Epic Fail…Mosaic Bird Bath

I make things that don’t go well all the time.  Usually they are little projects, but this one is really a good one.  And I have been working on it for months!

This is a bird bath, all concrete, weighing approximately 4000 pounds. I bought it for $10 at an auction.

It was a standard garden variety (pun intended) concrete bird bath with chippy white paint and some old mosaic squares falling off the bowl.

I scraped off all those mosaic tiles and all the loose paint, then used two colors spray paint and randomly painted the inside of the bowl.

I added some flat marbles to the center and then just started doing circles around the center area in a pattern of sorts.  I was determined I would only use marbles I had on hand but ended up buying one package of shades of blue marbles.

And the bonus is that I used up a big Ziploc bag full of marbles.

I used E6000 to attach the marbles. 

E6000 is a really strong glue that will hold almost anything…

Here’s the nearly finished product…

I thought about grouting the bowl, but decided to try my hand at a resin to keep it waterproof and to help it survive the winter freezes.

It was going to be wonderful…but when the resin was poured on, it hardened almost immediately.  So, I was left with this…

I guess I should have skipped the resin…bummer!

The resin is no longer clear because the bubbles and ridges let water underneath…Anyone have any ideas on how to make this better?  I am thinking a chisel and hours of work or offering it free on Craigslist!

I may be linking to these great parties!

Cement Candle Holders

Sounds very romantic huh?  Cement candle holders….hmmm.

It’s no secret that I have been making some of these this year…

The concrete garden balls, not the cat!  So, every time I make the garden globes I end up with a bit of leftover cement.  I hate to just throw toss it, so I found if I fill up disposable containers (usually my recycled yogurt and mandarin orange containers) with the leftover cement and push a smaller container down inside them I have a candle holder that is sturdy!

The round one I made from a cottage cheese container and the smaller one was a discarded storage container.

I made some today and just used a tea light tin to push down into the cement to make the spot where the candle sits.

What do you think?  Cute huh?

I am thinking that I will put some felt on the bottom of these and bring them inside!

I use citronella candles on the deck in the summer to keep the bugs away, so this is a perfect arrangement!

The dual candle holder in front I painted with some leftover chalk paint and wiped some of it off. LOVE the way it turned out!

I will be linking to these great parties!

Marble Candle Holder

I thought this clear glass bowl (from an estate sale, 50 cents) would be beautiful covered with glass marbles.  It took me forever to get this far…the marbles are difficult to glue onto a round surface as they slide off.

I had it probably 75% covered when this happened!  The glass just gave way.  There was not a crack before I started…but there certainly was more than a crack afterward!

I had a jar that I couldn’t find the lid for and started covering it with the leftover marbles.  I had used E6000 to glue the marbles onto the other bowl so I had to toss the whole mess into the trash, carefully!

I taped each row on as I glued it on until the glue was dry. Love the I heart nerds washi tape?  Nice, huh?  I found it at Claires on clearance 4 rolls for $1!  I grouted the jar after the glue had set.

Drum roll please!  Here is the finished product!

I love how the light of the candle shines through the marbles.

I made this for Sarah for the August sister present exchange.

I might be linking up to these great parties!

What I have been doing lately…

Gardening…

Playing with this pooch!

Enjoying taking pics in the mornings!

Love how the light plays in my yard…

The first moonflower vine bloom of the summer…

Working on my new guest bedroom…

Making lots of new things…

Learning how to work with resin and making all sorts of pretties!

Love these pendants!

Creating so much that I’ve had no time for blogging!

Felted Wool Posies and Wool Vase

Posies in all colors! 

Very easy to make…I cut three circles in graduated sizes.  I picked out a vintage button or two for the center of each one.

Then I cut a wire twice the length of the stem, fold it in half, and thread it onto the button and through the layers of the stacked felt circles.

For the leaves I cut a small leaf, and a 4 inch piece of wire. The stem and the leaf wire I covered in florist tape, adding the leaf stem as I covered the stem.

The flowers can be any color, the more the merrier!

And the center buttons don’t have to be a matching color…

The vase is made from a mason jar and a sleeve from a felted wool sweater. I moistened the sleeve as it was rather tight on the jar and then just worked it down over the jar.

This grey plaid wool was a great cover for the chipped mason jar.

I may be linking to these great parties!