Ep. 156 ST. JOHN MOSAIC GETS SOME TAIL FEATHERS, PLUS FINISHING FOUR MOSAICS!

Ep. 156 ST. JOHN MOSAIC GETS SOME TAIL FEATHERS, PLUS FINISHING FOUR MOSAICS!

Welcome to my studio! A quick overview of a few projects for the week is the first order of business.
1:27 I show a few mini dozen rose backgrounds. Then I kick off and lay in the light blue base tiles followed by the white at the top. It takes next to no time!
2:38 It is grouting time for my Monarch stepping stone! I am using a polymer admix in the sanded black grout to give it strength and help with water resistance. I also reveal a high fired ceramic stepping stone that is ready for grout.
3:44 I start by taping the edges. Then I spread the grout all over both mosaics with my blue ceramic finishing rubber tool. I wipe off the excess grout, then wait about 20 minutes to give it a final buff. Once that is done, I pull off the tape and clean my tool and hands outside in the hose.
5:11 I give myself a thumbs up for both of these gorgeous mosaic stepping stones. I put the monarch near my marigolds and zinnias! The ceramic stone looks great under the magnolia tree near my ferns and hostas.
6:19 Now I focus on the St. John mosaic. I start by cutting thin strips to finish the scroll and outline it. Then I move to the tail feathers, using a variety of brown stained glass and Laticrete 254 Platinum as my thinset.
8:04 My thinset bag had a blowout! I decide to scoop it directly out of the bag and spread it on the sunflower. SPOILER: I never get back to work on the St. John mosaic.
I use little crab colored tiles near the center and my irridized gold tiles to finish each petal. Then I use Illuminations Plus tiles to fill in the petals in between. Yay! Done piecing!
10:52 The Next Day. I am getting ready to grout my sunflower, and I show my very precise "Eyeballing Tap" method of mixing colorants. I'm going to mix colorants in my thinset for the beads and I want the colors to be close to the grout color. After I add dry grout and mix, I adjust the color until I am satisfied, mixing and "Eyeballing" until I am happy with the grout color.
14:02 While that is slaking, I quickly grout my mini background using a premixed Spectralock I grout in natural gray. I use the mini crowbar tool to clean out the corners of the frame. After it sets up, I will clean it up with a damp sponge. Then it will be good to go.
14:57 I grout both sides of my sunflower stake using my "no tape" method, which means I am careful to apply the grout so it doesn't get on the beads, then wipe it off using strokes away from the beads.
15:51 I prop up my sunflower between two bins of glass and begin by piping colored thinset on the edge and smoothing in place with my mini crowbar tool. Then I dump beads and press in place. Next, I add individual beads using tweezers and tap again before moving to the next section. I find this sunflower is easier to apply, spread and sprinkle if I just hold it in my hand. Then I show the sunflower in my garden with the other one. It looks so bright and happy!
17:33 Back inside, I start on the mini roses in...yellow! I have a piece of textured raku for the vase and start cutting and adding roses. I have three different shades, one of which is textured. I make little curved nips and then cut those down for the petals. I like to build each rose, then add a little puddle of E6000 to an index card and dip the pieces in that before placing them in position on the mosaic. I add leaves in a soft green that complements the raku vase. When I get to the last few roses, I layer them on top along with a few more leaves to give it some nice depth! Then I bring it outside to take a look. Peanut would rather chase squirrels!
20:02 A mosaic recap is in order!
1. Never came back to the sky on the St. John mosaic after my thinset blow-out.
2. The beautiful Monarch stepping stone was finished!
3. The high-fired ceramic stepping stone was finished!
4. I finished one side, grouted and added beads to my two-sided sunflower garden stake.
5. I went from start to finish on the mini roses in yellow! Full disclosure- there are only ELEVEN roses on this one. I just couldn't fit another and have it look balanced.

That's Putting it Together, Ep. 156. Thanks for watching! See you next time!

WATCH NEXT:
Ep. 136 ST. MATTHEW’S MOSAIC GARMENT & 3 MOSAIC SUNFLOWERS!
   • Ep. 136 ST. MATTHEW’S MOSAIC GARMENT & 3 M...  

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