Jeanne Selep's Selep Imaging Blog

Monday, October 19, 2020

Found Object Mosaic Ball

Found Object Mosaic Ball: View 1 - Create Joy

Inspiration for my various projects can come from many sources. Sometimes I accumulate treasures and items which I then try to find a way to use.

Found object Mosaic Ball: View 2 - on stand

Literally, that's how some of my projects have come into existence. This mosaic ball, for example.

Found Object Mosaic Ball: View 3 - Love

I created my found object mosaic ball by covering a bowling ball with beads, jewelry, scrabble tiles, keys, dominoes, dice, polished stones, buttons, tiles, and bits of dishes and ceramic mugs... and more.

Found Object Mosaic Detail 1

I was at a Bead and Button show where I bought inexpensive strings of the red peace beads and the white star beads used in this project. I bought the beads in 2013.

Found Object Mosaic Ball: View 4 - Laugh

At the time I had no idea how I would use the beads, so I made this mosaic ball just so I could use them.

Found Object Mosaic Detail 2

The words LOVE (there are 8 of them) came from a mug. The heart below the word "CREATE" is a favorite find I also wanted to use.

Found Object Mosaic Ball: View 5 - Luck

This mosaic ball is somewhat fragile. I used black grout and my black grout seems very crumbly. The ball can't be left outside, even though I took it outside to photograph it. I haven't had luck with scrabble squares outside, even after I tried sealing them. And I have no idea how the dominoes or wood buttons would react to weather. I keep this ball inside.

Found Object Mosaic Ball: View 6 - Peace

I thought using black grout would look striking, instead the result looks kind of spooky. It made the scrabble tiles instantly look aged and stained, which wasn't my intention. (Not a happy accident, but I have moved on.) So I think of it as my Halloween ball. The ball has a "Goth" feel to it.

Found Object Mosaic Ball View 6 - Grace

I went to an art lecture where the speaker pointed out the proliferation of words in advertising all around us influences contemporary art. (Think of some of Jasper Johns works, Pop Art, etc.) I've noticed words slipping into quilts, collages, and now my mosaics. The word "Grace" - meaning God's undeserved love, is a current favorite.

Shopping a bargain bin resulted in my Mosaic Ball

If you look closely in the photo above you can see turquoise peace bead strings from the Bead and Button show where I got my beads. (See this post on the show.) Of course, with Covid, the show wasn't held this year. :(

Back in real life, the days here are ending earlier and earlier, and falls colors are nice but there are many gray days as well. A winter during the pandemic doesn't look particularly appealing, but I'm set with craft supplies so I hope that I'll have a lot of creative output.

I hope you find beauty and creativity in the next couple of months!

A Final Thought for you...

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

I blog for fun and my blog is ad free. Comments encourage me, and I sometimes need encouragement. Please leave a comment if you have time! Anonymous comments and comments months/years later are welcome!_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Click here for an incredible Mosaic Collection!

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f you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy ...

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I am linking up to these parties:

