I have been reading post from this forum for a couple of years now. There are so many talented people on this forum. I have learned a lot by everyone's post.

I thought I would finally post a picture of a project I have been working on. I started this project a year or so ago but just could not get the design right. In April I figured out what design I wanted and since then I have been working like a mad woman trying to get it done.

I finished the center of the table but haven't taken a picture yet. I did the reverse technique of glueing the pieces down on craft paper. Later today I will use clear adhesive sheets, soak & remove craft paper, and then motar it to the table.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/SereneSeen/PatioTableWIP2.jpg

Cheers,
Serene

Your technique intriques me. If you don't mind my asking, what type of glue did you use on the craft paper? Are you going to use contact paper to hold it while you set it in the morter? And are you going to pick it up as one piece or several pieces? What is your table base made of?

I see why you did your design the way did, so you could see how it would look before you adhered it to the morter.

Can't wait to see your table when it is finished.

How big is the table and what is it made of??/ Great job

First I would like to say thank you for the kind words about my project. This is a great forum with tons of talented people.

Now for the questions: The table is 48" in diameter. The table base is a rescue from a garbage pile---was white metal frame but I sanded it and spray painted it a textured wrought iron black color. The top is pressured treated ply wood with hardiback board screwed down to the ply wood. I used scrim around the edge and overlapped it on to the top about 6 inches. Skim coated a layer over that to have a smooth finish. The border of alternating blue and sunflower yellow have already been mortar on to the table as is the black edging tile.

I chose the reverse method for several reasons. I have limited time to work on the table so it was easier to glue pieces on to craft paper using Elmer’s glue. I also wanted a flat surface for glasses to rest on during dinner without worrying about the glasses tipping over. The other reason was so I could see the design as I was working on and make any corrections if they were necessary.

Yesterday I put contact paper over the top. Today I cut through the contact paper and craft paper using an exacto knife. The mosaic top is now divided into five sections (center section and four quarters). I put legend marks on all pieces and the table edges to help me line everything up when I mortar the piece. I flipped the pieces over, put a wet towel over the top, and then went grocery shopping. After an hour the craft paper peeled off easily. One section was a little flimsy so I glued scrim on the back of it. Tomorrow I will mortar the table top and lay the mosaic down. I have a really busy week so I will post pictures towards the end of the week.

SereneSeen

Here are some WIP pictures. First on is the orignal design idea which was later scrapped.

This picture show glue tile down is almost completed.

Slow, my next project is a 16" hollow cement ball I made a year ago. I put a lot of projects on hold this past year as my son was graduating from school this May and I needed to get things organized for graduation, college visits, and I started a new very time consuming job. Now that this chaotic part of the year is over with, I get to play again. I think I am going to do a very unstructed design for the cement ball with lots of colors. I sketched out some ideas but nothing has jumped out at me. Hopefully it won't take me a year to get inspired!

I love everyones work. So many beautiful projects and my list of "I want to make that" keeps getting longer every day. I promised myself that I would finish up all my current WIP projects before starting new ones.

I love the exchanges you all have been doing. What a fun idea. Maybe in the future I will be able to participate.

SereneSeen