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nicethyme

My stairs, wip

nicethyme
15 years ago

inspired by Silvamae! I proposed the use of plexi and Dh - liking that it wasn't permanent) agreed to allow me to mosaic our stairs.

I have a large panel of TG from craigslist, so that seems like the cheapest way to do this. I pressed a bunch of leaves at the end of fall, for this project too.

here's a piece of scrap plexi that I used as a test board for the treatment that will go on the back. This is leaves and papers modge podged to the back and then metallic paints. all backed with gold foil.

Comments (56)

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    lol

    so I had to number and label them since each fits only one stair and only one way. then I ran tape on the fronts where I wanted the reds since that will be the most eye catching color. Then I turned it over and started glueing leaves on.

  • seaglassic
    15 years ago

    that's the way I had it pictured in my mind...
    it's an ambitious project that's going to be fun to watch but not one I would want to tackle.
    best of luck to you on this..

    very nice leaves..
    I have many leaves in cigar boxes..like buttons and other collections of things..
    what is it about us, into mosaics, that are like this???

  • becky_ia
    15 years ago

    I have a drawer of leaves I saved after preserving them with mineral oil. Don't know what to do with them but can't get rid of them since they are so beautiful! What an ingenious idea! And such a HUGE project. Will be watching this closely. (Love the Ginko & Japenese Maple leaves!)

    becky

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    Love this. Looking at your "dry run" the step part looks like it is floating. Love it.

  • cindiloo
    15 years ago

    Loookit you go! This is going to be awesome. I really like how you share each step of the project....

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    It's just like you to "bring the outside in"!!! And you didn't even need to use a backhoe heh heh!!! I think making staircases a focal point is sooo awesome!! And yours will be Totally Spectacular!!!

  • bettycbowen
    15 years ago

    Wow, amazing. makes me wish I had stairs. That is, if YOU were going to mosaic them, not me!

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    wow, thank you all for your replies, Seaglassic, Becky, Kati, Cindiloo, Jane and Betty (mental exercise and I got it all in order!)

    still waiting for the glue to dry so I'm working on 2 other projects... one is clay and another small study like Virginia Winter...

  • Dottie B.
    15 years ago

    What a neat project...can't wait to see it completed.

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    alittle more progress today - I am working on glueing the colored papers on

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    So is this the foreground we're looking at?

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    ehhh? yes? or uh its the fronts of the plexi which will be the backs of the TG... clear as mud hey? lol

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    Congrats on the grandpuppy!!!

  • squirrellycanadian
    15 years ago

    This is looking awesome so far, can't wait to see how it all turns out!

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    thanks Jane and Squirrelly (good to see you),
    thansk Jane - it was kind of a surprize - she never even showed!

  • texasfern
    15 years ago

    I picked up some leaves at my cousins house this weekend. Have no idea what I'm going to do with them, but I just had to have them!
    Lookin really good Nice. What an undertaking!

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    thanks Fern, here's the paint views

    the side I painted

    the side you will see through the TG

    broke a big sheet of TG yesterday!

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    so I had to see them in place...

  • fiddlekate
    15 years ago

    Oh... this is SO pretty!
    I'm glad to see it this way. Just beautiful!

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    BEAUTIFUL. WOW WOW AND WOW AGAIN. PERFECT. Can you tell I like this.

  • meadel
    15 years ago

    Wow.. you certainly are on fire these days! Can I have some of whatever you're having???
    These are just beautiful ! I'd have to make extra trips up and down the stairs just to look at them !
    You GO girl !!!!

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    OH MY!!! GORGEOUS!!! What a beautiful set of stairs to begin with but THIS makes them Over The Top!!!! WOW!!!
    When I do something this amazing...I find myself walking by to gaze at it a few times a day!!! (okay a few hundred x a day!lol!)

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    I picked up some shards of TG today...just a bit to play with...sooo inspired by you!!!

