Customer's Photos of Custom Mosaic

Doing a custom mosaic is always a challenge because you have so many variables going on, such as colors, patterns and overall design that you just hope what you have in the end is what your customer wants.

Thankfully this mosaic was a take-off from one I had in my shop.  The size changed as did the dish tiles and some of the coordinating pieces,  but the overall design was the same.

My customer wanted a large mirror for her bathroom.  This one finished out at 28" x 32" with a 22" mirror in the center.  Fortunately I was able to purchase such a large mirror at an IKEA store.

I just got the photos in my email today from this custom  mosaicI did several months ago.  The woman was pregnant and her baby was due the following month so she was rather busy.

Here are the photos she sent to me.

The Finished Piece!

I finally finished the mirror and was trying to get some good pictures of it.  The closeups are fairly easy to do but I sure have a hard time with the full front of my mirrors.  As soon as you snap the picture you realize that your feet were in it or the mirror is smudged or the flash went off and is blinding the photo.

Anyway, here it is.  I am very happy with the end result.  It took considerably longer to work each tile in so that the grout lines are finer, but it's a challenge and keeps me on my toes.

I was stuck for something interesting to do and my husband suggested I run some leaves up to the top so that's what I did.

The focal on this mosaic is a top to a trinket box that I hand painted to match the colors in the tiles.

I added a cute little knob that I hand painted in a rich salmon to enhance some of the flowers in the pattern of the dishes I used for this project. 

"Arizona Sunset" Mosaic Mirror

This is my newest mosaic. I call it Arizona Sunset because the colors along with the designs at the corners remind me of watching those spectacular sunsets when I lived there years ago.




The floral tiles were the focal point of this piece as I just love the colors and pattern.

This is the best picture of the 10 different ones I took. It's getting harder and harder to find a place to get a decent picture without using the pool as background. Sometimes the foliage around the pool is overpowering and takes away from the design.

Does This Look Like a Bird to You?

I haven't been on the computer much lately so I thought I would at least post my newest piece.

My husband thinks this looks like a bird with white tail feathers.
I guess it can be anything you want it to be.

Hope everyone is well.

Ocean Deep-My Newest Mosaic

A few weeks back I showed you my WIPs on this newest ocean-themed mosaic.

I ended up changing a few things around as the rectangular mirror I had in there to begin with was making the piece entirely too heavy. I opted for a 12" round, beveled mirror which actually gave me more room to put the design.

This is my interpretation of things found deep in the ocean from the little crab to the sand dollar. I also added a broken pottery vase and some "sea leaves".

The brown and blue with white beach pottery came from Australia and is just perfect for this theme.

It took me a long time to complete this one but I really enjoyed making it.

I'm Having a Spring Sale

I have decided to have a "Spring Sale" in my mosaic shop, Memories in Mosaics, and have featured some of the pieces that will be discounted until the end of the month beginning tomorrow, March 26th.

Here are a few that will be marked down anywhere from 15%-20%, so if you know someone who might like to get in on a good deal, be sure to let them know.

New and Upcoming Mosaics

I haven't been on my computer much these last few weeks as the sprain of my foot makes it difficult to sit at my desk, however, I have been busy on a few new mosaics.

The first one was inspired by a friend whom I met online. She is a fellow Design Style Guide member and has a lovely shop called Another Bright Idea.

I did a custom frame for her with some of her mother's keepsakes in a white-on-white mosaic and it gave me the idea of doing one in a Bridal theme. I purposely kept it simple with just a few touches of gold and vintage pearls for interest as the primary focus should be the bride and groom.

It could also work well for a Golden Anniversary or any happy couple for that matter. It was fun and different to do and a bit of a challenge, which is always a good thing.


This is my current project. This is obviously an ocean-themed piece with the cute little crab in the corner. I plan to use various tiles from dishes with blue as the main color.

This is a very large mirror at 24"x 28", so it may take me a while to complete.

This frame is ready to be grouted and I have decided to grout it in blue keeping to the theme. I just love the periwinkle blue that dominates this mosaic and have used that color in several different types of glass tiles to make this design.

Black Moon Rising

I have been working on three different mosaics over the past few weeks, but getting any kind of photos has been really tough with the way the weather has been. It has been so humid that the mirrors fog over the minute you step outside so I had to try to get some indoors.

This is my newest one that I call "Black Moon Rising". The dish that I used was actually a huge brightly colored platter. I wish these pictures could do it justice, as the colors are fabulous, but what can you do?

Under the Sea

This is my latest mosaic. I have been working on 3 new ones and this is the first to get photographed. I call it "Under the Sea" because that is what I was thinking of when I designed

it.

Sunflower in a Pot Mosaic Mirror

This is my newest piece called "Sunflower". The center of the flower is actually a huge dangling earring that I thought would look great with the black and white edging. I hand painted the sunflower petals and used a real vase that I cut in half for the pot.
I was thinking of my daughter when I made this as it would be a great gift for someone's daughter. It's fun, colorful, and cheery.

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.

Tropical Delight Mosaic Mirror

This is my newest creation. All the dish tiles are in bright and cheery colors that remind me of the tropics. The view is of our pool which we designed it to look like we were on vacation.

I've decided to take a turn in some of my designs so my next project will be somewhat different than you might normally see from me. I will also keep a photo journal of my progess and share it on this blog. So stay tuned.