Cactus Makes Perfect
A plant that never dies? One you don’t need to remember to water? Looks stunning all year round? Unique?
Wishful thinking, don’t you agree?
Not anymore. I will walk you through the steps to transforming a few scrap materials into a forever succulent! We will be making mosaic plants.
Before we begin, let’s get back to a few basics… Mosaic art involves using small pieces of broken glass, old pottery or dish ware, stones or other objects to create unique patterned designs. The tradition dates back to Mesopotamia. Nowadays, you can make DIY mosaic stepping stones, planter pots, furniture and even (in this case) faux plants. Many use it as a craft to repurpose broken china or thrift-store dishes. From trash to treasure, my hippie friends!
You will need to gather a few supplies:
Mosaic tiles, broken plates, stained glass or any charms/scraps you may want to include
Any craft glue or tile adhesive
Tile grout
Tile nipper or hammer
Wooden plant cutouts (you can find these at the Dollar Store)
Mini Terracotta pot
Let’s get started! To create the best mosaic pattern, you’ll want to use pieces that “fit” the size of your plant. I used an about 5 in. X 2 in. wooden cutout, so I made sure my pieces were about a 1/2-inch big. Use your tile nippers to get your desired shapes and sizes… or if you’re like me, you *very carefully* use a hammer, towel and plastic baggie. Bonus points if you have lots of greens to choose from!
Now the real fun part begins! Once you have all of your mosaic pieces cut and sorted…. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to designing a mosaic. You can make a mosaic flower patterns or create other geometric designs. I let my mind run wild and mindlessly filled mine. Just be sure to leave enough space between tiles to seal it at the end. When working with the tile adhesive or craft glue, I found it easiest to squeeze out the glue directly onto the wooden cutout (My glue took a bit of effort to squeeze, so this method worked best.) I also worked in small sections at a time to prevent my glue drying before I could get down to it. You do have a few minutes to make minor adjustments to your tile position before the glue sets. Plan to work quickly, but don’t get too frantic if you need to slide a tile here and there. After all this is relaxing. After applying all of the tiles in design, let the adhesive cure for a few hours or per the manufacturer’s instructions on the bottle.
Once you have let the tiles cure, it’s time to being grouting! The directions may differ based on the grout you choose, but most are relatively simple. I bought a dark grey powdered form of grout that simply required adding water. You can also choose grout in other colors, like white or black, depending on your art project.
Spread your grout over the entire tiled surface. It’s best to use gloves, a spatula or something similar to work the grout into all of the spaces on your plant. Let this dry. Ideally, the grout will remain flush with the tiles when it’s finished. You can use a damp cloth or sponge to buff away the grout on the tiles. This part does get a little messy, so work in small sections again and an area where you can clean up. After about 15-30 minutes, you’ll need to wipe away the excess grout to reveal the tiles underneath. You will want to do this before the grout has completely set up though. Trust me, it’s tough to remove grout from tile once it’s cured.
After the grout has set for about 24 hours (or the manufacturer’s recommended time), it’s time for some finishing touches! You can choose to apply a grout sealer if you’d like. I chose not to and put my new DIY mosaic cacti directly into a mini terracotta pot! I used pebbles from the backyard to fill the pot and add to my overall vibe.
I hope this piece of garden art adds some beauty to your home this year. This is also the perfect craft for up cycling old planter pots! It’s an inexpensive way to salvage broken items and make them new again. Isn’t that a lovely metaphor?
To best maintain your new mosaic plant or decorated pots, keep them indoors or it’s best to place them in a covered area or at least apply a sealer for better longevity. I also recommend sheltering them from extremely cold temperatures to prevent cracking. Now, practice makes perfect, GET CRAFTY!
