Buddy the Wonder Cat, Cats, courage, life, love, Wisdom

10 Years Later

01/07/2019 Tile Gypsy 2 Comments

After Buddy passed in 2009, tilegypsy.com was born. Happy 10th Anniversary to us. 😉

Years earlier … my intention was to become a brick and mortar shop-keeper (I was) and tile artist (I am) who taught herself how to design websites (I did) and would live happily ever after until … the universe kept showing me the door … not once, (I’m not a quitter) not twice, (pack-unpack) but 1/2 dozen times. Thanks for your patience, Robbie.

When one of my intentions show up, I try really hard to honor it but this time was different. The wretched (being kind) side of the human element literally forced me – with a good pummeling – to get off my butt and take a completely different path. Bravo. Mara Lee, take a bow, you rock!

My suggestion after being shoved toward enlightenment is to … arm yourself with a case of Kleenex, Fiji water and plenty of snacks … that way you’ll have a better chance of riding the courage wave, until you reach the shore. You can do it water boy;) #hidave

In memory of my sweet Budders.

happiness, Heart Art, love, mosaic tile

Heart Art

01/05/2019 Tile Gypsy Leave a comment

From one artist to another … a blast from the past.

Someone stenciled this discarded heart-shaped piece of wood.

It was one of those thrift store finds that immediately got my attention and did not end up in storage. I cut and glued vintage china shards, pink iridescent tile, red mirror tile, silver tapestry tile, green glass gems, a couple of red glass hearts, red lips and finished it off with charcoal grout.

It sold the day it was finished. No regrets, except not keeping it. 😉

Charcoal was a good choice.

Moving on … insert whooshing sound here. “D”

“One ought to hold on to one’s heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Best Tools, mosaic tile

The right tools for the job.

01/04/2019 Tile Gypsy 1 Comment

Mosaic Tile Tools — Lighten up … cutting takes practice.

Pique Assiette Mosaic Tile

You’re just gluing stuff to other stuff. Besides, it can be a really cheap hobby … or not. Depends on how obsessed you become.

To get started, find a space to call your own and stock it with the right tile tools, materials and adhesives.

Start small and you’ll grow from there … believe me.

mosaic tile table — Viva Las Vegas – First Creation 1985

Best mosaic tile tools …

#1 Wheeled Glass Nippers have a set of disc shaped wheels on spring-loaded handles. They should be used to cut glass, mirror, glass tiles, and the like in a manner similar to tile nippers. Replacement wheels are sold separately.

#2 Mosaic Tile Cutter are designed for cutting ceramic tiles, crockery and china. Better tile nippers have tungsten-carbide cutting edges and spring-loaded handles.

#3 Weldbond Adhesive, e6000 Adhesive, Mastic and Grout

Always good to have nearby:

Small Penny Hammer
Wire Cutter
Needle Nose Pliers
Self-closing tweezers (a little more expensive than regular tweezers but well worth the investment.) Make sure to keep them glue free!
Toothpicks or wooden skewers
Popsicle sticks
Paper Towel
SAFETY GLASSES
Base, tile and some found objects. Ta da.

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