craft a mosaic tea tray

Handmade mosaic tea tray with lovely scones.

Brief Description: These tea trays are perfect for serving up your favorite tea and scones. I recycled these 1950's ceramic tiles that I found inside of an old cabinet. It seemed a shame to throw them out. I am sure that these would be quite expensive if I were to purchase them today.

Supply List:

• Selection of mosaic tiles, glass marbles, tiny mirrors, seashells
• Cement grout
• Elmer’s wood glue
• Plastic-like gloves
• Old damp rags or paper towels
• Prefabricated wooden tea tray
• white acrylic paint
• bucket of clean water
• soft paint brush
• acrylic varnish sealer

Directions:

1. Glue the tiles directly to the surface of the prefabricated wooden tea tray.
2. Let the applied tiles dry over night to ensure that the glue has hardened. Do not check to see if the glued tiles have stuck to the surface permanently. Some of them will, some of them may only seem temporarily attached. The application of this step is necessary to help the tiles to stay in place before grouting them only.
3. Mix the grout solution according to the directions on the label.
4. Wear gloves if the label says that it is necessary.
5. Gingerly apply the grout directly onto the surface of the tile work. Make sure that the grout does get pushed into as many of the cracks as possible. This is a bit messy.
6. Wash your gloves thoroughly and you may put them back on or choose to remove them all together at this point. Be cautious about this removal however, some people do have mild skin allergies to grout and will develop a rash when coming in direct contact with it when its wet.
7. Now your going to delicately wipe down the surface of your tiles with a damp rag or paper towel. You will be throwing these towels away. If you wish to rinse and squeeze out a sponge or towels as you work, keep an old bucket full of water for this procedure. Do not wash this contaminated water down a sink! Grout will collect in pipes and harden. You will need to pour this old water down a sewer pipe outside or simply find an area of your yard where you may dispose of it. Grout won't hurt an old leaf pile or the ground where plants are not growing.
8. You want your project to look clean on the surface of the tiles when you are finished. The cracks between the tiles should also be completely filled with grout.
9. Leave your mosaic project out over night to harden properly.
10. If you see remaining grout on the surface of your tiles after it has hardened, you may go over the surface of these tiles with a light weight sand paper and damp sponge again.
11.  With a soft brush wipe on gently a wash of white paint on the exposed wood and then seal it with a varnish.

I used old 1950 bathroom tiles to mosaic a 
prefabricated wooden tea tray.

A close-up of the period tiles.

More tea tray craft projects:

• Reverse Collage Tea Tray
• Second Coffee Crafting
• Tea trays from frames
• Tea Time from Confessions of a Craft Addict
• How to make a serving tray from a drawer

craft project: mosaic bird house

I purchased this prefabricated, wooden 

birdhouse from a craft store called 

Michael's. It is an actual birdhouse that

may be used outdoors.

Brief Description: This mosaic birdhouse can be hung outside if you would prefer. My mother keeps it inside in her sunroom.

Supply List:

   1. Selection of mosaic tiles, glass marbles, tiny mirrors, seashells

   2. Cement grout

   3. Elmer’s wood glue

   4. Plastic-like gloves

   5. Old damp rags or paper towels

   6. Prefabricated wooden bird house

   7. white acrylic paint

   8. burnt umber acrylic paint  

   9. bucket of clean water

Directions:
 * Glue the tiles directly to the surface of the prefabricated wooden bird house.
 * Let the applied tiles dry over night to ensure that the glue has hardened. Do not check to see if the glued tiles have stuck to the surface permanently. Some of them will, some of them may only seem temporarily attached. The application of this step is necessary to help the tiles to stay in place before grouting them only.

* Mix the grout solution according to the directions on the label.

* Wear gloves if the label says that it is necessary.

* Gingerly apply the grout directly onto the surface of the tile work. Make sure that the grout does get pushed into as many of the cracks as possible. This is a bit messy.

* Wash your gloves thoroughly and you may put them back on or choose to remove them all together at this point. Be cautious about this removal however, some people do have mild skin allergies to grout and will develop a rash when coming in direct contact with it when its wet.

* Now your going to delicately wipe down the surface of your tiles with a damp rag or paper towel. You will be throwing these towels away. If you wish to rinse and squeeze out a sponge or towels as you work, keep an old bucket full of water for this procedure. Do not wash this contaminated water down a sink! Grout will collect in pipes and harden. You will need to pour this old water down a sewer pipe outside or simply find an area of your yard where you may dispose of it. Grout won't hurt an old leaf pile or the ground where plants are not growing.

* You want your project to look clean on the surface of the tiles when you are finished. The cracks between the tiles should also be completely filled with grout.

* Leave your mosaic project out over night to harden properly.

* If you see remaining grout on the surface of your tiles after it has hardened, you may go over the surface of these tiles with a light weight sand paper and damp sponge again.

Additional Suggestions: You may wish to seal the exposed wooden areas with a tough varnish if you choose to hang your bird house outdoors.

All instructions and photographs, templates are copyrighted by Grimm 2011