Another Kitteh Abound!

I had fabulous customer order a Seal Point after seeing the last posted picture of "A New Cat in Town"...I used the amazingly wonderful Brio Glass product on most of the statuary with the exception of the creme pottery and the vintage red Zinnia on his hip...I LOVE HIM! I hope my customer does too! The project is grouted in in a standard sanded gray grout...wonderful!

There's a New Cat in Town

Hello again! Here is another feline that just got finished. He is a Seal Point Siamese sweetie and was soooo much fun to do. I battled with the decision to grout with either a buttercream, or a pewter grout. I like the final look with the darker grout, as the kitty I designed from was a darker Seal Point.
Materials are Brio glass, ceramic vintage ware, handmade Klimt inspired marble.
Grout is sanded. Always fun to receive and meet the challenge of a customer's request! Happy Designing!!!

Meow-zers!

Hey there again mosaic'ers. Here is a sweet stoic kitty kat, perfect for a front stoop. Flat black ceramic plates, combines with a toille floral and insect print for added attraction and zebra print plate for his chest. He is grouted in a pewter colored sanded grout. I always have issues with what to do with the eyeballs. Sometimes I get lucky and am able to find a plate flower print that I can nip-out and use for eyes, other times I simply cut-out a colored plate to shape. Here, I used the tradional colored-glass marble....it seemed to work well :)
Helpful hint: Follow the original form of the statuary. Use these lines as direction for placing your ceramic/glass pieces. Falling out of line sometimes blurs the idea and loses the shape and form you are trying to create and get in an end piece...just a suggestion.
Have fun designing!!

Plaques and Mirrors

Mirrors are a fun project for any room.

Here are two completely different mirrors from the same frame design.
A shell, taupe and ceramic design is great for anyroom. I see this in a beach home, funky flat or a beautiful bathroom.

The tangerine gumdrop mirror with icy blue is one of my all-time favorites. Super clean, sweet and full of character and color. This would compliment any tabletop or wall in your home or office.
Again, most of the materials used were from local thrift stores, beautiful brio glass, vintage plates and classic handmade marble windows.

Plaques are fabulous for your garden or livingroom wall. They say whatever statement you would like and are great as gifts for a friend. Here are two of my newest plaques....both greeting your guests in different color and language :)


Have fun and keep your creative side flowing!

Tickety Tock

This clock would make such a beautiful color and art statement! What a great way to add whimsy and design to your kitchen or livingroom wall. Even though we are heading for the middle of the summer months, I love still designing in the beautiful fall color scheme.
This clock was a "FIND"! at the local thrift store, and with plenty of color pop, added clip art marbles, ceramic design details and glass marble shine, the transformation is loud and apparent. The great thing about designing a clock, is that there is no need for a flat surface. The uneven, textured product gives it a three-dimensional appearance...tons of unlimited fun!

Little Critters

Hello Mosaic peeps...

Here are a few more of the critters and collections I created this week...it has been busy!
The large squirrel and Chipmunk were created from handmade marbles, selected vintage franciscan ware, china patterns and some lovely brio glass for color splash! Both were grouted in a pewter sanded grout.
The birdhouse I just ABSOLUTELY LOVE! The jade colors, simple daisy flowers and asian inspired marble design and roof really pop....my daughter mentioned that, "gosh, some bird is really going to like having this as their home mom!"..you must say this in Minnie Mouse voice tone to get the full effect!
My suggestion for the day is, "do not pass something up just because you dont think you will use it in the for-see-able future", you will kick yourself later. Many of these little hints (in the critters especially) were overflow from months/years ago purchases that I was so pleased to incorporate into the pieces today.....have fun creating and ENJOY :)

Dedication Bench

WOW!!! It has been awhile since my last post. Life gets busy and sends you in directions that you aren't prepared for, and smaller things get pushed to the side (blogging:) ) and have to be patient..be patient my little blog page, be patient.

Okay, here is a really nice dedication bench that I created for the Principal that was retiring at my children's elementary school. She is FABULOUS and so she deserved a FABULOUS bench for her garden. We Love her!

The bench is a classic style cement bench with some lovely details that I picked up at The Pot Sop in Moss Landing, California...go there please if you have not been. It use to be Little Baja and was a little messy and disorganized...NOW!!, run by some pretty darn cool people and offers so much for the eye and wallet ;).

