Project designed by Connie Sheerin.
Materials:
recycled bowling ball - available for free from most bowling alleys
wood filler
safety glasses
Make it Mosaic:
- tiles
- flat backed marbles
- tile nippers #67142
- tile adhesive #67163
- white sanded grout
- sealer #67162
round, leaf, hexagon, mixed shaped tiles and mixed colored and plain mirror tiles - available from a Crafts ala Cart representative
broken china
Apple Barrel acrylic paints - a palette of your choice
rubber mallet
newspaper
latex gloves
craft sticks
disposable containers
sponge brush
cosmetic or small pieces cello sponge
painter's tape
old towel
soft cloth
hard bristle brush
Steps:
- Obtain a used bowling ball from your nearest bowling alley.
- Clean the surface with soap and water and fill the holes with wood putty (figure A). Allow it to dry overnight.
- Set the ball on a bunched towel to keep it from rolling.
- To do a pattern on the ball, tape off the ball into sections with narrow painter's tape. Lay out all of the various mosaic pieces and begin gluing pieces or working colors as you go (figure B). If using broken china, be sure to break it with a rubber mallet while it is between newspaper and then nip it down into smaller pieces.
- Cover the entire ball with mosaic pieces, making sure that everything is dry.
- Mix grout in a disposable container to a fudgy consistency. Put on latex gloves and begin smearing on the grout, tucking it in every available space (figure C ).
- Allow the grout to set for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 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.
- Wait another 15 minutes and then wipe away any film still left on the tiles. Polish the pieces off with a soft cloth.
- Choose your palette of colors to dye your dried grout. Use one part acrylic paint to three parts water.
- Dip a small piece of cello or cosmetic sponge into the diluted color. Squeeze out excess color to prevent drips, and dab the sponge onto the grout where you would like the color. Chose about six colors that match well with each other and blend well overlapping each other. Allow to it dry overnight.
- Using a sponge brush, cover the ball with three coats of outdoor grout sealer.
Tip: Place the ball on a very special pedestal in your garden and remember to bring it inside when it is cold to avoid cracking.
Resources 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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