A little piece here, a little piece there...

This is the other project I’ve been working on. I’ve always wanted to try doing mosaics and I’ve collected some china from yard sales since the summer. I finally got around to breaking them up, bagging them and getting the rest of the supplies that I needed. I’ve also been collecting wooden trays, boxes, etc. from yard sales.

I was nervous since I have never done grouting or tile work of any kind, though I have seen it done lots of time on TV. Even with book in hand there was a definite learning curve to this project.

This is not yet finished. I just grouted it today and the wooden part needs cleaning up and finished so that it looks really nice. Still, I wanted to show you all what I was up to the last couple of days, among other things.

Things I learned so far…

Plates have subtle curves. Some are not so subtle. Be sure you use the pieces small enough to not have to deal with curves sticking up. (learned this too late, btw)

Plates often have rims around the back of them so that they sit nice and flat on your table. Those are hard to cut around because the china is thicker the closer you get to the rim. Keep this in mind when cutting/snipping your pieces. (found this out while cutting/snipping)

Tile adhesive needs to be thick enough to hold it down but you are not trying to embed the pieces. Don’t make it too thick so that it sticks up. (also learned this later)

Now…all that said… I also learned that grout covers a multitude of little booboos, but not all of them so be careful in the previous steps.

I’ll be finishing this up completely in the next few days. I want the  grout to set up completely before I start doing a little sanding on the wooden case. I haven’t decided if I wanted to stain it or paint it yet. I’ll update this post with the finished one when it’s done.

I know, those looking at it who have done this before, will be able to find all the little booboos and things that should have been done a little better, but I love my little tray. It came out so much better than I was afraid it would and I’m very happy with how it came out for a first try. I love the colors and the plate patterns. I wanted those plates for something for myself the moment I saw them. This tray will be in my bedroom and it makes me smile just looking at it even unfinished.

Jeanie

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