Subway Seal, originally uploaded by Slice. At the Houston/Varick Street Station on the 1 Train.

This post is all about making mosaics with kids, my 'how- to', tips & safety. I find mosaic a wonderful craft to do with kids as there's not a lot of skill needed to make a finished product that kids can be proud of, so once you have everything you need you can just jump in and get started. They're also using more specialised materials, things like tiles and grout, which adults use for proper adult jobs, so it can make them feel very clever indeed! For basic mosaic you don't need a lot of fancy equipment or supplies, and most can be found at the local hardware store. We buy a lot of our tiles online here in Australia from The Mosaic Store, but hardware stores sometimes have craft sections with tiles, then there's other craft stores, $2 shops, and actual tile shops that usually sell the lovely glass tesserae. Some beautiful millefiori stars from The Mosaic Store, glass pebbles from the garden section of our local hardware store The tesserae is probably the easiest to start with as it's easy to cut with a pair of tile nippers; and smaller decorative tiles that don't need to be cut. Supplies needed: - Various tiles - Terracotta plant base - Outdoor PVA glue - Outdoor tile adhesive - Outdoor grout in your choice of colour Tools & other items: - Tile nippers - Homemade plastic scrapers cut from empty containers - Rags - Soft scrubbing brush - Latex gloves (grown up size and kid size) - Eye protection (for when you're nipping tiles) - Paintbrush for brushing on PVA Tile nippers, glass tesserae, other smaller mosaic tiles, plastic scrapers Safety tip: Make sure kids are wearing shoes as little shards of tile can be sharp! Starting out with something like a terracotta plant base is fantastic. The surface is flat so you won't have tiles trying to glue against gravity, and the edge provides a physical border to keep their tiles within a neat shape. We coat our terracotta pieces first with outdoor PVA wood glue and leave to dry. Then, we use an outdoor tile adhesive. The one I have is cement based. As long as you get an outdoor tile adhesive you should be fine. I like to mix this away from kids as I don't want them breathing in any cement dust. I just use an old plastic container and the wrong end of a flat paint brush to mix. Once the adhesive is mixed it's not an inhalation risk anymore. Spread a layer of adhesive down for them around 2-3mm thick (1/16"). We keep our tiles organised by colour I nip tesserae into smaller pieces, and then they just use some of the smaller shaped tiles as they are. You nip by placing the nips at the edge of a tile while holding the tile with your other hand. Press down and it will break into two. Some tiles break nice and evenly, others may not. Practise with a few. Wear your eye protection and do this away from kids so that little bits of broken tile don't fly towards them. They can then glue their tiles onto their terracotta base. I have found some kid sized latex gloves in our local supermarket which have been perfect for protecting little hands from the adhesive. Try and get them not to butt tiles hard against one another so remind them to leave a little gap. I always explain to kids that making mosaics is kind of like doing a puzzle; you just find where a piece seems to fit and place it in. Another thing is we don't stack tiles on top of each other. This may seem obvious but to a kids fresh mind, it's not! I love their boundless ideas. Try also to get them to not leave big open spaces. Again, I'm not too concerned, but for the longevity of the piece, it's best not to leave big gaps between tiles. So: - leave a little gap - don't butt tiles hard against one another, - place tiles side by side, not on top of each other. Kids also sometimes get the right and wrong side of the tesserae mixed up. The bumpy side is the wrong side, the smooth side is the right side. Have a chat to them first and explain and show them this. You may have to keep reminding them! Some will still keep mixing them up, but it doesn't matter too much. Smooth side is the right side! When they are happy with their arrangement it's time to leave it to dry for as long as the adhesive's instructions. *Sometimes kids get a bit messy with the adhesive. It helps to go back when the adhesive is dry but not rock-hard and scrape a bit of the excess adhesive off the top of some tiles and between them if there's too much. Scraping some excess adhesive away with a piece of tile (a nail could also work) Then, we grout! Again, I mix it up to the consistency of thick cream away from kids so they don't breathe the dust. Then we use little homemade plastic scrapers (cut from plastic containers) to spread the grout on. This part is messy and therefore fun! Plop it on and scrape it all around to make sure you fill all the gaps between the tiles. Wear gloves for this bit. Once it's done and it looks like it's starting to dry off a bit you can take a soft scrubbing brush and start to scrape the excess grout off the front of the tiles. (We also have a stiff paintbrush here that did the job on a previous project too.) Then use a dry cloth to polish. If there's any staining on the sides of the dish that you don't want, wipe that away with a wet cloth. And then you're done! Let it dry before you put into the great outdoors. It's so satisfying creating something that will last and pretties up the garden. Proud creators In situ :) And once you've mastered the basic skills you could progress onto other items such as plant pots or picture frames. Miss S with her mosaic plant pot I hope you enjoyed the mosaic how-to & tips from me. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments and I will get back to you, and be sure to let me know if you try mosaicing with kids! Jules :)

Flashed

25 project ideas for summer-themed sewing projects including quilts, coasters, bags, pillows and hoop-art. Lots of citrus, watermelon, and strawberry quilts

Good morning Scrappers! Today marks Week 6 and the final Scrap Elimination blog of the summer. It has been a busy summer making fun projects out of my scraps and I love the results. This last one is perhaps my favorite, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. This week we are going to be using up 1 1/2" strips. You could also make this project with 2 1/2" strips, you're block would just have larger strips. Here's what you will need to get started! Materials:1 1/2" strips at least 7" long

I used my old hard beans to make this turkey bean mosaic a long time ago. The mice didn't mind how old the beans were and ate half my creat...

