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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Trivetal Pursuit


 Once upon a time, there was an awesome trivet who hung on my wall. It was wrought iron and tile, and it joined us for dinner nearly every night.
And then my son Thom happened to it.
Wrought iron is no match for my boy.
And glue was not the answer.
 Fine. I've had a crush on glass mosaics for a while now, so before we attempt a huge project, let's do a little practice work on something everyone can manage without fancy tiling tools.
I bought the tiles months ago for a different project, which I abandoned, so there they were, just taking up space in my work shop.
And yes, I've tiled before, but not with this stuff, and I always like to do dry runs on something with very little commitment.
Seriously. Let's give this a whirl. You'll need:

One 12x12 tile, cheap please. Like $1.25
One 12x12 sheet of mosaic tiles in the clearance bin, $3.50
Grout. I was lazy and bought pre-mixed this time
Goop. This gets used in almost all of my projects except recipes. And I'm tempted
A butter knife
A sponge
 Okay, first, on your 12x12 solid tile, slather a generous amount of silicone adhesive, which is wonderfully water proof.
 Set the mosaic on the tile and arrange it evenly.
 This is way too easy.
 Let it set and grab your butter knife.
 It's just grout, don't be scared.
 Pretend you're making a peanut butter sandwich, but violently force the peanut butter into the bread.
 Scrape the excess off with the flat side of the knife.
 Wipe the tiles off with a barely damp sponge. There will still be a film over the tiles. Don't panic, it's supposed to be there. Walk away and find Ty Pennington on TV.
 Now, the next evening come back and grab that damp sponge again and wipe off the haze.
 Haze being the remainder of the grout on the tile.
 See how easy that was?
 I think we're ready for the the hearth project!
 And we're also ready for a hot pot of spaghetti sauce.
 Ever wanted to tile but you were a tad hesitant? Here's the project to give you confidence.
And wouldn't a matching backsplash and trivet be kinda cool?

45 comments:

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

Gorgeous! That does look like something that even I might be able to accomplish. I love those little glass tiles!!!

Musings from Kim K. said...

Those little glass tiles are gorgeous. Chris has been doing tile work but we've never attempted a trivet. Very cool. Is that sunshine I see in the background of some of your pics too. I am seriously envious. Happy Tuesday!

Abi and Simon said...

I love your style of writing! I adore those colours...very similar to our bathroom border.

Suzie said...

Oh, go ahead---I just got a glass tile backsplash (mine is greens) and I love it. You can see it on my blog under Where We Live.

Anonymous said...

beautiful! great job!! :)

Michelle @ Dream Home DIY said...

What a great idea!! We we're eyeing tile like that at Lowes for our master shower :0)

Heather said...

Those tiles are really very pretty!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Very nice...the colors of the glass tiles are so pretty and perfect for your home. This really looks like a fun project.(-:

Beth@Wiccan Make Some Too said...

Looks awesome Sunny! I love it. Might need this tutorial when I get to the frozen tundra of PA.!

tina said...

"and then Thom happened to it" lol

Katherine said...

Awesome! I just gotta know are you gonna try the backsplash?? It would look great. You've got me wanting to tile something! Thanks for linking up!

Jennifer B. Kids on the Grand said...

I'm always so attracted to those tile displays at the big box home improvement store. I'm never quite sure that I want to commit to a wall of it...but a trivit...I could do a trivit!

Unknown said...

That turned out gorgeous! And of course I love the impromptu tools - such as the butter knife. My first tiling project I used a plastic putty knife. Worked like a charm. Some of those fancy tools are overrated!

BTW - I can't WAIT to see what you have up your sleeve for the fireplace! Judging from this, it's gonna be amazing!

~Chelsea

lisbonlioness said...

I've been wanting to try this for YEARS now. Years, I'm telling you. And you just gave me the kick up the behind I needed! Bless you, I can picture myself walking into the B&Q buying little baby- tiles now. Luv ya!

Heather said...

Beautiful... love the colors you chose. I'm not sure who to feel sorry for- you or Thom:)

Roeshel said...

Beautiful. Glass tiles are one of my favorites - especially blues! You make that look so easy. We have tile laid out on a table top, just waiting for a "grout" lesson by my husband. Hope mine looks as great as this! :)

Roeshel

TheCraftInMe said...

I want one of those, I'm totally trying this! Thanks for the tute!

Amanda @ Little House on the Corner said...

