Monthly Archives: July 2017

Garden Posts (Part II – Installation)

So, after several months of snipping and nipping, cutting and sticking, the panels were finally ready.

It had been a particularly hot and sunny week which wouldn’t be ideal for the installation because the cement would dry too quickly, so I checked the weather forecast and it said the weekend would be warm and overcast.  Perfect.  As I am not blessed with a huge amount of patience I thought I was being really good waiting two days.  When Saturday arrived, dressed in old togs I set about clearing the fence of plants and fairy lights, laid out a plastic sheet and I was good to go.

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Yes, I know I should probably wear gloves!

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A teeny tiny daisy petal had been dislodged and needed to be sunk back into the cement.

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The weather forecast had been a little pessimistic because the sun broke through the clouds and it was a really hot, sunny day and my shoulders got a bit burnt.   Anyway, all three panels were now stuck to the posts and tomorrow I would be grouting.

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Grout colour is always tricky to decide upon, but I usually favour dark colours (I’ve made bad choices in the past!).   It is so exciting when the grout it applied and I wipe away the excess. Gradually the beautiful colours underneath start to pop through.  The clean up process was now in full swing because everything was drying particularly quickly, but with plenty of elbow grease it was beginning to look like a mad bouquet of colours.

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Dog photography is all about treats and timing, apparently!

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So, that’s the end of my latest project – on to the next ……..

 

Garden Posts (Part I – Making)

Over the last few months I’ve been busy working on a new mosaic, well three mosaics actually, to cover the plain concrete fence posts on our patio.  I took lots of photographs as it helps to look at the design from a different perspective.   So, I hope this post will show the process I use and give you some idea of the detail involved.

I decided to work the three panels at the same time so the design would flow.  I wasn’t working to any plan, I just knew in my head what I wanted it to look like.

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When it came to making a butterfly, I started experimenting.  I took a piece of plain glass and cut it to shape and then painted the back with several layers of nail varnish.  It worked out beautifully for this and another butterfly, so I used this method again for snails, ladybirds, dragonfly and bees wings.

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This little spider was a regular visitor.

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Even though it was blisteringly hot, our extremely furry dog would sit in the shade and stare at me, willing me to put my cutters down and play football.

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I wanted to include as many garden visitors as possible, even the ones that aren’t always welcome, so snails had to be included!IMG_81576 frog collage resize

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I took a photograph of this moth sitting on a window and followed it’s simple lines in mosaic.IMG_8332 Collage resize

At the very bottom of the panels I used stained glass to make grass and added another snail and a hedgehog.

Next – sunburnt shoulders, cement hands and the installation ……

 

England in Summertime

How time flies when you’re enjoying yourself!    I’ve been so busy working on a new mosaic that I’ve neglected posting on here, but on Sunday I locked up my workshop and we headed out for the afternoon.   It was a beautiful sunny day and we met up with family for a stroll around quiet country lanes. followed by dinner al-fresco and a rich, indulgent chocolate fudge cake.

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The light bouncing off this wheat field was stunning.

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Surrey is very hilly so it’s a completely different vista in Essex, with mile after mile of flat land.

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Not a mutant horse!

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After dinner we walked back over to the wheat fields to watch the sun going down and take some more photographs.

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Just look at that beautiful sky ^

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Probably my favourite pic.

Back soon with an update on my latest mosaic :)