Trying a New Craft: Making Glass Mosaics

I have previously written about the New Zealand Scrapbooking & Craft Expo (SENZ) that is a favourite outing in my crafting year. Last year SENZ had to be cancelled due to COVID Lockdowns so when it was able to be held this year, my friend Steph and I knew we had to support them. There were fewer suppliers and fewer visitors than in previous years but there were still plenty of both and we had a very enjoyable time. I was delighted to find a brand new supplier that I hadn’t seen before: Funky Glass Art – who had a whole range of eye-catching glass mosaic pieces on display.

I have a friend who makes lots of beautiful mosaic artworks but I have never tried it before myself. Conscious that I didn’t really need another hobby and certainly not one that needs a whole lot more gear, I decided that buying a Glass Mosaic Kitset was the safest way for me to try it.

After agonising for ages over which one to buy, I decided on ‘Bluey the Starfish’ as it was in ‘my colours’ and would go well in my bathroom once done.

The kitset contains everything you need to make your piece. First of all you lay out all the glass tiles onto the wooden cutout frame, then glue them into place using PVA glue. Once the glue is firmly dry, you mix up the grout to a thick paste using water.

Then comes the messy part: wearing gloves and using a spatula, start applying the grout all around the tiles so that it fills all the cracks and spaces and contours the sides as well. You wipe off excess grout with a damp cloth as you go. I found this the most difficult bit because I wasn’t sure quite how it was going to dry and what ability I would have to smooth things later. You do need to get it pretty smooth and even at this stage because although you do buff and wipe it later, it only affects the top surface layer.

Whilst I enjoyed making this, I don’t think I will be taking this up as a major hobby myself. However if I do get the urge, Funky Glass Art is located in Warkworth, just north of Auckland and they run mosaic workshops on site each week.