You did that??

Do you do travel? DO mine!

That is too cool.

OMG!!!! I am sooooo impressed! What a great job and so nice that you made it yourself. I tell people all the time that it will break my heart if/when we ever have to sell our home. I look around and see not only all the decisions and shopping trips w/ DH that went into all the structural and decor elements, but all the work that my own DH did. I am so proud of what he has done and I see all that whenever I look around each and every day.

Enjoy your beautiful handiwork!

Wow! Great job!
I too, always try to find a solution when I can't find or afford what is out there. This is a great idea, and it looks great in your kitchen. The fact that you shared your experience with all of us, however is such a gift. So thank you and enjoy your beautiful backsplash!

Fabulous, as always, punamy! :-) Very generous of you to offer a tutorial.

(Did you move?)

Thank you :)

Yes Amy, we moved. We are in Central America now. Hence I will be soon here with my new kitchen plans and will need some help. It will be first time that I will spend time and thought in designing our kitchen, as it will be our last and we are so much more into cooking now than we ever were, so kitchen is very important to us. Also, it will be very different, no cabinets, shelves of different depths, counters different heights and depths, all depending on the use. So there lays lots of challenges ahead of me :)

Thank you so much!

So gorgeous. Cohesive, beautifully planned and executed. Another generous artist in our midst. Enjoy.

Awesome tile!

I love your story about how you got into making your own as well.

That came out amazing! I can't wait to see what you do to your next kitchen ;)

Thanks for the inspiration!

punamytsike - I knew as soon as I saw it was you that it would be phenomenal. I still have photos of your work on the porches and around the pool from many years ago. I never had the guts or time to try those, but they're saved along with the directions on my computer. The backsplashes look stunning. You have a wonderful talent! Best of luck in your new home.

Thanks for all the kind words.
You know, those trim tiles could be used many ways. In our new place, there will be window sills and base boards, mirror surrounds and many more made by me from concrete. I already made some wall hangings that can accommodate plants and trim to hide the unfinished block wall. In our rental place the shower area was kind of shabby, so here is the before and afters:

BEFORE:

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and AFTER:

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So there are small projects that can be done first, with little down side but huge potential :)

WOW!

Thank You for sharing you great ideas! You've got me thinking....

WOW, you really did a beauitful job! I love the design by your range. Those lions are adorable. Thanks so much for sharing this!

THAT IS TOO COOL!

Thanks so much for the tutorial!

Wow, wow, wow! I have a crafty friend and am going to send this to her. Your work is amazing!

Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! I'm hoping to use it in our bathroom reno!

That is truly incredible! Outstanding work!

You are very talented!

Thank you so much for the tutorial and then for linking to it when I couldn't find it. The tiles are gorgeous! And the design is beautiful!

I'm wondering what you might think about the feasibility of this idea - I've been wanting to create a short backsplash, maybe 4-6" tall, with a 2-3" (or so) shelf on top for spices. If I couldn't find an appropriate mold, I think I'd be able to get a "make your own mold" kit? Do you think the tile durable enough to hold it's own weight if it's 2-3" away from the wall?

Thanks again for the tutorial!

I make my tiles out of concrete. It takes 28 days for concrete to attain its strength, after that, it will be very hard to brake. So yes, I think it will be strong enough for sure.
The photo has one of my favorite concrete pieces that I have found to be very versatile. Here it is installed at an angle, mimicking crown molding, which created a 2.5 " ledge. In my case, I have some bromeliads growing there but I could easily put anything small I like up there, light or heavy.

As for your idea, I think it is very feasible. Once I will start my new kitchen, I will be making all kinds of shelving/storage areas out of concrete and you can bet I will be using as many fancy molds as I possible can :)

That's so smart! It's perfect - wish me luck :)

I can't wait to see your plans for your kitchen!

First let me apologize for resurrecting this old thread, but I thought this is the best way to ask my question, first a little update, background.

I had a most magical year in Panama, last year. We were working toward our little heaven on earth and then tragedy struck and I am back in FL, moving to Sarasota shortly.
I have lived very sheltered life, working along side my DH and now I have to start over all on my own. My design projects were my hobby, my passion and I always got great pleasure out of dreaming them up and implementing them. Now I have to somehow figure out if the design work could become my profession - bread and butter - or should it remain just a pleasure for time left over earning my keep.
I am looking for honest input to whether you think my concrete projects, especially tiles, would be a viable business idea in current economical landscape. If you do think I should pursue this as career, where and how would it be best to market this. Craig List is obviously a wrong place ;)
I know I have not been a big contributor in KF, I am little more known in Decorating Forum, but as you can see, I am confused, and I am trying to get as much input as possible from as many variety sources as possible, hoping for clarity in the end.

I'm not sure how I came across this post, I think it was displayed on the right side and I clicked on it being intrigued by the tile making. I was at one time interested in working with papercrete and hypertufa. But after enlisting my brother, who wasn't as enthusiastic, and my niece, who poured cement down my laundry room sink, which original to the house had lasted 70 years, and ruining three blenders, my interest waned. True to form, if I come upon difficulty in a project, I think of it as a sign for me not to continue. And really, after all these years of trying various crafts that result in crap, I should know better. I also should have known better than to ask my brother, who always says it can't be done to any of my unique design ideas. And I should have known better than to ask my niece, who once stayed up all night before having to drive to LA for an art show, cutting mat after mat after measuring once, twice, sometimes ten times, but always coming out with the wrong size. I think we both have math dyslexia. I should video us trying anything crafty to see where we go wrong. I think both of us having ADHD might have something to do with it. Sorry for the backstory and run on sentences.

So, I just wanted to see if you continued with your venture. And to say sorry for whatever tragedy occurred to cause you to have to move to Florida. Not that there is anything wrong with Florida, but it isn't Panama. Which is one of my favorite places in the western hemisphere.

I hope no one is upset that I brought up a seven year old post.