Here is Sandy with three colors of red in her hair. Although, I am using stained glass, so there are gradation of color running through most of the glass. The dark red glass looks darker in these pictures than in reality. I have not finished her hair on the right side yet. But I just had to post this while I had the time. The metallic van Gogh  glass on her tail is for highlighting. Nothing else has been decided yet.

 If you have any thoughts on the colors or design please leave a comment. The comments do not post immediately, so do not be worried that they are not there. It is just that I have to read and okay the comment before it is published for all to see. So, if you want the comment for my eyes only let me know, and I will not publish it.

Mermaid Mosaic Aspirations

I bought this wood shaped mermaid at a craft store about a year ago. It has taken that long for me to get inspired, and actually have a vision for who this mermaid is. I drew this design yesterday. Sandy (forgive the pun) is a red head and she obviously loves jewelry, ya think? Christi took one look at Sandy and said, That looks like a very ambitious project." Sounds like a challenge to me which is exactly what every artist (at least this one) needs to put a fire in the desire to execute this mosaic ASAP! 

Now I cannot stop thinking and planning. I will keep you posted, and please feel free to let me know what you think of the choices I make for Sandy. I am thinking green eyes, but aqua might be good too. I'll do the hair and post the results before I decide on the eye color. The way the hair turns out will dominate most of the color choices for the rest of Sandy. Sandy is approximately 11 3/4" high x 8" wide (from hand to fish tail).

Birdie has a Beachy Bungalow!

This bird house was so much fun to make! Some of the cuts should have been difficult, but I sailed right through most of them! I love this color combination. and adding the sun design and the bird were tricky in such a small space, but it worked. I used millefiori around the entry ports and gables for decoration, and then I placed some around the base to mimic a garden. Christi, my daughter, wanted a blue roof and I thought a tan roof was more authentic; obviously, Christi won, and we both love the results. It makes me think of all the fun times our family has had at the beach, and that makes me happy.

I have been doing painted wood signs for home decor. I found these two unpainted wooden signs and immediately got all these fun ideas. Next came choosing paint, and then prepping the wood (both sides) for painting; that was time consuming and a tad messy. I am now over the painting phase, and  back into the world of mosaics.

This Welcome sign is painted copper with gold hi-lites, and has some gold bees glued on. I did finish it with a spray on sealant, but I believe it is still an indoor item.

My sunny Garden sign is painted in yellows in the ombre fashion with vines and flowers to connect it with the garden itself.

I am just finishing up a Beach Bungalow Bird House, and will be posting it by the end of the week. Done in mosaic, of course. I"ll tell you all about that journey when I have a finished product to show. Until then just go for it! Follow your inspiration and see where the journey takes you.

 Creating something changes the way you feel about yourself and your beliefs. I will be cutting a piece of glass to fit into this small unusually shaped space, and this magical cut happens and it fits on the first try. This can happen over and over, and I start to have this feeling of wonder come over me as if I am not alone, but some unique helper who loves to create is guiding my hands. Sometimes when I am able to make the vision in my head translate to the piece I am working on; emotions well up and I am crying softly and cutting and buttering; I am so happy. I am not saying that the mosaic is so damn good, but the way it makes me feel THAT is so damn good.

I fell in love with this black miniature picture frame (approx. 4" x 4"), and from the beginning I pictured a  single rosebud mosaic created on the glass of the picture frame. It was inspired by the rosebud in Beauty & the Beast. A single rose means "gratitude and/or appreciation". A pink rose means "perfect happiness".  When I gaze on this mosaic I feel at peace; it is so sweet. Unfortunately, someone else fell in love with it also, and it is sold.

Tranquility is here!

I finished this aqua/silver mosaic, and named it tranquility. I had a very easy time creating it, and am happy with the finished product. It is hanging on my wall and looks so sparkly and pretty. I love it!

 I am re-grouting two other mosaics that I finished. So, I will be posting them soon. Grout can make or break a mosaic. My grout choice was too light for both pieces; I had to dig the grout out around each piece of glass to prep the mosaics. I wish I had taken photos of the wrong grout; it helps to see before and after pictures.

I found this picture frame and the silver flat back glass marbles at the same store, and knew they were meant to be together. The aqua glass is a wavy textured stain glass that reminds one of water. There are very pretty silver beads sprinkled about the piece.

 I am in the middle of creating the Moroccan inspired mosaic that I mentioned a month ago(I can't believe that a month has gone by!). The designs are not quite complete, and the back ground has not been clearly realized yet. Once the grouting is done, I can re-focus on the Moroccan mosaic. I guess I got side-tracked by the silver and aqua. But honestly, those designs needed time to transpire, and be able to work in rapport with the existing designs. Not always easy. Sometimes I get these cool design ideas, but they will not work with this piece, and i have to set them aside. Knowing when to edit is a challenge and a little painful. It is like: honesty over ego.

Moroccan Frame of Mind

I have been so busy living life, but now I am going to immerse myself in mosaics for the next week. I started this mosaic..still playing with Moroccan themed designs, but in red this time.

It is on a board approximately 3 1/2" x 24". You cannot see it in the picture, but on the right side there are designs drawn in pencil, so I will be able to get it done in a day or two. This is another practice mosaic, so we will have to see what emerges.(You can click on the picture and see it enlarged!)

On the table below the mosaic are silver, white, and sparkly clear mosaic bubbles and tiles which are going to be used in another mosaic I will be creating during the week. The design is not complete, but I am excited and intrigued with the idea of it.

I'm back!!!

I cannot believe that it has been a whole year almost since I last wrote on mt blog! Good grief!

 I created this mosaic at the end of summer of 2012. I wanted to play with different design ideas influenced by a Moroccan themed book. I used a lot of beads to create designs, but they were too small and were gobbled up by the grout. Oh well...every mosaic has a lesson to learn.

The center design at the bottom of the piece is a city scape. It is my first attempt at this type of design.