Daisy, Daisy.




Aqua Daisy Mosaic Garden Metal Plant Support Stake

  


Aqua Daisy Mosaic with light shining through

 

I have been perfecting the design for these plant stakes for a while. I've come up with a decorative stake that is secure enough to be used practically too. The metal rod for the stake can be screwed into the bottom of the mosaic ball topper meaning the stake can be used at an angle without the mosaic top falling off as it could do if it was just perched on top. And it's lightweight enough not to fall over with it's own weight.

The pebble daisy design on the top is raised above the ball so the light comes through and really makes pebble colours shine. If you look at the stake from the side it looks a bit like a poppy seed head.






Blue Daisy Mosaic Garden Plant Support Stake





These plant support stakes come in two colour versions, the Aqua Daisy and the Blue Daisy, and would look great just to add interest and colour in a border or container, as well as being useful for holding back flopping plants. I have enjoyed 'engineering' this design.







Pastel Mosaic Daisy Bird Bath

 







I seem to have a thing about daisies at the moment because I've got my new folky daisies all over my banners and blog (not sure if the daisies down the sides of the blog are staying, I think they may be a bit distracting. I'll live with them for a bit because I like them, they remind me of vintage embroidered trim), and I've also got a Pastel Mosaic Daisy Bird Bath on my website and in my Folksy shop at the moment too.

I think I'm pining for the spring and summer. Not long now.

Folksy Handmade - Insects



Slate Mosaic Dragonfly Garden Decoration




This Folksy Friday has been inspired by my Slate Mosaic Dragonfly, which in turn was inspired by the Monthly Theme Challenge on the Folksy Forum. There's nothing not to like about that challenge. It gets you thinking laterally on a subject to start the creative juices flowing. Which usually leads to more ideas, like I ended up making a Slate Flower Pot Decoration, and I get a Folksy Friday theme too.

The dragonfly gave me the idea to collect together as many different insect as I could find (no spiders though, I hate spiders). As usual the lovely sellers on Folksy haven't let me down and there were loads of lovely bugs to choose from. Have a look at them all here -

*** Folksy Handmade - Insects ***

Goldfish and The Med.



Goldfish Pond Mosaic Garden Plant Pot



When I was painting the hearts on my denim patchwork style Bright Hearts pot I was painting an orange heart onto a blue background which gave me the idea to paint some goldfish onto a turquoise tile and have them swimming round the outside of a pot. So the Goldfish Pond Pot was created. I've added some pond grasses in matt and transluscent green, and some transluscent aqua tiles to add to the watery feel, and to add depth to the design. I think it would look great with something grassy sticking out of the top, giving the impression that the grasses are growing out of the water like reeds. It would definitely be a fun addition to the garden.






Mediterranean Hearts Mosaic Plant Pot


The other mosaic pot I've made was inspired in part by the glass hearts that are included. The colours of the hearts are aqua and mid green. They also have a very watery quality to them, so I created a tile pallete to compliment them and that, in turn, reminded me of the colours of the Mediterranean. So it became the Mediterranean Hearts Pot, which I think fits well. People always think fondly of The Med. With the terracotta of the pot as well it's got a really nice warm look to it. This pot would look really good with a Mediterraean type plant in it, like something with silver leaves, or a cactus or succulent, or a geranium. The plant and pot would then make a fab Mothers Day gift for a garden loving mum.

Wales, Slate, and Dragons (sort of).



Mosaic Dragonfly Slate Garden Decoration



February's Monthly Challenge theme on Folksy.com is Wales / St. David's Day. As luck would have it (again, my entry for last month was something I was creating anyway that happened to fit the theme), I had just got some slate to make another one of my Mosaic Dragonfly Slate Garden Decorations. It occured to me that the slate was perfect, with Welsh slate being world famous. It was only when I was typing up my description that the dragon bit struck me too. It's a bit of a cheat, but on the other hand, it is a dragon. Of sorts.

Here's the Pinterest board with all the entries so far - Folksy Monthly Challenge - the colours are fab. I love egg yolk yellow and tangerine orange.




Slate Mosaic Flower Pot Garden Hanging Decoration






I've added another piece of slate to my shop too. I happened to end up with a bit of slate that reminded me of a plant pot shape. So I chipped away at it to develop the shape and made it into a Slate Plant Pot Mosaic Hanging Garden Decoration by adding a rim to the top with some more slate, then decorating the front with an aqua glass heart surrounded by a pale aqua mosaic. The aqua glass heart stands proud of the mosaic so the light shines right through it from the side and makes it sparkle. I think it would look great hanging on a shed. All from a shard of slate that reminded me of a flower pot. Inspiration comes from allsorts, doesn't it.

Folksy Handmade - Natural Men



Peacock and Copper Mosaic Mirror, by JoSara



Ok, as promised last week, a collection of male Valentine gifts for this Folksy Friday. What do you get them? You can't get them things with hearts and roses all over them. So, I thought, the best thing would be something made of a natural material. There's something cosy, and warm about natural materials. I've chosen wood, leather, and wool. That's a very loving thing to give someone, something cosy and warm, isn't it?

