Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

Guest Blogger: Rita S. LeVine, Diamond Tech

Mosaics add charm and whimsy to any room in your home or a corner of your garden. Mosaics are not only beautiful to display but they are truly a lot of fun to make!

Traditional mosaics are made by cutting tiny pieces of glass and fitting them together with just enough space between each piece for grout. Traditions change however and today’s contemporary mosaics are not only made from glass but broken china pieces, buttons, shells and even Grandma’s rhinestone jewelry.

To begin, choose an item on which to mosaic, my favorites are garage sale fountains, small bistro table and stepping stones but generally mosaics can be applied to any and all surfaces. If you’ve chosen a smooth surface rough it up first using fine grit sandpaper or score it using a craft knife. A rough surface will allow the adhesive to form a better grip. Next, decide on a pattern for your mosaic. For inspiration visit your local library or book store for a pattern or mosaic book. Once you have an idea for a design, draw it on paper and transfer it to the surface using carbon paper and a sharpened pencil or simply draw it directly on the surface.  

Nipping to size your pieces for the mosaic.

As with any craft project the proper tools are essential. Gather or purchase a good multipurpose adhesive (we prefer Liquid Nails), grout, tile nippers (for nipping tile), wheeled glass nippers (for nipping glass), a large sponge, latex gloves, sealer, protective eyewear, drop cloth or newspaper for work surface protection.

Now let’s have some fun choosing tesserae! Tesserae is the small pieces used to make a mosaic. China, pottery pieces, stones, marbles and cut glass are popular forms of tesserae. Ceramic and glass tiles are another form of tesserae. Ceramic tiles have glossy color fired onto the top surface of a ceramic or porcelain tile. Glass tile or Vitreous tile has rich color that extends throughout the body of the tile. Either has smooth front and textured back for better adhesive grip. 

Gluing pieces down onto surface.

Before gluing the tesserae to your surface determine the best placement and fit. Nip pieces using either a tile or wheeled glass nippers to desire shape, ensuring a proper fit. It is always best to work from the center of the design outward making sure you stop 1/4 ” from the edge of the surface. Leave 1/8″ space between each piece of tesserae for grout.

When you are ready to glue, pick up each piece place a small amount of glue on the backside and press firmly into place. Hold in place until there is no movement in the tesserae. If the surface is rounded, place it on its side using pillows to hold it in place as you mosaic. Continue this process until the design is complete. Allow glue to dry according to manufacture’s instructions. 

Applying the grout.

The final step in mosaics is applying the grout. Grout can dramatically effect on the look of your mosaic. Grouts are available in a multitude of colors, select a shade that either blends or contrast with the tesserae. Mixing grout is quite simple. Wearing a disposable glove, follow the manufacturer’s directions and mix just enough for the project. Once mixed apply to the surface, spread the grout into all the nooks and crannies. Wait about 15 minutes for grout to set. Begin to gently wipe away the excess grout using a paper towel taking care not to pull the grout out of tile spaces.  It is very important to remove any grout on the tiles surface before grout is completely dry. Using the soft cloth, buff the tiles to a clean shine. Allow 24 hours for the mosaic piece to dry thoroughly.

Cleaning all excess grout from mosaic.

References:

Diamond Tech

Society of American Mosaic Artists

For many years I worked as a silk painting demonstrator for Rupert, Gibbon, & Spider, the company that makes Jacquard Products. I loved demonstrating silk painting mainly because it’s a really easy technique that gives brilliant results. During our recent trip to Turks & Caicos I found some silk painting that really caught my eye. I think the pieces fascinated me so much because it wasn’t your typical scarf or tie, but a very up scaled craft application for gift tags and bookmarks!

I am always amazed at the creativity I find as I travel. I’m inspired when artists and crafters think outside the box and match their creative skills to what the consumer is willing to buy.  I might not immediately buy a $200 silk painted scarf, but I did buy $30 worth of gift tags and bookmarks!  The local silk painting artist in Turks & Caicos knew that her consumer was the tourist seeking souvenirs and keepsakes to take back home.  While one or two of the day’s tourists might buy more expensive items, she didn’t lose a potential customer like me by including some less expensive options, yet still kept her designs fresh, innovative, and charming!

We can all learn from that savvy artist down in the islands of Turks & Caicos.  If you want to make a living from your art or craft you must take the time to learn and understand your customer.  High ticket items will sell, but mid to lower ticket items will sell faster in most markets.  Take a look at what I purchased.

Bright brilliant colors make silk painting an eye catching technique! I got the ladybug gift tags for a friend and the fish gift tags for myself. The silk painting is sandwiched between the paper bookmark within a window making it look like stained glass.

Quick Tip!

Round paint brushes are usually the best for silk painting when you need to paint into small places or paint in details.  Flat brushes are best for broad areas that need to be painted.  A quality brush will do most of the work for you!

Wishing everyone the best of the holidays and a very merry Christmas!

What is your favorite part of Christmas? It’s hard for me to decide.  I love sitting in my living room at night just watching the lights upon my Christmas tree.  I enjoy putting my handmade ornaments on the tree remembering when each was given to me and by whom.  Some are very rustic made by little hands. Some are delicate made by careful hands.  Some are whimsical made by happy hands, while others are just beautiful and made by very skilled hands.  But each is special to me and makes me smile.

