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.

John and Mabel Barnum's Sarasota Mansion

The grounds that this mansion sits upon are lush with foliage of all kinds. There are rose gardens and statues all around for you to view. Mrs. Barnum even kept a "secret garden" which was started from the various plants her friends would bring her as a gift. I have no idea why this is called a secret garden, but it is the only real garden on the premises other than her rose garden.

This impressive home was designed and built by New York architect Dwight James Baum in 1924 and was completed in 1926. Mrs Barnum was involved in every detail and even though it was called Ca' d' Zan (House of John) her name was on all the paperwork and she was the contact for any changes made.

This is a little closer view of their home.

The character of the architecture was truly something. Such rich detail in everything, from the stained glass window insets to the lovely zigzag design created with the two different colors of brick.

This is the formal living room of the home and displayed all the modern comforts of their time.

I took this photo of the ceiling in the living room looking up to the 2nd floor where the bedrooms and bathrooms were located. The craftsmanship is astounding.

Here is my husband, Ralph standing at the corner of the outside veranda. This is the view the Barnums had in the back of their home. Mr. Barnum's yacht was generally tied to the dock so that he could take his friends and family out on the water at whim.

This is a picture of the back of the home. The doors would open up and gave a free flowing affect for their guests at the many parties held here.

I was amazed by the flooring of this deck and caught a shot of it. All inlaid marble. Even the path around the decking to the dock was done in this gorgeous marble.

This is the Historic Asolo Theatre that is also a part of this museum tour. This is a small, but cozy place that was originally built in 1798 in Asolo, Italy to honor the 15th century Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro. In the 1930's the panels were removed and in the 1950's were purchased by the Ringling's director for the Museum.

The portrait shown in one of the panels is of the Queen herself. Each panel was painstakingly restored and then reset in the pavilion just inside the Ca' d' Zan Gatehouse.

There were over 890 ornamental details, 85 percent are still original. Collaborative teams cast molds for missing panels and pieces and matched materials and colors to historic accuracy.

This theatre is still used for theatre, music, dance, film and lectures.

These unusual gnarly trees are known as Banyan Trees that grow all along the estate.