What's bright pink with white grout and daisies all over?

This cross, of course!

It is a gift for a baby girl and was designed to "match" her big brother's cross that I made a few years ago:

Aren't they sweet? I love that they are personalized.

Thanks Wendy, and many blessings to the Es. : )

In Him,
Mary
Marymaking Designs

P.S. Join me on Facebook!

Join Marymaking Designs on Facebook!

Did you know you can find Marymaking Designs on Facebook?

Click here to check out the Fan Page.

Tell your friends, family, cats, dogs, neighbors, etc. too. See you there!

In Him,
Mary
Marymaking Designs

Sparkly Cross Ornaments

I've wanted to share cross ornaments with a few of our close friends for a long time, and right before Christmas (nothing like waiting 'till the last minute!), a bag of sparkly tiles caught my eye in my studio. The tiles were an "extra", tucked into an order from a mosaic supplier. I quickly sat them aside, thinking I would never us them. I'm so glad I picked them up and played around with them because I also had the perfect cross ornaments bases to set the tiles in. I love it when things unintentionally fall into place! So fun!

Sparkly Cross Ornaments
4.5"h x 3.5"w

Here's a close up so you can see the sparkles:

Ooooooooooh . . . sparkles.

The crosses were all very well received, but I think our friends are probably a little biased. ;) I'd love to hear what *you* think. Like 'em? Love 'em? Think they're gawdy? Tell me what you think in the comments. Thanks!

In Him,
Mary
www.marymakingdesigns.com

Check out my Facebook Fan Page ~ www.facebook.com/MarymakingDesigns

Molly's First Communion Cross

Molly's First Communion Cross
Size: Medium Cross Base; 9" x 13"

Materials: Transparent art glass, True blue stained glass, Sapphire crystal beads, Flat glass beads in various colors, White and blue grout, Wood base painted with blue metallic and copper paint.

This beautiful cross has been a long time in the making. Molly's mom, a former client, contacted me several months ago about making a special cross for Molly's First Communion. Two years ago, I made a First Communion cross for Molly's sister, Grace (click here to see Grace's cross), so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create another special cross for their family.

My client wanted the design to be bright and fun. She also wanted the cross to be similar to - but not matching - Grace's and have stars in the background. I think we accomplished that! I found some awesome flat beads, and the design came together quickly. I painted the base of the cross metallic blue and scattered hand-painted copper stars throughout the background. I used clear glass so the stars would show through the glass.

I have such a love / hate relationship with clear glass. I love that it gives me flexibility: I can paint the base of the cross and whatever I paint shows through. Amazing possibilities. (Two other examples of this technique are my Everlasting Covenant (see it here) and Calm My Anxious Heart (see it here) crosses.) But clear glass also requires absolute perfection in cutting. Glass tends to fracture when not cut perfectly. These fractures are hidden in the glass in non-transparent glass but, with clear glass, any fractures in the glass are obvious when placed on the base. Therefore, my cuts have to be exact; using my nippers to help "fudge" a cut is not an option. The good news is that results are always more than worth it.

The cross is grouted in two different colors ~ blue in the heart and white in the background. I’m out of practice on two color grouting and was a bit concerned about how it would go. The process is tricky and, if it’s not done just right, you can end up with a huge mess instead of a beautiful cross. All of the beads complicated things even further. Luckily, the grouting process went smoothly, and I’m so glad I went for it. Here’s a closeup that shows the different grout colors:

Molly's Cross ~ Close up

To my client, thanks for giving the opportunity to create this mosaic cross for Molly, and thanks for your patience. I wish Molly so much happiness and joy!

In Him,

Mary
Marymaking Designs

Join my Facebook Fan page here.

Anniversary Cross

I'm excited to share my newest mosaic cross:


The technicalities: This mosaic cross was made on my small cross base (roughly 7.5" x 10"). I used aqua iridescent and deep red stained glass as well as beautiful, sapphire blue glass beads. The cross was finished with bright, white grout.

The juicy details: This mosaic cross is chock-full of great symbolism. My client ordered the cross as an anniversary gift for her husband . . . so the heart symbolizes their love. The "C" is the first initial of their last name. Even the color scheme has meaning as their wedding colors were aqua, sapphire blue and deep red. I just love it when a cross takes on so much special meaning!

