creative jewish mom

DIY Ladybug Mosaic Craft

There is just something about mosaics in general that is so very charming, or if ancient, inspiring! Here in Israel we have quite a few ancient mosaic that have been excavated, the most famous being from the floor of a synagogue, I believe, though, yikes, I have not been there.....yet! Sorry, lest I digress, I just really wanted to share with you this ladybug mosaic that I saw during our summer visit to Gita, Israel. It was on a wall outside a home, and of course caught my eye because it is quite simple to do, and yet so very sweet. So dear readers, before the weather gets cold, do think about trying out a mosaic, as they are best done outside due to the mess of for example, clipping your ceramic scraps into shapes! If you are interested in mosaic crafts in general, including pots and plaques, check out my entire mosaic crafts category right here.

Mosaic Inspiration From A Community Project On Grand Avenue, Oakland

While away from you all during the past month, I had the great pleasure of getting to know downtown Oakland, California, a city with which I was fairly familar but never really got to know as I did during our three weeks of walking and talking public transportation around this interesting city. One of the first things I thought I'd share with you, is this wonderful community project the results of which are seen along Grand Avenue in the Lake Merrit region. The idea behind the project was to encourage passerby to use the recycling bins and of course to give otherwise personality-less street furniture an artful and personal touch. Enjoy these fabulous examples, and maybe there's still time for a little summer mosaic project?

Mosaics From Beach Combing Treasures!

Yesterday we returned to one of our favorite little beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, and I while I was expecting to find a bunch of nice shells as I had previously, this time I was pleasantly surprised by a huge collection of sanded (literally) ceramic tile pieces! There I was looking for shells when all of a sudden I see small pieces of pink and blue, and so of course I couldn't resist collecting a bag full, until darkness put an end to my obsession!

While it's just a bit difficult to tell from the photo, the ceramic pieces have smooth edges just like beach glass, and I think they'll make a fantastic mosaic— a mirror frame would be a safe choice, but I think I'm going to go for a table top or a mosaic picture of some kind. I haven't made any mosaics in years (well, almost nine to be exact!) and I think the time has come to get back into one of my craft loves from the past! Certainly those boxes of broken dishes and mismatched tiles in the attic would be happy to see the light of day, and I know my kids would enjoy the process too!

Wish me luck in fitting my creative dreams into my currently very busy schedule......but when there's a will there's a way, right? Oh, and if you'd like to see what those mosaics that I did nine years ago look like, and get inspired by lots of artful mosacis by other crafters, have a peek here.

Garden Mosaic Art

I've got two more fabulous garden mosaic's to share with you dear readers, which is a good thing since I've been too busy with some design projects to actually do any crafting! You may remember the interesting garden mosaics that I posted photos of a few months ago here? Take a look again! Well truthfully I've been enjoying some more similar pieces of mosaic art just a few minutes from my home, and it wasn't until today that I finally passed by with camera in hand. And just a few months ago the front door of the home bearing the mosaics was open and a woman was in the door, so I asked her about the mosaics and she invited me in to see all of her work! And it was totally and perfectly the natural thing to do, after all we really are just one big family here in Israel. 

Isn't this amazing? This is really the first time I got a good look at it, having only gotten permission to enter the garden and take a closer look just a month ago when I met the owner. It turns out, that the artist took a ceramics class, and instead of making vases and containers like the teacher really wanted her to, she made flat pieces to use in her mosaic pieces, which are really quite creative and unique!   

This mosaic suddenly appeared near the artist's front door not long ago, and I am charmed every time I pass by. I'm thinking that maybe this is a direction that I should try with my ceramics explorations, though of course one I gather does have to have a bit of a vision in the first place.

I think one of the things I particularly love about these mosaics is their seemingly effortless composition, and the fact that they're not trying to be anything. Both were done on simple pieces of plywood and hung with nails. Creativity at it's best, without too much worrying about how or what, just do it!

Oh, and it turns out that the two women who have brought cheer to their little spots with mosaic, and live across town from one another are actually sister's in law! 

