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When asked, “What is a mosaic?” it’s a little hard to come up with a quick response. The simple answer is that a mosaic is millions of things. Mosaics can be made with pebbles, rocks, tiles, stones, glass, marbles, broken toys, and junk that people throw away. The mosaic art form is ancient and modern, it’s full of rules and all kinds of room to bend and break those rules. Mosaics can be made by anyone using almost anything – that’s part of what makes mosaics so much fun! It’s fun to look around the house and yard for treasures to use when making a mosaic. Objects that are hard and shiny work the best in basic mosaics. For the beginner, it’s a good idea to use items that are no smaller than a dime and that don’t have a lot of cracks and crevices. To make a mosaic flower pot, you will need the following supplies: The adhesive to use for your mosaic flower pot is called thinset. Powdered thinset is mixed with water to create a paste (it looks like frosting but doesn’t taste like frosting – trust us on that!). Generously “butter” the back of each mosaic piece and place it in the desired spot. Place your mosaic pieces about 1/8” to ?” apart. If the thinset squishes up over your pieces, it means you are using too much. After all of the pieces are glued down, allow your mosaic to dry for at least 24 hours. Now you get to do the fun part – grout! Grout is the substance that fills the spaces between your mosaic pieces. Mix powdered grout to a frosting like consistency, adding water a little at a time. Wear a mask and gloves – the grout is very dusty when it’s dry and it will “grout” your hands if you don’t wear gloves. Spread the grout all over your mosaic surface. Be sure to push the grout into all of the cracks. Allow the grout to set up for about 10 minutes and then clean off your mosaic pieces using a piece of crumpled up newspaper. Whatever you do, do NOT use water when you’re cleaning the grout at this stage. After you’ve cleaned the grout off all of your mosaic pieces, allow your piece to set up overnight. The following day, seal the grout with a grout sealant. Brush the sealant over the entire mosaic. Wipe the sealant off the tiles (otherwise a film will appear on the surface). Apply a second coat of sealant to the grout – you’ll know the piece is fully sealed when the grout will not absorb any more of the sealant. Most tiles cannot withstand Minnesota winters. So, remember to bring those mosaic flower pots inside before it freezes. Happy mosaic making! If you have any questions or need any mosaic supplies, contact Mosaic on a Stick at 595 North Snelling Avenue, St. Paul (651-645-6600) or visit our website at www.mosaiconastick.com. Take a mosaic class (adult and family classes are offered regularly), have a mosaic party for birthdays (kids and adults, of course), book club meetings, showers, graduations, or just because it sounds like a blast, or simply come in and work on a mosaic project in the studio during regular store hours. See you at the Stick!
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