I prefer to always start on the inside of the box and did so once again. I will need the tissue box cover of my choice, acrylic paint, a flat brush, a palette knife to mix the paint with, and a palette.
I want to create a vibrant orange for the inside of the box. I squirt about twice as much yellow as red onto the palette. This is mixed using the palette knife.
The inside of the box is painted with the newly mixed orange, using a wide flat brush.
I will paint the edges of the box with Sap Green, which is a beautiful compliment to the orange I chose for the inside.
The edges are painted with a narrow flat brush.
While the paint is drying, I gather the materials needed for the mosaic. I love these decoupaged glass tiles that I've made and have been wanting to use them since I made them. It was with these tiles in mind that I have settled on the orange and green that I painted the box in.
Any other tiles used in the project will be decided by the decoupaged tiles. I therefore divide these tiles in to the five sides of the box that I will do mosaic on.
I now choose a selection of tiles to compliment my glass tiles and divide them into the five sides as well. The back of the box gets the most tiles since it has the largest surface and all the other sides receive comparatively fewer tiles. The round tiles will serve as space fillers and are kept close at hand. I do this division before I start to ensure that the tiles are evenly distributed among the sides of the box.
When I am satisfied with the distribution of the tiles, I start by laying the tiles out on the top of the box. Once I am satisfied with the layout, I glue the tiles in place. I did not cut any tiles in this project, but opted to play more freely with the sizes and shapes. The reason is that a great number of the tiles I used were marble, stone or metal-clad. These require precision instruments to cut.
Once the glue on the top is set, I lay out the front and glue these tiles in place as well.
I now pack and glue one of the shorter sides.
I turn my attention to the back of the box and glue the tiles in place.
Lastly, I pack and glue the tiles in place for the remaining short side. The decoupaged tiles on this side are much thinner than any of the other tiles used on the box. Even though I am deliberately working on different depths, I find this difference to be too big. Therefore I do not glue the glass tiles, but will opt to set them with grout later. I simply leave their spaces open and glue the surrounding tiles in place.
Once the glue is dry, I start mixing the grout.
Add some grout to a mixing bowl, add water and stir. The clumps are easily dissolved.
Once you have a thick, but slightly runny paste, the grout is ready. Be careful not to add too much water.
I choose to work the grout into the grooves by hand. Grout is a little coarse on the hands, but washes off very easily.
With the excess grout wiped away, I leave the box to dry once again.
Notice how I have set those thinner tiles in the grout at this stage, building the bottom up and raising the tiles in the process.
Once the grout is dry, but before it is hard I wipe the tiles clean using a wet rag. The grout takes between 1 and 3 hours to set enough before you wipe it clean.
This box is perfect for a kitchen. Sadly, as I was taking these pictures, a client walked in and bought the box. Feel free to order one if you do not wish to make it yourself.
You can order your own ready-made tissue box covers from Miekie Crafts on APrettyTalent.com.
For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
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