Hi everyone,

The new daisy table has been uploaded! So for all of you in the northern hemisphere who would like to brighten up their gardens this spring, this is the perfect project for you. www.mosaicpatternsonline.com

The pattern has 3 different sizes as promised:
50cm (19.7 inches),
75cm (29.5 inches)
and 1 metre (39 inches) in diameter.

I have to say I learnt a lot in this project. The first being the quality of tiles that you buy... I used glass tiles, the type they use in pools. What I didn't realise, is that the surface of the tiles weren't smooth. They are quite pitted. This is a nightmare when you are trying to clean off grout! Two days worth of nightmare, but, I think I found a solution... Matt or gloss polyurethane clear varnish. If your tiles aren't of the best quality, try varnishing them before you grout, and if you want give the table a good coat afterwards.

The second really important lesson I learnt is mixing grout colour. Always remember if white grout is your base, then any colour you mix is going to be a tint of that colour and never as dark as you imagined it. The trick is to mix up some samples using different colour grouts as your base, i.e. light grey grout with blue acrylic paint would probably work a lot better than white grout with blue acrylic paint.

For any of you that have made any of the patterns free or otherwise, please send a picture :-)


take care and regards,
Kirsty Fletcher

If anyone would like to unsubscribe or ask any questions, send a mail to kirsty@mosaicpatternsonline.com.

Hi everyone,

Well February has come and gone and I've been thinking long and hard about what to write. I've come up with a couple of topics that I'll discuss in this newsletter:

As you can see, I've almost finished the daisy table.

This is for you Paul. I hope you like it! Please note, the picture you see is ungrouted, I will send a picture of the finished piece as soon as it's done.

This pattern has worked out so well, I have decided to create three different sizes in the patterns - so you can either make an enormous table or a little one, just for two. I used the normal coloured glass tiles which makes the piece really cost effective. This pattern will be availabe for sale next week. So it's just in time for summer.

I've found the the friendliest mosaic group online. Mosaic-addicts is run by Sandy Robertson. She's a mosaic teacher based in Australia. Her work is inspirational and the questions posted are always answered.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mosaic_addicts/.

If you want to join, sign up for a yahoo account and then follow this link and apply. It's quite simple. With yahoo, you can also upload pictures of your work so that others can see it and give you constructive criticism (which really translates into positive feedback from everyone!). If you're serious about mosaicing, joining an online group can really help you from the perspective of being able to chat with other like-minded people.

People always ask me "What can you mosaic on?" It's really quite simple. Anything as long as it's a hard surface that isn't too flexible. So plastic pots are out, but terracotta pots are perfect. Glass, ceramic, walls and wood, the list is quite long.

If you mosaic onto any kind of wood, your only consideration is that it should be thick enough. So, the bigger the piece, the thicker the wood. Another thing to always remember, any surface that can absorb water has to be sealed. If you are mosaicing onto chipboard, plywood or any other porous surface, SEAL it!

Lastly, for all of you who have made a piece from the patterns, please send me a picture. I would like to upload it to our gallery.

Any questions, give me a shout at kirsty@mosaicpatternsonline.com and if you would like to unsubscribe, just send me a mail.

Regards,
Kirsty Fletcher