Tiling like crazy!

I started a new section of the mosaic!

Mosaic work has been a bit challenging this summer due to all of the rain! It takes time to put up tiles, and then the adhesive needs 24 hours to dry. If it rains in that time, tiles start to fall. Trust me, I've had lots of casualties this summer. So, I don't really enjoy looking at the weather forecast, but I do it out of necessity so as to lose as few tiles as possible.

Recently, I've been anxious to get out there and mosaic. It's so relaxing. Mosaicing is not hard work, its is comforting, creative, fun work. If you know me at all, you know that this is the only work I try to engage in in my life!

I checked the weather report this morning, and it showed sunny weather all day today and tomorrow. Whahooo! I've been out there working on the mosaic for 3 hours, and as soon as I finish this blog, I'm heading back out! The plan is to have a mosaic binge. Tile all day today, and grout all day tomorrow. Here's a picture of what I've got so far.

New section!

I started a new section of the mosaic today. It is hard to see in the picture because the light is really spotty - the trees are throwing shadows all over it, and the mirrors are always hard to capture in pictures as well. But, it was a good two hours of work, and I really enjoyed it. Today is such a gorgeous day! Working on the mosaic is a great reason to be outside. Tomorrow I'm hoping to grout this section. I have a voice over in the middle of the day, so we'll see how that works out.

Grouted and...grouted.

Today was so stunning. Oh the beautiful weather! I grouted and polished for 4 hours today and got the first section finished. The only thing I still have to do is re-paint some of the designs. I'm happy with this first section, although I was using it to work some of the bugs out of my technique. There is one small area where I didn't move fast enough and the grout dried on the faces of the tile. This part of the wall you can't even see from most of the yard though, so I'm not concerned. What fun! Ugh, el rust spot HAS to go soon.

Work.

Voice over work took over my day today. Three jobs all around the city left me no time for the mosaic. Oh well, perhaps tomorrow!

Gorgeous day for tiling.

Today was beautiful! I got the corner of the wall I've been working on completed, and I got a small start on one of the new walls. Before I can continue, I'll have to cut more mirror glass. Here's a picture of the progress. I'm hoping to get the grout on this wall done tomorrow. If I'm not too tired after that, I will cut mirror - provided I can find my glass cutter, which is currently MIA.

Have you been wondering what I will do with that ugly rusty metal panel on the wall? I've been wondering as well, and I'm open to suggestions. I can't tile over metal, but I was thinking I could paint it with oil based Rustoleum, and then maybe a poem? It is in the back of the yard, so it doesn't get seen much unless you're laying on the hammock. I figured I'd start with the wall that gets seen the least while I improve my mosaic technique. Anyway, I'm open to ideas - the rusty panel must go!

Not today.

Didn't get a chance to work on the mosaic today. Had a voice over in Harrisburg, so I spent a lot of the day driving to and from. However, the forecast for this week is now looking great until Friday! This means lots of time to work the next few days. I'm excited. Very excited.

Grout.

I not only had the wrong cement, I had the wrong sand! When I looked back over the instructions for mixing the grout, it says to use Portland white cement - type 1, and fine white sand. I had bought coarser sand, and didn't want to take any chances. There is rain in the forecast on and off til Saturday, and I really wanted to grout today, so I started calling all over to find what I needed. The cement was easy to find, but no one I called seemed to sell white sand - everyone had play sand, which is a little coarser and brown.

It was a beautiful day, so I decided to go over to the Magic Gardens to see if Isaiah was there. I asked him once if he ever took a day off, and he said definitively, "I take Sundays off." Well, when I asked him that, it was a Sunday, and he was working, so I suspect he rarely takes a day off. He was there today (Sunday) as well, and was mixing grout when I arrived. I'd brought some pictures of the mosaic to show him, and then asked him where to get the right cement and sand. He told me - it's a store on 15th and Washington, but they are closed . Unlike Isaiah, they actually do not work on Sundays. I was so disappointed. Then, Isaiah said he would give me what I needed. He gave me a 50 lb bag of white sand and half a bag of cement he had leftover, and I made a small donation to the Magic Gardens :)

I didn't get the whole thing grouted, but I did get a good portion done as you can see in the picture.