Incarcerated dolls and pique assiette

That title ought to garner some views.  

This will be a this and that type of post.  I have a table I want to share with you and we can also chat about antique faires.  Most of my posts have a specific topic and this one may be a bit all over the place so hang on and let's get started.

The dolls can wait, first the table.   

"Pique assiette" is a type of mosaic made with broken china.  It first made my notice about 15 years ago and it has been my intention ever since to create a small table using the technique.  We have a small, wrought iron table my mother in law gave us that is probably about 75 years old (or older).  It has the perfect chippy, rusty look going and the top needed replacing.   

I had Rick cut a piece of cement board the size of the table top.  My initial plan was to collect china from thrift and antiques stores, hoping to find chipped or cracked pieces at a bargain that I could cut up.  That turned out to be a lot harder than I expected.  I scoured local shops and only found a couple of plates that would work.  I ended up ordering pre-cut pieces of china from Etsy and e-Bay.  

The process is actually very easy.  I haven't laid tile before but I have done one other mosaic piece.  The trick is to get the varying thickness of the pieces to be a smooth, fairly flat surface.  I used blocks of wood as guides and as I placed the pieces of china I would lay a longer piece of wood across the blocks of wood to ensure the pieces were all the same level.    

I started by doing the border first.  I wanted to have a few focal points so I created circles using a larger piece of china and surrounding with a couple of layers of pieces from the same plate.  I've seen examples where an entire plate was reassembled and I wanted a similar look but using pieces from a few plates rather than just one plate.  Once the circles where in place I filled in the background.  

I will say this is one of those "do it once and never again" type projects.  It was fun and I love the outcome but it was tedious.  I would work on it for a few hours and then leave it for a week or two.   

Grouting was a simple process.  I've only done one other mosaic piece before but the process was exactly the same.  Just smear it on and wipe off the excess.  

It's a nice addition to the garden.   

This past Sunday Rick and I went to the Petaluma Antique Faire.  My very favorite antique store, Summer Cottage Antiques, is in Petaluma.  I'm always up for a trip up that way to pay them a visit.

I have come to the conclusion that, for the most part, antique faires are a waste of time. Maybe one out of 25 vendors has a booth that draws me in.  The rest seem more like flea market fare than antiques.  We didn't find anything we had to come home with.   

We do go with a mental list of a few items we want to look for while still being open to the that "I didn't know I needed this" type item.  And we always bring the truck, just in case.  :)   

I did come home with a few ideas of ways to re-purpose items I already have.  So it wasn't a total waste of time.  Plus it is always nice just to spend the day with Rick.  We had a leisurely lunch and hit up another great antique store in Sebastopol,  Antique Society where I found a sweet little plate.  I just need to remember to skip the antique faires and just go straight to my favorite shops.