This is a small project I did to

This is a small project I did to test the new Tints-All colorants and included more than one technique for demonstration
purposes. The entire project took about 4 1/2 hours and only cost about $16 retail! What a great gift or project to sell.

Note: I chose to spread the mastic a little thicker to demonstrate the 'puffy grout' look. As you push in your pieces the
mastic puffs up around each piece. The damp paintbrush is to smooth out any rough spots. If its too puffy for your taste
use less mastic.

Materials
paper bowl plastic spoon & knife small paintbrush & cup of water plastic squeeze bottle (optional) sm craft frame ($2 at Michael's) glass mosaic cutter tweezer repositioning tool toothpicks Tints-All, Sea Blue Green tile mastic or white sanded thin-set		glass cutter glass mosaic cutter glass 'pliers' (snaps the stained glass where it is scored) stained glass millefiori & filigrana slices glass rods glass stringers colored 'gold' smalti glass beads

1. Cut stained glass into strips then cut into smaller pieces with glass mosaic cutter. Most stained glass stores will be happy to show you how, if necessary.	2. Mix Tile Mastic with tint in paper bowl, keeping track of measurements in case you need to make more. Start with less, adding more as you need it. Use white colorant if its too dark. Keep 'recipe' for future reference.		3. I decided to use 3 colors and taped off the area for the first part. Spread mastic evenly with a plastic knife.

4. I place some seashells first using my brush to push up the mastic on the side.	5. Remove tape and begin 2nd section. I added more of the same colorant to what was left in the bowl, making it darker.		6. 2nd application. Note: I cut the rods and stringers (thin rods) so they would stick up above the other elements, standing on end.

7. I used plain white mastic for the center section and glued 'reticello' rods inside the frame with silicone glue. 3/4" glass tile frames the outside of the frame.	8. I mixed more of the lighter color and used a spoon to put it inside a small squeeze bottle. I squeezed out a bead of mastic around the outer edge to finish it off.		9. Done!
Below is another option (actually my preferred method) using white thin-set instead of mastic. This technique is perfect for direct method and if you are following a design. Instead of spreading it on I put the mix into a squeeze bottle (hair color or clear BBQ sauce bottle). I sift the thin-set first to remove any hard pieces, add my water then the tint. You can squeeze out one row at a time and still see your drawing. Note: design is from Dover Books "A Treasury of Design for Artists and Craftsmen".
Bend the paper bowl and spoon into bottle.	Squeeze out a few rows at a time