# what should i make?



## Jinxie (Jun 13, 2007)

Let me start by saying I'm not a particularly crafty person. I will get great 'ideas" in my head, but getting them to flow from there is the difficulty..lol so please remember that when suggesting ideas! here's my dilema -

thought i would get into creating mosaics prior to us moving posted an ad on craigslist, had someone respond that they were moving out of state, cleaning out there stained glass studio and did I want their scrap. long story short, DH went to go get it, and it turned out to be 10 5gallon type buckets full of glass, spectrum and bullseye, all shapes, sizes, colors etc. everything from a few inches, to almost full complete sheets. only problem? i like the random abstract type pieces of mosaic vs following a pattern, i have no idea what/how to start or what to make/do

this is what i have..I do not want to go into town tomorrow, but want to make something...with me so far?

lots and lots of stained glass pieces
black grout
white grout
BUT no gloves....ideas? I even thought of slipping some plastic grocery bags over my hands to get around the no glove thing...or are they really needed? label on box states they are needed because it's caustic
a dremel w/ lots of attachements
weldbond
ribbons, mirrors, mirrored pieces etc

no nippers, scorers etc...but do have hammer, sandpaper, and a simple glass cutter and other everyday type tools.


help me!!

looking forward to hearing your ideas!


----------



## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

Well... what are you thinking of making? Have you ever made anything with mosaics before (I haven't but I'm usually game for anything)? What do you use for a base? Do you lay it on the grout and that's how it sticks?

Maybe you could use needle nose pliers to place the pieces. Slower going than by hand but if you don't want to go get any gloves (and I'd use a surgical type glove), it might work.

How incredible that you got 10 5 gal buckets of this stuff!!!!!!!! I'm envious. Did you get it for free?


----------



## Jinxie (Jun 13, 2007)

yes, I received it for free! I was super excited when I started digging through it...some of the things i've thought of making were

just random mosaic (I have lots of plywood pieces that i can coat w/ a sealer and use..it's mostly indoor stuff, so i dont have to have anything too water/weather proof)

for outdoors I have thought of making were

windchimes 

gazing balls (take a bowling ball and then mosaic it)

random tree ornaments - (catch the light and create reflections maybe?)

but Im' "Stuck" i can't get past the first stage and that's figuring out what colors to use lol.


----------



## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

Start with something small. Take a small clay pot or a small plate and cover it with the pieces. This is where you're creativity will kick in. You'll start feeling more confident the more you get into it. Maybe start with a color, lighter shade to darker, then move to another color... getting a rainbow effect.

I love your ideas. I hope you'll post pictures!

How did you advertise on Craiglist (what did your post say)? I've never used Craiglist and don't know how it works.

PS - welcome to the forum!


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

If the label says to use gloves, use gloves. I'm sure dish washing gloves would work fine.


----------



## CraftyDiva (Aug 26, 2003)

Great deal, free, those are the best.  

How about doing a mirror? I've always wanted to mosiac a mirror, but the glass tiles don't come cheap.

If you have an old mirror (or pick one up) take it out of it's frame, mount on your plywood (for support) and then epoxy your glass right to the mirror (like a frame of tiles) the light bouncing off the mirror from behind the tiles will make it look like it's glowing. Yes I do have strange ideas, I know, but on the other hand, I also have a lot of fun.  


.


----------



## Jinxie (Jun 13, 2007)

Shepherd said:


> Start with something small. Take a small clay pot or a small plate and cover it with the pieces. This is where you're creativity will kick in. You'll start feeling more confident the more you get into it. Maybe start with a color, lighter shade to darker, then move to another color... getting a rainbow effect.
> 
> I love your ideas. I hope you'll post pictures!
> 
> ...



It was actually super easy go to www.craigslist.org select your state, then the location closest to you. you can flip through the classified ads, and you can post in the wanted section, people can then reply to your ad. you can also place free ads for stuff for sale, trade/barter etc. i lOVE the site lol. my post stated that i was looking to get into mosaic and was looking for pottery, stained glass, broken plates/cups saucers etc.

and thanks for the warm welcome!


Crafty -

Would weldbond work for that? It dries clear, can be used to glue anything together etc. I have the stained glass scrap or I have the glass blobs. i actually have a mirror that's framed in a white shabby chic type paint that i wanted to do something with..think it would work? I found a ton of black/white tuxedo type pieces as I decribe them (The color swirls and contrasts are very defined vs blending together. I thought it would look sharp to do it with a silvery type grout? or maybe a bronze? or i could just stick w/ black and white for the uniformity of it. what's your idea on that? the space around the mirror is a good 5-6 inches and the mirror it's self is about 12x12.


----------



## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

That is a lot of glass. How about a mosaic countertop or backsplash? Maybe start with a small project to get used to it and then get adventurous.


----------



## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

Someone threw out an old bowling ball. I am working on it with some glass I got at $General, irridescent butterfly globs, etc. Taking forever ! Have also glued broken china on birdhouses, you could use glass for that and grout it after you glue the colors you like in place.


----------



## mrs oz (Jul 3, 2007)

What a great find!! Another thing you will want to have is goggles. If you are going to use nippers or the dremel on the pieces, the glass is gonna fly! Cover your eyes, please!!! Another first time project could be a picture frame. You can pick up inexpensive ones at the dollar store or Big Lots and mosaic them. Most of us have glass vases around that we've received flowers in.........make it really cool. Ooooh, I'm so jealous. I'm going to go look on our Craig's List right now. Maybe I'll get lucky too. Happy Crafting and make sure to post pics of what you end up doing.


----------



## CraftyDiva (Aug 26, 2003)

Jinxie said:


> Crafty -
> 
> Would weldbond work for that? It dries clear, can be used to glue anything together etc. I have the stained glass scrap or I have the glass blobs. i actually have a mirror that's framed in a white shabby chic type paint that i wanted to do something with..think it would work? I found a ton of black/white tuxedo type pieces as I decribe them (The color swirls and contrasts are very defined vs blending together. I thought it would look sharp to do it with a silvery type grout? or maybe a bronze? or i could just stick w/ black and white for the uniformity of it. what's your idea on that? the space around the mirror is a good 5-6 inches and the mirror it's self is about 12x12.


As long as the weldbond is drying clear I don't see a problem. And depending on the look your after, the black or white grout would be nice, I'd stay away from the metalics (silver, bronze), but that's just me, you do what you like.  

.


----------



## Jinxie (Jun 13, 2007)

i can't figure out how to post pics yet, but i fooled around w/ some plaster of paris, a coaster mold i had, and after lots of bandaids, made a trio of coasters.

i'm currently doing the black/white thing I talked about. i painted a 10x14 piece of plywood a medium gray color, using the black/white stained glass scrap, along w/ some pieces of mirror I chopped up. I'll probably end up going w/ a white grout mixed w/ some fine powdery glitter, just to offset the darkness of the colors.

thanks for the ideas...granny I desperately want to try what you are currently doing, I have to get my hands on some bowling balls though lol. think I'm going to post on craigslist again and see if I can get lucky!


----------



## CraftyDiva (Aug 26, 2003)

If you have a bowling alley in your area, check with them. They replace the balls all the time and just throw the old ones out. You may be able to sweet talk the owner/manager into some freebies, or at least el cheapo.



.


----------

