| Author | Content |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 03, 2009
11:38 PM Post #6361940
| I finished this tonight (WOOHOO!)
The base is a papercrete sphere I molded. I covered it with shards from a pot I made that my DH broke (so he's out of the doghouse now) and reject or broken tiles that I made, mirror squares from eBay and broken mirror pieces.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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grownut
Clarkson, KY
April 03, 2009
11:48 PM Post #6361972
| that is just beautiful! And you did your blues too! |
JuneyBug
Dongducheon CpCasey
South Korea
(Zone 4b)
April 03, 2009
11:50 PM Post #6361976
| Love it! |
kimarj
(Kim) Philadelphi, PA
(Zone 6a)
April 03, 2009
11:53 PM Post #6361987
| 10!! |
KaperC
No. San Diego Co., CA
(Zone 10b)
April 04, 2009
12:36 AM Post #6362117
| Beautiful, Ima! |
Tomtom
OSAKA
Japan
(Zone 9b)
April 04, 2009
12:37 AM Post #6362120
| How marvelous !!
You are so talented.
Tomtom |
llilyfan
South Central, IA
(Zone 5a)
April 04, 2009
12:39 AM Post #6362131
| Superb! Is the sphere solid or hollow? |
somersetsue
Portland, OR
(Zone 8b)
April 04, 2009
01:45 AM Post #6362269
| Ima...thats really beautiful!!!! you have inspired me to start back on my BB's...
thanks !!!! |
cue_chik
Palm Coast, FL
(Zone 9a)
April 04, 2009
06:30 AM Post #6362527
| Thats an awesome gazing ball! Great job! |
Gourd
(Zone 4b)
April 04, 2009
10:23 AM Post #6363048
| That came out just great and it matches your colors on your tile work ... how nice. And you did a fantastic job too.
A. |
mommacat11
Stafford, VA
(Zone 7a)
April 04, 2009
10:35 AM Post #6363091
| OHHHHHHHHHH WOW!!!!!!!!
THat is STUNNING!!!! Imapigeon that is GORGEOUS!!!!
Will you put it in your garen or sell it?
It is GORGEOUS!
deb |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 04, 2009
11:37 AM Post #6363347
| Thanks, everyone!
And a special thanks to TomTom for posting the detailed directions for the papercrete. The first half-sphere I made using this mold was solid and weighed a TON. I didn't even bother to make the other half, as I knew I'd never be able to work with it. The next two I made using the papercrete recipe, (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/472203/) and joined the halves with quickset mortar to make the sphere. The walls are about 2 inches thick. After it dried I sanded the seams.
Originally I was just going to leave it gray, but after seeing so many beautiful & creative mosaic bowling balls on DG, I decided last week that I had to try it. So I started smashing tiles and bits of mirror and breaking my pot up into smaller pieces, and gave it a go. I took pictures all the way through and I can see my skill progress from start to finish where the joints got smaller and smaller...
I have a larger one that I made at the same time that I will probably mosaic. Last year I bought the next size larger mold that I haven't used yet.
I have to figure out a better way to break the pieces than smashing them with a hammer. My hand still hurts!
It's in my garden; I'll be filling the pockets of the strawberry pot with succulents to finish this up. It makes a great "stand"!
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 04, 2009
11:42 AM Post #6363361
| Here it is situated in the garden---near the door to my studio where I can enjoy it. Now I have to give some serious thought to doing mosaic on this birdbath...LOL! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
zenpotter
Minneapolis, MN
(Zone 4b)
April 04, 2009
03:16 PM Post #6364053
| Fabulous. You could make the strawberry pot into a fairy apartment building.
I have a bowling ball and shards to make a ball and have yet to do it. Maybe I will now. |
Fish_knees
Phoenix, AZ
April 04, 2009
04:21 PM Post #6364303
| LOVE it! |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 04, 2009
06:49 PM Post #6364789
| zen, this would be a great project for you right now. It would take your mind off the pain in your knee and focus it instead on pain in your hands...LOL!!!
