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

A Friendly Plastic Challenge

We welcome guest blogger Helen Bradley who has news about a Friendly Plastic challenge and helpful information for working with Friendly Plastic.

Hello…

I’m pleased to announce that AMACO is celebrating its 90^th birthday in 2009 and it is having a Friendly Plastic Challenge to coincide with this.

All crafters are invited to join in the challenge and to make projects using the very wonderful Friendly Plastic Design Sticks. Friendly Plastic is an inexpensive, colorful and easy-to-use plastic material which can be molded into shapes and it softens in hot water so it’s a great crafting medium for kids.

The project categories for the challenge include a Best Focal Bead which must be made using one of the AMACO bead rollers, Best Valentine’s Jewelry Ensemble, Best Butterfly - the butterflies will be donated to the Holocaust Museum Houston and Best Bottle of Hope. There are specific requirements for each of these categories and the pieces will need to be submitted by the December 1 to AMACO. You can find more information about the Challenge by clicking on this link: Friendly Plastic Challenge. There is also an entry form that needs to be filled in and submitted with your challenge entry.

If you’ve never played with Friend Plastic before you are in for a treat. Here is a step by step for making a butterfly for the challenge and some quick tips for working with it:

Step 1

To get started with the Friendly Plastic, cut it into pieces or punch it with a robust hole punch. We find that the Tim Holtz micro serrated scissors made by Tonic work particularly well with Friendly Plastic. To create a marbleized effect for your butterfly, cut a series of long strips of Friendly Plastic.

Line up your cut pieces of Friendly Plastic.

Step 2

While you can soften the Friendly Plastic in hot water, an embossing Heat Gun works particularly well. Using the heat gun heat one of the cut strips of Friendly Plastic until you can see it starting to melt. Push the edge of the second strip into the softened edge of the melted strip and continue softening the plastic and pressing strips together. If you melt and press the pieces together you ensure you do not have spaces between the strips.

Step 3

To create the marbleized effect, take a marbling comb or something similar and starting beyond the edge of the molten plastic drag through the plastic across the stripes, all the from one side to the other.

Step 4

Ensuring that the plastic is still warm and very soft, start at the opposite side and place the marbling comb in between the drag lines you just made and this time drag back the other way. Make sure to start the movement with the comb well before you touch the Friendly Plastic and drag through the entire plastic layer, not just its surface.

Once cooled add dots of metallic paint.

Step 5

When the marbling is complete, allow the plastic to cool and then use the marbled pieces for your project.

To make our butterfly we punched out some small circles of Friendly Plastic and placed them on the marbled piece and heated it to melt the pieces together. To make the butterfly, take a butterfly shape cookie cutter and dip it into a bowl of warm water that has some cooking oil in it. Press it into the soft Friendly Plastic to cut out a butterfly shape - the oil will prevent the plastic from sticking to the cutter.

Butterfly

Tips for using rubber stamps

Friendly Plastic can be stamped using a rubber stamp. Take care to press the rubber stamp into the Friendly Plastic and leave it until the plastic cools and sets. If you remove the rubberstamp from the Friendly Plastic too quickly it will stick to the rubber stamp. Don’t use acrylic stamps with the Friendly Plastic.

Tips for working with art molds

Heat resistant art molds that have a built in release mechanism such as those from Krafty Lady Art Molds (www.kraftylady.com) work will with Friendly Plastic. Push pieces of the Friendly Plastic into the art mold and heat them to soften them. Continue to press Friendly Plastic into the mold taking care to heat the plastic enough that it softens and you can press it into the mold but not so much you burn yourself.

Tips for working with Bead Rollers

Coat the channel of the bead roller with some cooling oil (we use olive oil) so the Friendly plastic won’t stick. Soften the amount of Friendly Plastic required to fill the channel and roll the bead. To make a hole in the bead, heat a metal pin, coat it in olive oil and poke it through the bead. Leave it in place until the Friendly Plastic cools and then twist it and remove it.

I often write about professional crafting including all aspects of selling your crafts, but sometimes it helps to see the work of a professional crafter to get a true understanding of the joys and creativity of selling your work.  Our guest blogger Jennifer from Peachy Pendants, is a professional selling her work to the public.  She’s quite gifted and her work is colorful!  She’s going to share how to make a scrabble tile pendant.  Enjoy.

Hi.  I’m Jennifer from Peachy Pendants.  I make handcrafted Scrabble Tile Pendants.  I love Scrabble Tile Pendants because they are unique and fun to make.  Today I’m going to share with you the fun and easy process so you can make your own!

Supplies Needed:                                 

Scrabble Tile                        

Silver Plated Bail                       

Decorative Paper                                   

Diamond Glaze

E6000 Jewelry Adhesive

Scissors

Pen or Pencil

Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1:

Select the paper you would like to use for your pendant.  You could use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or even a greeting card.  Simply trace around one of the Scrabble tiles and cut out, making sure to cut the paper just slightly larger than the tile.

Step 2:

Next spread a small drop of Diamond Glaze adhesive onto the blank side of a Scrabble tile.  You can use a paint brush or just spread the glaze around with the tip of the bottle.  Then place your cut out paper onto the tile.  (Make sure the letter on the back isn’t upside down.)  Let it dry for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3:

Once the adhesive is dry, hold the Scrabble tile so the letter faces you and the paper is on the other side.  Use scissors to carefully trim the excess paper off so that the paper fits the tile exactly.

Step 4:

Next, apply a generous coat of Diamond Glaze to seal the paper and give your pendant a glossy glass like shine.  It’s best not to use a paint brush for this step but to just spread the glaze with the tip of the bottle.  If any bubbles form just pop them with the back of your paint brush or slide them off of the tile.  Now let it dry for at least 4 hours.

Step 5:

Apply a few drops of E6000 Jewelry Adhesive to the silver bail and attach it to the back (letter side) of your Scrabble tile.  Make sure that the bail is exactly centered.

Let the bail dry for a couple of hours and you are ready to enjoy your handmade Scrabble Tile Pendant!

Here are a few of my designs…

You can check out more of my pendants at www.peachypendants.etsy.com.  Peachy Pendants is also giving away a free pendant to one lucky Think Crafts reader.  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post by October 31, and one winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email.  The winner will get one free pendant of their choice from Peachy Pendant’s shop.

Our guest blogger, Jana Ewy shares her insight on the tools she uses for her wonderful designs…Welcome Jana!

Here are a few of my favorite Friendly Plastic tools.

For Cutting: quilters cutting mat, quilters clear acrylic ruler, a mat knife (or utility knife) and a pair of scissors.   Since I use small strips of plastic in most of my designs, using the ruler, mat knife and cutting mat, allows me to measure and cut perfectly straight strips. Since I am a bit of a perfectionist, I prefer this process better than hoping for a straight cut with my scissors. Once my strips are cut, I will use the scissor to cut them into smaller pieces.

For cutting any other shapes, that do not require a perfectly straight cut, I use my scissors.  Friendly plastic can be cut into just about any shape using scissors. I will trace my pattern onto the back of the plastic and then cut it out. If you notice from the photo I prefer a scissor that is easy on the hands.

For Heating and Softening: griddle, nonstick baking sheet and a heat gun.  I came up with the griddle method of heating and softening the plastic a few years ago. This process has opened the door to so many new techniques and has allowed me to design in a whole new way. I never loose my excitement and fascination of watching a design happen. By placing a non-stick baking sheet onto the griddle and keeping the temperature at a constant setting of between 200 and 250 degrees, the plastic can be softened, fused together, inlayed, swirled and marbled.

I use a heat gun to fuse two pieces together, softening the edges and for free form designs. It can also be used instead of the griddle for small projects and abstract designs. Just remember that the flow of the air can easily move your pieces around.

Creating Swirls and Marbling: the needle tool and the marbling comb.  The needle tool is great for creating spirals and swirl patterns in the softened plastic. I also use it to pierce a hole through beads and to help to lift the cooled plastic from the baking sheet. You can never have enough needle tools around if you ask me.

The marbling comb, another one of my bright ideas, was designed to create basic marbling techniques, from the cascade pattern to the octopus pattern, or a design of your own. My favorite is the wavy chevron pattern.

Cutters: cookie cutters, craft cutters, clay cutters.  Whatever they may be called… collect as many as you can. They come in so many shapes and sizes, and are perfect for cutting out jewelry components. I use a cutter for almost all of my components. They are quick and easy to use. Keep them in a dish of ice water with a few drops of oil added to it. This will keep them from sticking to the warm plastic.

Craft Knife: I use a craft knife to cut around shapes cut with the cookie cutters, that don’t pop out on their own. This happens quite often, so count on using your craft knife most of the time.

There you have it … my favorite tools to use.  There are so many unique and fascinating tools out there that can be used with Friendly Plastic, I hope you discover a few of your own.

You can visit Jana’s website at: www.justbananas.com.  For some great project ideas using Friendly Plastic visit AMACO’s website at: http://www.amaco.com/projectcat-friendly-plastic-6.html.

I’m pleased to introduce our guest blogger for the week: Jana Ewy!  She’s a top art and craft designer, who happens to be a leading expert for Friendly Plastic, a fun craft medium that creates some amazing results.  You can see more of Jana’s work at her website: www.justbananas.com.

My love for the Plastic 

I began working with Friendly Plastic in the late 1980’s. I was fascinated by the vibrant metallic colors and by the process of heating it in hot water into a soft pliable medium that could be manipulated into beautiful free form designs. Big and bold they were… and the embellishments, well enough was never enough.

Working with Friendly Plastic NOW, is more creative than ever before. With new techniques and new heating methods comes a unique new style. Gone but not forgotten is the hot water method. Although it still can be used for certain applications, using a heat tool and a griddle offer infinite opportunities to create exciting works of art. 

Every day I discover something new or find a way to update one of the techniques from the past. Here are a few photos from my technique Collections.

Fracture and Fusion

Marbled

Inlay

Cylinder

Look for Jana’s tool tips on September 18!