Thursday, 27 October 2011

A Mosaic Christmas (Part 2)



Fiesta Mosaic Christmas Bauble Decoration



The next two sets of baubles in my mosaic decoration range have been listed. The first ones are using the colours I've used before, and I call the pallete Fiesta. The colours are all handpainted onto the tiles using combinations of magenta, red, orange, and gold.











 


Peacock Mosaic Christmas Bauble Decoration



The second set I've called Peacock, because the palette I've used remind me of the colours you'd find in a peacock feather - blue, green, turquoise, aqua, and copper. Some of the tiles are handpainted to give me the shades that I wanted.

Both of the sets of baubles are finished in grey grout. and both sets are suitable for interior or exterior use. In fact, they don't have to just be used for the festive season. These baubles would look great in the garden all year round. Either hanging up, or as a collection in a bowl on a table.

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

A Mosaic Christmas (Part 1)


Mosaic Stained Glass Look Christmas Baubles


Mosaic Stained Glass Effect Christmas Ornament
 I've been re-inspired to make some more mosaic Christmas ornaments. This is the first batch of finished ones. My Mosaic Stained Glass Look Christmas Decorations. The tiles are a combination of plain colour, and handpainted layers to give me the exact combinations I wanted. The colours used in the baubles are red, magenta, green, blue, turquoise, orange, yellow with a transluscent gold glaze, and a totally gold tile colour. The grout has been overpainted with black paint to show the tile colours off, and to give the stained glass look. Perfect for Christmas.

These Christmas ornaments can used indoors or outside in the garden, as all the materials used are weatherproof.

Keep an eye on my handmade shop, or website, for more mosaic decorations following very soon. Or follow me on Facebook, or Twitter for updates.

All the links you need are over here  ---------------------->

Friday, 14 October 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - For Men


Retro Badge Style Mosaic Bird Bath


This is another collection of items from Folksy.com. that's I've collated together onto a Pinterest board. This time I was looking for gift ideas for the men. I was thinking it might be a difficult task as I've seen people say they struggle to find things on the site for men. But, actually, there are loads of things for the fellas.

Subsequently, this list is quite big, and has a range of styles and prices. I hope you find something to inspire you here - 



***

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Office

A Pinterest board of gift ideas featuring handmade items from Folksy.com, for accessorising a desk, or office.

I've tried to select a mix of items, from established and newer sellers. Some things on the board would suit a male, and some are more for a female. I've also gone for a range items that would fit in a casual office, or items for a more professional style. There's a wide variety of prices too, so hopefully you'll find something of interest.



***


Thursday, 29 September 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Gardeners


Just add a bow


Possibly another series of blogs starting here. I may add more in the run up to Christmas.

This first one was an obvious choice for me, because my shop is full of things for the garden (which is why I've sneaked a few of my own items in), and I'm drawn to other interesting garden items too. I collected up a selection of from Folksy and realised that it was going to be a very large list. So, what I thought I would do was split the items into Rustic and Contemporary boards, and depending on what style of garden the person you're buying for has got, you'd be able to choose from that list. Although, as it turns out, the colours in both lists are quite similar, and you could easily mix and match from both lists.


So, here you go. With a price range to suit everyone. Unique gift idea for any gardener, or just a treat for yourself and your own garden -


Thursday, 22 September 2011

Homewares - Red White and Grey

This is a blog that I am probably going to turn into a series. I have been scouring Folksy for handmade home items that match a colour theme. The first palette I've chosen is Red, White, and Grey.

I've found some really lovely things. Hopefully you'll agree. I've pinned them all onto a Pinterest board here -

Folksy Homeware - Red, White and Grey

Take a peek if you've got a mo.

Jo : )

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Moonlight Ripples


A slight change of shades of colours used in my Ripple bird bath design, and I've got a whole new mood and feel to this one.

With the slightly darker shades, and the lighter pebble it's got a feel of the moon, and moonlight being reflected into water.

I love creating this Ripple range, although it's a fairly simple design, the ripples mean I have quite a large palette to work with, and each finished item has a completely unique feel to it.

Friday, 16 September 2011

Slate, and it's many uses.

I've been on the hunt for some nice pieces of slate to add my mosaic to. I found a fantastic piece of purple slate, that was perfect for one of my mosaic dragonflies. It's got grey marbling through it, so the grey iridescent tiles that I use for my dragonfly work really well with it. And the shape of the slate couldn't be better. It's got a lovely smooth surface, and it's slightly angled upwards to a point. So the dragonfly's wings are angled up to the light which means the iridesence shines.

It would be great in the garden to add colour to a border, or by a pond, or on a patio, or on a deck, or in a pot.....






The other piece of slate that I got was a smaller piece that I was originally thinking I would use as a paperweight. You still could. But when I turned it over, I found the natural split that it had in it. I tested a giftcard in it, and found it would make quite a good letter rack. Or it would actually make quite a good door stop as it's slightly wedge-shaped too. Or you could use it in the garden as an ornament all the materials are frostproof. The daisy colours were chosen because there is a tan colour on top of the grey slate, and the colours tie in perfectly.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Building a design.


The idea for this bird bath came from the amber glass nuggets that I've just bought. They reminded me of flower centres with a drop of water on them. So, first, I had to choose a petal colour . I chose cream because with the amber they made a really nice, vintage-fabric-look, daisy flower. Next was the background tile choice. I decided sky blue would blend in really nicely, and set off the flowers without overpowering them, or the flowers becoming too bold either. Finally, a border choice. I could have continued with sky blue around the edge too, but I wanted to keep the blue and the flowers as the central design, so I 'framed' it with terracotta to blend in with the terracotta saucer base.

The finished bird bath has a lovely country-rustic feel to it. And it all came from the amber glass nuggets creating an idea.

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Creating a mood through colour and design.



This Faded Blue and Green Circle mirror has a very calming feel about it. I think that's partly due to the mosaic being circular, which means your eye just travels around it without any harsh angles disrupting it. Also the colour palette used is very muted, and gives an almost sun-bleached effect which makes me think of beach huts, the sky, and the sea. All very calming images. Finally the faded blue/grey woodstain on the mirror frame means it adds to the faded, sun-bleached feel. Colours and design creating a feeling and mood.