Unique Home or Garden Hanging Decorations

Three Bees and Nectar Bee hearts mosaic hanging decoration

I've also been making a selection of hanging decorations that can be used in the home or garden. Lots of bees and butterflies to brighten up a wall or fence. These bees all have iridescent wings that shine with metallic colours when the light catches them. There's the Nectar Bee heart with bumblebees heading towards a shining amber drop and the Three Bees have similar backgrounds to the hearts with a greens and pale pink Abstract Garden background, there's the creams and beige Honeycomb background and a turquoise ombre background on the Three Bees and shades of sky blues on the heart.

Cloud of Butterflies Mosaic Hanging Heart

There's also the Clouds of Butterflies hearts with iridescent, matt and translucent butterflies making lovely palettes of colour to hang in the home or garden.

Butterflies and Daisies Mosaic Hanging Decoration

More butterflies can be found on the Butterflies and Daisies decoration, with each daisy having a mini millefiori daisy at it's centre and the butterflies having iridescent wings.

Mini Holly Wreath and Winter Holly Hearts

And finally, as it's getting to that time of year, there's some Mini Holly Wreaths and some Holly Winter hearts all with iridescent, matt and traslucent leaves and raised red berries all on a cracked, icy white background.

Beautiful Blue Sky

Beautiful Blue Sky Mosaic Hanging Plaque

This is a design that I first made on a bird bath, but it was crying out to go onto a wall plaque, and I got commissioned to make it into one, so here it is. Think it's come out quite well.

More Bees (and Butterflies)!

Bees, Butterflies & Dragonflies

Following the Bees in Blossom and Bees in Blue Daisies, the next Bees Bird Bath is the Bees, Butterflies & Dragonflies. I like the way this design has come out. It has a fabric design look to it, which I always say my designs tend to either look like fabric, or ceramic designs.

Cloud of Butterflies / Butterflies & Daisies Hearts

The other new designs are these two butterfly hearts, the Cloud of Butterflies, and Butterflies & Daisies. I think these have the fabric look too. The Cloud of Butterflies is a nice one to make because I get to create a large palette of butterfly colours and mixing colours for designs is one of my favourite things.



All of these are already sold, but all could be recreated on request. Either email me with the design name on jo@josara.co.uk or come and find me on Facebook and message me there.

Bee & Butterfly Cafe Signs

Bee & Butterfly Mini Mosaic Garden Cafe Sign (comes with bee & butterfly flower seeds)

Now available on my website, mini Bee & Butterfly Mosaic Cafe Signs, complete with bee and butterfly flower seeds to 'open' your garden cafe.

Gift Sets

New to my website, a couple of gift sets for garden and wildlife lovers. The first is the Bee Lover's Gift Set which includes a mosaic heart with a bumblebee decoration that you can hang in the garden, and a bee on a daisy mosaic coaster for you to rest a tipple on while you watch the bees visiting the garden. Both of the mosaics are made on slate bases so are suitable for all year garden use, and both the bees have iridescent metallic shine on their wings. There are also 3 hand-stamped envelopes with a pinch of bee friendly plant seeds so you can use containers or a small garden border to create a lovely display that the bees can enjoy too. And all these items come in a honeycomb cell shape box which would be great to use to store the seeds collected from the plants you grow.

There is also the Owl Lover's Gift Set which includes the owl bird bath and an owl bird feeder for all your garden birds' needs.

Mosaic Bumblebee Bee Hanging Heart Decoration

Daisy and Forget-Me-Not Mosaic Bumblebee Hanging Hearts

Been really busy over the last month, so the blog posts have been a bit sparse. If you want to keep up with new makes and new ideas that I've got, the best way is to follow me on Facebook - josaradesign - I also show new things I've made on there first and my page followers get first chance to buy them too.

Like these Bee Hearts, a daisy version and a forget-me-not version too. All sold out now, but when I make some more you'll see them on Facebook first.

Solitary Bee Houses for the Bees, and You

Des Res Mosaic Garden Solitary Bee House

As I've got a lot of solitary bees using my bee houses this year I thought I'd make them some posh houses to use, that are totally practical for them, but are also a nice bit of colour and design for you to look at too. The first one I've called the Des Res Solitary Bee House and it has a slate roof with a mosaic design of a bee against blue skies on both sides. The wooden tube is painted in pale sky blue with a white face. The tube is totally handmade and is specifically cut to be the exact size to hold the perfect length of tube for one solitary bee to make one whole nest in one tube. The bee will lay an egg at the far end, then gather some pollen to leave in with the egg (so the baby bee has something to eat when it hatches), then the bee creates a chamber for that egg using either a piece of leaf, if it's a Leaf Cutter Bee, or a plug of mud, if it's a Red Mason Bee. It'll repeat that process right up to the end of the tube where it'll plug the end and you'll know there's a nest in the tube and which bee made it. Fascinating.

Coastal Mosaic Garden Solitary Bee House

The second version of the posh bee houses is called Coastal Solitary Bee House. This one has a fully mosaiced striped roof using the colours of the coast with sea blues and greens, and sky blues, and pastel painted wood. All the bamboo canes are removeable from both designs so when the nests have hatched in spring, the tubes can be replaced. You can buy exact size replacements, or you can cut some yourself, ready for the bees looking to make their new nests in late spring / early summer.

Mosaic Garden Ball Sphere Decoration Ornaments

Mosaic Garden Ball Sphere Decoration Ornaments

I've made a couple of new garden ball decorations using some bird bath designs. The first is a Canal Folk Roses one which is a lovely bright design to add colour to a border. The other ball is the Daisy Bee and has a design with a combination of bird bath motifs on it, including daisies in 2 sizes, a bee, and mini butterflies. Another one that would look great in a container, or on a patio as part of a pot display.

Water Lily and Mini Bee Garden Mosaic Spheres

Water Lily Mosaic Garden Ball

I made my first garden sphere ever recently and straight away I had the urge to make another one in a different design, then the butterflies are joined by bees, on large and on mini balls too. It's gone sphere mad round here.

The Water Lily Pond Ball has two goldfish, two dragonflies with iridescent wings, and white water lily flowers all on a jade green background. It would look really great next to a pond. Or it would be great if you can't have a pond in your garden as a replacement.

Bees and Butterflies on Mosaic Garden Spheres

A couple of designs I have made for customers are variations of the original butterfly ball with bees added too.

Mini Bee Mosaic Garden Spheres

And these are the mini balls with a single bumblebee on which are very cute, and great as plant markers or to use in a container as decoration.

If you've seen anything you like, you can always message me on Facebook and I'll see if I can make what you're after.

Bumblebees in Blossom Mosaic Hanging Heart

Large Bumblebees in Blossom Mosaic Hanging Heart

Mini Bumblebee in Blossom Mosaic Heart

I think spring is springing. I saw my first bumblebee of the year a few days ago and I got all inspired to make some hanging hearts using my mosaic bumblebees. Two sizes, large and mini, and both are made to commission. This is a bit different to made to order, because the made to order designs I have the materials set aside for so when the order comes in I can make straight away. With the made to commission designs, I may not have all the materials to make in stock so will order in anything I need. I'm running a Made to Commission album on Facebook, which will have all the designs in it with the sizes and use info, and the way to order anything in that album will be to message me on Facebook to let me know which on you're interested in, then I can send you a price and a making time too.

Commissions

A couple of commissions that I've done recently. This first one was to design a new heart hanging strand with 3 insects on to match a butterfly set that the customer already had. I knew I'd put the bee and dragonflies on because I use them a lot in my work, but I had to create something new. So I made the ladybirds and painted on the fiddly decoration that I could never make with mosaic. They look great.

This second commission was for a door plaque to compliment the customers lovely stained glass door panel in her new house. Not something I usually do because I like to come up with completely unique to me designs. This was borrowing from another design. But I think I've put my own stamp on it with the leaf shape background.

Mosaic Bee Coaster

Mosaic Bee Coaster

The mosaic bees have flown onto this fab selection of coasters. These can be used indoors out outside in the garden as all materials are weatherproof. The bees have iridescent wings that shine with metallic magenta and blue. They are great decorative items that are practical too. Find them on my website - JoSara.co.uk

Mosaic Bumblebee with Olive Frame

I've decided to add a bit more home decor to my range so I've created two mosaic bumblebees in hand painted frames. The frames have a lovely muted olive green slightly distressed finish. The bees have iridescent wings that shine with metallic gold and magenta, and they are surrounded by two shades of sky blue tiles. I really like the proportion of frame to mosaic, and the distressing and subtle colours give a lovely finished look to them.

Three Bee Mosaic Garden Bird Bath

Three Bees Mosaic Garden Bird Bath

This latest bird bath design has come about through me wanting to use my bumblebee mosaic within a bird bath design. And wanting the design to have a slight fabric style to it. So the result is this Three Bee design. It's a very calming design with the colours used, and the circles, and flow of the design drawing the eye around it. It would make a great gift for anyone with a wildlife garden.

Bee Heart Mosaic Garden Decoration

Bee Heart Mosaic Garden Decoration

Bee Heart Mosaic Garden Decoration

This garden ornament is great for anyone that loves bees. The mosaic heart has a pale lilac background, and is edged with lavender. The reverse is painted purple to match. The mosaic bee has iridescent wings that shine with metallic gold and magenta, and there are two translucent amber glass gems finishing the design.