  • sunnyca_gw
    15 years ago

    Beautiful!! You have great talent to "see" a project like this!!You'll enjoy this for many years to come!! Thanks for sharing how you did it!! Jan

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    WOO HOO Jane I can't wait to see what you make of it!

    Thank you Kate, Kati, Lori, Jane and Sunny

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I'm half way through the gluing

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    I still Love these. Keep the pix coming.

  • nanatricia
    15 years ago

    WOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!That is looking so good .I love it.

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    What color grout are you gonna use???? TG rocks!!!!

  • terikat_mom
    15 years ago

    Just AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL!

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thank you guys, I don't know yet Jane... maybe multicolored

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    BEAUTIFUL

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    all 6 stairs are now glued and installed, as soon as the glue clears on the last one I can grout! for the record, not one bit of this was enjoyable - the most tedious project of my life - It makes me understand why real artist have under studies do the work! lol

  • bearbubbacowboy
    15 years ago

    Nice they are beautiful!!! Great job!!! Cathy

  • texaswild
    15 years ago

    Oh MY - They're beautiful, NT. Sorry to hear it wasn't enjoyable. I can only sympathize w/you re the grouting. No way w/that be enjoyable for these old bones. You're young and agile, though, so you can whip that out in no time. I LOVE those colors.

  • emtnest
    15 years ago

    Your project is truly beautiful!!! You will enjoy it all the more for all of your hard work.

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    Way to go NT!!! It;'s so amazing, you;'ll be so glad when it's all done!!!

  • katishooked
    15 years ago

    Beautiful job. You will enjoy these for years. The colors blended in with the walls. WOW WOW

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    well, I am finally at the end WHEW! thank goodness for that.

    I grout it all in white and did avery subtle graduated colorwash.

    I call it Fall Down the Stairs!

  • Calamity_J
    15 years ago

    I Love the name!lol! And I have fallen FOR the stairs!!!!

  • texaswild
    15 years ago

    Little girl: Like every thing else you do, this is PERFECT. I seldom think white grout is appropriate, but in this case, I LOVE it. Doncha just love this now? What does DH think?

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    LOL thanks Jane and Slow. Yeah I really am happy with it, it makes me smile. But man it was hard to finish, seriously too much tempered glass - Ellen Blakeley I AM NOT! lol I can't tell for sure about DH, he hasn't complimented it but he hasn't knocked it either. At one point I mentioned that I was worried the plexi was still flexing after screw in up, he suggested I also glue them on. I reminded him that they were supposed to be removable and he shrugged about it. - I think thats his seal of approval.

    on the grout, I don't care for white ever and when I first did it - blec but after going through and painting very light tint over each color I got the effect I wanted which was to have a lighter grout that the background tones. I'm quite pleased that I was able to maintain the same grout lines and placement from start to finish being a 2 month project (I had expected burnout to cause me to widen my spacing by the last step)

  • roseandfox
    15 years ago

    OMG -- what a DIFFERENT project. I didn't picture the end result like this, having never worked with TG. But this is inspirational. Just wonderful, VERY creative. Great Job.

  • nanatricia
    15 years ago

    OMG that turned out so pretty !!!!!!

  • squirrellycanadian
    15 years ago

    They turned out awesome!! Love the colors! Fall Down the Stairs....hahahah love that! I can only imagine how tedious this job was with tg, you survived, and the stairs are beautiful!

  • klinger
    15 years ago

    What a huge job and it turned out so well. I'm surprised you didn't enjoy doing it and still managed to persevere and finish.I admire you for doing so. This is a real masterpiece and just looks gorgeous,
    Cindy

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    thanks for all you comments ladies!

  • StairwayToKevin
    10 years ago

    I know that this is a dead thread, but i just wanted to tell you, that this looks amazing. I wasn't so sure in the beginning, but seeing your final project is inspiring! :D

  • silvamae
    10 years ago

    Wow, I'm so glad you bumped up this thread! I saw it way back in the beginning, but I somehow missed the final result. These stairs are stunning! Gorgeous!

  • julie10059
    10 years ago

    Really really gorgeous! great job, I love it

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