Create with Joy: Inspire me 458 Mon (m Entry 61 of 190)
My Random: Anything Goes 258 (Entry 57 of 65..)
Good Random Fun: Good Random Fun Mon 4a (m Entry 44 of 48..)
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday 613 6a (s Entry x of 69x.)
Uncommon Slice: Inspire Me 72 Mon 2-4p (m Entry 6 of 99.)
* Stroll Life: Inspire Me Tue a (l Entry 56 of 91.)
Loulougirls: Fabulous-party 343 Mon 7p (l Entry 27 of 55)
Anitaojeda: Inspire Me Mon 4p (s Entry 38 of 43.)
Poinsettiadr: Classy Flamingos 125 Tue 6p (l Entry 9x of 35x.)
Mersad photography: Through my Lens 262 (Entry 25 of 30.)
Our World Tues: Our World (Entry 36 of 72.)
Image-in-ing: Weekly link up (Entry 36 of 88.)
Nanahood: Linky Party Mon 11p (Entry 5 of 13.)
Across the Blvd: Beautifully Made 135 Tue 8a (Entry 2 of 54.) *
My world Thru My Lens: My Corner Wed (Entry 7 of 75.)
Peabea: Pictorial Tuesday (Entry 4 of 16.)
A little bit: Tue Talk (Entry 27 of 30.)
Thistlekeylane: Tuesday Turn About 71 5p (s Entry 1 of 154.)
Also My Wee Abode: Tuesday Turn About (s Entry 1 of 154.)
Common Ground: About Home Mon 6p (s Entry mon/tue)
Lindas lunacy: Making-a-home 187 Tue (m Entry 4 of 55.)
LeCultivateur: Wonderful Wed (m Entry 19r of 219r)
Stonecottageadventures: Tue twist 391 2p (l Entry 42 of 56.)
Lets Add Sprinkles: Keep in Touch 172 Tue 4p (m Entry 7 of 54.)
Gingersnap crafts:Wow me Tue 7p (Entry na)
Girlish Whims: Whims 481 Tue 8:50p (Entry 1 of 96.)
Applestreetcottage: Party-in-your-pjs 331 (Entry 3 of 106.)
Flusterbuster: Creative Muster 407 Wed (l Entry x of 125x.)
Bit of Everything: Tue Talk (m Entry 27 of 30.)
French Ethereal: Share Your Style 278 Wed 6p (Entry 3 of 61..)
Imparting grace: Grace at home 400 (Entry 33 of 124..)
Artsy mama: Artsy party 315 Th 7a (Entry 25 of 107..)
My Slices of Life: Hearts+Home Handmade Th 6a (Entry 47 of 118..)
Pieced Pastimes: Saturday Sparks 397 Fri 3p (L Entry 35 of 119.)
Eclectic Red Barn: Thurs Favorite Things Th 7a (Entry 34 of 214.)
Also KatherinesCorner: Th 7a (Entry 34 of 214.)
Also Follow the yellow brick: Th 7a (Entry 34 of 214.)
Prettydiyhome: Waste not Wed 228 (m Entry wed)
Life beyond Kitchen: Creatively Crafty Th 4p (Entry thur)
Kathleen: Bloggers Pit Stop 244 Th 8p (L Entry 35 of 92.)
Coastal Bohemian: Funtastic Thur 8p (i Entry thur)
Shelbeeontheedge: On the edge 193 (Entry 73 of 90.)
The Painted Hinge: Farmhouse Fri 177 (L Entry 6 of 60.)
Firemanswife: Fri at the fire station 189 (m Entry 20 of 55.)
Ohmyheartsiegirl: Friday Feature 229 (s Entry 74 of 161.)
Cottagemarket: A morning cup of joe (L Entry 34 of 86)
Shabby art boutique: Create-bake-grow-gather 442 (L Entry x)
Busy Being Jennifer: Fri Favorites 73 (m Entry 14 of 77.)
Our mini family: Our mini party 301 (s Entry )
Funkyjunkinteriors: DIY Salvaged 550 Fri (Entry 3 of 20.)
** Eye Love Knots: Snicker Doodle 358 Sat 5pm (m Entry 28 of 153.)
Pams Party: Dare to share 440 (m Entry 17)
House on Silverado: Sun on Silverado 12 (Entry 8)
Creative Mom: Craft Schooling Sunday (s Entry x?)
Finding Silver pennies: Silver Pennies 382 Sun 6a (m Entry 15)
Life and Linda: Dishing it Digging it 68 Sun 3p (l Entry 54)
Navigating Baby: Dream Team Linky 223 Sun 6am (Entry )
April Harris: Hearth and Soul Sun 10p (Entry 49)
Faeries and Fauna: Waste not Wed 198 (l Entry x)
Franca: Keep Calm and Carry On (Entry 14)
MyThriftStoreAddiction: Vintage Charm Wed (Entry 37)
Also Ourhopefulhome: Vintage Charm Party 256 (Entry 37)
Mybijoulifeonline: Creative Compulsions (Entry 25)
Cool Halloween tree post

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Karinskottage: Centerpiece Wed Tu 5p

Shiplapandshells: Charming-homes-gardens Wed

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Mosaic Garden Stepping Stone

Mosaics are an attempt to make something beautiful out of the broken pieces of something else. Maybe that's why I am avidly pursing mosaics at this time. It's a metaphor. Does anyone else out there want to create some loveliness in spite of the mess they around them?