To complete the bee-lover package, this ornament comes with a mini packet of seeds for a plant whose flowers are good for attracting bees to the garden. You could even hang this decoration near the plants to create a bee corner.

Bees and Dragonflies

It's been very busy over the last few weeks. I reckon the change in weather to something looking a bit more like summer has got people thinking more about their gardens. Or it could be the Springwatch effect, which gets people thinking more about their garden birds. My own garden birds have been using my bird baths daily. I usually have to top them up in the evening so they've got water for the next day's bathing.

Had a nice order from a garden designer that was making a Japanese themed garden. I hadn't made the bird baths she chose with a Japanese pattern in mind, but when I put them together ready to pack them I could see why she chose them. Funny how different people see different things. Interesting too. I've also been working on a commission for a museum shop in The Highlands. They're now stocking a nice selection of bees and dragonflies. The lady that ordered them was so happy with them that she was the first purchaser of a slate. That's a compliment.

The selection in my shops is a bit low now, so I'm currently working on topping up with a few new designs. Keep an eye on JoSara.co.uk for them being added very soon. And be quick if you like any of them. They aren't hanging around long at the moment, and some of the designs may well be one offs.

Mosaic Bee and Daisies Slate Garden Decoration

Mosaic Bee and Daisy Flower Slate Garden Decoration

Mosaic Bumblebee with iridescent wings

The latest listing to my shop is this mosaic bumblebee with rose pink daisies on a purple slate paddlestone. The bee's wings are iridescent so shine with metallic colours in certain light angles. And the daisy flowers have translucent mauve glass centres to match the plum slate. This decoration would look great placed in a bee border, or near a plant that the bees love. The help you along, this decoration comes with a packet of bee flower seeds.

Purple Bee Log House

Purple Bee Log House

Purple Bee Log House

I wanted to try and create a contemporary looking bee home. I came up with an idea to make a stylised 'log' shape to hold bamboo canes in, and I've created the Purple Bee Log House. The depth of the log means the canes are nice and long so the bees can get right in to lay their eggs in their chambers and they are safely away from the entrance. This house is designed for mason bees who are solitary bees (meaning they don't live in communal groups like honey bees in a hive). They are also non-aggressive bees, so they are perfectly safe to have around in the garden. The bees will lay their eggs in the cane, then block the entrance hole up to keep their growing youngsters safe until they emerges in spring.

Purple Bee Log House

One of the worst things that can happen to the eggs over winter is getting wet. The canes have been set back inside the log to give them an overhang of protection from the wood surrounds. The bee log needs to be sited facing as close to south as possible so that should protect it further from the prevailing winter weather. If the weather is really bad, the log can be taken down and stored somewhere dry and put back out in early spring when the young bees will hatch out. There are plenty of gaps in between the canes which could be used by ladybirds and lacewings to overwinter too. All in all, loads of beneficial insects could benefit from this log house, and your garden could benefit from free aphid eaters, and fruit, veg, and flower pollinators to give you a bumper crop and a great flower display.

Wildlife Mosaic

I've created a couple more of my mosaic Dragonfly and Bee designs. This time on some fab slate paddlestones. The colours of the slate really come out when they are wet. The purple slate becomes a gorgeous dark plum. The grey slate becomes mottled with a pastel green. They look really good. The mosaic dragonfly has misty grey wings with pastel pink, blue and green in some light angles. But when the light catches them just right they shine with metallic blue, magenta and gold. The bee has translucent blue wings that shine electric blue and gold.



Folksy Handmade - Honey, Bees

The trees are getting their leaves, and the blossom is opening too. The bees will be getting busy pollinating the fruit and flowers. So this Folksy Friday is all about bees, and honey. I've got bumblebees, honey bees, beehives, honey coloured goodies, honey smelling goodies, and even a goodie to eat honey with. (Shop link menu under gallery, and ongoing Pinterest board link below.)

*** Folksy Handmade - Honey, Bees ***



Top Row (Left to Right) -
Hadrian's Wall Honey and Goats Milk Soap, by Oakwood Soaperie
Honey Scented Candle, by Mr Underwood's
Honey Bee Carnelian Glass and Gold Dangle Earring, by Green Bosque by Sally
Middle Row (Left to Right) -
Bee Photograph, by Claireberries Photgraphy
Beehive Lavender Bag, by Hattifers Hand Sewn Gifts
Shades of Honey, by The Moody Mouse
Bottom Row (Left to Right) -
Wooden Beehive Boxes, by RJF Turning
Honey Dipper, by Bodrighy Wood
Honey-Gold Czech Glass Bead Necklace, by Bonny Lass