I was asked to teach a class on making mosaic art frames. I had given a few as gifts years ago, and these friends of mine must have a long memory. I had glued and grouted different "junk" items on to a frame: letters of a name, keys, broken bits of mirror, rusty hardware (these were gifts for guys).
Fast forward ten years: I don't like to work that hard anymore. No grouting for me. I wanted a substance I could just smear on a bare wood frame and stick objects in it. I went to every major craft store and told them what I needed. No, no and no.
So I experimented with wood filler. The first brand I tried was "four times tougher than wood" so it stuck great (I had already known that it sticks great to fingers from previous projects.) But it had a horrible odor, and I need to keep as many brain cells as I can. Not to mention that it was chunky, and did not apply smoothly.
The second brand (Elmer's Wood Filler) did not knock you into next Tuesday when you smelled it. It was a little smoother, but I decided I didn't like the color. So I mixed a bit of flat black enamel into it. The I applied it about as thick as you would apply cream cheese to a bagel. WAA LA.
It colored great, and made it a great consistency. It also stuck like granite to the bare wood when dried (24-48 hours).
Next I gathered up jars of "junk" to take to the class.
Smooth rocks. Typewriter keys. Rusty keys...
Game pieces....
Bits of broken mirror. Beads. Hardware. Dice...
Shells. Jewelry with smooth backs.
A few people did mosaics on canvas and those turned out cool.
I think everyone had fun,
and as a special bonus my daughter-in-law attended!
The mosaics are stunning!! I love them so much. I've done a small amount of mosaic work (and I helped tile my floor), and I am not a big fan of grout either. The tinted wood filler seems like a fantastic alternative--looks REALLY good with this project. I'm feeling very inspired right now :) Thanks so much for linking up with Vintage Charm!
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