Julie, I just found your videos and I'm so inspired by you! I've been doing mosaics for several years but have always criticized my own work as not good enough for anyone to see. Watching you I have gained more insight and now I have more confidence in my own work. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for your kind words!! I'm so glad you're enjoying my videos. Whatever I can do to shorten your learning curve when it comes to mosaic making, and yes, tell (and show!) you that you can do this! Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi, Julie. I love the colours. That is going to be to beautiful in your garden. It's totally unique. I don't I could use as a stepping stone, it's a beautiful focal point. Have a great day. Take Care.
Hi Dunia! Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it!! Great to hear you're getting value from my videos. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
In the process of making a stepping stone for my nephews celebration of life. I am using the bottom of the mold and creating a backwards image on the bottom. I am then pouring concrete on top. I just started watching your RU-vid and I absolutely love them. So full of information and very aspiring. Thank you. Just wanted to share.
Just found you and I'm so happy! you are a wealth of excellent new information and Im soaking it all in. thank you for doing these videos. I'm a newbie happy mosaic person.
Hi JC! It's great you're here! There's so much to learn about mosaic, but get a good understanding of the basics and then branch out. Jump in and get familiar with a tool, then move on to another. Build up your knowledge and confidence with the tools and tesserae. And have fun! Keep creating!
Hi Kimberly! What a great friend you are! Yes, this project was so much fun to make. Are you going to pour your stepping stone too? I did a video here on the channel on how to do that in case you're interested (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ea6gBYqFjUw.html). Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi Rosalyn! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video.😊 Mosaic stepping stones add so much personality to an outdoor space. Have fun with it. Keep creating and I'm thankful you're here!🔥
Just find you today while searching for how to tile talavera tile, I which I had found you first, I have so many plates and cups I no longer use since now days is all about paper plates, either way thank you so much for sharing, now I have I use for my China, love to repurpose
Hi Eloisa! I'm so glad you found me! This playlist (ru-vid.com/group/PLDyDBysO6HCZ4p7Y8BvriDiN6KHUAMmZ2) is full of fun projects to repurpose your china. Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🙌
Hello Julie, what a great source of information, so glad to have found you! Our retirement community in Texas is in the start-up phase of an art installation at one of the community activity centers. The plan in motion is to create a garden wall using cinder blocks. It sounds very ambitious, I know, especially for someone like myself whose never done mosaics in my life, but always wanted to try. We are using what our leader calls all the whoops!! from our clay studio, that members have donated to the cause. Right now we have about 25 boxes of ceramics (thats been collected over the last 7 months or so), then we'll probably make little additional pieces to go with to finish the block off. I was thinking of making like a center slab of clay, leaving a generous border around the block (to be filled in with the whoops pieces). Then making a design on my slab, cutting out the pieces, firing and glazing. Just maybe one or two if this goes as planned. Any thoughts on this idea of mine, or tips, tricks you might offer our group would be fab and most appreciated!! Thanks for reading!!!
Hi Lisa! WOW what a project! It sounds wonderful. I like the idea of reusing what you have. I don’t know how big your wall is, but if you need more material to cover the wall one idea would be to allow each member of your clay studio to paint a tile. These tiles could surround the focal point in the middle of the wall. Have fun with it! Keep creating and I’m thankful you’re here.🔥
The pieces with the gray lines, for those that don't know, that's called crazing. Julie I'm curious how that's holding up. I've heard it shouldn't be used in mosaics. I don't understand why not though if they're adhered well and sealed. Thanks for your fun videos. I've pointed others to your channel.
Hi there! It's great to hear you enjoyed the video.😊 Here's a video for the garden stake project: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T6l8dqHgE1I.html. Have fun! Keep creating and I'm thankful you're here!🔥
Hi Audrey! Thank you for your kind words. Great to hear you like how it turned out. I enjoyed making it, substrate and all! Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi there! You're so welcome! Great to hear you enjoyed it and got some value from the video. Stepping stones are SO FUN to make! Loads of possibilities. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi DIY! Thanks so much!! 😊 I appreciate your kind words and for watching my videos. Your support means a great deal to me! Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Thanks for the video. I could use greater explanation of tiling the sides vs not; (I know in the video, you speak of wanting more top surface for your design? To me that does not give me reason to want to tile the sides? I didn't get the sense behind that explanation?) I found that aspect unusual, surprising, although I am just beginning concrete art. But my gut reaction is that this added step/ feature gives pause, because my view is that a stepping stone would recess into the ground/ sink with time? It gives concern- wouldn't that cause issues? & It seems like unneeded work/ time/ materials?
