Happy Spring! April flowers bring May Mosaics…? Is that how it goes?! Yes; I think it is!; I’ve scheduled and set up online registration for Outdoor/Garden Mosaics and Beginner’s Mosaics for May! Outdoor/Garden teaches the correct bases/substrates, adhesives, tesserae (materials), grout, and sealers to be used in outdoor mosaic pieces. Come and learn and make a mosaic garden stake, flower pot, stepping stone, small table, or other suitable item during this fun class!  More information and registration for this Wednesday nights class (May 2 and 9th, 5:30-8:30 pm) can be found on the Outdoor/Garden Mosaics Class page!

Speaking of other May events; Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day; how about giving Mom a gift certificate to take Beginner’s Mosaics that day and the next Sunday, May 20th? Or, come with her for an even bigger treat for Mom!  Class runs the two sessions; 1:00-4:30 pm; that way she and you don’t miss out on Mother’s Day breakfast or dinner!  I’ve had lots of Mother/Daughter combos take mosaics together, and they’ve really loved it! The Beginner’s class teaches the correct bases/substrates, adhesives, tesserae (materials), grout, and sealers to be used in indoor mosaic pieces. Come and learn and make a mosaic frame, mirror, plaque, tray, small tabletop, or other suitable item in this great class! More information, photos, and registration can be found on the Beginner’s Mosaics Classes page.

I’m VERY excited to share the news that TileMosaicGirl will be moving into its very own space (small but mighty!) by the end of this month (March, 2012)! The new space will house classes, the Mosaic Supply Shop, and Open Studio Time! We will be able to offer a wider range of days and times for classes, the Shop, and Open Studio, which will also enable us to host Visiting Instructor mosaic artists!  The new location is only about 2 miles North on Colorado Blvd., just off Colorado on Kentucky at Birch.  It has Home Depot/Whole Foods to the North and the Glendale Infinity Park to the East.  The shop is located in a wonderful multi-use building called “The Workshops”, and I will be on the 2nd floor, which is the “Arts & Crafts floor”.  The new address (click for map and photo link) is:

4340 East Kentucky Ave, Ste. 244

Glendale, Colorado

80246-2065

It is located in a great little revitalized neighborhood, but when they built the building in 1997, they installed Intercoms for entrance to the elevator, so you will need to buzz the unit # to be let in.  There is plenty of free, lighted parking, wonderful fellow tenants, and many other amenities.  More details and photos to come soon!

Sun. 1/15-5-9 pm

Mon. 1/16, 1-5 pm     (MLK Day! 15% off in the Supply Shop!)

Mon. 1/23, 4-8 pm

Thur. 1/26, 4-8 pm

Sun. 1/29, 5-9 pm

Also; please be on the lookout for upcoming posts and registration links regarding the next Tempered Glass & Jewelry Classes in February and the next Outdoor/Garden Mosaics and Beginner’s Mosaics Classes in March.  I will be attending the Society of American Mosaic Artists’ (SAMA) Conference in February, and will be bringing back lots of good information, techniques, and updates from the world of mosaics!  While there, I will also be meeting with several other mosaic artists about coming to Denver as “Visiting Instructors” to teach us their special skills and techniques in a variety of mosaic methods!  This year will be another year of growth for TileMosaicGirl, with more instructors and more classes! Be on the lookout, GO BRONCOS, and See you Soon!

If you’re looking for some instructional mosaic time, we can put together a class or a group event or party with as few as 4 people (adults or kids). Contact me and we can discuss your needs and what dates and times will work. This is great for “Girls Nite Out” type events, birthday parties, clubs, etc.  Or, if you and 3 or more friends or family members want your own, private class in one of my ongoing areas or another, we can customize it to your desires.

The Supply Shop will be open during Mosaic Studio Time hours, Mosaic Classes, and by appt. The comprehensive selection will include: glass vitreous tiles, metallic veined tiles, deep color “crystal” glass tiles, glitter tiles, smalto tiles, glass gems and shapes, stained glass tiles, ceramic and Mexican tiles, Van Gogh tiles, millefiori, china, beads, mosaic jewelry supplies, mirror tiles, and misc. found objects and toys. Mosaic bases, adhesives, grouts, tools, colorants, and sealers round out the selection. Prices are very good; much better than ordering online, having to meet order minimums, and paying shipping! Several package sizes of each item will be available so that you don’t have to commit to large quantities of one item.  At the TMG Supply Shop, you can get the materials you want in the sizes you need at an exellent price! Starting date is Thursday, Feb. 24th, after I get back from the natl. mosaic conference with all kinds of new supplies and expertise!

Mosaic Studio Time is open-ended time for you* to work on mosaics in a space besides your home, where all the supplies and materials you need are on hand and you don’t have to worrry about getting your house ‘mucked up’. All basic tesserae (tiles, etc.) included, as well as adhesives, grout, sealer, tools, supplies, etc. Everything is included, except you bring your own base or buy a low-cost one there. Come have space to work, hang out w/ other fun mosaic people, and make a mess somewhere other than in your dining room! Studio time is $10 an hour.

