Mosaics are a big thing around here. If I suddenly get inspired and can glue ceramic pieces to a surface, watch out, it’s getting some mosaics. When Fathers day rolled around, I finally decided to make my husband a gift of a brown trout out made out of mosaics to hang on our deck wall outside. It’s a project I’ve been meaning to do for him, and needless to say, he was very surprised.
To start the project, I neede a decent sized base. One day at the thrift store, I saw a giant metal plate. I thought it would be perfect for this piece. For outdoor pieces, I recommend metal or stone bases. Wood tends to not weather well, causing a lot of cracking in the grout on top of it. The issue with metal is its slick surface. So you need to rough up the surface with some steel wool and use silicone glue for adhering your pieces. As far as what I used as mosaics, I did a combo of broken plates, traditional square mosaic bits, jewelry beads (especially for the dots on the brown trout fish) and leftover stained glass scraps a friend of mine gave me. Beads are great fun, and you can find some great inspiration in the clearance bins at the craft stores.
You can use anything, really, to mosaic an outdoor piece, as long as it isn’t porous. Wooden beads would not work, but glass, plastic and ceramic work great.
Below is a how-to video I created so you can create some mosaic wall art for your favorite person! I have a few mosaic projects on my youtube channel so check them out. I really want to teach others how easy and creative this craft can be. It really makes your outdoor space quite unique. And when you offer one as a gift, it’s something that comes from the heart and lasts a long time.
So go get that hammer and start breaking some plates!
It’s cheaper than therapy.
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