Have your own at-home craft fair with a few materials
BY ALDONA BIRD
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
This weekend, many of us are missing the annual Buckwheat Festival, with all the exhibits, rides, deep fried food and seeing friends.
The festival’s delights are impossible to recreate at home, but nothing stops us from crafting with a buckwheat theme.
Buckwheat flowers are lovely, and can be depicted through many arts and crafts including mosaics. Mosaics are a thrifty and versatile craft, perfect for indoor or outdoor use.
Using plaster, cement or grout and pieces of broken glass and dishes you can make garden stepping stones, trivets, wall hangings or insets into tiled areas or other decorative or practical objects.
Supplies you will need to make a mosaic:
- Cement, mortar or grout
- Water
- Container to mix base in
- Brick trowel
- Pieces of broken glass or china
- Cement board (optional, depending on project)
First, pick your project. If making a stepping stone, you will need a mold to hold the edges of the cement in the shape you want. If making a wall hanging or tile replacement, use a piece of cement board as the backing. You can also decorate existing objects, such as flower pots, with mosaics.
The example shown in these photographs is a wall hanging. To make this particular project, use cement board backing.
Lay out your design before mixing cement. You get a blue ribbon if it incorporates a buckwheat theme.
You can fill your whole project surface with pieces, or use negative space by leaving areas without mosaics. Use all glass, all ceramics or mix for a variety of textures. Use half a broken cup, bowl, teapot or other vessel to incorporate a flower pot or vase into the mosaic.
With this idea you can make an outdoor planter wall with just cups and pots or with mosaic designs in between.
Once your design is laid out on a separate surface, mix your base of cement, mortar or grout. If you don’t have leftover cement from other projects, grout is a great option because it comes in a variety of colors and small bags.
For creating mosaics you will want a wet mix, so you can press your pieces of glass and ceramics into it with ease.
Firmly spread a thin layer on your cement board or other backing to create a bond, then add a thicker layer to press the mosaic into.
Press each piece of your mosaic into the cement, grout or plaster. If your mix is too stiff, drip a little water onto the surface as you work. Keep a bucket of water nearby to rinse your hands frequently.
Wipe as much excess base off the top of your mosaic piece as possible, and then leave to dry.
Once fully dry, display and enjoy. Add a ribbon you earned at previous Buckwheat Festivals, and make a funnel cake to eat as you gaze on your exhibit.
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