Garden Mosaic With Broken Tiles, Stones and Ceramic Shapes

How about adding an artful mosaic to your garden this year. Mosaics with a mix of elements such as stones, broken tile, ceramic pieces and glass are particularly wonderful! And you know, you just sort of glue it onto a big board or even a bare wall, and grout it and voila! The very imperfect, artful mosaics that I've been seeing here and there lately are great— not too studied, a little casual and certainly unique!

I was walking to an appointment and I was a bit late on account of photographing the blooming almond trees, so I took a little short cut down a flight of stairs between two apartment buildings, and suddenly, gasp, wow, look at this garden mosaic! Now I myself have done quite a few mosaic pots in my day, but never a flat mosaic, so I was particularly inspired, especially since it was so unexpected. 

An otherwise very dark and dull retaining wall was turned into a little joyful corner, wonderful don't you think?

And then I turned the corner and gasp, a flock of ceramic birds, bringing a little cheer to this dreery wall. I don't know if a mosaic is planned around them, but either way they're so much fun!

Inspired? I know I am, maybe this summer we'll have the chance to use all those broken dishes and tiles I've been saving! And while my future with ceramics is uncertain at the moment as I'm just soooo busy, seeing these mosaics using elements made in the pottery studio has certainly gotten me thinking. And by the way, for indoor mosaics, one could certainly substitute polymer clay for real ceramic and get a similar result. Hmmmm, more food for thought!

Pin It

A Teacher Appreciation Mosaic Frame Made by An Eight Year Old!

Sweet right? My daughter, who just turned eight yesterday, made this a few weeks ago for her teacher, with just a bit of help from mom. Simple decorated frames are a great way to present sentiments to a teacher or a loved one, and kids can really have fun decorating simple unfinished frames. Buttons, pompoms, pipe cleaners, shells, sticks, tissue paper, and just about anything you can think of can be used to create something original! And if your kids are old enough, so buy a tiny glue gun (not as dangerous as the big ones) and let them use it, it opens up so many more crafting possibilities!

You'll Need:

• unfinished easel back picture frame
• silver spray paint or regular paint
• glass mosaic tiles and pearls from a necklace
• small hot glue gun

How about making this into a family crafting project? Decorate a whole bunch of frames in different sizes and fill them with photos of the wonderful things you've done this summer! All the best!

Today Is The 17th Of Tammuz.

Today is a solemn day on the Jewish calender, that also marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning for our Holy Temple (Soloman's Temple, in the world history books). This three week period ends on the 9th of Av, the day in which the final destruction of the Temple occurred.

Unlike many historic events recorded in history books, the loss of our Holy Temple, the Beis HaMikdash, is something we remember on a daily basis, and is an integral part of our very existence. Our goal as a people, and individually is to rebuild our Holy Temple, both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately it's not so simple, so just know, that when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt, that means major changes have occurred in the world! We await these changes with great anticipation and longing.

Today is a "minor" fast day, (sunrise to sunset) observed by most men, many women who are able, (namely those without small children, or for whom fasting would not compromise their ability to take care of their families) and boys and girls over the age of 13 and 12 respectively. During this three week period of mourning, no weddings are held, we obstain from listening to music or playing musical instruments, no hair cuts are given and we avoid doing anything that might be considered dangerous, like swimming in the ocean or rapid rivers. During the last nine days of this period, the mourning intensifies and among other things, we do not eat meat or drink wine, and there are restrictions on laundering and wearing freshly laundered clothing.

The mosaic depicting the Beis HaMikdash is not only a wonderfully creative use of mosaic as a medium, it is also happens to be a very true to life representation of where we are standing now! We are a fragmented and varied People dispersed amongst more than eighty countries around the world—a very diverse group who nonetheless has the potential to come together as a People for the benefit of the entire world. Each and every one of us can and should do our part (you'll have to figure that one out on your own!) to bring this day closer.

Can I Cover A Piece of Furniture With Mosaic? Yes!

When I was editing the photos for my CJM Inspiring Mom series featuring Roberta Rose's work and home, it occurred to me that a great follow up to the original post would be some posts describing how to do some of the projects in her home! Good idea right?

