Make a fun mosaic garden accent
Sydney Minor’s mosaic tower has become one of our outstanding “Flea Market Gardening July Challenge” projects! We giggled a bit and totally understood when she said it became a July-August project. Her completed project was so worth the wait! Her new mosaic totem looks lovely tucked in her garden among her flowers and other treasures!
We were so pleased to have inspired her in any way to try her hand at crafting a mosaic totem. Giving credit where it’s due, Sydney shared that it was in Eric Allen’s glass class at Ed’s Emporium Stained Glass in Bossier City, LA, where she learned to mosaic this style totem. With knowledge gained at her glass class, Sydney came home with supplies and determination to complete her totem!
We’ll show you a few photos of Sydney’s project as it progressed. Her totem was crafted using a 4×4 white vinyl post sleeve, a vinyl post jacket made to slip over wooden posts This gave Sydney a firm base to glue on the mosaic pieces.
How To:
1) Using graph paper, create your design to transfer on to the post
2) Rough up the post with sandpaper
3) Glue glass pieces onto the post using marine glue, or adhesive of your choice
4) Grout the design using sanded grout
5) Protect your post from the elements with an outdoor sealer
Some of Sydney’s supplies include a Morton Board Glass Cutting system, glass nippers, running pliers and a pistol grip oil feed glass cutter. She keeps alcohol in a spray bottle for cleaning before gluing, a scraper to remove excess grout, sponges, pencils , graph paper and little storage bins for scraps, and sandpaper…. all sorts of treasures! Every mosaic artist will find their favorite tools.
Sydney shared that as the totem base lay across her lap getting sanded, her adoring kitty, Mittens, filled the other half of my lap! What a sweet “helper.”
“Mittens”
Sydney revealed to us that she’s “Not a precise person—rather willy-nilly and hopes for the best!” She’s a “use what’s on hand” kind of crafter! Don’t you just love her “willy-nilly” project?! Her totem glimmers in her garden…. inviting you to explore more!
Sydney’s finished mosaic tower in her garden
Sydney added a copper post cap as a finishing touch!
19 Comments
WOW!!! I want to do this! Thanks for posting this BEAUTIFUL garden feature.
Beautiful and love your sweet kitty.
Sad to see the flower season end.
Stunning piece!
Sydney,
What a beautiful inspiring project. Thanks for sharing with us.
Wow, your garden is beautiful and Mittens is adorable!
I love it! I am sure Sydney is enjoying it too!
Great job, that is beautiful and of course i do love blue. Sydney that is a beautiful totem for your garden. Thanks for sharing.
We actually use Mac Glue to glue on the glass. It drys clear and never yellows. It is also water proof.
We are a Distributor.
Using these post ‘sleeves’ is genius, Sydney! This is a first for Flea Market Gardening,…hope to see more used in different ways.
Thanks, Eric…
Sydney, I love your totem! It is spectacular.
Beautiful!
Nice job… Can’t wait to see what the next project will be.
What do you use as a base to make it stand straight?
As lovely as this is in your garden now with flowers all around, I am thinking it will be gorgeous during the winter when the sun shines on it or the snow lays around it. Such an inspirational piece! Thanks for sharing this terrific idea!
OMG i am so doing this! I already have a mosaic bb gazing ball and a stained glass bicycle wheel. . .this is the very thing i need to do next! It will make a great project for over the winter. . .i would never have thought of the vinyl sleeve thing so thanks muchly!
I am a dog person.. . .but that cat is adorable. . .
How lovely! Wouldn’t it make a stunning mailbox post cover !!!
This is beautiful. I live in a freeze thaw area and wonder about using vinyl as a backing because of potential expansion. Can you address this?
Just awesome!! Going to try this!!