Mini Mosaics Project for the Art Glitter Institute

I am excited to announce that I have been chosen to be a Guest Designer for the Art Glitter Institute! Basically that means that I get to design 2 projects a month for 3 months (March, April, and May) and share them with other glitter loving craftspeople. They posted my bio on their blog (click here to see and scroll down a little) and will also be posting my projects there as well. Make sure you check them out at http://artglitterblog.blogspot.com/

Here is my first submission:

I am honored to have been asked to be a guest designer for the Art Glitter Institute! I love mixed media artwork and am looking forward to sharing some of my projects with you. I hope you enjoy them!

I am the kind of person who loves collecting different items and supplies that I feel like I can’t live without, but I hardly ever use them right away. They end up getting stashed in the closet and it takes several months or years for me to come across them again and realize that they would be perfect for the project I am currently working on. That is exactly how this project came to be. I came across my collection of beads and recycled jar lids and knew exactly what I was going to do.

 

First, spray paint the tops and sides of a few jar lids. I used three for this project but you can use as few or as many as you’d like. When they’re dry, flip them over and start gluing beads and/or small tiles in patterns inside the lid with Weldbond glue. Make sure you leave ¼- ½ inch of space in between each bead or tile so you have enough room for the grout. Once you are satisfied with your designs, let the glue dry overnight to make sure the beads don’t come loose when grouting.

Now you’re ready to grout. You can buy grout pre-mixed in the mosaic section in craft stores, or you can also buy dry grout at home improvement stores. I was lucky enough to find dry grout in a rainbow of colors at a local Phoenix store (www.mosaicguys.com) that specializes in art mosaics, and that is what I used here. Apply the grout and wipe off according to package directions and let dry completely.

Here comes the fun part….adding glitter! Mix about a teaspoon of Designers Dries Clear adhesive and a teaspoon of water into small bathroom cups (one for each color of glitter you want to use). Then add about ¼-1/8 teaspoon of glitter and mix well. I found that the microfine works the best. Use a small paintbrush to paint the glitter glue mixture onto the grout. Tah dah! Now it sparkles and shines!

I chose to mount mine onto a piece of wood that I sanded and stained with paint mixed with gel medium, then embellished it with some funky yarn and more glass beads. You may choose to attach a hanger to each mosaic to make ornaments out of. Once you’ve made the mosaics, the possibilities of what to do with them are endless!

 

Supplies used:
Jar lids (pickles, spaghetti sauce, etc.) washed and dried

Spray paint in the color(s) of your choice

Art Glitter Ultrafine Transparent Glitter in Amazon, White Gold, and Twig

Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear adhesive

Weldbond Glue

Various beads, tiles, found objects, etc.

Tile grout

Sponge

Bucket with water (for wiping off grout)

Small paint brush

 

Optional:

Wood for mounting

Hot Glue

Funky yarn

String for hangers