Connie, thank you for the pictures. I tried searching for pictures, but I just don't have your talent! I didn't come up with any on my own.

I'm glad you guys like it! I still hope to find someone who has done it and knows if there is anything in particular that I need to know about stuffing the lights into the blocks. I also wonder if I need 35 or 50 lights on a string. I have square blocks and they are 7 or 8 inches square. I plan on doing it stanting up, because it takes less space and is a little more visable.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,,HGTV_3270_33 13693,00.html

You sure have a nice variety of graphics and bows--something for everyone. Great job.

Luvs

I have looked at the HGTV site, but without actually
doing projects or watching someone else do them, I'm
not comfortable.

When drilling the holes, how large does it have to be?
Would a battery operated tea light be able to fit through
it?

And how long does it take to drill the hole? Are the edges
sharp so someone would cut themselves?

How about the acrylic blocks? Can the holes be cut easier,
without cracking?

Thanks for your replies.

Carol

I purchased one of these recently at a craft show, and would've bought many more if any of the booths had the right colours! Unfortunately I think many other people got to them before I did, and there weren't many to choose from.

Now I know how to make them, and it's much easier than I would've thought. And I bet I could make some great gifts out of these.

I'm just glad to have a man around that loves to drill holes, lol!

I read the Carol Duvall post on putting pictures on them, but I'm not quite sure I understood how they did it. How does spraying the photo with something allow the light to come thru better?

The above pictures are so pretty. I'll be using the one I bought for a nightlite in my foyer. I'd like to make some smaller ones if I can find the block. My husband suggested the local brickyard.

Thanks so much for this thread and all the info you have supplied!

Susie

Rosie

I originally drew them on with a sharpie, but sometimes the lines would show through the glass in certain areas. Now I usually draw or find a pattern I like, and trace it onto the blocks using black graphite paper.....which if you are not careful smears easily and you can lose your design. I work with a white surface under the block so I can see the dark graphite lines. Let me know if you have any other questions as far as type of glue, drilling holes, etc. I've done about 30 of them so far. I should probably post them on the mosaic forum, too. Thanks for the compliment!

Rosie

I've decided for gifts I would like to put family pictures or pictures of my friends/families children on them.

What is the best way to do this?? Do you use normal computer paper, or a special kind thats thinner?? Which adhesive works best? Do you use a spray to protect the ink??

Thanks for any help.

Carbide tipped glass drill bits, don't do the trick. Ours made one tiny hole, and was done.

Diamond hole saw bits are preferable. However, we don't have access to them here, we'd have to order online.

We found a carbide ceramic tile hole saw, which worked wonders. Keep it wet and cool. Took less than 5 mins, with breaks, to get all the way through.

Oil works, but we used a spray bottle of water, because we were afraid we wouldnt get all the oil out of the inside.

Take breaks to let the bit cool down so it doesn't wear out too fast.

If you use the carbide hole saw, you'll want a file, to smooth the edges, afterwards.

If by chance the carbide hole saw you find does NOT have its own bit in the middle, you may need to ask for assistance on finding the proper bit to place in the middle. I'm not exactly sure what the bit is in ours.

Then you just attatch them, I'd assume, like a normal hole saw. Place the bit in the bottom smaller hole, and screw on. Then attatch as usual to the drill.

I just got home from shopping at a big craft show in Cape Girardeau, MO...Just have to see what's out there. Bought my daughter some jewelry. Anyway, I use Liquid Nails Sealant - Clear Seal; it says it is clearer than silicone. I tried weldbond and plain old Elmer's, but it did not dry clear which will ruin your art project. Yes, the stem of the pumpkin is just a larger piece of stained glass. Some of the pieces I just snip until I get the shape I want. I believe the snowman you are seeing behind one of the blocks is a painted snowman I painted on a jar. I didn't take a photo of it. I will try to post some more mosaic blocks later this evening.

