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Project: Mosaic table for 6th grade class
Background:
My daughter's 6th grade class needed to make an art project to be auctioned off at the school's annual fundraiser. I volunteered to coordinate it and thought a mosaic table would be a really fun project for the kids. I had no previous experience with mosaics so I spent some time doing research. I found a table and gave the class a few choices for the design. I really wanted something that would be very forgiving and have flowing lines. A very loose version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" was the winner.
Painted the table black, the top surface white and sketched a basic design on top. The color choices were limited to what tile we could get our hands on.
A huge thank you to Home Depot and the Tile Co. who were kind enough to donate some tile, tools and grout.
We also were able to purchase some discounted loose green Oceanside Glasstile from Matt Clark Stone & Tile.
Here's a close up of the tree/bush. I didn't have the kids work on this section because the pieces were very sharp. I just loved way the "sharps" looked. I glued these down right away because it was too difficult to keep them from shifting. Everything else was just set in place so the kids could help glue them down.
I have fond (insert sarcastic tone) memories of transporting the table back and forth to the school so the kids could help work on it. Let's just say the village went through several earthquakes before it was glued down.
Grouting the tree/bush was quite challenging- but I was determined...
The village was probably the most challenging part for me. Trying to get the perspective just right was tough. I finally I had to stop trying so hard and just do my best. I actually think the village turned out to be my favorite part. I often find no one is more surprised than I am when I create something and it comes out better than I thought it would. I just love that "Wow! I made that!" feeling.
The village reminds me of little irish thatched cottages.
Here is the table before I applied the grout. The kids really did a great job and were very helpful. It was difficult to get the colors to show up accurately but I think this is fairly close. The green tile from Oceanside Glasstile was a bit thicker than the other tiles. I really liked the 3-d effect it gave the mosaic and the color variations were beautiful.
Grout applied! It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...except for the sharp tree/bush area...that was tough. I used a darker gray because I wanted to keep the warmth. I had decided earlier that we were going to apply a thick coat of industrial strength resin to protect and even out the mosaic. Some people recommended not grouting before applying the resin but I am so glad I did. It really makes it look finished.
Here's a close up of the houses after the grout has been applied. This bit was also a little tricky but I found Q-tips to be quite helpful.
So, here's a close up of the tree/bush after grouting. It is hard to tell but it was very 3-d. I loved how it turned out. I did NOT love smooshing (very technical term) the grout in there while trying not to sever an artery.....
Let's just say I learned a LOT from this particular section.....
But I still loved the end result...
Side view of table just before we applied the resin. This was my first time ever using resin. It is something you need to research before you do it, especially on a larger project like this. I wanted a nice even surface and to protect the tile from chips. Not to mention how important it was to cover up any sharp edges. Just so you know, I realize I could have made the tree/bush without such sharp pieces...but since I knew they would be covered by resin I didn't worry about it.
Resin applied!
(This photo looks a little yellow but it's just poor lighting. The resin was very clear.)
I love how the resin looks and it brings out the colors in the tiles.
Trying to show the smooth finish of the resin. It looks like smooth glass. Like I said before, if you are considering doing a project like this, really spend some time educating yourself before you use the resin. If you mess it up it can ruin your mosaic. It was scary but I am thrilled to say it came out great.
The green tiles really looked lovely, almost wet. I was concerned resin might dull or mute the colors but the exact opposite was true. I also like the fact that it made the overall care of the coffee table so much easier- no worry over staining the grout, chipping tiles, etc. We used an industrial "Bar top" resin so it would hold up well and not yellow with age.
Finished!
I must admit it was very difficult for me to let go of this piece. I learned so much and had such a terrific time doing it. The kids were thrilled and rightly very proud of themselves. I think it came out pretty well considering no one had any previous experience.
