Pussy Cat Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been???

This was one of a pair of cats I originally bought a number of years ago.  The first was tiled using a gold and red theme.  I had originally intended to do something similar with the second.  However, other projects took priority at the time and this other cat has been sitting around ever since.  Only recently have I had a go at giving it some life as intended; though the colour scheme and design is quite different from the first.

I'm utilising a mostly silver and purple mirror colour scheme with highlighted steaks in red mirror.  It's a theme I've used before but not for a long time.  I am using silicon glue this time which is far more flexible when it comes to fixing tiles.  I will certainly be using a darker grout than usual but have not decided on the type.  I may go for the glitter grout I have been using so often lately or smooth  anthracite.  The latter is more suitable for use outdoors; however I have used the glitter on small outdoor projects before now.

As well as the above cat I have also being working on more glass gem mosaics which can be seen below:

This was a silver metal bin which I thought would look impressive with glass gems attached.  The idea here, and with other similar projects, is that the gems and the reflective substrate reflects light back but in a multitude of colours.  I didn't do the lid as it may have made it too heavy to allow the opening mechanism to function properly.  Perhaps lighter weighted tiles could be utilised here?

The next image shows three picture frames which I decorated with coloured glass gems.  The frames had mirror surrounds making them perfect for the effect I had in mind.

New Homeware Mosaics

A slightly different sort of mosaic art going on here.  Just a bit restricted as to what materials I can use where I am at the mo, so I had to improvise with what was available.  Although designs started out as somewhat basic, I learned new and more intricate techniques alone the way.

Since they are quite easy to obtain I began using glass gems to mosaic with, mainly on clear vases at first, but lately have been applying them to shiny or painted surfaces as the effect through the glass can be quite radiant when in the light.

Glass Gem Mosaic Vase 1

This was the first vase I decorated.  It really needs to be seen against the light to view the full effect since the substrate is a clear glass vase.

Glass Gem Mosaic Vase 2

Like the first this used a clear vase with a sliver band around the top; hence why the camera flash highlights the top much more.  This time though I tried a little experiment.  I found this box with glass sides which had an interesting pattern covering it.  It wasn't very well made but I thought it could be used to make something more interesting here.  So I combined both the vase and the box and covered the lot with glass gems.

Although I began this project just after the first vase I only completed grouting and cleaning it early 2013!  this was due to a number of other projects I had going on in which I was trying out now and better techniques.

Fishbowl Mosaic

This was done by using glass gems to cover a fishbowl vase.  Like the others it's a very basic technique but it does have a rather dramatic effect when used with tealights :-)

I would love to do another fishbowl, though this time I think I'll be trying a more advanced design as I'll be showing you later :-)

Chrome Plated Storage Jar 1

This was a slightly smaller project and I used a small chrome plated glass jar as a substrate.  I wanted to see the effect through the glass gems and as a result decided to continue to decorate shiny things to achieve the best results.

All of these mosaics shown here use anthracite glitter grout which in itself adds a bit of sparkle to the finished design.