The kids wasted no time painting a few tiles of their own….  Just some brushes, glaze, some 6×6 bisque tiles, and away we go!

Hand prints are one of my favorite things to do with kids.  Its simple, its fun to get messy, and they really mark time in a special way.  Its a little time capsule that they can look back on for the rest of their life.  I always use low-fire glazes for this kind of thing, to protect the print while firing. 

These kids are nearly pros!  They said that they had seen my “Sassy Linda” episode, on HGTV, over 50 times!  And they wanted to help finish their very own Sassy Family Caricature.  First off, everyone took a turn mixing the grout.

You have to be sure to sponge the grout on thoroughly….

This is perhaps the most exciting part of the process– its when the piece really comes to life! It also takes a lot of elbow grease….How wonderful to have these helpers!

She’s so cute, I can barely stand it!

Here is the finished piece…. And the hand prints, after they got fired!

I just finished creating the border for the conch shell mosaic! Just like the shell, its on mesh, broken up into 4 separate pieces. All that’s left now is installation! I can’t wait! I’ll be sure to post a picture of the finished bathroom so you can see how it all comes together.

After visiting the Getty Villa: Stories in Stone Exhibit featuring masterpieces from the National Museums of Tunisia, with my dear friend Jane Ann Stewart (The brilliant and fantastic production designer from such films as Sideways, Election, & The Family Stone), we decided to create a small and simple mosaic in this style and technique for her bathroom.

Many of those ancient mosaics were of objects and creatures from the natural world, and Jane has a special connection with conch shells (every since she was a little girl), so that’s what I am making for her.  

Here is the shell on mesh.  I am waiting on some special blue tiles, on back order, that I will incorporate into the background and boarder.  We want the blue to connect with the blue in her swimming pool, since this bathroom is just off the pool.  

Stay tuned for updates as I complete the piece and install it into her lovely new bathroom!

She’s finished! 

Well she’s getting there…

I’m grouting my latest Sassy–It’s a surprise Christmas gift for the owner of the coolest Cafe in Sedona, AZ. (If you know her, don’t tell her!)

Well, we’ve been working nearly round the clock, trying to get the site up… and it’s starting to come together. The store is working, and prints will be in their soon– so hang in there.Thanks so much for everyone’s excitement and encouragement! More to come!