Thank you for reading about this fun project and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
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Here we go-
Truth is I am not someone who is terribly comfortable posting things online. I just feel exposed somehow. So...why did I create a webpage? Well, it's all my daughter's fault. Ages ago I volunteered to be in charge of her 6th grade class art project for the school's annual fundraising auction. I have always loved art, crafting, and being creative so I thought it would be something new and fun. I decided to make a mosaic table. I had no experience but just jumped in and went for it. I loved the experience so much I decided to try and do it full time- crazy I know. So Willow Mosaic was born. Willow- in memory of my beloved dog, Willow. Mosaic- well..for all the amazing, awesome, bestest-in-the-whole-world mosaics I will be creating (read with heavy dose of sarcasm) and selling for millions so I can some day afford to go to New Zealand which I have loved even before the Lord of the Rings trilogy came out. Plus I might occasionally post other items I have created on here so people can feel better about their own crafting skills. So, for those of you who are still reading this, here's a bit more about meself in case you're interested:
Label time:
I am a mixture of the following at any given minute, on any given day:
Seriously sarcastic human being.
Happy (and seriously lucky!) wife.
Mostly happy, occasionally frustrated, often worried and always thankful, Mom of two teens.
Frustrated artist.
Driver, maid, entertainment director, cook, tutor, medic, vet, dog sitter, dog groomer, kid groomer (dogs are much easier!), psychologist, teenie-tiny fake violin player (to mock teens when they look for sympathy for getting blisters on their feet when taking the dog out for a run while barefooted (the kid, not the dog..well actually I guess the dog was barefooted as well..or would that be "dogfooted?") because they were too stubborn to listen to me and put on shoes), finder-of-all-lost-objects, and cheerleader ...so... to sum all of these up- basically a typical mom.
History Time:
I live on a lake in San Luis Obispo, California with my wonderful husband, 2 teenage children (boy and girl) and 2 crazy dogs. I have lived in California my entire life. My parents emigrated from Ireland before I was born and raised my brothers and I as though they hadn't... meaning we grew up drinking tea, calling cupboards "presses" and saying "bloody". Ireland still feels a bit like "home" to me even though I haven't been there for decades. I like to think I have inherited the Irish sense of humor- in other words- I probably think I am funnier than I really am...but shhh...
don't burst my bubble.
I like to consider myself as a very down-to-earth, open, honest, highly intelligent, creative, immensely talented, giving, loving and all around bloody amazing human being...but I have been known to be wrong (a wee bit) on occasion...(truthfully, very seldom)
Deeply Personal Time:
My nickname....ok....well.....it's Smurf. Yes...you read it correctly...I am a middle aged soccer/softball mom called Smurf. And before you ask, no, I am not blue ...or short. My maiden name was Murphy. If your last name is Murphy your friends will call you Murf, even if you are a girl. And then (I am about to seriously date myself) when you are in 10th grade (also known as the most embarrassing and self conscience phase of a person's life) a cartoon show with little blue...um, characters...called "Smurfs" will become popular. Your friends will like this show so much it will take them only .008 milliseconds to realize they must not only start calling their friend "Murf" Smurf...but they must make her a huge BLUE "Happy Birthday Smurf!" cake so everyone in the whole school will know about her apparently permanent name change. Then, years later, you will move to a different city for college...and your new friends will start calling you Murf. Then some twit will think it's funny to call you Smurf...and once again...you will be know as Smurf. Moving forward...you will then relocate to the beautiful town of San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly. You will consider yourself very fortunate to be going to such a good school. You will also be quite thankful to be free of the name Smurf which is not exactly the most "desirable" name ( how many guys dream of dating a Smurf...well, guys you would WANT to go out with). Ya know the saying history repeats itself... you can guess what happened...Murf....Smurf...30 years later...still Smurf....I actually think of myself as Smurf now.... and truthfully now I kinda like it... it's funny, playful and not too serious..it's me...and my closest friends call me Smurfy...
**Trivia: I have never watched an episode of the Smurfs..or the full on MOVIES that they just HAD to make......
Disclaimer:
No Smurfs were harmed in the making of this page.
