Creative Crafting

Posted January 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am in Crafters & Crafting

Inspired by a desire to find something productive to do with my spare time, I took a class in mosaic design. The class was a bit on the expensive side and I had to drive a ways to get there but it did serve to awaken an interest in mosaic crafting that had laid dormant in me for a long time. I had run the craft gauntlet from macramé to wasting perfectly good canvas with what resembled kindergarten finger painting! But whenever I saw a mosaic piece I was envious and would wonder; how do they do that?

I was admiring beautiful tile and glass crafted pieces that had the appearance of having taken years to complete. I don't know about you but I don't have that kind of patience, nor do I feel particularly blessed with creativity, so I had to wonder, could I do that? Never one to shy away from a challenge I decided to experiment with things I found just laying around the house, plain things that could use a good make-over and that I could use once I was finished. Something I could put a plant or candle in that would look great on the patio table. I had no other expectations (I don't work well under pressure), just a desire to see what I could do.

I was not about to invest a bunch of my hard earned money on a craft requiring special tools and expensive materials, especially since I already had a fair amount of cash invested in the mosaic class I took. So I decided to go my own way and try to develop a simpler style of crafting. Then, if later on, I wanted to get fancy I would have the confidence to take on more complicated craft projects. You have to learn how to walk before you can run. (A tired cliche but so true!) After much experimentation (over a five-year period) I developed a foolproof and easy way to master the basics of mosaic crafting. I refer to this method for beginners as Practical Mosaic and invite you to enter our virtual mosaic studio and pick up a few ideas. Find out for yourself how rewarding this craft can be.