Creating a garden birdbath.

As usual, I start in the center. I have the perfect piece:  a yellow ceramic tulip, and then surround it with some leaf-shaped shards from a set of bowls I found at a flea market.

Next, I want to go ahead and attach the large Capodimonte flowers, so that they can dry over night and then I can right the bowl for my work tomorrow.  I've added a little paint to the mortar to give it a bluish-purple tone.  You won't see much of the mortar when the piece is complete, but in case some mortar DOES ooze up from the shards, I want it to be as close to the color of the grout I'll be using as possible.  I push and slightly twist the large floral piece into the mortar, and then jam smaller thick shards around the piece to secure it.

My vision for this piece is for it to be a kind of garden in a bowl.  I've cut up some flowered napkin rings that I found yesterday in my elderly mother's retirement-home resale shop.  6 for a dollar!  In many of the  tiny spaces between shards, I've placed broken mirror pieces.  This will be stunning when the sun hits the bowl through the water.  Defects in the flowers are covered with old water-safe costume jewelry with rhinestone.

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