I recently participated in a fun idea called 'Make Five', with fellow mosaic enthusiasts on Flickr.
It isn't a 'swap'. Once you join in with the Make Five group, you commit to make a handcrafted item for the first five people who sign up on your Flickr site; then, in turn, you can sign up to receive a gift from any five available participants. Simple, huh?
It seemed like a great way to push myself to get the new year off to a good start and actually work with a deadline.
Then it hit me...."What in the world am I going to make FIVE of that I can complete in three months, & send through the mail (without having to put a mortgage on the house)?" LOL
My always-helpful hubby brought in a box of these long wooden triangles that he had out in his shop, & suggested I mosaic name plates.
Well, DECIDING what to do is always the biggest hurdle for me to get over, so from that point on, the project was fun. (Thanks, Bill!)
A few of the gals had mentioned colors they like, or their favorite hobbies, etc., which was helpful in planning.
These are the five name plates I made; which have all now been shipped out and received by their new owners.
One side has their first name...............
and the other side has their 'Flickr name', using scrabble letters:
Well, if that wasn't fun enough,..............
The second is a beautiful 4" x 4" abalone heart surrounded by pink/lavender iridescent glass. This creation is by Cynthia Monica, a mosaic artist who lives in Oregon.
It isn't a 'swap'. Once you join in with the Make Five group, you commit to make a handcrafted item for the first five people who sign up on your Flickr site; then, in turn, you can sign up to receive a gift from any five available participants. Simple, huh?
It seemed like a great way to push myself to get the new year off to a good start and actually work with a deadline.Then it hit me...."What in the world am I going to make FIVE of that I can complete in three months, & send through the mail (without having to put a mortgage on the house)?" LOL
My always-helpful hubby brought in a box of these long wooden triangles that he had out in his shop, & suggested I mosaic name plates.Well, DECIDING what to do is always the biggest hurdle for me to get over, so from that point on, the project was fun. (Thanks, Bill!)
A few of the gals had mentioned colors they like, or their favorite hobbies, etc., which was helpful in planning.
These are the five name plates I made; which have all now been shipped out and received by their new owners.
One side has their first name...............
and the other side has their 'Flickr name', using scrabble letters:
Well, if that wasn't fun enough,.............. here are two gifts from friends I had signed up with. I'm SO excited and thrilled with both of these !
The first one is a plaque featuring an adorable chipmunk eating a peanut. It was created by mosaic & stained glass artist Kathleen Stewart of Alpharetta, GA.
I named him 'Al', and he feels right at home here with my collection of chipmunks! (Along with the chipmunk plaque, Kathleen also included these little extra goodies!)
The second is a beautiful 4" x 4" abalone heart surrounded by pink/lavender iridescent glass. This creation is by Cynthia Monica, a mosaic artist who lives in Oregon.She uses alot of abalone and other colorful shells in her mosaics.
Thank you, Kathleen & Cynthia!!! I love them both!!
Thank you, Kathleen & Cynthia!!! I love them both!!
9 comments:
These are so very neat!! I showed the pictures to my husband. How long does it take you to make one of those?
Thank you, Bethany!
Nipping the pieces and laying out the design takes the longest. It doesn't take too long to glue them in place.
The grouting & the clean-up (getting every speck of grout off the pieces & from between the flower petals, etc.) takes awhile.
I'm so particular, so am not a very fast worker. LOL
This is a fun process for me, though, because I really enjoy doing mosaics!
So glad you like them!
I love the name plates! This would be a good birthday gift if you need any early ideas. I know you've done other ones for me but you can never have too many. I like the black and white check with maybe some pink thrown in somewhere and just use my first name.
Hey, Jami! That's a good idea! Dad still has several of the wood pieces, so I'll see what I can come up with!
Maybe I can work on it while you & Dad are in Slovakia! S: )
What a delightful and ambitious idea!!
Susan,
How special and unique! Love them.
You and your husband coming up with them. What lovely tile work.
Have you ever made a tiled picture frame with the glass insert painted with chalkboard paint? Or a tiled cross with a rose tile in the middle(just little ideas that came to me)
Blessings,
Miriam
p.s.-- I don't even know how to work with tile or how to start :)
Thank you, Dallas! These were alot of fun to make!
Hi, Miriam!
Good to hear from you!
Thanks for the good ideas for projects. I haven't tried either, but they sound very interesting & creative! Painting on glass would be neat!
If you ever decide to give mosaics a try, just let me know. I'll be happy to pass on any info that I can.
Hi Mom!
I love the name plates. What a great idea. I think Jeff and I would both like one (maybe a Christmas gift). Jeff's could say Jeff on one side and Jeffro on the other.
'Jeffro', huh? That's cute!
Looks like I'm going to be busy!
If you have any particular colors or theme in mind, let me know!
Love, Mom
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