Create beautiful mosaics with natural materials. This tutorial teaches how to easily make rustic abstract Mosaics with Slate, stone and glass

Done! This was a lot of fun! Pretty good size... could definately take up a big window! A ton of glass is still drying and just finished grouting last night.

Mosaic art blog about Kate Rattray - mosaic artist's work. Here you can find stories, inspiration and methods used by this innovative contemporary artist.

What goes into the creation of our mosaics? We’ve had so much interest in the actual process of creating our handmade mosaic pieces, we’re devoting this article to it! Putting together mortar, skill, and tiles is fascinating to see – especially when skilled artists like ours are on the job. Our intricate mosaics can incorporate thousands tesserae, an array of subtle colors, and various techniques. Loose Stones by Mozaico It All Starts With a Design At the beginning, each beautiful piece of mosaic artwork is just a design. Our artists and creative team are constantly on the hunt for inspiration. As you can see in our catalog, those ideas come to us from everywhere. In other words, our inspiration stems from the walls of ancient temples. In addition, the floors of villas in Pompeii preserved by lava flows, modern art masterpieces, and our custom requests are inspiring. Whether you are interested in a floral design, patterns, geometric designs, portraits or anything in between, anything can be transformed into mosaics. An artist only needs to focus on the extent of details and intricacy of colors. Sketch Source: Unsplash The end result is an unparalleled range of mosaic art designs, including animal art, geometric patterns, backsplash tile art, and many more. Once our artists have decided on their inspiration, they set to work creating the design. As you can imagine, the tile artwork can be quite complex. In addition to sketching out the actual image and identifying the color, size, and type of tile for each element, our artists also determine how each marble or glass tile is placed. If you look closely at this Wabasso Coastal Beach mosaic wall art, for example, you can see how the tiles follow curving lines and alternate their directions. By doing so, the artist has given additional life, movement, and texture to the rich undersea scene. Wabasso Coastal Beach Mosaic Wall Art by Mozaico How to Make a Mosaic? When you order a custom mosaic that’s created from a photo or art that you supply, our design team uses your original to create work with the layout and decide on the color selection and materials. Our huge range of colors allows for picture-perfect matches, using glass, marble, and quartz. Popular choices for our custom services are to create mosaic portraits and memorable pieces of glass mosaic art for homes and businesses. First, on a flat surface, our artist lays out a print of the design. Following that, a plastic sheet is laid over the print with a sheet of mesh on top. Reasonably, a ll these layers are supposed to be of the same size and stapled to each other. And now is when the magic starts. A mosaic artist will start adding marble mosaic stones one by one to bring the mosaic to life. Typically, an artist will start by tiling the details before adding mosaic stones to the background of the design. The tesserae are glued to the mesh backing using any brand of contact glue as an adhesive. Making a Mosaic by Mozaico Every one of the lovely pieces of stone, marble, or glass in your mosaic artwork is placed by hand! The artisan will select each tesserae from their supply, and use great care and precision as they glue it to the mesh backing. Depending on the size of each tile, this may require the use of tweezers, or added with delicate use of their fingers. Auila – Greco-Roman Flower Mosaic by Mozaico Also, once the piece is completed, we may go on to frame it per customer specifications. This is another option we offer to our customers, who may wish to display their piece of mosaic art on a wall without any further installation steps. Otherwise, our finished designs are then ready to deliver to your doorstep as one piece on a mesh backing. Each Mozaico design is rolled, wrapped, and shipped from within our workshop via DHL Express. Remarkably, our turnaround time is only 3 to 4 weeks for most custom orders – we offer the shortest lead times in the market. Treating a Mosaic After Installation Many clients choose, after installation, to add varnish as a top coat for the mosaic to boost the colors of the tesserae. This will give the mosaic artwork a vibrant and lively feel. It will allow the colors to pop. The resulting gloss can add a feeling of extra depth to mosaic tile art, as well as help it reflect more light and enhance textural details. However, the finishes that we utilize for our mosaic art are strictly a matter of personal preference. The look that customers prefer is often a complement to their own style and the interior design elements that are already present. We presented a more in-depth look at the choices and examples of finishes in a previous blog. Image Source: Mozaico Custom orders from your photo or artwork are also a specialty here at Mozaico. We can create custom shapes from your sketches, change the colors of an existing design, and work with you for an infinite variety of personal touches to your mosaic tile art. Once you’ve submitted your files to our team, they will go to work on your order, using the same steps. We offer an incredibly rich customer experience here on our website, allowing you to modify all custom and existing designs, alter stone colors and even resize your order to perfectly fit your space. Curious about how a piece of mosaic art will look in your own home? Simply use our Visualize This feature to place a piece from our catalog on your wall. You may also try out frames, calculate the size you need. Also, you can get pricing for your final selection. Always remember: the timeless good looks, durability, and suitability for all types of weather, wet conditions. Other environments make mosaic designs perfect for any area. Moreover, our mosaic designs are fantastic on walls and backsplashes, in showers and swimming pools, on the floor, or even for decorating ceilings! If you have questions about mosaic, art, interior design, and anything in between, feel free to ask away on our Quora! Also, don’t forget to join our Quora space for all things mosaics. We will be sharing exclusive content there soon! Any other questions about the art and expertise that goes into making your mosaics? Let us know in the comments!