No show

Sorry people, no show here. I'm on a mosaic break to lay down new flooring in my house - I guess you could call it 500 square feet of a strip mosaic. My work area is now a furniture storage area. See you in June!

Cleaning up shop

I've got glass everywhere, so I've implemented a new system to organize it all. I heart containers.

Can you be classified a glue junkie if you don't inhale?

My day off

Look! I happened to run into someone commenting on the blog. I didn't even have to pay her.

A trip to the glass store - I needed more glass for dragon tongue.

A mosaic and a view

My workstation while at the cottage couldn't be better.

Cement board is pretty handy stuff

So, there are a portion of you guys that don't comment but ask me questions via email or in person. I thought I'd answer one about the materials I use. The glass for the Martian tree mosaic is directly onto cement board. This is the same stuff you would use to tile a floor - you can buy it at Home Depot in 3'x5' sheets and use a utility knife cut to your desired size.

My trick for hanging is to drill two holes through the board and carve a channel for wire or string to lay in. You then feed the wire through and tie the wire off in the back of the mosaic. Because of the channel, you can mosaic right over the top so you basically have a hidden hanging system.

It is a great surface for not a lot of money - I'm a big fan.

A mosaicing weekend

My cousin Laura requested a mosaicing lesson so what better place to have it then at the cottage? We set up a cutting glass station amongst the trees, used the deck as our work area, and had sheets of glass spread across the front yard. We got a ton done and I think that Abby and Laura will be able to continue without me - it's all about having the right tools!

We also took a field trip and liberated some windows that had been propped up against a fence for a few months. We didn't go in the dark of night, but we were in and out pretty quickly. All in all, a very fun weekend.

The right tool for the job

For those of you asking questions - I'm a big fan of the Vitrex tile cutter to score and snap larger pieces of glass. I currently own three of them. Other brands/types just don't measure up for me - seriously, I've tried many.

Art and organization - what could be better?

So, if you know me you know I love to organize things. I think that's why I can mosaic for hours - it's like having puzzle pieces that need to be straightened out. This leads me to why I love using file holders on my wall. They keep track of my larger sheets of glass and they act as display art. A two-for-one!