MARGARITAS & MOSAICS PARTY

Recently I was going through all my craft supplies and was somewhat surprised at the volume of random mosaic tiles I had accumulated over the years.   I thought it would be fun to whittle down my inventory by inviting friends over to have a party and do a simple project.  It was a tie between 'Margaritas & Mosaics' and 'Martinis & Mosaics' - margaritas won out because I already have a set of 12 glasses.  Owning a set of these is a pre-requisite if you've ever lived in Texas :o)

I've always liked the idea of wine glass charms to keep track of glasses, and for this party with everyone drinking margaritas, this would be particularly useful.  I gathered 12 different mosaic tiles from my collection and dug into my stash of ribbon and to make these.  Tip - I first ironed a fold into the middle of the ribbon to make the process easier, then glued the fold in place, then glued the folded part of the ribbon to the back of the tiles.  I used good ol' Weldbond glue - my favorite for mosaics and this worked great in ahering the ribbon to the tiles.  As for food, I took the easy route since we were all just coming from dinner - chips and several different kinds of salsa/queso and some chocolates. Oh, and of course - pitchers of margaritas.

For the project itself, I decided on 6" clay pots.  I like these because they can have a variety of uses (a flower pot, pencil holder, a holder of anything in a pantry or drawer... you get the idea).  They are also small enough to finish in an evening.

I covered our table with a vinyl table cloth and each guest had a clay pot, small paper cup for adhesive and a wooden craft stick. I also placed some wrags around the table to wipe off hands and any adhesive that ended up on the outside of the tiles.

I set up all my tiles in plastic containers on a table for my guests to choose from.  I pre-cut some tiles and offered to cut more upon request (which I could take care of outside on the patio).  I didn't want to worry about protective eyewear and small pieces of tile flying around in my house, so this solution worked out just fine.  Not to mention I didn't have enough tile nippers to go around.

My plan was to grout the projects the next morning.   (Needless to say I have a pretty good collection of grout as well).  I invited anyone to come back and join me in the process if they were interested, otherwise I would take care of it for them.  The party seemed to be a big hit and we are already talking about planning another to do picture frames.

Note to anyone interested in throwing one of these parties. . .   If your not currently into mosaics and don't have all these supplies - check out local mosaic and ceramic stores who host these types of parties and will provide everything you need (maybe not the margaritas :o)   Interestingly enough - my first experience with mosaics was with a friend at exactly this type of place. in Dallas, TX.