Welcome to our little World,
where we take all the little pieces of life, and turn them into some Spectacular Artwork!
We are a group of free spirits who enjoy sharing ideas. This is a peaceful and happy place, and you are welcome to join in!

Artist of the Week: MJ Mosaics!


What's your real name? How did you come up with your shop name?

My real name is Marilyn Joan. Hence my shop name is my first 2 initials and mosaics cause it says what it is.


What inspired you to create your first mosaic?

I don’t really remember what inspired my first mosaic. I do remember my sister giving me some sunflower plates she didn’t want anymore and I smashed them up and made a rectangular tray for her to sit her tea, coffee and sugar jars on. I don’t think she was too excited when she saw that the plate had found its way back into her kitchen again.
A few years after that I was assisting our women’s pastor at my local church, she was invited to speak at a women’s retreat. Her theme was based on our life as a mosaic, so she wanted me to come along and run a workshop over the weekend where the ladies created a mosaic, so first I had to teach myself, there the flame was lit. The whole weekend was a very rewarding experience. Along the way, it has been my friends that have encouraged me to continue my mosaics and I’m so grateful they have because it’s become my passion.


Has mosaic art lead you to any other art forms/been a lead to any other passions?

Since being on etsy and meeting all my piece maker friends, I have tried mixed media, and creating my own tiles from paper glazed onto glass. I don’t know how you could hang out in this community and not be inspired.


Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from every stimuli around me, from the cloud formations in the sky, sunsets, the beach, the rain forest, music, colors, beautiful buildings, patterns, other artists inspire me to try new things, the materials I use inspires me and often determines where I go with the piece I am creating. In ’06 I traveled to England and visited several examples of mosaic work, I’ll post pictures on my blog they were amazing, my favorite was St Pauls Cathedral in London, Now that was inspirational!


Do you have any mosaic daydreams?...... is there one thing that you dream of being able to create someday?

All the time. Some of them are out of reach right now, but one day! I have some old doors under a friends house (hope they’re still there) there’s 4 of them hinged together and they’re huge they came from a school building that was being demolished. One day I would love to mosaic both sides of them and enter them in a local sculpture festival they have here each year called SWELL. I would also like to do portraits.


Is being an artist your full-time job? What other jobs or hobbies consume your time?

Being a mum is my full time job and mosaics are squeezed into any spare minute I have, I’m also learning the guitar and as my instructor would tell you my practice has suffered a bit since I joined Etsy. I assure him I am practicing though.


Tell us ,briefly, about your family.

I am a single mum living with my 13-year-old daughter Erin, my son Lucas is 11 and my baby girl Abbimaya is 14 months. We have a cat Jireh who lives with my ex-husband and a horse Matilda who is agisted 5mins from home. Our dog Mufusa died last month she was 15 and had cancer she was a good dog. We live in a townhouse/unit on the Gold Coast, Australia. Life is good!


Do you have one or two creations that have been favorites?

Purple Dream Princess Mirror, and In the Garden Mirror.



To see more beautiful work by MJ, please browse around her etsy shop here, or head over and check out her blog!

Check out the logo!

Thanks to the volunteered efforts of William Edwards, the Piece Makers have an additional Logo! William's art has quite a following, and people seek him out to create amazing logos for their groups, businesses, and shops. Among many other things, William did character design for the Family Guy, and the art work for The Playdate Kids books and videos! We are so thankful & amazed that he would volunteer to create a logo for us.

Drum roll please......


And, more big news- you can now buy PieceMaker goods! There are PieceMaker t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and MORE! So, come check out the shop:

To see more of William Edwards' work, check out his store here:

Sale Sale Sale!


Yes... you heard me RIGHT! Many of the PieceMakers have sales going on in their shops! Click *****HERE***** to find out which shops are participating. Some shops are 25% off all mosaics, others offering FREE shipping (given the size & cost of shipping these puppies, that's AMAZING!), and many other great offers! - including mosaic SUPPLIES! Some participating artists have never done a sale before, and may not do one again. So, enjoy the sale while it lasts!

Artist of the Week- Flowering Moon Designs!


What's your real name? How did you come up with your shop name?

My name is Joanne Paquin. My shop name originated from my love of the lotus flower and celestial themes. The lotus flower is actually a tattoo that I had done on my ankle a few years ago. I plan on adding the crescent moon to it very soon.


What inspired you do create your first mosaic?

