Tag Archives: mosaic

Being Here Now

02/29/2016 Tile Gypsy Leave a comment

Years of practice and I can still only do what I’m doing while I’m doing it.

Writing this post thinking about walking bootless dogs, getting the towels out of the dryer and mourning the loss of bagels … must be the gluten … seriously they could have come up with a better word.

Could have listened to Ram Dass, in eighth grade, when he wrote … “Now is now. Are you going to be here or not?”

Being in a moment is an interesting place and from what I can tell, while I’m in and out of consciousness, it’s very relaxing, it doesn’t cost anything to get in, it’s really quiet and the doors never close.

aha moments — Syracuse, NY Sidewalk A-ha Moment © Mara Lee

Insert Favorite Quotes by Ram Dass here - have a different moment I have to get to.  :)-

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” ― Ram Dass

“In most of our human relationships, we spend much of our time reassuring one another that our costumes of identity are on straight.” ― Ram Dass

“We’re fascinated by the words–but where we meet is in the silence behind them.” ― Ram Dass

“Spiritual practices help us move from identifying with the ego to identifying with the soul. Old age does that for you too. It spiritualizes people naturally.” ― Ram Dass

“It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.” ― Ram Dass

“The most exquisite paradox… as soon as you give it all up, you can have it all. As long as you want power, you can’t have it. The minute you don’t want power, you’ll have more than you ever dreamed possible.” ― Ram Dass

“As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is.” ― Ram Dass

“A feeling of aversion or attachment toward something is your clue that there’s work to be done.” ― Ram Dass

“It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.” – Ram Dass

and a personal favorite … “Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it.” ― Ram Dass

Moments Matter Thursday

best glue, glass on glass art, glass windows, Glue

Through the Looking Glass

11/05/2015 Tile Gypsy 7 Comments

The vintage window was a gift from my sister friend, Tilly Evan Jones … it sat around for a couple of years waiting and wanting. Finally glued a bunch of my vintage glass collection to it.

All you need is a sturdy window (or frame) with good glass, wheeled glass nippers, small hammer, hand towel, safety glasses, random glass objects and e6000 adhesive. This project must be glued in a well ventilated area … without the kids and pets.

Break glass dishes under a dish towel with a small hammer and gentle hand or use wheeled glass nippers to break up glass objects.

FYI … There are glass plates that will shatter into a BAZILLION PIECES without warning so … don’t be … going to use the word stupid – because it really is … ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES when cutting glass or tile and do a different project with the kids.

Vintage Window gifted from Miss Tilly Evan Jones

Let’s the Sunshine In

crafts, Garden Art, gardens, mosaic tile, Mosaic Tile Projects, recycled crafts

Mosaic Tile Gazing Balls

02/17/2015 Tile Gypsy Leave a comment

Val was in a gluing frenzy with bowling balls and it immediately brought back fond memories of battling a 15 pound bowling ball while trying to glue things to it. Truth be told … the hardest part of mosaic tiling a bowling ball is … finding the bowling ball. Now that she’s got me going … anyone have an old bowling ball that they want to get rid of ? 🙂

Mosaic tiled bowling balls or mosaic tiled gazing balls … are time consuming but pretty easy to create if you prepare the surface properly and use the right adhesive.

MOSAIC TILE BOWLING BALL ART SUPPLIES – you’ll need …

Bowling Ball or round objects in stone, terracotta or concrete
Flat Tile Materials in ceramic, stained glass, vintage china, mirror and glass gems
Best Adhesives for the job could be …Thin Set or a Weatherproof/Waterproof Adhesives like … GE II Silicone, E6000 or Clear Liquid Nails.
Sandpaper in a medium grade is fine.
Sanded grout – FYI … darker shades of grout won’t show the wear that lighter shades of grout will.
Grout Additive ( to mix grout instead of water. Makes the grout more flexible and can help prevent cracking)
Grout or Masonry clear sealant that can be found at tile and box stores.

MOSAIC TILE GAZING BALL PROJECT

Clean the ball. Let it dry.
Seal the finger holes – use your imagination with what – so they’re level with the curve of the ball.
Rough up the ball a bit with the sandpaper … or you can cover the ball with tile mesh before gluing to make gluing easier.
Time to put on safety glasses for cutting tile or glass.
Prop the bowling bowl on a large weighted coffee can … or something comparable. If you have a heavy duty Lazy Susan … bonus fry.
Organize mosaic tile materials and choose pieces that are close to the same thickness, for uniformity.
Using a wheeled tile nipper, mosaic tile cutter or glass cutter … cut the tile, glass or china pieces before you start gluing. If pieces don’t lie flat, cut them smaller.
Grab your adhesive and start gluing one side of the ball. (FYI…Adhesives for this project are TOXIC and is best glued in a very well ventilated area or outside.)
If pieces don’t lie flat, cut them smaller.
A little patience is needed about now. Relax, it’s round. It’s not going to be done in a day.
This project takes multiple days. Glue one side of the bowling ball. Let it dry for at least 24 hours. Longer is always better!
Glue the other side of the bowling ball and let that dry for a minimum of 24 hours. Again, longer drying time is always better.
When completely dry … Grout … READ the directions on the grout bag or box, then … mix the Sanded Grout with grout additive to an oatmeal consistency … again … reading the directions really helps.
Grout one side of the bowling ball and let it set up for a bit before you start removing and smoothing out the grout.
Grout the other side of the ball and let it set up for a bit before you start removing and smoothing out the grout.
Keep smoothing and polishing until your satisfied with your work.
You can cover the ball with a dry cleaning bag (or something comparable) to allow the grout to dry a bit slower to prevent the grout cracking. Hopefully;)
I’d wait at least 36 hours for drying time.
Uncover and polish with a soft cloth.
Let it cure – I did for a few more days and polished it everyday.
When grout is dry seal the grout with grout sealer or masonary sealant. Read the directions.
Let dry for 24 hours. Polish again. Make a wish;)
Gaze.

FYI … Mosaic Tiled Gazing Balls and handmade mosaic tile garden art has to be brought inside in the colder states and it doesn’t hurt to reseal your gazing ball every season, no matter where you live. Cheers.