Mosaic Studio Time HOURS are:
Mondays from 11 am to 3 pm and
Thursdays from 11 am to 3 pm
and By Appointment

At least 1 weekend day a month and 2 weeknights a month willl also be scheduled; check out Calendar page for current month’s dates/times.

* Please note: Mosaic Studio Time is not a class and does not include teaching time; participants should have taken a Beginner’s Mosaic class (anywhere) and/or be at least a Beginner’s level mosaic crafter to use Studio Time.

Mosaic Classes offered at the TileMosaicGirl shop are:
Beginner’s Mosaics
Tempered Glass (“Crash Glass”) Mosaics
Mosaic Jewelry

Cutting & Shaping Tiles for Mosaic Design
Continuing Mosaics
Garden/Outdoor Mosaics
Special, Introductory no-artistic-skills-required, “MAKE A MOSAIC!” Sessions!

(These “MAKE A MOSAIC!” sessions will be perfect for those friends and family members you have that think they don’t have an artistic bone in their body but want to get out and do something fun, quick, easy, and inexpensive. Very similar to what they do at Canvas & Cocktails or Sipping & Painting…everyone works on the same simple base and leaves class with a completed mosaic that’s either ungrouted style, they can easily grout at home, or they can leave to get grouted.)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: CLASS DATES ALREADY SCHEDULED:

(Long-awaited, big demand)…Tempered (“Crash Glass”) Mosaics…Thursday, March 10 & 17th, 5:30 to 8:30 pm

Beginner’s Mosaics…Sunday Evenings, March 13, 20, & 27th, 5-8 pm

There will be a registration function on the “Classes”  page here soon, so that you may register for these classes. Class sizes are kept deliberately small so that Krystie Rose has enough time with each student for the help that they need  to learn the ‘awesome art of mosaics’!

TileMosaicGirl at Pot-Luck, the Pottery Painting Place

2620 S. Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO, 80222

720-435-3057 / tilemosaicgirl@gmail.com

Also on Facebook & Twitter!

New Fair Display Walls!!

OMG! I am SO excited! I found some great stuff today on my latest trip to the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store in Denver.  (They have stores located across the U.S. and Canada, all of which benefit Habitat for Humanity’s excellent program.)  I often find great grout, caulk, and tiles at the Resale Store, much of it donated from home improvement stores when the manufacturer decides the new season calls for a new shade of ‘white’.  This time, I was looking for something to use as a fixture in my upcoming summer fair booth that I could hang my mosaics on; like a vertical wall that’s freestanding.

Well, hallelujah, I’m here to tell ya, I found the PERFECT thing for it and I am SO excited! It’s a brand new set of bi-fold doors; 2 sets of 2 doors adjoined by hinges, that can stand upright very well, but I’ll hit Depot for some kind of L-brackets to mount on the bottoms so they have some support on the floor for the weight of the mosaics.  These ones are perfect because they’re brand new, unfinished, completely flat surfaced, and 6 feet, 8 inches tall!!!  And, for a zippy lil price of $45 for all 4 doors, they more than fit into my fair ‘budget’.  I thought I would share this ‘find’ of both the display option and the Habitat stores, if you weren’t already aware.

Closer-up of new display walls

I also scored an awesome wooden display cube that I can use as a riser or a double shelf for displaying tabletop items.  This one’s great because the depth on it is at least 12″, which is much larger than most riser-type fixtures.  And, at $5.00, ya can’t beat that!One more thing I found myself not being able to leave at the store was the most awesome, super-duper, cool, yummy-rific, bright baby blue, ceramic, completely in great shape, TOILET!  Yes; you heard it here; I AM going to mosaic a toilet and put it in my backyard!  The tank’s going to become a planter and the bowl will either be a birdbath or have a fountain in it!  It was only $35!  I canNOT wait to be able to start gluin’ on that baby after the fair and get it in the yard for summer!!!

'Fish Bowl' by Jean Wells

Barbie Pink Toilet

Garden-y Mosaic Toilet

Fun Sunny Mosaic Toilet!

New jewelry blanks at Hobby Lobby

New Bracelet blanks at Hobby Lobby

Yep; you read that right! Last week I found some awesome new jewelry blanks (or ‘bezels’) at Hobby Lobby and this week they’re on sale for 50% off (through Sat. 5/22 only!)!!!  YEY!  These ones are GREAT for mosaic jewelry cuz they have deeper bezels than just a flat plate.  I’ve included some pics here; they include pendant blanks, super cool bracelets, earring blanks (incl. clip ons), and, esp. some awesome new hair pins, barettes, and ponies w/ deep bezels!  The price range is only $ 1.47 – $2.99 and that’s BEFORE the 50% off sale this week!

