The challenge set last Thursday on It's all about was based on a quote by William Morris, who said “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
The actual challenge was "to attempt to create something you truly believe is either beautiful or useful. If like the design team you find that something didn't quite hit the mark, we still want to see it. It’s about the journey not the destination.”
There was a project that I have been wanting to do for ages, in fact over a year. I had collected a few glass tiles whilst on holiday, with an idea to make them into a coaster as a lasting memory of the trip.
I managed to source some coaster bases & found some smaller glass tiles to match by a company called Mosaica. On the back of the tile packet it explains about the tiles.
"Glass mosaic tiles (known as tesserae) have been used throughout history to create works of art & decorate buildings, walls & floors. Mosaica glass tiles are made from a marriage of traditional & modern techniques, the most stunning of which is the use of a semiprecious stone called Avventurina that can be seen sparkling within some colours. The reverse of the each tile is ridged to aid adhesion & the colours are lightfast & frost resistant."
Their website can be found at Hunter Hollis
Making the project
First I found the centre of the square coaster, marking it with a pencil. I then dabbed PVA glue on the ridged side of a tile & placed it in the middle. I then used that tile as the guide to place all the other tiles, making sure that each tile was straight before leaving it to set for a few hours.
Then I made up some tile grout adding water & a blob of coloured paint to tint the grout. The grouting was easier than I had expected. I then pressed in some Accent Beads to make the piece more decorative.
I was very pleased with the result & am going to make up another one.
I think the colours are beautiful & it is certainly a useful item to have in my home, thus meeting the challenge.
You can see the completed project here.
