Fiesta Ripples Mosaic Mirror

I have been experimenting again with building up my own tile colours, and I came up with a colour range that has made a great new colour version for my Ripple Mirror collection.

Folksy Metallics

Following my discovery of creating my own colours on my mosaic tiles, including giving them a metallic finish, and then creating my Copper Verdigris Mirror, I've put together a Pinterest board full of metallic items found on Folksy.com. There's some very opulent looking items to be found here -

Folksy Metallics

Ripples Mirror

This is my latest mosaic mirror, it's called Ripples Shades of Blue and Green. It was inspired by the colour of the stain on the wooden frame base, which reminds me of faded beach huts, which reminds me of water, which reminds me of my ripples pattern that I've used before. This time I've only got 2 parts of the mirror with the mosaic on and I've left the middle section of the frame as the bare stained wood. I really like the effect. It reminds me of all sorts of things. Butterfly wings, carnival fans, as well as the watery ripples I was originally going for.

Subconsciously Designing

I just listed a large Raspberry Red and Aqua bauble which is the latest design in my Christmas range. It was only when it was listed in my shop that I realised where I'd got the colour combination, and design, from.

The item listed next to the bauble was this vintage ribbon that I listed a few days ago. The colours are nearly exactly the same. I think I must have even thought to put the holly design on the bauble from this ribbon pattern too.

Funny how things influence you without you really realising it. It just goes to show how mood boards, and Pinterest can help visually inspire you with colour pallettes.

My new favourite thing.

Ive said before in previous blogs that I love to create colour combination and patterns. But sometimes I was restricted by the colours of tiles available. Well, I've found a new way to create new and interesting colour effects on my mosaics. It involves adding colours in a layered effect to give a really different finish to the tile. I am in a whole new world of experimentation now. This mirror is the first item I've listed that has this technique used on it. It has peacock blues and green, greens and golds, and a copper verdigris finish. Keep an eye on my website or my Folksy shop for more coming soon.

Christmas?? Already??

That's what I thought when I saw people on the craft forums saying that they'd started making items for Christmas in July. But, then it dawned on me. Folksy's listing time is 6 months. To get the full benefit of that for a Christmas item you want it to run down, ideally, on the last posting date for Christmas delivery. That would mean listing Christmas things around June time. I couldn't do that. That would seem very odd. I'm just about coping with listing Christmas things in August. Truth be told, I was always a bit annoyed at shops that started putting their Christmas displays up in September. I really like Christmas, but to stretch it out over 4 months made the actual November/December run in seem a bit familiar, rather than building the excitement.

So, my dilemma, do I list some Christmas things to get value for money, but risk putting off people who think it's a bit too early? Or do I leave it until later in the year when there's less time for the items to be spotted? In the end I decided I'll start listing now. I have held back on advertising the fact on Facebook for the mo. I've got some non-crafting followers and I don't think they'd appreciate Christmas tinsel and baubles splattered all over their walls in August. (Actually, I think I might advertise on Twitter because I'm sure they are all crafter on there, so they'll understand.) And there's nothing Christmasy about my shop at the mo, apart from a new Christmas section with a couple of home/garden use mosaic ornaments in it, so it's not too 'in your face'. I'll gradually top up that section over the next few weeks, and advertise it on Facebook in a few more weeks. I'll add a Christmas section to my website at that time too. Problem solved. People who like Christmas can hunt down the items subtley placed in my Folksy Shop. People who like Christmas to start in the winter are non-the-wiser, at the mo.

I'm actually really enjoying thinking up designs for decorations. There are two versions of the bauble decorations that I've listed. The richly coloured bauble, Gold Star Dust, with shades of brown as a background has a gold-dusted effect, and jewel colour tiles with shiny gold stars on them. The pastel coloured version, Silver Star Dust, has a silver-dusted effect and darker tiles to show the shiny silver stars.

Keep an eye on my shop for more additions, if you don't mind Christmas coming early.