That's my theory on what to get men for Valentines. And here's the selection -

*** Folksy Handmade - Natural Men ***

Folksy Handmade - Practical Valentine Roses



Retro Roses Mosaic Garden Bird Bath



I had to do a Valentine Folksy Friday collection sometime, so I'm doing it this week so the ideas are there, ready for the January payday (that's been a long time coming, huh).

If I'm honest, I don't really do Valentine's Day. My other half is quite pleased. It means he doesn't have to fork out on inflated priced flowers. I've never really gone in for having bunches of flowers given to me. I'd rather have a plant (which will be cheaper than a bunch of flowers), or even a packet of seeds. Then I can grow the flowers for myself, a load more than a bunch worth too. That's much more practical. Like my Retro Roses Mosaic Bird Bath. You're giving roses, so there's the romantic bit, yet you're also giving a useful wildlife present that'll last for years too, the practical bit.





Retro Roses Mosaic Garden Bird Bath







So, there's the theme of this week's Folksy Friday. It's Roses for Valentine's Day. But, it's roses with a use, not roses that will wither within a week.

All the items picked you can either use or wear and have a rose design, a rose theme, or are rose coloured. Plus there are a few DIY kits too. A perfect gift for the Valentine that loves crafting. See the other ideas here -

*** Folksy Handmade - Practical Valentine Roses ***

(P.S. This is clearly a list of gifts for females, I will be looking into male gifts next week.)

Folksy Handmade - Denim



Bright Hearts Mosaic Garden Plant Pot



I have been experimenting with handpainting colour on pattern again, and I've come up with this Bright Hearts Mosaic Plant Pot. I wanted a random pattern of colourful hearts on a muted mixed background. The blues were perfect as a base for the orange, yellow and magenta hearts.

It was only when the pot was finished that I realised it reminded me a bit of denim patchwork. And there was the inspiration for this week's Folksy Friday collection, which has been added to January's board. Click the link below to see the new items -

***Folksy Handmade - Denim ***

Folksy Handmade - Exotic / Wildflower Collection



Peacock Eye Mosaic Garden Bird Bath

 


I am going to do a regular Folksy Friday (a themed collection of handmade items for sale on Folksy.com).

I think the way I will manage this (as I have tried various other ways of doing a photo gallery), is to make a Pinterest board for each month and add to it. As I've missed one Folksy Friday this January, I will make it up and do a double-themed Folksy Friday today.

The first list of items has been inspired by my two latest bird baths designs, Blue Paisley, and Peacock Eye which have unintentionally gone in a kind of exotic looking direction. So I've collected together a few other items that have an exotic look to them. Check out the Pinterest board here -

*** Folksy Handmade - Exotic ***



Sky Blue Primrose Mosaic Garden Plant Pot

The second list is themed on Wildflowers. I made this handpainted primrose flowers mosaic pot because the weather was so mild at the start of the week, and it was starting to feel like spring. Unfortunately it doesn't feel much like spring anymore, but it's not far away. So here's a little look forward to spring (and summer) -

*** Folksy Handmade - Wildflowers ***

Exotic Blue Paisley. Perfect for a Scottish theme.



Blue Paisley Mosaic Garden Bird Bath




Blue Paisley Mosaic Garden Bird Bath


There's a monthly competition started in the forum on Folksy.com with a theme to fit an item to. Bizarrely I was making this bird bath because the pebbles I used on my peacock bird bath also inspired me to make a paisley pattern with them because they are slightly kidney shaped, and the paisley pattern fitted January's competition theme - Scotland (inspired by Burns Night) - perfectly.

There's a Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Chittah-Chattah-Monthly-Challenge/272597522803131, and a Pinterest board -  http://pinterest.com/JoSara/folksy-monthly-theme-challenge/ - where you can see the entries getting listed as they get made. It's just a bit of fun, and to get the creative juices going. It'll be interesting to see how everyone interprets the theme with their own style. Keep popping back to see the updated albums.

New Year. New Ideas. New Designs.



Peacock Eye Mosaic Garden Bird Bath

 Here we are then, 2012.  Funny how a change in the date can kick start your mind. I feel all enthused, and I've got loads of ideas for items to make this year. Or, attempt to make in some cases, I'm not entirely sure how to make some of the mind's eye items into reality. All part of the fun of designing though.



Peacock Eye Mosaic Garden Bird Bath


My first item I've made this year was inspired by some glass pebbles that I've got. I was playing around with combinations of them when I suddenly put them into an order that reminded me of a peacock feather's eye. That then turned into creating a pallete of other colours on that theme. That then turned into arranging the design. That then turned into the Peacock Eye Mosaic Garden Bird Bath.

The design juices are flowing again.