Aged Whites in Pique Assiette Mosaic

Chunky-Frame, Pre-grouting, from my collection of aged antique shards.  I always love using the bottom-rims from large plates...

Mosaic Makings

I've had this vase in the corner of my work-room for years, I think I'm ready to put it to good use in a mosaic mirror.  

My lucky day. At my mom's apartment building there's a re-sale room, open 2 days each month. The prize was the pink bowl that holds the other pieces (the bird is Occupied Japan piece I found at the amazing Collectamania in Des Moines). The pink bowl must be a ceramic made in a class, the bottom says Mary Hugh.

I look for dishes from a certain time, nothing newer than the late 1960's is what I prefer. These old dishes are crumbly and beautiful, and often have crazing that adds to their value, in my world. In the antique world, this type of damage is a deal breaker. But even damaged an old Shawnee piece can be pricy. Besides their beauty, they are much much easier to break apart with my nippers. And nothing works for Pique Assiette like dishes with plenty of texture to them. 

Elegant Pique Assiette boxes of white china, flowers, pearls, rhinestones and vintage jewelry, to be available at The Cottage by the Creek in Des Moines.

I love the shiny whites against the snowy background of the grout.

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.

Learn Pique Assiette Mosaic Today!