Mosaic Stepping Stone Close up

I made this project about a year ago as a sort of memorial to an exquisite plate I had just purchased at an antique show that was NOT destined for mosaics AT ALL.

The plate broke as I was washing it. :(

I SO wish I had been more careful.

Mosaic Stepping Stone Detail

The plate was an art nouveau style plate, entirely hand painted (I think) on a white background. The design featured stylized pink flowers, fern-like greenery, and lots of gold swirls and embellishments, and a thick gold edge on the scalloped rim. Everything about the plate was lovely.

The plate is vaguely the circle with the white background.

Mosaic Stepping Stone Center Detail

I tried to "preserve" the plate in this stepping stone. But the plate was far more elegant, with the fern fronds connecting in an elegant pattern, not laid out in my frankly clumsy layout.

Clumsy layout? - There were 5 flowers evenly spaced on the plate, and I used a 6 sided hexagon stepping stone. The stepping stone was too small to allow the plate to fit in, so I squished the five flowers in and had to get rid of portions of the original design. Also I didn't really manage to center the white circle, and the yellow center is a strange shape. I used the hexagon because that's what I had access to, but that is an excuse - I could have waited and poured or bought a larger round.

Mosaic Stepping Side view

So why share this mini-disaster at all? I'm sharing it for several reasons.

Reason 1 - It cheers me when I look at it. Despite it's many problems, when I see it as I'm letting the dog out, or bringing the groceries in, I see the lovely colors, the flowers and a bit of a sparkle, and even on a dreary day it looks bright.

Reason 2 - Of the stepping stones I've made, this one is my favorite. I don't even let it get rained on, (or stepped on!). The stepping stone stays under the eave on my front entryway landing.

Reason 3 - The results allow me to enjoy the present as opposed to forgetting or dwelling on the past.
Making lemons into lemonade, so to speak.

Reason 4 - I think beginners can be encouraged when they see results that are less then perfect. Unless you look at it (or photograph it) from straight overhead you don't realize the magnitude of the clumsy layout, or that symmetry wasn't achieved. Or perhaps, I ended up liking my own creations better because of the effort and time I spent on it. I wouldn't buy this stepping stone had someone else created it, but I cherish my result.

Reason 5 - I am getting better at mosaics, and I enjoy documenting the progress.

Mosaic Stepping Stone Edge Detail

The stepping stone was the first project I used the green border on. The second project is a table (edge detail below) that I shared here.

Mosaic Garden Table Edge Detail

And on to the real world - Wow. I feel horrible for those in California and the West Coast affected by fires. So many houses destroyed in some of the photos I've seen. Down South has people affected by hurricanes and flooding. The entire country is reeling from the impact of the pandemic, even if they don't know anyone who has had it. Two of my college students have had their college experience impacted - I'm grateful they had multiple years of normal college before this. Jobs have been affected in my family. Family and friends have had riot experiences. Life is not normal. Should we even be trying to post normal life posts? Is it ignoring the pain to post something trivial?

I think people want to get back to jobs, colleges, schools, churches, etc. and to experience some portion of the "normal" that has been missing this year. I know I want to. So I am posting a possibly trivial post to focus a little less on the many negative things going on, and to carve out a tiny area of "normal" in these strange times. But I guess I feel I have to explain that I'm aware, I care, and I'm typing this at midnight because I'm not sleeping particularly great anyway, and because I enjoy the many other posts on the more trivial but more normal experiences that I find in the blog parties and blogging world I follow. Go fellow bloggers go!

There is something therapeutic about combining the shattered pieces available to you and seeing something lovely emerge. Make something beautiful out of the world around you, if you can. And if you can't at the moment, I pray that you will find yourself in better circumstances soon.

Stay sane and healthy,

and do what you can to help others!

I hope you and yours are healthy and well.

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

Click here for an incredible Mosaic Collection!

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f you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy ...