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nicethyme

stepping stones

nicethyme
10 years ago

I taught a class yesterday on mosaic stepping stones, I taught the indirect method on mesh (to avoid having to lug in a bunch of concrete stones) so I needed to have a demo piece to show thinsetting it down and one to demo grouting.

I've never mosaiced stepping stones but hey, these are kinda cool AND those hand painted leaf shaped were something traded to me by Carol/ Flagtruck and I feel really good about using them in honor of her

Comments (7)

  • mfbpa
    10 years ago

    They are beautiful! And I LOVE a quickie project, instant gratification! Now I bet you want to make a bunch of them, how pretty a whole walkway would be!
    Thanks for sharing....

    mfbpa

  • silvamae
    10 years ago

    Pretty! So cool that you incorporated some of Carol's pieces.

  • texaswild
    10 years ago

    How pretty are those?!!! I like it that you didn't cover the whole stepping stone on the butterfly. Lovely work. Good for you for teaching. Oh, and Carol w/be pleased w/your use of her tess. I still miss her - every time I go to New Boston for a country music show. The theatre is just a few blocks from her house. BTW - her friends split and sold the house. I haven't driven by because it's too sad.

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I wondered about her magnificent house and gardens just the other day.. I hope who ever bought it cherished that backsplash - I would be horrified to learn someone tore it out.

  • amerique2
    10 years ago

    What kind of mesh are you using? Plastic or diamond? Then applying thinset to concrete stepping stones to adhere the mosaic? And, finally, grouting. How did you get the plain edge around the butterfly mosaic? Wish I could have taken your class!

  • amerique2
    10 years ago

    Should have kept on reading through the posts. Found Silvamae's link to mosaicing on mesh. So, that question is answered. Still would like to know about how to do the plain border around the butterfly, though.

  • nicethyme
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    oooh edges are really easy peasy, when you grout take a portion and seal it up in a baggy and refrigerate it for later, grout and clean your mosaic as always, then use your reserved grout to go back around and mold it from the tesserae edge to the substrate surface, in the case of functional mosaics, you can even strengthen the grout a bit with the addition of weldbond or any other PVA glue (I do that to tables and my recent vase bottom)

    You are literally sculpting the grout like clay, its important to work with it in a peanut butter consistency and no wetter so that you can manipulate it easily.

    good luck