Oh Slow!!!!! This is AMAZING! OVER THE TOP WONDERFUL! Now I wanna redo mine! Mine looks way too Plain Jane now, after looking at yours!ha! It's fab and it ain't even decorated yet!!! What are the roofs? Boy, this is gonna be very cool....!

Oh my goodness! Brilliant!

Incredible work. Makes me want to try my hand at it; I've never done this. That is just amazing. What are the roofs?

Terrific!
Eager to see progress. I just love these 3d structures. Kathy

Thanks, y'all. CALAM: Don't you DARE touch yours - I LOVE your castle. Had I not already laid out the very beginning b/f you posted, I'd probably have gone round also. Hey, GYPSY - nice to see you here. SILVA: If this old lady can do it, ANYBODY can do this work. The roofs shown previously were just paper to give me an idea how they'd look. I'm using the think copper sheet CALAM gave me three/four years ago - PERFECT. Gotta figure out a way to stiffen them. And, of course, I HAD to have a drawbridge. The beads are brass and temporarily placed. Gotta run to Lowes to get mortar. Of course, the mortar is gonna thicken evrything and probably make it look chunkier than I want, but it has to be done - can't get silica sand here so I can't make my own mortar. THEN, of course, I like CALAM's so much, I'll be looking for small pebbles.
Castle structure update

Oh Man! LUV LUV LUV this!!! I made wire mesh roofs then put the copper over them. Love the draw bridge with the ball chain, adorable!!! Can't remember what I used to skim coat my mesh...maybe concrete and sand? Or maybe mortar...

THANK YOU CALAM. Why didn't I think of the mesh under the mortar - DUH!!! Been out shopping for supplies - found a fairy and the pebbles at the $ store.

WOW, that's all I can say. I am totally speechless. And I thought doing a little birdhouse in mosaics would be so darn daunting. All of you ladies are amazingly and majorly talented!!!

The copper tops are going to be beautiful!

Here is a link that might be useful: my blog

OMG!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank, y'all. Couldn't sleep since after 2:00 a.m., thinking about the possibilities of where this crazy little castle could take me. W/LOVE to make a large one, have a running moat (water feature). Can y'all just imagine what all could go into such a creation. Sometimes I wish I could turn me down to simmer instead of boil. Soooooo many possibilities. AZCACTUS - you gotta start somewhere, and a bird house is a wonderful place to start.

Slow this is fabulous! wow, I cant wait to see where it goes!

Slow, I still dream about what I can do more with my castle! And a moat flowing into the pond is something I am "pond-ering"! heh heh!

WACKY - thanks. A couple times today I considered where it was going - IN THE TRASH!!!!. I'd rather build a wall behind my fountain, mortar it and mosaic it than to EVER do something so small and detailed again. If any of you consider making something this small w/details, please mortar it in sections b/f you assemble it. I had to apply the mortar w/a small paint brush - impossible to reach some tight areas. Said many bad words!!! CALAM - I think after the work I spent on this today, the dream is GONE!!! I went about it all wrong. W/have to give it a coat of the polymer modified mortar tomorrow. The hardware cloth doesn't hold the mortar as easily as does the diamond lath. I filled the inside w/paper but didn't fill the towers - GEESH - this was a learning experience.
Castle mortared

Cussing musta helped in the long run cuz that is one fab castle!!! I am so glad I'm done that Seahorse, I wanna do something else...anything else!lol! Well, after the grouting...anyhoo, what kind of tesserae are you doing this with? Or just doing it like your fountain? I sure love the copper> don't you?! That stuff was such a great score too! At a garage sale, like $5/roll! Put to good use!!!

Thanks, CALAM. I thank you again for the copper. I looked on-line this morning for copper sheets. Wish I knew what thickness or guage this wonderful stuff is. I DO LOVE it, and was saving it for juuuuuuust the right thing. Doesn't collecting for years pay off eventually? I'll bet you DO want to do something different. That seahorse has been buggin' you for a long time. Any thoughts???? Re your question on tess - small pebbles like yours. Hope the scale isn't all wonky. I got the smallest ones I could, but couldn't find small black ones to outline the windows. Don't know what to use for the drawbridge - Sure wish I could find some tiles that resemble wood strips. I'll figure out something.

What about popcycle sticks? Or twigs? Or brown tiles cut in strips?

Hey, girlie. Sticks wouldn't hold up outside. Don't have brown tiles, but might can find some brownish glass and cut long strips. Hate to have to quit today cuz I'm having sooooooo much fun w/this, but gotta rest my aching back. Not w/o flaws, but so what? I'm loving this. I turned it over and applied a second coat of mortar underneath - had to use a paint stiring stick to reach inside the towers. Tough work, but THEN the fun began. I don't plan to grout this except in spots - around the windows, between the glass in the windows, hoping the grout w/appear to be bars. They're curved, so had to cut the pieces. Plan to put a black/white tile floor on the top. Flags are just in temporarily. Might add some trim around the edeges of the roofs as I didn't think ahead and allow enough overhang to cover the rocks. Don't have ideas on the fence around the top. Any suggestions w/be appreciated.
Progress on Castle

I love those flags! Looks good Slow! I gotta rest up, after that power grouting episode I just did!lol! I signed up for a garden tour this year, and it has been bumped up to april 30th!!! So as much fun as I am having, I had better get out in the yard!!! It will be an opportunity to try and sell some yard art too, so may have some "Play" money when I come visit you!!!heh heh!