Hi there! You don’t have to tile the sides. I tiled the sides because the stepping stone wouldn’t be buried in the ground but rather sitting in mulch. Keep creating and I’m glad you’re here!🔥
Hi. Thanks for video. I was curious about sealing the concrete stone before adding Tesserae. I was under the assumption that sealing the stone from absorbing moisture was important please advise s
Hi Christine! I've never sealed the concrete. I just tile, grout with fortified grout or thinset, and then seal. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Thank you so much for your videos! I really appreciate your teaching style and how you explain everything! Btw-I love your background suicidal. Can you share the source please? Thank you!
Hi Cassandre! YAY! Thank you for your kind words and support!😊 Help me out, what's a 'background suicidal?'🤔 Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
I've never created an outdoor mosaic and always wondered about materials. This was super helpful. Can I ask, is the mesh something you'd only use on sides, or can be used on the "top" flat surface? Thanks!
Hi Kat! You can use mesh on the sides and the top part of stepping stones. In fact, I’m addressing your question more in-depth in an upcoming video.✨Keep creating and I’m thankful you’re here!🔥
Julie, I love your videos! You suggest at the beginning to use ceramics suited for outdoors but chose to use one that isn't specifically so. Are you just being a "rebel" ;-) and not worrying about it cracking or do you have a tip to prevent cracks on those indoor materials. Thanks so much!
Hi Regine! Once a rebel always a rebel!😉 But not in this case. I live in Miami so I don't have to contend with the freeze-thaw dilemma. You can always use whatever tesserae you like and plan to bring in your stepping stone for winter. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi Julie, I’m so glad I found you. I’m going to attempt a stepping stone! I have a few redwood tree stumps in my yard and thought it would be fun to mosaic the top surface. Do you have any tips for doing this? For example do I seal the wood before starting? Thanks so much!!
Hi Deni! I'm so glad you found me too!😊 Are you adhering your stepping stone to the tree stump? Or are you going to mosaic directly on the tree stumps? If directly, don't do it.🙈 Instead, I would suggest you mosaic on a sub-substrate like cement board (this video will help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jy-TmX-BPrE.html. The cement board mosaic can then be adhered to the tree stump. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
@@JulieWeilbacher oh my, I think I got ahead of myself. I am going to attempt a stepping stone. But I also have a clump of stumps in my yard from redwoods that were cut down to about 2ft high. Thought it would be fun to mosaic the tops but I will take your advice and use the cement board. That way I can prepare elsewhere, instead of bending over a tree stump for a very long period of time. Lol. Thanks so much!
Hi there! Hmmm, hard to say.. There are lots of things/decisions to take into account. To start, if you pour your own substrate that’s at least 30 days. 🤣
I am starting my very first Mosaic piece--finally. I want to know can I use a piece of stained wood that has been varnished to apply Mac glue and then my tiles??? If not---what do I have to do to it first and last before I start my project. I tried to use this wood and the Mac Glue and tiles would not stick to it. I took them off and sanded and cleaned the wood and it still want stick??? What do I do??? tk u K----HELP!!!! Do I always have to prepair the wood before starting the Moasic???? I watched your video on how to prepare the wood---just wondering if I have to do this always??? Yous R terrific!!! K THANK YOU
Hi Kaye! How exciting....your first mosaic!!! 🙌 Follow the steps in the wood prep video (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--209xL8AWTc.html). Make sure you rough up the surface. If you're wanting to use a painted or stained surface I would suggest an adhesive like thinset-mortar (here's a video on how to mix it up - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UU0ct32CUmA.html). You should always prep a wood substrate for mosaic. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
One more question== do I have to use grout on all mosaics----if they r kept inside??? or outside???? Thank U so much!!! K I am ready to get started---K
Hi Kaye! Grout finishes off your mosaic. Some mosaic tesserae don't require grout....and some mosaic projects look better without it. So it's up to you, the mosaicist, to decide if your mosaic needs to be grouted. Generally, I like to grout all outdoor mosaic projects. Whatever I can do to keep out the elements! Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!⭐
Hello Julie, here I am with a question about birdbaths - I haven't seen any of your videos on this, anyhow, here goes. Over 20+ years ago, my Mum gave me a birdbath as a gift - a cat knocked it over and the bowl broke into several pieces (cat escaped) on gluing dish back together, there is an uneven piece, before setting mosaic tiles, can I build this up with extra Grout? I will seal the bowl with terracotta sealer - do I need a special adhesive to set the tile pieces and also will waterproof Grout do the job? I hope to hear back from you. Thanking you in advance. Elizabeth from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania via Glasgow, Scotland.