To design the bench, I used mostly materials from my all-time favorite online tile company....Modwalls ( plesae also visit them online at www.modwalls.com )...mostly brio glass cut-up, with some ceramics incorporated and some Oceanic glass for hibiscus designs. One of the applications that I LOVE that Modwalls offers is a page that allows you to choose your colors of tile and then apply the different shades of grout to see what your end product will look like (nothing like designing and then grouting and then realized after it is literally set in stone that you chose the wrong color of grout, right?!)...play with this feature!

So, dont expect your bench to come out smooth as silk (yes, it is bumpy and was not intended to cuddle up with like a body pillow!), this is a design for your garden and adds so much character and color!!! ENJOY and happy designing out there! xoxo Jan

A Successful Auction Item!

Well hello out there from the land of Mosaic and Tiling!!! I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the Mosaic Mirror that we did with my daughter's kindergarten class for their annual Art/Music Auction benefit. Each child did a self portrait and that was encased under a clear large flat marble. It was adhered to the mirror frame and then each child mosaic'd around their beautiful face and then I filled-in and created the edging with hand-cut circles to match the connective/continual circle theme. Well, auction night comes and TA-DAHHHHHHHH....drum roll.....the highest bidder paid a whoopping $2300 for the mirror and the funds go to such an AMAZING and WONDERFUL cause to keep the arts in our children's schools!!! So proud of those little five and six year olds!!! So proud of our Brook Knoll school and the parents that add so much and make it so special!!

Pots-a-plenty

Here are three more pots that were recently designed....I love to use as much of a product with as little discard as possible. Cups are great for hanging off the side of a pot and stuffed with succulents! A great tip so you don't need to worry about the cup falling off, is to use a hot glue gun to adhere to the pot. I use this method for alot of items that may be a bit too heavy (secretly I use to tape the cup to the pot and half the time I would return in the morning to find that it slid down the side of the pot and was half dangling off still attached to the tape)...use the glue gun, it is your friend. The large red and lime pot is designed with Lovely Brio tiles from Modwalls in Scotts Valley, vintage pottery, roosters, marbles...the Aqua, creme, green and chocolate pot has some fancy subway tiles from Modwalls, ceramic plates, marbles, roosters (I like roosters, have you noticed?). The chubby low cobalt pot is designed with fun penny rounds along the rim, sunflowers, a chunky handle and handmade marbles. Grout used on all three are either pewter gray or antique white....creating fun before springtime !

Mirror mirror on the wall........

Well, actually in the garden. These two mirrors are picture frames turned-mirrors. Both are absolutely adorable. I love the fire red of the larger frame, with the caramel and black bits throughout. A variety of picture marbles with old vintage prints and a whimsical half-cup add to the loveliness that brought this together. The sage and pink square mirror is chalk-full of fun finds. From "love" and "amour" throughout the mirror, to the large ceramic roses, handmade marbles and so many different beautiful brio glass choices and vintage ceramic tile really rounded/squared--off this mirror...super lovely. Creme grout for the sage/pink mirror and pewter for the fire-red mirror.

Beauty comes in all sizes

Here are two statues designed in basic black and creme. Momma and baby have vintage black pottery and Brio glass, vintage Toille for Momma cat's chest and side, bright white Brio for baby kitteh's little chest. Handmade print clip of black and white cat marble on kitteh's hip. Look into their mesmerizing stares; I think they want a treat! Both grouted in Pewter gray. Ready for the outdoors for a stoop, under a garden bush or to greet your visitors on the front porch!

Bah-bah Shy Little Chubby Sheep

I absolutely LOVE how this little chubby sheep turned out. She is designed with, yes Brio glass, vintage pottery, handmade picture marbles, china and tons of love and creativity. You can pretty much mosaic anything that stands still long enough and this little darling did. She is a ceramic statue and made for quick grout drying, a big plus! Scout out your local thrift stores for those inspirational old pottery and china pieces and then fill-in with bursts of color from online tile companies like one of my fav's, Modwalls (www.modwalls.com). Grout color is Creme, color palate is cotton candy pink, creme, sage, matte gray, bright white. Enjoy!

Pelican Bird bath

Hello everyone! Wow, it has been a while since I have updated the blog...this is the first of alot of posts for the St. Christopher's show that is happening today and thru the weekend (2-5 thru 2-7)...don't worry, they close down before the Super Bowl begins! The show is in the Willow Glen district of San Jose...an amazing set-up these ladies do for a wonderful cause...supporting the children's school. Go see if you can; rain or shine they will be there...me too possibly! This is the Pelican Bird Bathe designed exclusively with Brio 1 x 1 tiles nipped from the ever so amazing online tile store....Modwalls! They are located in Scotts Valley CA and have very knowledgable staff, an abundance of beautiful product to choose from...visit they at www.modwalls.com and tell Sarah I say "hello"!

