A Mosaic Journey Part 3

I have finally finished my Flamingo Mosaic and can complete this series of "A Mosaic Journey".

The last time I posted on this I was still in the process of designing it. It took me quite some time to decide how I wanted to finish this one. I had some difficulty with the palm fronds and how I wanted them to look. As I said before, some creations come right to you in a whirlwind while others seem to be a constant challenge.

This first picture is the mosaic ready for grout. Everything has been shaped, cut and glued down.

This picture of my grouting is a bit on the blurry side as it dawned on me when I was in the middle of it that I wanted to get a picture. I had my gloves on and had grout everywhere when I shot this one .

After getting the grout into all the nooks and crannies I take a very wet sponge and get most of it back off before it has any chance to settle. It requires going to the sink several times for another bucket of clean water as grout clouds it up pretty quickly. Time is a big factor as well because the grout starts to set right away. Once I get it cleaned off to my satisfaction I come back to it about every half hour and spritz it with water to keep the grout from cracking. I do this about 5 or 6 times.

Grouting is not a fast process so you definitely have to set aside some time.

After the piece has had a chance to dry for a few hours I take a damp cloth and go over each and every item in the design to get rid of any buildup from the grout. I want to be sure each tile shows through completely as sometimes they get buried under the grout and may be missed on the first cleaning.

Once the piece has dried overnight I go over each and every item again with a toothpick to remove any residue from the corners. I do this because I want all my tiles to have a straight edges and the gems to show as much as possible. The grout has a way of hiding parts of your design if you don't do this.

Here is a closeup of a really fun knob my sister sent me that I chose to put into this mosaic to give it some dimension. I just drill a hole and fasten it to the back.

This aqua colored rhinestone brooch is what I chose as a focal point for the top of the piece. It's fun and colorful.

This is the finished mosaic. With this much mirror in a design it becomes a challenge to get a good full-sized picture as it mirrors all the images in front of it. The weather hasn't permitted going outside so I took this by the back sliding doors. I'll have to get a better one for my listing, but thought this would at least give you the idea.

The very last thing I do before putting it up for sale is to install a hanger, sign the back and tape a business card in place.