And since we've been on a bit of a mosaic binge here on the blog lately, I'll just continue the trend for one more day or so! And in any case, wouldn't you like to know how she did this tiny dresser? A project of this size is a good one for starters, attempting to do a huge chest of drawers when you've never attempted to mosaic furniture, might just be a bit too ambitious! And do take into consideration that this type of work isn't exactly quick— it's the type of thing to realistically work on over a period of a few weeks or so, in a spot where you can make a mess and are not near any food preparation. (Read Health Precautions For Mosaic Projects that Roberta helped me out with here.)

This chest looks just lovely set againg her blue color washed walls and works well with the pastel colored scheme Roberta has established in her home. Though beautiful here, this chest would look totally out of place in my "Moroccan meets Farmhouse in the 60's" style home, because it's just to cheerful and delicate! But that doesn't mean I couldn't use this technique to do something that would look great. I would need to use either earth toned dishes with bold ethnic patterns, combined with lots of beige or go for a totally shiny gold Moroccan palace look!

My point is, that before embarking on a project of this size, one definitely needs to take into consideration what will work in their home! Enough said.

Materials:

• a piece of furniture: a small table, cabinet, stool, chair etc.
• broken dishes, tiles, glass pieces, mirror, smooth stones, even shells
• "tile mastic" ceramic tile adhesive use to install tiles on a backsplash
• sanded grout (one can use regular grout for flat surfaces such as table tops)
• hammer, old towels, thick plastic bags
• tile nippers (optional)
• protective eye wear
• grout sealer (optional)
• a disposable plastic floor cover, such as an old shower curtain to cover the work surface

How-To:

1. Read Health Precautions For Mosaic Projects, here, don't panic just be informed!
2. Sand piece of furniture all over with medium grade sand paper. New unfinished furniture should be sealed, though it's not mandatory.
   
3. Begin by planning your design. If you'd like to incorporate patterns into your work, so you need to plan them ahead of time. If you'd like to cover the furniture in a seemingly random sea of broken dishes that needs a bit of planning too as far as what works together, and quantities of each color.
4. Take into consideration whether to leave drawer hardware and hinges intact or to remove. If you remove the hardware mark the exact area that needs to be left empty for re-attachment.
5. If you will be using a pattern, draw it onto your furniture with a permanent marker.
6. To break dishes or tiles, place them in plastic bags, wrap them in an old towel, and put on your goggles. Using your hammer, break the ceramic into pieces. To create specific shapes or sizes, use tile nippers.
7. It is best to lay mosaic pieces on a horizontal surface, namely turn a chest on it's side to do the side panel, etc. Each section of work should be given ample time to dry (according to manufacturer's instructions) before turning the piece, so plan accordingly. Don't feel you must follow this advice, if you want to work on the whole piece while it is standing up, go for it—after all kitchen back-splash tile is certainly installed vertically.
8. Start working on laying the mosaic pieces. It is generally recommended to do the outside edges first and then fill in the rest, this applies to a top or drawer front as well as a shape.
9. Apply tile adhesive to the area you will be working on and press pieces into the adhesive. Or you can opt to apply the adhesive to the piece of ceramic and then press onto the piece of furniture. Some mosaic artists lay a bed of adhesive on the surface and apply adhesive to the tile. I would recommend doing this in tricky areas such as legs or thin edges.
10. Lay pieces close together but not butting for a finer look, and for a more rustic look, make spaces between mosaic pieces larger. Cut small slivers to fill in any large holes, and make sure there are no rough or sharp edges sticking out. If there are, remove potentially dangerous pieces.
11. When you have covered the entire piece of furniture with mosaic double check to make sure you are happy with the placement. You can still pry off pieces with a screw driver and replace them with something else if desired.
12. When entire piece is dry start applying sanded grout using a spatula or a gloved hand. The grout should cover the entire surface, such that the mosaic tiles are hidden. Check to make sure all holes are filled.
13. After grout has set (check manufacturer's instructions) use a damp cloth to rub grout off the tiles. Use a toothpick to reveal tiny corners where necessary.
14. Allow grout to dry completely, at least 24 hours, and apply grout sealer if desired. Definitely recommended on a tabletop surface to protect from oil stains etc.
15. Throw a party or go to sleep, whichever seems more necessary!
16. Send photos of your new creation to [email protected] (greatly appreciated!)

