Before I was ever into Crazy Quilting I was addicted to creating mosaics. I would scour yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores for fun and different items that I could work my magic on. The hunt was so much fun - not to mention the thrill of finding a new piece of vintage china… something that was cracked, chipped or broken. I spent quite a few summers in my back yard mosaicing the day away getting things ready to sell at local Art & Craft Shows and Christmas Festivals. One of my most favorite pieces to make was this cute little bird house. Using pieces of vintage china and stained glass I laid it out like I would a crazy quilt foundation... blending colors. Then I embellished it with some broken pieces of vintage costume jewelry and a porcelain rose. Funny... I just noticed that the colors I choose to use in my mosaics are the same shabby chic colors I use when dying up my laces.
This picture frame was one I actually cried over. I mistakenly broke a plate that was part of my collectors series ... you should have heard me.... no... better you didn't LOL!
I added cute little polymer clay roses to this cute little frame to finish it off.
When I found that my attention shifted to crazy quilting, I almost forgot my mosaics… such a shame since I have a room full of china dishes and stained glass just waiting to be played with again. I got to thinking a while back how much Mosaics were much like Crazy Quilting. Little bits of broken china put together to create an unusual design and embellished with beads, vintage jewelry and sometimes other pieces of china findings.This mirror is made using all cut stained glass and topped off with a cute little set of porcelain roses.
Another mirror is a mixture of stained glass and vintage china. In the corners are bits and pieces of costume jewelry, buttons and even an adorable little porcelain bench.
Finally, I couldn't resist trying to dress up this cute bird dish - just the perfect size to hold a plant, jewelry or pretty soaps. I brushed it with some metallic gold paint and using a mixture of broken china and stained glass , I also added a few little clay roses.
Last month I gave away a little mosaic cabinet which I made specifically for storing crazy quilt pretties. I have two more cabinets that are similar, some old sewing machine drawers and lots of frames so I've decided that maybe it’s time I get back to breaking up china and start playing with my mosaic work again. What led me to this decision? After the flood we had in our basement a couple months ago I have had to take a good look at all the “stuff” I have accumulated over the years in my studio. I’ve been gradually cleaning and tossing things out and need to rethink how I am going to set it up once all the major work has been done to revamp the basement. I took me a whole day just to remove the fabrics and china and I still have half the room to go! Enough is enough…. Yea right… wait until I head upstairs to my Crazy Quilt room or worse.... find another object of my desires at an antique shop or flea market! OMG! I need a few more hands!