I actually enjoy addressing, signing, and sending holiday wishes in the form of purchased and handmade cards. It’s a quiet time when I can just be still and know how blessed I am to have such wonderful family and friends. Baking and exchanging cookies is a bright spot of my holidays.  I’ve got a sweet tooth and it loves cookies!  I also like singing and listening to carols.  I’m a bit tone-deaf, but during the holidays everyone seems very forgiving of my throwing the whole choir off-key!

I try to make my holiday spirit last 264 days until the next Christmas.  The world is a better place during the holidays with hot cocoa steaming, white snowflakes glistening, and colorful lights shining through the night. Christmas is an extraordinary gift to us and a time to show off our creativity.  Which brings me to my favorite part of the holidays! Presents under the tree!  I’m looking forward to unwrapping some handmade gifts this year and hope there are a few handmade gifts under your tree too!

This kit is just too too cute! You can’t help but smile when you open the box up and find all the precious surprises inside! The projects are on beautifully done cards with a photo on front, open to the instructions, and some project’s instructions conclude on the back of the card.  You are given most of the supplies needed to create each of the 15 little projects!  You will need to gather some basic crafting tools from your own stash: embroidery needle, hand sewing needle, fabric scissors, fabric marking pen, tape measure, ruler, pencil, straight pins, and fiberfill.  Patterns are included full size.  Once the kit’s supplies are done, you can just add your own scraps of fabric and felt and continue to make the cool projects!

Small plush creatures and minatures are so hot right now in all crafting categories!  And who doesn’t fall in love with tiny little treasures?  This kit is just plain fun!  It can also travel well and makes a great gift. My favorite project was the Party Cake.  I made several to give to my sewing friends as a pin cushion!  

The Party Cake front card cover is inspiring.

I give The Softies Kit the CreateForLess 5 Star Glue Gun Award! 

Would you like to win this kit?

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this kit will be yours.  Please put the name of the kit you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, a winner has been shipped the kit.

I Love this book!

100 Beaded Jewelry Designs by Stephanie Burnham

This book is perfect for the beginner and the more advanced jewelry crafter.  The instructions are excellent and you get a lot of photographs.  The book also includes color illustrations to help with the beading.  The designers used very modern and stylish looks for the jewelry included in the book.  You’ll enjoy making the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sets. Techniques include peyote, ladder, brick, netting, square, herringbone, and right angle stitches with some great edging. I highly recommend this book because there isn’t a piece of jewelry in it that I don’t want to make! 

My favorite project was the Layered Spiral Necklace as seen below.

Would You Like To Win This Book? 

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this book will be yours.  Make sure you put the name of the book you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, the winner has been shipped the book.

Sometimes we just don’t have the time to make crafts totally from scratch! And you know what, you don’t always have to make projects from scratch! Here are some quick and easy ideas for those little holiday gifts you need to give.

• Buy plain cloth napkins and add the handmade touch of embroidery, felted flowers, buttons, or beading.
• Buy pillar candles and add the handmade touch of decorative paper, punched shapes, craft jewels, or paint.
• Buy small baskets and add the handmade touch of melt and pour soaps, potpourri, or chocolates.
• Buy inexpensive frames and add the handmade touch of a paper cast, scrapbook page, or collage.
• Buy blank cards and tags and add the handmade touch of embellishments like buttons, lace, or stickers.
• Buy T-shirts and add the handmade touch of silk embroidery, needlepunch, or fabric painting.
• Buy small purse blanks and add the handmade touch of ribbon roses, beading, or felted shapes.
• Buy plain cell phone totes and add the handmade touch of beading, jewels, sequins, or dimensional paint.

Do you have some quick and easy gifts you make for the holidays?  Share your ideas with us!

Where has the year gone?  It seemed to fly by so quickly this year that I’m having to do some last minute thinking about what to make for gifts I want to give my family and friends!  I recently found an interesting website, Buy Handmade. The site asks you to pledge to buy handmade items this holiday season and I think that’s a wonderful idea! I signed the pledge and I hope you do too! I also think we should pledge not just to buy what others make, but we should make our own handmade items to give!

This holiday season I’m giving:

• Handmade rubbing salts (recipe below)
• Bracelets that include handmade beads I purchased in China
• Decorative soaps in slumped soap dishes (My husband helps me with the glass fusing and kilns)
• Handcrafted holiday cards and tags (Made from all my paper scraps and card blanks)

Handmade rubbing salts are a great winter holiday gift.  You can use the rubbing salts in your bath or shower and your skin feels so soft afterwards. Here are the instructions for making your own rubbing salts!

Materials

• Canning or glass jars with air tight lids
• Vitamin E or Grapeseed Oil Extract (found at health food stores or pharmacies)
• Essential Oil (scent of your choice)
• Table salt (fine salts)
• Carrier Oil (any oil without a scent like almond oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil)
• Embellishments for jars (ribbon, lace, stickers, labels, etc)

Instructions

• Pour salt into jar about 3/4 full.
• Pour in carrier oil, completely covering salt.
• Add 5-8 drops of essential oil (scent) to mixture.
• Seal jar tight and embellish.  Allow salt rub “rest” 3 days, after 3 days scent is at its peak.  If you desire more scent then add more essential oil.