The tricky part: For some reason, I have the masochistic tendency to design a cross before I fully figure out how to execute the design. This cross is no exception. I thought a line of beads around the outside of the heart as well as a beaded initial inside the heart would be lovely. (And it is!) I suggested these design elements to my client, and she agreed. What I did not fully think through was how I was going to grout the cross without getting grout in the small and curving bead lines.

The process: I have used similar beaded design elements in my mosaic crosses many times, so I've created a quasi-process for grouting in this situation. At the risk of boring y'all, here are some pictures and a quick explanation of the process:

1. Ready to be grouted.

2. I masked off the beads with painter's tape to try to keep the grout away from the beads.


3. Then grouted inside the heart . . .


4. Cleaned the grout with the tape still on but forgot to take a picture! I did take one once I removed the tape. Sorry for the blurry pic. My camera didn't want to focus!


5. Grouted the rest of the cross. I covered the outside beads with tape again . . . although this picture shows the beads after this tape was removed.


6. This is where things get dicey. Inevitably, no matter how careful I am, grout gets in the bead lines. It's a bit hard to make out in the picture above but the biggest problem area was in the lower left part of the heart. Even after I cleaned everything, there was too much grout left in the bead line. Obviously, my masking method is far from foolproof!

I ended up pulling up about 6 of the beads, cleaning the area under and around the beads, repainting this area and then carefully, relaying the beads. This picture was taken right after I removed the beads:


7. It's definitely an exercise in patience! But the results are always worth it. Or at least I like to think so. The final product:


Thanks so much to L and her husband for their patience and trust. I hope you enjoy your beautiful cross for years to come!

In Him,
Mary
www.maryharrell.com

Back at it

So . . . it's been almost 6 months since I last posted. Let's just say that the Stone Yoga plaque (see post below) sucked my will to mosaic on many levels. After finishing the plaque, I threw my cutters, nippers and Weldbond into the studio and didn't touch them until this past weekend. In the meantime, I've been busy playing lawyer and being the Mom Taxi. I'm blessed that way.

Anyway ~ about my latest mosaics. I made my first Junior League ornament in 2003. Since then, my client has ordered JL ornaments several times. She told me today that she gives them to officers of the organization, and the 2008 batch will go to the executive officers. I incorporated the Junior League logo into the ornaments' design and handcut each piece of glass. Yep, even those teeny tiny, vertical pieces. I have the gash on my finger to prove it.

The ornaments are approximately 4 inches tall, are made of red and white stained glass and grouted in white. Here they are:


And a close up:


I am so glad I picked up my glass cutters and started mosaicing again. Guess what I learned? I really enjoy mosaicing (well ~ maybe not the slicing my finger with a piece of glass part of mosaicing). Go figure. I'm looking forward to finishing a few other long-standing orders over the next few weeks. If I'm still working on something for you, get ready: your lucky day just might be drawing nigh. Ha!

Be sure to check back. I'll try to post a little more often.

In Him,

Mary
www.maryharrell.com

Stone Yoga Plaque

I'll be back to share more about my latest piece of artwork . . . but here's the pic.


In Him ~

Mary
www.maryharrell.com

O Girl!

My last entry was about boy crosses so it's only fitting that this entry is about a baby girl cross. . . a pink beaded daisy cross to be exact! It was ordered by a new client who actually found me through this blog. See! Proof that I'm not just talking to myself. Ha!

I really love my beaded daisy crosses (I think I say this about each of my mosaic crosses, don't I?! But it's really true!) They just make me smile.

The process to make a beaded daisy cross is more complicated than a "regular" cross but it's so much fun to watch it all come together. The beads add the perfect, unique touch and iridescence of the beads really makes the daisy stand out. I'm pretty sure I've posted pictures of previous beaded daisy crosses but here's the one I just finished. No two are ever alike anyway!

I'll add my typical "this picture is horrible" disclaimer. Really, I need to invest in a new camera. The 3.2 megapixel Sony Cybershot has seen better days and I'd really be able to give y'all a better idea of how gorgeous my mosaic crosses truly are. Maybe soon . . .

I hope your weekend is full of things that make you smile. : )

In Him,
Mary