Pots

Sooooooo, how many plates from Poland does it take to make a really nice pot???? Just One!!! End drum roll. Dropped off multi-blue and shells mirror to Ellen today and she jjjjjjuuuust so happened to have two very beautiful plates from Poland that she had been hanging onto that had small chips in them. Here are the results of two very nice matching pots with said chipped bowls, some Brio mini tiles, penny rounds and custom marble pictures to add some extra whimsy....Enjoy Ellen!

Cock-a-doodle-doo

Here is a large standing Rooster, designed with vintage pottery plates as well as some Oceanic stained glass. He is finished in sanded black grout (the nightmare of grout colors!)...He stand approximately 2 1/2 feet tall. I love his stature. The lovely woman who purchased him for her home, lives on a ranch in Scotts Valley and grows grapes..she LOVES chickens and roosters....What a Perfect Fit!!!

This was a project that took place about 9 months ago....my sister and her sweet man built a lovely building for relaxing, playing arcade games and having a beer on tap to add to the ambiance....They both love sailing and the actual laboring of the mural took approximately 15 hours....my sister helped with the water and the backsplash (thank you Mel!!!. This is one of the largest individual accomplishments and I just LOVE IT!!!! When the lights are out, the irridescence from the water shimmers in deep purples and blues. All materials obtained from local thrift, boneyards at tile shops and other miscellanous plates from single purchases....the sail was the hardest part because I underestimated the material needed and Melanie and I were scrambling to find something comparable in her town...

My favorite designer of Jewelry

Okay...do you ever just have that one magnificent artist that you keep coming back to time and time again because you just absolutely LOVE their creations??? Me Too!!!! I love this amazing artist Sarah Borgeson...I must share. She is the owner and creator of Wild Iris Studio Jewelry. Check out her website for all that she does.....clean, well balanced and unique pieces that are sooo much fun to wear yourself or buy as a gift for a friend or family member....here is her website: www.wearwildiris.com **** Check her out! I promise, you'll fall in love too!

Multi-Blue and Shell Mirror

Hello all!!! Here is another fun mirror project incorporating lovely shells and multiple bits of lovely blue plating...some gorgeous green mini tiles too! An early Valentines gift from one of my customers to his lovely wife!!!! Winning big points Ed! Hint of the day: Don't always settle for the obvious when searching for materials for projects. Think outside that box and incorporate pieces that can be substituted....I looked high and low for a decent sized (and priced!) mirror for this customer...could not find it at all. Decided to buy a picture frame with nice designing space and custom cut a mirror to fit---Ta-Da!! Have fun with your projects! Oh, and if I might add...the lovely treasure hanging from the mirror is a handmade felt necklace from my friend Rose M....a gift for my birthday last year!!! Thanks Rosie!

A New Life for an Old Love

Okay, so here is another recent creation. A customer had this beautiful hand-painted plate (approximately 100 yrs old) that had been in possession for 30 years. Hanging proudly on the wall, her husband knocked-it off its stand and it shattered...so did her heart.

I created this mirror from extra fun 1x1 colorful tiles, pieces of her original plate, mini flat half marbles and some extra plate material...absolutely adorable!! She loved it! Another life for her favorite plate....

Designing At Home

Good afternoon. It is a grey and dismal day in Scotts Valley...hoping for some sun to inspire me to get on the eliptical and then off to do some fabulous designing...Grabbed some hot deals at the local Goodwill (that you to all that donate so generously.....it definately goes to GREAT use) store. I love our Goodwill, it almost has the effects of a dayspa (I may be speaking strickly from a person who finds absolute joy from rummaging through others trash here), but I feel rejuvinated, inspired and giddy from saving a TON of cash. Don't forget the local thriftstores people...for everything...give it a try.

So, I am designing for an upcoming show in February and am busy designing for V-Day....the hot colors are, yes you guessed it, red-pink-mauve-glittery white. Too much fun. Here is a birdbath from a couple years ago....soo much fun to be had with color, creativity and some elbow grease (helps keep those arms in shape!) Enjoy and be back soon!!