   
  

Mosaic A Large Terra Cotta Urn, To Enjoy Inside Or Out!

Some of you may have noticed this large pot peeking out in the corner of one of my photos yesterday, but I decided to wait another day to share this one with you. Why? Well honestly this pot is quite large and covering it in mosaic is quite a project, though well worth it!

A pot like this, depending on your decor, can easily work inside to hold a large palm, or outside in the garden or patio as a stunning accent. So I do encourage you to think big, but first try some of the smaller projects before undertaking this one! One of the differences between this project and the previous ones I've posted is that I've also incorporated pieces of cut ceramic tile: the squares at the top and hthe logn pieces at the bottom were cut with a manual tile cutter, the kind that tile layers use. You can try this, or better yet, buy some small ceramic floor tiles, if it's in your budget!

A manual tile cutter (at least mine) works with thin tiles, but is difficult with any quality (thick and hard) floor tile. The next time I delve into any major mosaic project, I'm planning on investing in a diamond cutter to cut shapes! Okay, this is a bit scary to think about, namely power tools and children around, not to mention my own precious fingers! So we'll see if it ever actually happens!

Important Note: I've had my pot now for 7 years, and it still looks great, though one of the pieces at the base did fall off, so if you use tile adhesive as I did, do the last row at the bottom with silicon. Here's a recent photo of how I've been using the pot for the last year or so!

For detailed instructions regarding making mosaics with broken dishes, and pieces of ceramic floor tile, see the How-To in this post. And as far as collecting supplies for your mosaic, there are always tons of scraps and broken tiles thrown out after any tile flooring job, so keep your eyes open! And when you become a famous mosaic artist please don't forget about little me, and send some photos of your creations!

Make Gorgeous Mosaic Pots Now To Enjoy Outdoors In The Spring!

If this photo doesn't convince you to try your hand at a mosaic project, well then I guess I'm not much of a saleswoman! I made this mirrored pot about ten years ago, and I still love it. Simple yet stunning! And if you spend a little time this winter making some pots for your Spring garden you won't regret it for one minute when you see how gorgeous mosaic pots look outdoors! Or if you're from down under, or don't have much of a winter, then get to work and you can enjoy your works of art outdoors now.

I was just thinking how I really like the juxtaposition of the square mirrored tiles with the pieces of broken bowl, and it suddenly occured to me all these year later that I have a confession to make! Hopefully it's never too late to fess up. I was at a friend's house and eyed her gorgeous blue ceramic soup bowls, thinking what lovely mosaics they'd make. And sure enough at least one of the those bowls did break and ended up in my hands! I do hope I had nothing to do with that! Now that I"ve gotten that off my chest, it's time to move on....and if I ever come to your house hide your good dishes, naw just kidding.

 

Here's a few more examples of some simple designs that you can do too! Tell all your friends to save any broken dishes that come their way, and look for some great plates from your local thrift store as well. And don't be afraid to combine broken dishes with pieces of ceramic floor tile as well, the white pot on the left has a band of squares cut from floor tile and the variety of texture is nice!

You'll Need:

• terra cotta plant pots
• broken dishes, ceramic tile pieces, pre-cut mirrored squares or mirror that you'll cut yourself
• tile adhesive or silicone (silicone is good for small projects but a bit costly for larger ones)
• glass cutter to cut mirror if desired
• hammer to break dishes and an old towel
• protective eye wear
• grout in the color of your choice
• a damp cloth rag and some toothpicks

How To:

1. See complete instructions here. I generally do not mosaic the top rim of the pots, rather I mosaic the side up to the edge and then fill in the holes from above with lots of grout. See photo above.
2. Go crazy and make a whole bunch! Small ones aren't too time consuming and would make great gifts as well!