Mosaic Jewelry Box

Happy Monday Everyone. This is a project I did a while back. The top of this jewelry box had seen better days and was a perfect candidate for a mosaic project. Sometimes referred to as Pique Assiette, using broken pottery shards to make a mosaic project is fun and not all that complicated.

Supplies
dishes (try to find smaller ceramic plates with flower motifs)
tile nippers
large clear plastic bag
clear silicone caulk and caulk gun
Popsicle sticks
rags
sanded grout
plastic bowl
rubber spatula
sponge
rubber gloves


I don't like to smash my dishes with a hammer because you don't have any control over how the pieces break. I place my dish inside a large plastic bag and use my tile nippers to start nipping the plate down. When I first used the nippers I was clumsy, but with practice I learned how to point and hold the nippers on the plate to get the nip in the direction I wanted. I suggest nipping on a practice dish first to get an idea of what you are doing before you start nipping your heirloom china. My first nip is an attempt to get the plate to nip in half. I remove one half and keep the other half in the bag. I continue to nip and remove pieces until I have a manageable size to start nipping into tiles. I continue to nip, dry fitting my pieces as I go until I have covered my surface to my liking. Next, I use the clear silicone to glue all of my pieces. This is messy so keep a damp rag handy to clean and goofs as you work. I use a caulk gun and place a generous amount of silicone on a paper plate. I use a Popsicle stick to butter the back of my tile and place it on my surface. When I have completely covered my surface with my tiles I clean off and excess caulk and let it dry. I like to wait 48 hours before I grout the piece. The grouting process is fun, but again very messy. Completely cover your work area with newspaper. It is hard to gauge how much grout you will need for a project. I prefer to mix more than I will need as opposed to not mixing enough. I use an old plastic bowl to mix my grout in. I add enough water to get the consistency of cake batter. Once the grout is mixed you need to let it sit for ten minutes. I use this time to gather any additional supplies I might need. I apply the grout using a rubber spatula, making sure I get in every groove, scraping my spatula in different angles and directions. After the grout has been applied, I wait an additional ten minutes to let the grout sit up. Then, I use a damp sponge to start cleaning off the excess grout from the tiles. Next I use a dry paper towel to clean off the top of the tiles. Once the grout has completely cured seal the grout with a grout sealer. Now sit back and admire your new work of art.

Oh, one more thing, I wanted to tell you I have been featured on another blog. I am so very honored. Please visit, read the post and comment here.

Recycle, Reimagine, Repurpose, Reuse...............

Keep On Junking
Nora