Hi Elizabeth! First off....whew!, great to hear the cat survived!😂 You can build-up the uneven-ness with fortified thinset-mortar. You can also use the fortified thinset as your adhesive. Heck, you can even grout with it. I personally always seal mosaics that will be kept outdoors or subjected to moisture. Here's a video to help you out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5JqZU5ucM_k.html. Good luck with your project! Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🔥
Thank you Julie for your terrific videos. I would like to do a mosaic on an outdoor vertical wall so using a mesh seems the better option. Thing is the wall has stucco and several layers of latex paint. There is no way i can remove the paint chemically, and sandblasting the patio area is too messy. I was thinking of simply using a hammer to remove some of the paint and expose the wall partially to make some adherence. Do you think this would work? If so what material should i use to affix the mesh to the partially painted wall please? Should i use a lath and mechanically secure it to the wall? Your help would be appreciated.
Hi xpondr! Thanks for your kind words. Great to hear you're enjoying my videos. Wow, you've got a fun project planned! It's best to adhere your mesh mosaic to the unpainted wall using fortified thinset. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi Maria! Hmmmm, acrylic your tiles? As in paint them? I wouldn't suggest that for outdoors. Acrylic paint is water soluble. Plus, grout will most likely scratch up whatever you seal them with. If you do try it, I'd be interested to hear you process and results! Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🔥
Hi , great content Julie. I’m new to mosaics and I’m planning on doing an outside mosaic on my patio. The concrete was dug up to lay piping and has been back filled with scoria. My q, do I have to lay sand before I concrete and then do I have to put the mosaic tiles in while the concrete is still wet? Thanks in advance🙂
Hi Sally! I'm not a concrete expert, but from my experience of having a driveway done, I can tell you in no way did they put sand down before truck after truck poured concrete. We didn't have scoria though, we had coral rock. I would consult a cement professional in your area to be sure. As for your tiling process, you could certainly adhere tiles while the cement is wet, but a better way would be to wait until the cement fully cures, and then tile and grout the mosaic. You could tile on mosaic mesh if you like and then transfer it outdoors. Here's a video on how to use mesh in your mosaic work: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g4-NhjcHypg.html. Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🔥
Enjoyed the video and subscribed! I've never done this type of art before but I'm very interested in trying it. I have a newbie question though ... can you use glass pieces/glass tiles for this application & if so, do you use a different type of adhesive or grout?
Hi MzGamerGurl! Welcome to the world of mosaic! You can certainly use glass in outdoor mosaic projects but you need to be careful. For instance, sometimes stained glass can crack over time when outdoors. So sealing your grout/thinset once your project is done is a great way to help protect your piece. Also, larger pieces of stained glass might be more prone to cracking especially if kept in direct sunlight (they get really hot), but not always. For the adhesive, you can stick with the fortified thinset. It's your best (in my opinion!) only option for outdoor mosaic pieces like this. Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🔥
Hello, tfs! 👋 I wanted to make my MIL a pet memorial for her fur baby that passed, specifically a stepping stone, but unfortunately this isn't feasible to do in my small apartment with two cats. Do you think I could get away the plastic mosaic pieces at craft stores with outdoor glue?
Hi Amanda! Awww, how thoughtful.🌈 The plastic mosaic pieces won't last in the outdoors. There are lots of ceramic and glass pieces available (amzn.to/3JpNbL2) that might serve the same purpose as what you were trying to do with the plastic. Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!💗
Hi Laura! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.🙌 I added the latex additive to the materials list of the video. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hii Julie - I haven't seen anything on using wood when making a mosaic stepping stone, but I went ahead and used some small, wooden, letter blocks (like Scrabble w/out numbers) on 3 stones I made as gifts. I sprayed all of them with several coats of a wood sealant prior to grouting the whole piece. Unfortunately, I messed up a couple of the letters on one of them when I was polishing, and now I need to figure out how to fix. Too late to rip them all out and replace with ceramic so before I seal the grout to finish, any ideas what I can do? My last resort would be to put them in plastic cases, but before I do, I thought maybe you could help. And is wood never to be used in outside mosaics? Thanks!
Hi Linda! Oh bummer....yeah, wood is not an acceptable material (or substrate) for outdoor mosaics. Can you fix the letters by repainting them? And then once dry, I would seal them with a few coats of wood sealer, and then cover them with painter's tape before applying grout sealer. Keep creating and I'm so glad you're here!🔥
Hi Genevieve! There's a big red 'SUBSCRIBE' button below each video to the right. It's absolutely FREE to subscribe to a RU-vid channel. By subscribing you'll not only help your favorite channels to grow, but RU-vid will also have the latest videos from your fave channels loaded onto your home screen every time you get on the website. Super handy! Keep creating and I'm glad you're here!🔥