Juliejules:

This is not a hard mosaic project for you to do. You are working with stained glass (must be translucent). Hold it up to the light, if you can't see through it; don't use it. You'd be surprised how many people don't think of this when they are creating a lighted mosaic project.
You will need an 8 x 8 x 3" glass block with a hole drilled big enough to insert a 35 strand of mini Christmas lights in it (Harbor Freight is where I ordered a 1/2" Diamond hole saw bit for cutting glass - don't try anything else because you will break or crack the blocks,
glass cutters (two round small wheels on end - the only kind that will work for snipping glass, found mine at Hobby Lobby),
stained glass,
liquid nails (clear),
graphite paper,
sanded grout (buy big bag if you plan to make a lot, it's cheaper)
Triple Thick Brilliant Brush-on Glaze made by DecoArt, and sheer ribbon and embellishments.
Since you are a beginner, I would suggest you trace a pattern onto the block using graphite paper. Don't try to use intricate patterns. You can find them on the internet or from children's coloring books. Then decide on what colors you want to use for your angel, snowman, etc. and then choose a fill-in color (should be a color not used in your main design). You can glue each piece of glass (leaving 1/4" or less space in between each piece) and place it on the block or you can put glue down in small sections on the block and lay your glass on it. You need enough glue to hold the glass down, but don't put so much it squishes up between the pieces leaving no room for the grout.
After you have finished the main design, start filling in around the design with your fill in pieces. I usually work from the outside in. I like my outside pieces straight on the outside edge, and then anything goes because you'll have to cut some pieces to fit. Let your project completely dry for a couple of days. Then you are ready to grout.
Mix your grout according to the directions on the container. It should be smooth and thick. I've done it so much I don't measure anymore. You can tint your grout using acrylic paint. For my second pumpkin, I tinted it cream instead of white. Once you've placed the grout, remove excess with small grout tool, then let grout rest for 15 minutes. Then gently wipe with a damp sponge. Rinse the sponge removing excess water and repeat until you have all the tops of the glass pieces exposed, but don't wipe the grout from in between the pieces. This is a s l o w process, but well worth it. Let dry overnight. Use a damp sponge to clean grout film from your block.
You are ready to apply the glaze. I usually apply two coats of the glaze. It makes your project look very professionally done.
Once the glaze has completely dried, you insert the Christmas lights (make sure they work before you put them inside the block), put a sheer ribbon around the block and if your hole is drilled on bottom, don't cover the hole in case the lights need replaced. I put a loop bow on top and embellishments under the bow, leaves, greenery - be creative but don't overdo it. I don't like to "take away" from the mosaic art.
I hope these instructions and tips don't scare you from trying it. I just have to explain and explain. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck, and whoever gets one of these will love it!

Rosie

Here are more of the lighted mosaic glass blocks requested by skyrider. I just wish there were some way I could show you how beautiful they really are. The darker one I didn't use the flash. Hope this helps.

Rosie

It takes my husband about 15 minutes to drill a hole in each glass block. Since he just hands me a nice, clean block to create my art on, I didn't know the whole process for drilling a hole in the glass block. He's fine tuned it because he broke and cracked several before learning the following process. He said the most important thing to remember is to use the 1/2" Diamond Hole Saw Bit from Harbor Freight (cheap around $10), and the second most important thing is to take a piece of modeling clay, rub between hands to form a piece like a worm, and place around the area where the hole is to be drilled to form a "dam" in which you continually squirt water to keep the bit cool while drilling. Of course, you need to use a drill press with a drill press vice on it. Don't attempt to use a hand-held drill. You still should stop occasionally to allow the bit and glass block to cool. When the bit drills through the glass, you have to fish out the piece of glass in the block using a spring-loaded parts retriever and a very small pair of long needle-nosed pliers, and then rinse the block out with water several times to get ride of the sand residue and glass particles. Don't wait untilt he next day to do this or you will have a chalky film inside. If you want to remove the tacky substance on the edges of the block it can be removed by using a 3/8 inch hand held drill with a round wire brush attachment in the chuck. Hope this information is helpful to those who have not drilled holes in glass blocks before. Since he has used the above process, he has drilled several glass blocks with the same bit, and has not broken or cracked any of them!

Rosie

Just another question, where do you buy your stained glass? I went to Jo-ann fabrics and Michael's and they did not have a great variety. I hear hobby lobby is a great place, but I do not have one anywhere near me. Thank you again for your response.