This is GREAT news for those of you that can’t afford to make a big online order or don’t qualify for wholesale prices, or just need some jewelry blanks last minute.  So; head on down to your local Hobby Lobby; I looked it up and they have stores in 35 states (but, alas, no West Coast states; sorry my many wonderful friends there!)!  Grab some, get ur tube of E6000 (epoxy) glue if you don’t have it already, their ear wires & chains are also 50% off, and some millefiori, tile, glass, polymer clay, or paper designs & resin, and GO TO TOWN!

New Hair Jewelry Blanks at Hobby Lobby

I’m very happy to announce that my new Mosaic Jewelry class starts next week at CO Free U.!  Mosaic jewelry is a great way to wear your love of mosaics and have a piece of jewelry that’s totally customized to you and your style!  And, it only requires 3 hours of your time (one-session class) and a low class and materials fee!  You’ll get to choose from different jewelry bases, including pendants, rings, earrings, and bracelets! You’ll leave the class with one finished piece!

Make your own delicate mosaic jewelry and learn how to decorate  your original design with tiny mosaic tiles, beads, and glass (the mosaic ”tesserae”) in this hands-on workshop.   You’ll learn the basics of making mosaic jewelry and complete your jewelry piece during class. Choose to make a ‘groutless’ style mosaic or take home grout, sealer, and clear instructions to finish the piece off simply at home in about a 1/2 hour. A wide array of materials are provided with your materials fee or you can upgrade to more elaborate supplies.   I’ll also include information on great sources for mosiac and jewelry materials and supplies and next-level mosaic jewelry in this fun, stress-relieving course.  Absolutely NO prior mosaic, jewelry-making, or art experience is necessary to quickly and easily learn this fun craft!  Come take a break from the daily grind and lose yourself for a few hours in a creative, stress-free environment!

Price: $45 Member   (nominal annual membership fee gets member rates all year)

         $57 Non-Member

$15 Required materials fee due at class

         $2-10 Optional materials fee payable in class

Classes are held at Colorado Free U. Lowry Campus, Off Quebec and 2nd between 6th Ave. and Alameda at 7653 E. 1st Place, Denver, CO

UPCOMING CLASSES & REGISTRATION LINKS:

Monday evening, May 3rd, 6-9 p.m.

Friday DAYtime, May 21st., 9 a.m.-noon

Monday evening, June 7th, 6-9 p.m.

Wednesday evening, July 21st, 6-9 p.m.

For more information, see  www.freeu.com  OR call 303-399-0093.

Wanted to share; went to a super cool wholesale bead show in Denver last week; Rings ‘n Things bead Spring “Road Show”; found some terrific Mexican Day of the Dead things to use in my mosaics & mosaic jewelry; SO glad I went! I’ve already used a bunch of their stuff on two mosaic pieces; a candleabra and a frame, and am working on a mirror! Also got some great ball chain and other chain and cord for my pendants.  Find their show sched. at http://www.rings-things.com/Show/show.php  Great prices, free catalogs, and coupons!  And, they are wonderful people out of Spokane, WA, one of my favorite corners of the country!

BTW:  Have you heard of “The Day of the Dead” (“El Dia de los Muertos” in Spanish)? Wondered what it was all about? Wondered why there are so many skulls and skeletons in the artwork associated with the holiday? There is a pretty good, comprehensive description of the holiday on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

I think we can learn a lot from this wonderful holiday and tradition; honoring our loved ones who have passed; remembering the good things about them, seeing death as a more natural part of life and something to not be so feared, etc.  I have been to Mexico many times and visited the wonderful cemetaries, which I feel have a completely different feel than in the U.S. (more positive) and I have seen several of the wonderful altars to the dead, which are incredibly touching monuments to their loved ones.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Day of the Dead display in Ocotepec, a town outside of Cuernavaca (from Wikipedia)

Beautiful "Fireworks" clock by mosaic artist Linda P. Smith

Garden stone from MosaicSmith on etsy

Thought I’d take a minute to continue sharing some of the wonderful mosaic artists I’ve found along my “journey”…

The latest I’d like to share is Linda Smith at  MosaicSmith Mosaics…Linda is an artist out of one of my favorite areas of the country for beaches; Tampa, FL.  Linda is a mostly self-taught mosaicist, like me, who makes and sells wonderful functional and decorative pieces, available through her etsy store.  I’ve included photos of some of my favorite pieces of hers above; the bright colors on the clock and the garden stone are SOOOOoooo up my alley!  She also does mosaic jewelry, custom pieces, and installations.  Linda writes a  wonderful mosaic blog and I was honored when she recently referred to my blog post (and photos) on issues w/ glass gems and grouting in her blog.  She shares a lot of great information on her blog; it is a wonderful resource for all things mosaic!  You can also find Linda on Twitter @MosaicSmith (http://twitter.com/MosaicSmith), Flickr, and Indiepublic, an online community for independent artists/crafters and art & craft lovers.