The art and craft of mosaic seems to have suffered an identity crisis as of late — maybe a few too many uninspired stepping stones have popped up here and there and it’s been done to death — but I would like to encourage you to consider creating one for your garden.
Mosaic is like knitting for the gardener. The gentle repetition and gradual crescendo to the end-product is calming and uplifting and the perfect activity for evening TV watching.
The process is pretty simple: break stuff up and put it back together. It’s an incredibly satisfying DIY project with dramatic results. The placing of the pieces is extremely calming and what could be more fun than smoothing on the grout?
Time to break up
The art and craft of mosaic is a fun and forgiving activity. In a nutshell, you break something up, then reassemble it in a pleasing pattern of your choice and secure it with grout, like in your kitchen or bathroom.
Mirrors and pottery of various sorts are common materials for mosaic, but anything that will set in grout will do. Glass marbles always work, as well. If you are breaking up materials, always wear protective safety goggles and gloves and be all-around careful.
Tacky craft glue works great for affixing your pottery, mirror, or glass pieces to the surface of whatever you are working on. Nearly any grout will do, with a special nod going to the pre-mixed varieties for making the process so much easier. Lean towards darker shades to make your mosaic pieces pop. A coat of polyurethane will help seal and protect the grout.
Generally speaking, I keep mosaic pieces in more protected areas in the garden to preserve them as long as possible.