Julie

When I buy stained glass, I usually use the 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby. They offer one each week on-line on one item not currently on sale. That won't be an option for you since you don't live near a Hobby Lobby Store. I could buy something from that store each week if I go there. Sometimes I just tell myself to stay away.

However, my desire to create mosaics started over 10 years ago, and I knew a gal who made mosaic stepping stone, benches, etc. I was talking to her one day about making stepping stones with my 4-H club, and she told me that she had a 5 gallon bucket of scraps I could have for our project. We made the stepping stones, and I'm still using glass from her donation.

Then this year, another lady I know had a friend who wanted me to make her a mosaic gazing ball using a bowling ball which I did. Instead of her paying me for the ball, she paid me in glass scraps. She also creates stained glass pieces at craft shows. She gave me two small dish pans full of scrap pieces. The biggest job with this type of donation is sorting it into colors. But, it will be well worth it. I have a 4-Her who wants to create a mosaic for her 4-H project this year, and I'm going to give her the glass she needs for her project if she'll come over and sort glass for me!

Anyway, try seeking out someone who works with stained glass and cuts out their designs. They might be willing to work out a deal with you, too.

I have ordered a few pieces on-line because of the color I needed for a project, but the shipping makes the glass pretty pricey.

Good luck and be sure to show us some of your completed mosaic blocks when you get them finished.

Rosie

Diane

Thanks for the nice compliments. The gingerbread guy was a real good seller. I'm stacked up right now with orders for Christmas. I need to make several angels and some sports related blocks. Be careful - once you create one, you won't be able to stop. I've never seen anything so addictive. Good luck!

Diane: My husband said he rinses the blocks out with water, turns them upside down and puts an air compressor nozzle (with a home-made extension on it) inside the block and blows it dry. He then turns them upside down in a warm dry place (inside). I'll admit I couldn't do this project without my husband's help.

Rosie

I tried to post some pictures of the blocks I made using laminated pictures but I can't figure out how to post pictures here; every time I try I lose my message...this is the 3rd time I've typed this now. Anyway they aren't nearly as nice as the ones y'all have posted and I do need to work on making bows.

Thanks again and maybe when I get some more done I can figure out the posting pictures thing too.

Diane

Those are nice blocks. Nice choices of pictures that you used on them. If you make a lot of mosaic blocks, you will need to come up with some creative way to show their true beauty, which is dimly lit room or display. Just the opposite of many displays, you don't want bright lights because they will show up better in the dark. I thought of making a display of black fabric - a dark room, like a photographer. That would be so cool! We displayed ours in a Sunday School room that was poorly lighted, so it worked out great. Anyway, I will be waiting patiently to see your mosaic creations.

Rosie

Diane

Deja, hope someone can answer your question about where to get the graphics for the blocks. I think I've read that they spray a sealer like Krylon 1311 on the printed graphic and then apply it with something likd Mod Podge. Hope someone else will give you more complete details.

Luvs

The way I do my pictures on the blocks:

I of course scan or print out pictures on full size label paper or sticker paper that has adhesive on the back. Like a Peel and Place type.
I place the graphic on the block and then I spray them with an acrylic gloss sealer.they do not fade as I have a few in my home for the past couple of years. The sealer protects the ink and gives it a glossy look.
I tried it with modge podge but you could always see the streaking from brushing it on and I didn't like the way it looked. Anything brush on did that. I tried so many different things. Still, in my opinion anything you can spray on it is better. The acrylic sealer also protects the frosting that I put on the block prior to the graphics.
The main reason I use a gloss is so that you can not see the string of lights all that easily.
I also use white stringed lights because again, the green string can sometimes be seen through the frost.
Anyway, good luck to all of you and if you have any other questions, you can email me or leave them here....lol
Happy Blocking!
Marci

I hope Evelyn will be posting a picture of her painted block soon and give us some tips on painting on the blocks.

Diane

Diane

I love your penguin painted glass block. He made me smile. You did a terrific job painting it as well. If you paint more, please show us!

Rosie

I know a woman who did these with the battery lites and used them as a centerpiece for a 50th anniversary party.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37245405.tip.html

There are different tips and pictures.