the gold paint where the grout has dulled it.
15. Put in a favorite picture or a mirror.
Tips:
- You may want to use a doily after the metal flake and before the flower. This adds more texture and interest. Decoupage print or wrapping paper cut outs can be used in place of dried flowers.
- Choose an acrylic color remembering that when mixed with grout the color will be several shades lighter than when the grout is wet.
Resources Gem-Tac glue/adhesive
Beacon Adhesives
Website:
www.beaconcreates.com
Make-It-Mosaics craft products, Apple Barrel paint
Plaid Enterprises Inc.
Website:
www.plaidonline.com
Mosaics in an Afternoon
by Connie Sheerin (ISBN: 0806957751)
Sterling Publishing, 2000
Click
here to order this title.
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website:
www.sterlingpub.com Guests Connie Sheerin
Author
PO 246
Landsdowne, PA 19050
Phone: 484-431-4457
E-mail:
concraft@aol.com
Website:
www.mosaicmania.com
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