I found chopsticks very useful on this---great way to put the mortar on. But I think I gripped too hard. Add that to the pounding my hands took when I was breaking those 3/8"-thick pieces with a hammer, and YOW! Maybe I should have used my grozing pliers from stained-glass, but I was afraid they would either get ruined or not work on such thick pieces.
In one of my mosaic books, there's a tool shown for breaking stuff. So of course I'll have to see if I can find one... |
KaperC
No. San Diego Co., CA
(Zone 10b)
April 04, 2009
09:09 PM Post #6365330
| You've got me wanting to do one of these now. DH loves it (a rarity!) and I have this strawberry pot going spare. I knew I shouldn't have gotten rid of that bowling ball! |
zenpotter
Minneapolis, MN
(Zone 4b)
April 04, 2009
09:20 PM Post #6365374
| I have a wooden box of 1" square tile samples that I bought at a garage sale. They are in graduating shades of a variety of colors. I figure that will make a great ball and mean that I won't have to break many tiles at all. |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 04, 2009
11:44 PM Post #6365882
| Happy to help enable the enablers...LOL!!! |
ge1836
Pittsford, NY
(Zone 6a)
April 05, 2009
05:51 AM Post #6366436
| Verrrrry niiiiice |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 05, 2009
11:54 AM Post #6367351
| Thanks---it's fun to look at in the garden! Since the pattern is kind of random, I find myself rolling it around so I can see different parts of it from different angles.
|
jcoats123
Payson, AZ
(Zone 7a)
April 11, 2009
07:28 PM Post #6397068
| Help!! What thread do I go to, to see everyone's bb. I found it last nite and I am lost again.
JoAnne |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
April 11, 2009
07:37 PM Post #6397096
| Joanne:
There is one thread in Mosaics here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/569445/
And one here in Trash to Treasure:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/733725/
And, by the way, did you see the birthday wishes for you in Pottery and Ceramics?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/972065/ |
SingingWolf
Menifee, CA
(Zone 9a)
July 30, 2009
06:49 PM Post #6886551
| Well done ima! thanks for sharing this with me. I have a couple of projects that this would come in handy for, especially since I want to build some bigger containers. Feed supply stores have all kinds of sizes of containers for larger trough like containers which can be used as molds, and I think if you line your mold with plastic you could use some larger containers for a start. For instance I have a couple of weird shaped cardboard boxes. I think they'd make great molds.
Keep you posted.
WIB,
SW |
ridesredmule
Barnesville, GA
(Zone 8b)
August 13, 2009
08:19 PM Post #6943837
| I got lucky today and found a mirror that was broken and tossed away on the side of the road.
Do you just break it into little pieces or do you all use a glass cutter to make into more
manable pieces? I have not worked with mirror yet. Cut my finger, had to get it ineciated
(?) Put all the pieces in a bucket til I can figure where or what my first project is. That Ball was beautiful,
may have to try something similar to that. Want to do a birdhouse too. Love all the
ideas and information. |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
August 13, 2009
10:58 PM Post #6944391
| Thanks! For this first garden ball, I broke all the pieces of tile and mirror under a towel with a hammer.
For the second one (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1021221/) I broke most of the pieces with a mosaic tile cutter that looks like 2 glass-cutting blades in a plier jaw. Good thing I always wore my safety glasses---chips were flying! I didn't use a glass cutter for the mirror, as I wanted the pieces to be odd, somewhat random shapes. I crushed some of the tiles in my trash compactor, but it didn't work very well!
Since all the pieces of tile are thicker than the mirror on both garden balls, I've found the trickiest thing getting the mortar the right thickness and consistency so the mirror pieces end up close to the same height as the tile pieces. Otherwise, the pieces with less mortar behind them get buried in grout. |
ridesredmule
Barnesville, GA
(Zone 8b)
August 14, 2009
09:57 AM Post #6945522
| Oh, Than you. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
Your creations came out beautiful. |
imapigeon
Gilroy (Sunset Z14), CA
(Zone 9a)
August 14, 2009
10:09 AM Post #6945563
| Good luck----please post pictures of what you make. I would never have even thought of doing this if I hadn't been so inspired by all the talented DGers! |