Um, I LOVE this idea!! I have been ogling some mosaic tiles at Home Depot lately and this would be a great way to use them! Not to mention, we'll have an entire bathroom to tile in the near future, so it would be great practice. I'm adding this to my must-try DIY list! Thanks for the helpful (and humorous) tutorial!

Leslie said...

I love the color of the tiles... what a beautiful job you did, I love it!
Leslie
Your newest follower
Tranquil Acres of Alexandria

The Autocrat: Haley said...

Oh I am so jealous! I have been wanting to try that forever!! Looks fabulous!

Katie @ EyeSpyDIY said...

That turned out so cute! I have seen those tiles before and loved them! Great job.

Also, I have a great Dove chocolate giveaway going on right now and would love if stopped by and entered: http://eyespydiy.blogspot.com/2011/02/dove-chocolate-discoveries-giveaway.html

~Katie @ Eye Spy DIY

the cape on the corner said...

great idea, and i love what you named it in the link up. trivitel pursuit! yay wordplay!

RedTedArt said...

Lovely and your finish is so neat!!

Thanks for stopping by at Kids Get Crafty!

Maggy

Gale said...

Nifty!

Unknown said...

What a nifty neat idea, I may just have to try tiling myself. Thanks bunches for linking your creative idea to my blog bash K.I.S.S. much appreciated. :)

http://thetatteredtag.blogspot.com

Susan Anderson said...

This is just wonderful!

=)

Sue McPeak said...

Thanks for the Tiling Tutorial. I have Tiled a Bathroom Tub and Shower Wall with Ceramic Tile and it was quite an undertaking, but a fun project. Using a Tile Cutter is a pretty neat project, too. Looks like you are a pro and ready for the next big project! Well done.

Anonymous said...

So pretty, I love it. Some day when i have the cash... LOL

Teresa said...

I just love the way you make things look so easy!

Lisa H. said...

The perfect way to prepare for something more ambitious.

Ames said...

I tiled our front porch while sitting on my butt and the hubby cut the tiles. What a chore that was. No more. I now have the name and number of a fabulous tile man! Yours turned out nice!~Ames

Jami said...

You know what's funny about this? To you, this was an easy project, but to me, grouting has always been a mystery. I, too, love mosaic glass, but I have never attempted to work with it. This is a great, simple tutorial. Thanks a bunch!

Anonymous said...

I love that idea! Thanks, myabe i can find time to do that too, who knows?

Twisted Sister said...

I enjoy reading your blog - the way you write is so much fun! This is a great project and I am going to bookmark it and be on the lookout for ultra cheap tile to try it with.

Can I ask how well this will stand up to hot pots? Should I seal it with something if I'm going to be putting very hot dishes on it? As you can see, I'm a total novice - but you make it seem so easy and your instructions are so good - I'm willing to try!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

your words inspire.
keep it up.




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Judie said...

I love those glass tiles! That's a great idea. I have made grouted tile stepping stones for my back yard by breaking up small tiles and creating a mosaic in those terra cotta drip pans that you put flower pots in.

Megan Gunyan said...

NICE! I heart me some Ty. Love the colors!

At The Picket Fence said...

I have a few things in my house that have been no match for my boy either! :-) This looks so great and you made it sound easy peasy. Thanks so much for linking up to Inspiration Friday! I always love seeing your fabulous projects.
Vanessa

Unknown said...

This came out great! I featured it on my blog today, please feel free to pop over and check it out!
Jen

http://jen-simplyliving.blogspot.com/2011/02/stuff-i-like-sunday-5.html

AllieMakes! said...

This is great! Thank you for sharing the tutorial!
Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie! I can't wait to see what you have for next week!
AllieMakes.Blogspot.com

Be Colorful Coastal said...

I love these glass tiles too and this blue is so pretty. Thank you for sharing on Motivated Monday at BeColorful
Pam

Jenny said...

Still laughing over you 'trivetal pursuit' title.

You totally crack me up!

I love the way you think and create and dare to try anything.

You are absolutely the coolest lady!

Thanks for another tremendous link to Alphabe-Thursday!

You really help make this meme terrific.

A+

The Single Nester said...

This looks terrific. Where did you get that gorgeous glass tile mosaic?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I plan to make some as baby shower prizes.

Anonymous said...

I love your blog .This is a cool site and I wanted to post a little note to tell you, good job! Best wishes!!!
Glass Tile and Mosaic Tile