DIY: mosaic tile trivets

how to make easy mosaic tile trivets

we started with a trip to Goodwill to find some surfaces to mosaic on, and were pleasantly surprised with the various items we found

some ideas: glass vase, wooden cutting board, ceramic plate, large singular tile, wooden sign

what you need:

white or gray grout (we got ours from the hardware store)

tiles of any color, shape, size (we found lots of fun tiles from Scrap, our favorite craft warehouse in San Francisco)

tacky glue or hot glue

hammer

protective goggles

paper bags

paper towels or paintbrush

 find someone really tough, give them a hammer and protective goggles

...but not too much wine...

separate the tiles by color and put each color group in a paper bag

break up the tiles by hitting the bags with the hammer
careful not to hammer too much so you have various sized pieces

choose your color scheme and lay out your pieces first, then glue down the tile pieces on your surface 

leave a small space between each tile so there is room for the grout 

allow the glue to dry for a few hours

(we let them dry for a few days and grouted on a different night)

 when the glue is completely dry, fill in the design with grout and smooth over the top with a paintbrush or paper towel 

smooth along the outside of the design, and make sure it is an even, flat edge 

wipe off the tiles with a paper towel, there will be a gritty layer of grout on top  

final products:

note the mirror, which left an un-mosaiced part in the middle

ta-da! 

DIY: map coasters!

how to make nifty map coasters

what you need: 

tiles or coasters (I used some I already had) 

maps (get extra! they'll always come in handy)
-->you could alternately use photos<--

mod podge

top-coat acrylic spray

scissors
pencil
brush
yourself!

(tip: if you're using tiles like mine with grooves in them, you can get a type of tile glue at ace hardware to fill in the grooves first)

trace your coasters onto the map with pencil
I chose areas of San Francisco with some significance (our house, the ballpark, etc.)

cut out the square

(tip: longer scissors make for straighter lines!)

cover the tile with mod podge and stick on the square, then add another layer of mod podge on top

let dry for about a day

after they are dry, spray with the top coat and let them dry

(tip: do this outside!!!!)

and here they are! easy and useful, and my hubby loved them!

you can also wrap your presents with your extra maps! 

49er cake

this isn't really a craft, but take a look at this beautiful cake made by Jessica and Cerisa! 

personally, I think it helped us win.

and obviously, it was delicious!

GO NINERS!

lace candles!

HOW TO: LACE CANDLES

we started with jars (some new, some old pickle jars) and lace and twine from a scrap store

we used hot glue to put the lace on the jars...

...as well as tacky glue 

looking good!

now to light them!

they turned out amazing! and look especially good altogether.

cheers!