My first mosaic was done while taking classes at a local stained glass studio. I took classes for approximately seven years, when they finally introduced a mosaic project. It was an octagon shaped stepping stone, and with my love of anything celestial, I created a sun and moon design. It was as that point that I absolutely fell in love with mosaics.



Has mosaic art lead you to any other art forms/been a lead to any other passions?

When I initially began creating mosaics, the only tesserae that I knew was stained glass. It wasn't until finding Etsy and Flickr that I realized there was much more to mosaics than that. It gave me more creative freedom, and I went on to learn how to work with polymer clay and tempered glass. I've also incorporated my love for bead work into my designs. I've been an artist for over 30 years and have tried just about everything, to include painting pottery and jewelry design.


Where does your inspiration come from?

I think most of my inspiration comes from the work of other mosaic artists. There are so many talented artists out there, and they give me the inspiration to challenge myself. I would have to say that I'm drawn the most to whimsical and nature inspired themes.


Do you have any mosaic daydreams?...... is there one thing that you dream of being able to create someday?

I have mosaic daydreams all the time. I keep a small sketch pad with me so that when an idea strikes, I'll be prepared. My co-workers will find me doodling during lunch time. I dream of being able to retire and create mosaics all day long. One thing that I would like to create someday is a three dimensional piece, such as a cow skull or a mannequin. I think that would be very challenging.


Is being an artist your full-time job? What other jobs or hobbies consume your time?

Mosaics is my hobby, not my full-time job. By day, I'm the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent (AKA: Warden) of a maximum security prison! When I'm not creating mosaics, you’ll find me supporting my husband ~ who is a part-time performing musician in a band called The Fuzzy Side Band. I just love listening to him sing, play the bass and create music.


Tell us ,briefly, about your family.

I live with my husband Mike, who has been very supportive of my creative endeavors. He gave up his backyard shed and converted it into a studio for me. I have two young adult boys ~ Michael, who is 22 and Jonathan, who is 19; I also share my home with two fun-loving Boston Terriers named Bridget and Baxter. Bridget was my inspiration for the last Peacemakers mosaic challenge.


Do you have one or two creations that have been favorites?

I would say that my favorite mosaic piece is my 'Sun, Moon and Stars', which hangs over a buffet in my kitchen. It’s a 3’ X 3’ panel, and it’s the first thing you see when you step into the room. It's the first large mosaic that I created, and I get comments on it all the time.


To see more of Flowering Moon's fantastic art, head over to her Etsy shop!


Etsy
Buy Handmade
floweringmoon

Memories in Mosaics, selling in Cocoa Florida!


Our very talented Memories in Mosaics has an ongoing relationship with "The Gingerbread House" in Cocoa Florida. Her beautiful work is always there, so if you're in the area, stop by and check out her wonderful artistry!


Where: The Gingerbread House
Address: 15 Oleander St., Cocoa, Florida 32922
Store Hours: Monday through Sunday 10-5.

Artist of the Week- Callas Mosaics!


What's your real name? How did you come up with your shop name?

My real name is Carla Dake. My father-in-law always used to call me Calla. He was born in Alabama. He hadn't lived there for years, but still had a accent. 1949...you guessed it, was the year I was born! My father-in-law passed away 10 years ago.


What inspired you do create your first mosaic?

I had sold a few things on Ebay and one day saw some mosaics. I thought they were so pretty. That started it. That was 2-3 years ago. I never read any how to books but got on a couple mosaic groups on Ebay. Through discussions I learned how to make them. This year for Christmas, I got a couple mosaic books. If it wasn't for the mosaic groups on Ebay and Etsy, I never would have learned the right way to do it.


Has mosaic art lead you to any other art forms/been a lead to any other passions?

I have tried a couple resin pieces. I'm looking forward to making a mosaic with tempered glass. I also want to make some small mosaics.


Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from everything around me. I love reading quotes and my all time favorite one is..."Everything Has Its Beauty..But Not Everyone Sees It!" I don't remember who wrote that but that pretty much sums it up. I have those words on my wall in my living room.


Do you have any mosaic daydreams?...... is there one thing that you dream of being able to create someday?

I have this daydream that one day something will come to me in the form of a mosaic and it will be brilliant! LOL! I never know what I'm making...till I do it. I don't draw anything out. Say I want to do a frog. I will sit the frog on my table then walk around and look at all my dishes. I will pull the ones I think will look good together.


Is being an artist your full-time job? What other jobs or hobbies consume your time?