That is turning out great!!!!!!

Thanks, y'all. CALAM: Hope you and KLINGER do well in that garden tour.

Klinger's isn't till May, lucky gal! I'm outside today...clearing the wreckage of my past...heh heh! Last years dead stuff, cleaning up the yard, fighting the build up of total panic!!!ha! But I'll be checking back here and seeing the WIP pics!

Today's progress. Don't know where to go on the terraces/window boxes???, and the fence. Black/white floor isn't laid down yet - need to level the floor. Thinking on a red glass doors. The windows w/look much better and smaller once grout is molded around them.
Sunday's progress

I'm not sure how much you need but I have some brown tiles that I'd be happy to send to you. These pieces are approx 3/4 " x 2 ". Kind of varigated shades of brown from dark chocolate to a light chocolate milk color.

Leftover swimming pool tile that has been sitting in our garage for years. If you could use, I'd be happy to send it....my way of thanking you for the inspiration you have given me as I mostly lurk on this board.

If you can use them, I think my email is on the mypage thing.

ML

Bless your sweet heart, MADDIE: That's such a sweet offer. I had some brown glass in my stash, and cut "boards" after the latest picture was taken - just couldn't give up to the backache, so got the bridge done. I soooooo appreciate your offer. I hope to finish this l'il sucker tomorrow, even though I've had such a good time working on this one. Betcha you could break up those pool tiles and cover a flower pot or something. What are you working on at present?

You better leave this for me to grout when I get there!lol!(like you could slow down and wait that long!heh heh!) Going like gangbusters as usual, this is looking really good all covered, and the grout will REALLY show off the stones!

Not gonna grout - this is push/sqush method. I should have colored the mortar black, but just neglected to do so. Gotta go get exterior sealer to make the stones shiny, but no grout - too difficult to get into the tight spots.

AWESOME......you must not sleep nights and just lay there dreaming up all your wonderful projects. This one is over the edge fantastic......one lucky little fairy will be proud to enter this castle!

Slow...I have a headfull of ideas right now, working on nothing :(

Looking forward to seeing your finished castle.

ML

Some night are like that, CRAFTY. Haven't a clue what I'll do next AFTER I grout the hanging planter I finished b/f starting this little number. Well, Maddie: Get to work focus on the priority one, and break something and start gluing.
This is sorta finished, unless CALAM really WANTS to grout it when she gets here. It was tough grouting just the little parts that I did grout - AWFUL. There's so much wrong w/this, but I can't help it now. I might add a little something here/there - maybe trim on the roofs, stick a little heart here/there, but for now, it's finished. I couldn't come up w/how to treat the fence at top, so just applied black grout as I grouted the floor. It was so uneven, and w/have been difficult to attach glass shapes that w/come out half-way equal. Taking Riana's advice and leaving some areas unadorned. Still needs lots of cleanup but NOT TODAY.
Fairy Castle Finished

Its wonderful! Love the b&w tile floor complete with fairy. And the detail around the doors and windows. Now I want one too. Where will you put it?
Kathy

LOVE the Blue! It really POPS! And that draw bridge is a masterpc!!! Love the black grouting around the windows and the top! GREAT!!!! How about some more pics at different angles...pleeeaaassse?

Well, y'all. My Dallas daughter thinks it looks unfinished. She thinks I need to paint the parapet matellic gold. She said it looks sorta like a crown and needs bling. What say y'all? On the spikes I could attach some small diamond shaped gold mirror??? It was a temptation to grout the whole thing. I'll think on this. That's why I said sorta finished. CONCRETE: I haven't a clue where to put it. Originally I made this to fill a request of my friend and former student who sells my stuff at her nursery, but I worked too hard to put it up for sale. Absolutely NO ONE w/pay the price, cuz it wouldn't be cheap. It may be a gift to my Dallas DD.

Well I think it looks great !!!!! I love it !!!

Can't decide without more pics....

I think I see what Shea means - it DOES look unfinished. More pics, CALAM.
Sorta Finished

That is just AMAZING! If you want to add anything, how about some small flowers in that area that is the top of the ground floor where she's standing? I love it just as it is .....

Thanks for the pics!! I just HAD to see it all!!!heh heh! I see what the fuss is about now!lol! I would suggest some kind of color on those too...to bring UP the color around there since there is so much nice color at the drawbridge, I would try and see if the blue and/or a blingy color could be added to tie it all together. Alternating????

I'll come up w/something. Thanks for suggestions and all y'all's compliments. My housekeeper saw it today and suggested I don't put it on the ground. I had already thought it needs to be elevated. So her suggestion is: put it up on some sort of pedestal, and plant a garden around it. The next plan w/be to figure out a nice pedestal that w/accommodate space around it to plant Creeping Jenny, put some fake flowers in the terraces, etc. I think I can bling up the parapet w/gold mirror and some jewels on the tips. Oh, this thing is gonna keep on growing for sure. Thanks again, y'all, for the encouragement and inspiration.

Oh Ya, like a planter/pedestal!!! Which reminds me of a project I have percolating in my mind...that cement shoe I have, that I want to put a roof on and make into a "Old Lady who lived in a shoe"theme garden, with mini yard, plantings...

Perfect idea for that shoe, CALAM - a little garden around the house. See what keeps us awake at night, y'all????