Hey girlfriend!!! I've missed you!!!

I'm just getting back on board so still have to read about your trip to PV - you lucky dawg!!

Love what you're doing and it's just the kind of thing I'm looking to do - the tower I mean. The snail was a toy? Like a plastic toy? That' cool. Thinking outside the box as usual.

Ok, maybe stupid question that's probably been answered a millon times but do you just sink the stars into the mortar or do you attach them seperately? A girl's gotta know.

Cait

CALAM: That tower is REALLY looking great, and of course, the snail w/be darlin - LOVE those eyes. On the tower, how did you make the "molding" at the bottom? So anxious to see this puppy mosaiced.

This is definately a type of project I hope to learn how to do someday! Are you teaching yourself or did you take a class? I have books that show the directions, but haven't been brave enough to try anything. Am anxiously watching here!

Becky

Cait! The tower is wire mesh folded 4x, and then tin snips to cut out the holes for the 3/4inch thick stars, which are mortared into place with fiberglass mesh and mortar. I took a course last year in mexico on how to use wire mesh and concrete to build garden art!!! I totally forgot that yrs ago when I first found the Garden Junk Forum, that I had tried to make one(snail) and abandoned it...till now. The tower is fortified with coat hanger straigtened and placed along the edges and the base is just the mesh cut and folded out with the fiberglass mesh added during mortaring to strengthen it. I forgot that I also added some backerboard inside, between the stars, to add beefyness! It's just a mad experiment!lol!
Becky: What is your book called???

Great job on the tower!...and the snail. those eyes are so cute!!

The snail is finally mosaiced and now to decide which color grout...terra cotta, green, black, grey...hmmm???? This is a pic of him on his side as the bottom is freshly mortared, will leave space between tiles and rocks to give a different look. Plus I plan to grout around the rocks/pebbles with a baggie of grout...if I can decide which color to use!!!





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Oh, I LOVE that l'il guy. VERY unique w/the rocks. He certainly has personality w/those knobs and the eyes. Name????

I vote for Escargo - short for Esquire Carl Gogh.

I adore it!! Gonna look great. A snail I wouldn't mind having in the gardens!!

Esquire Carl Gogh... HA I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the tips, Calamity. Do you have to use the firberglass goo, too, or just mortar over the fiberglass? Jeez, you know I'm gonna be picking your brain something FIERCE when I visit you! (and you, too Slow... don't think I'll let you get away without teaching me a thing or two. HA!)

Love the pebbles on the snail!! I'll leave the grout color choice to you!!! I'm stealing your brick and pebble patio idea - the one you stole and took a pic of last year when you went to MeHEco. hehehe Now to get me some pebbles!!

Mortar is the goo of choice Cait, and I finally have a plan for the tower...stay tuned!

Really cute critter!! I like the chunkiness of him.

Very nice Janie -bo. I have waited a long time to see you finish your snail. He's lookin awesome,
Cindy

I Love the snail! Do you have a special place in your garden picked out for him?
I can't wait to see the tower
Betsy

I have a snail waiting for over a year to be transformed! I love what you're doing with yours, he's cute!

Oooh, I'm LOVING those rocks! He (she?) is a great snail!
Can't help with the grout, but looking forward to seeing what you do....and am now intrigued about the tower...

geeez your placement and grout lines are perfect, awesome so far!

welcome home Janey

Love your snail and your tower.love the rocks!

Well, I am very dissapointed in my sad efforts here to finish this snail...and the tower is coming soooo slow, sheesh! I just wanna finish them and move onto something else. My grouting is terrible, then I tried to paint it a different color(Snail)and it looks hideous(Well, a snail IS ugly!lol!) and I can't figure out what I wanna do next with the tower!

Well Janebo - I don't know why you're disappointed in the snail. I LOVE how the rocks stand out. Why don't you try painting it another color - like black? And then I'd surely be tempted to put something in that space between the rocks and tiles. I KNOW you wanted it for difference, but I can see mirror in there. And the TOWER!!! My goodness, girlie, it looks GREAT so far. Weren't you going w/a mirrored background? If so, it would look great. This is turning into a real jewel of an original art piece. Get back to it and quit whining.

Oh My!!! What a Whiner!!! Sheesh!!lol! I hauled in a mirror that I bought and it broke before getting it home!, and will be using that for the tower. Today I'm off to hang with Klinger, I just drool over her art when I go to her place!!!

Jane, what are you doing out of bed so early, It isn't even 7am. lol. I like both your projects, like Slow said though I think maybe black for the snail. Or just something a bit earthier, like chocolate brown maybe? Your tower looks great with those swirls, I really like it. I think the mirror with maybe a bit more blue to go along with the stars would look awesome.
See you later
Cindy

I don't think your snail is hideous, it is an interesting color of grout and it's unique! Personally, I think mirror or anything else blingy will make is less earthy...but keep in mind I am not an artist, (I just play one on tv, lol!)
I LOVE what you've added to the tower! Looking forward to seeing the mirror on that!

I like the snail! Are you going to put him outside? I agree with Cindy..he's earthy and I think his grout will stand out in the garden.
WOW.. the star tower is going to be amazing!
Bets

OH cool cool cool. Those turned out great.

The snail looks GREAT!!! Just proves we're own own worst critics

I like the snail also. To me it would look great tucked in with the flowers, really natural looking. The tower is going to look amazing.

Here's my 2cents worth...That snail ROCKS and the tower is FAB!!!

Ahhh, Too Sweet, ALL of you!! I am breaking up mirror today and also outside doing some deadheading, waited all winter to make sure they're really dead!lol!!! I'm using spray varnish on the mirror backing, the mirror is very thin so I'll probably stick to(no pun intended, but I like it!)the marine silicone. I have some more mortaring on the very top to do, I gotta make a dish like holder for the solid glass globe. Today is wonderfully sunny and it feels so good to get out in the yard and check on my garden art!ha!

I'll send you some cheese for your whine Jane!!! I think your snail rocks! He/she will look great in your garden.............love your tower too.......I haven't made a thing since PV......lost about five lbs...I thought I was going to die and was afraid I wasn't..LOL......It's sleeting here in So. IL and we're having an ice show outside..trees bending...cracking........beautiful...but deadly!

Oh Gypsy!!! How rotten for you, I'm almost jealous of the 5lbs tho!lol! Today I'm glueing mirror onto the tower and will be nipping blue globs in half to glue along the border, I'm thinking of a baby blue grout! I wanna work on a few bowling balls next.

I think black grout is in order...

Oh Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss...bow to black grout........!!! Perfect choice! Love this tower!

How wonderful is that????
I wish it was mine!!!It is screaming for black grout!

Oh.. and it is snowing .. AGAIN .. here in Southern WI!
Betsy

That tower is FANTABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent job on it!!! I LOVE the ball topper! Yup, black grout the way to go!

Well, Janeybo - you've done it. You've pulled off another wire mesh project and mosaiced it beautifully. I LOVE mirror in everything, but in this piece, it's spectacular. And those half blue globs is absolutely the crowning touch for the border. What a beautiful piece this w/be. Your creative mind is ever at work.

WOW! That topper is fabulous! What a great tower!
Looking forward to seeing it with the black grout....

That turned out just beautiful. I can't believe you made the tower yourself. Is this going to be an outdoor piece?

Janie - I love the snail & the tower is beauteous, especially the topper! It goes so well with the stars.

Jane it's wonderful, it turned out just gorgeous,Can't wait to see it in person,
Cindy