Being an artist is my hobby. I own a packaging company. We sell packaging supplies to various companies. I have always been somewhat creative. I have worked in a antique/upholstery shop. At that time I custom mixed stain colors, sold antiques and fabrics. I repaired frames. I have worked with silk flowers and decorated for complete weddings. All the arrangements for the bride plus all the decorations for the hall. I also love to cook! I get that from my grandmother! She was a wonderful cook. I also work outside in my gardens. I don't mind getting my hands dirty!


Tell us ,briefly, about your family.

I'm married! When I was living in my first apartment with my cousin, this guy downstairs invited me down for dinner. He was very nice but to make this short...I married his brother. They were living together, downstairs. This year it will be 40 years. It truly does seem like yesterday! We have one daughter. She will be 34 this year. We moved up here 3 years ago. We added on to his mothers house and she lives on the other side. She comes over for supper almost every night. Our daughter is going to move up here. Her company moved out so soon as she sells her house, she will come up here to live. She isn't married...yet!


Do you have one or two creations that have been favorites?

I think the things I like to make the best are birdhouses. I entered a birdhouse contest last year. It was for the Pittsfield Garden Club, in Massachusetts. They sent out 50 birdhouses. Of these 50, 12 were judged and selected by a panel of professional artists to be featured in the 2009 Legacy Banks calendar. Mine was one of the 12. These 12 were auctioned off. The money went to the garden club, to use on projects to beautify the town. A lady in one of the mosaic groups on Ebay, used to live there and told us about the contest.

I think the fairy house I just completed for the "Winged Challenge," is my best piece yet. I had such a good time making it!


To see more work from Callas Mosaics, please visit Carla's Esty shop by clicking here: Callas Mosaics

Congratulations Winners!

Thank you Betsy, of Green Girls Studio, for making these awesome posters of our challenge winners!


The Votes are in!

Thank you to EVERYONE who took part in our first PieceMaker Mosaic Challenge! All the submission were beautiful.... it sure made voting tough! Everyone who participates in a challenge like this is a winner. Just finishing a piece in time to submit it is reason for an award! :)

Now... drum roll please!

Our first place over-all favorite, and winner of the mosaic challenge, with 24% of the vote, is Amanda Edwards' (of Mandolin Mosaics) Winged Lion!

Amanda designed this gorgeous winged creature for our first challenge, and what a regal beauty he is! His majesty stands out against the colorfully designed background, while proudly displaying his mane. Amanda, you are an amazing mosaic artist, and you truly inspire the rest of the PieceMakers team! Congratulations on a well-deserved win!

Coming in second, with 15% of the vote, is
Winged Creature House, by Callas Mosaics!

Our 3rd place winner, with 13% of the vote, is
"Pieceful" Ms. Lady Bug, by Broken4Art!

Our next category was "Best Executed Piece".

For "Best Executed Piece" the winners are.....

Coming in first place, with 34% of the vote, once again is
Mandolin Mosaics' Winged Lion!

We had a three way tie for second place in this category! So, our THREE 2nd place winners, all with10% of the vote, are.....

"Doves", by Pals Creations!

Winged Creature House, by Callas Mosaics!

"Pieceful" Ms. Lady Bug, by Broken4Art!

For third place, in the category of "Best Executed Piece", we had ANOTHER tie! Our third place winners are.....

Spring Birds, by Kims Custom Caps!

"Led Zeppelin", by Oak Studios of Design!

Our last category was "Most out of the Box" piece.

Winning first place, with 37% of the vote, our most out-of-the-box winner is...

Winged Creature House, by Callas Mosaics!

Our second place winner, with 16% of the vote is
Winged Lion, by Mandolin Mosaics!

Coming in third, with 14% of the vote,
"Pieceful" Ms. Lady Bug, by Broken4Art!

Thank you to everyone who voted in our first, and very successful, mosaic challenge! Congratulations to EVERYONE who took part & submitted a piece, and of course to our winners!

To purchase any of these mosaics, or to find out more about the artists, just click on the picture of their piece.

.... and one last look at our other beautiful submissions! You can click on any of the photos to purchase the piece or to find out more about the artist.
CONGRATULATIONS to EVERYONE who participated!!!!

"Bridget Angel", by Flowering Moon Designs

"Faerie Dragonfly", by Twin Brooks Mosaics

"Faerie Believe", by Betsy & Jamie, of Greene Girls Studio

"Cardinal", by IBreak4Glass