Big Vase Project

16 years ago

Okay Â well I finally finished the big project that IÂve been alluding to, and just uploaded the pictures.

This is how it started - Got the vase (actually got 2) at Habitat for Humanity. It was very lightweightÂa plastic-sort of material over fiberglass. It was cracked and chipped off in several places, so I took one of the vases and started trying to get all the black plastic-like coating off of it (wanted a stable base to attach the tesserae).

After much chipping and breaking and replacing of various utensils/tools, I finally gave up, and took the other vase and decided to concrete over it. Used the chicken wire method, and stuffed newpaper between the vase and the chicken wire.

Then coated the whole thing with a cement mixture.

Decided that I didnÂt like the shape of it Â thought it looked like a giant bowling pin, so I added more chicken wire and newspaper, and shaped the top a little different. Would have liked to be a little more creative, but thatÂs the best I came up with, and after much debate and procrastination with myself, finally decided to go with it.

Well, actually, there was a lot more procrastination as I settled on a design. I finally decided on a beginning - with a wavy line around the middle, then that led to the diamond shapes Â all drawn on the base in black marker. Next I placed all the glass globs on the lines, then filled it in! I had already decided on the dishes to use, and had been breaking them, sorting them and setting them aside for awhile.

Near the end, I changed the design at the top a little, and had to pop off some of the glass globs to re-do it.

ItÂs almost 5 feet tall, and 70 inches around at the base.

Here it is Â finished and in place. oh, and there are more pictures in my album - under a sub album called Big Vase Project.

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Comments (25)

kelly6780
16 years ago
That is soooo great! I want to do that. So you get something small...or did it start out almost 5 feet tall? And you just keep adding chicken wire and concrete and newspaper? Did you get out to your pool with a dolly? That looks like a lobor of love! It turned out great!
nicethyme
16 years ago
THAT IS AMAZING!!!! wow Lyndalu, wow... amazing! wow... I'm speechless! wow
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bamasusanna
16 years ago
HOLY DAWG SNOT!!
What a project. It's really nice. How long did the whole process take?
haziemoon
16 years ago
Wow!!! That is so beautiful!!!
I can't believe how big it is. What an awesome job lyndalu!

Hazie
lyndalu
Original Author
16 years ago
Bama -All right! I got a "HOLY DAWG SNOT"! Cool! You know I've been waiting to get one of those!! :)
I'm not sure about how long the TOTAL process took -but I think I have about 180 hours of just gluing down the tesserae. And I know the grouting process (including cleanup) was about 16 hours - I did keep track of that! I think I mentioned in another post that I had put in an 8 hour session of grouting - that's too long to grout - I don't recommend it. But you know how it is, you get going and you can't stop and before you know it - it's 2 AM. Right?

kelly - thanks! it was almost 5 feet tall to start with. The method did make it a lot wider, though. But you're right - you can start out with many different things as a base and build onto it. Even styrofoam! If this is of interest to you, check into books by Sherri Warner Hunter - they are a wealth of information.

Nice - thanks, sweetie. :)
crackpotannie
16 years ago
Oh Linda your design is fantastic...the colors are so great with your pool.It has got to be more spectacular in person too because the grand size doesn't really show up for us.What a great job using the chicken wire and paper...someday I hope to have the nerve to try that.it is beautiful!Annie
lyndalu
Original Author
16 years ago
oops...thanks, hazie! I took so long to write my other response, that yours came in while I was writing it. I'm still not believing how big it is either. I'm so glad to have it done, and finally out of my garage! It's challenging working on something that big - it's not like you can put it up on your work bench. So while I was working on the bottom part of it, I had to sit on the floor. I was so glad when I got to the point of graduating to a short stool, and then a chair, and then my tall chair. I listen to recorded books while I'm working on projects, and I listened to a LOT of books during this one!
cacbeary
16 years ago
What a big vase! It's beautiful. That's a lot of glueing and grouting. Looks great with your pool. Nice pool too by the way.
hrsg
16 years ago
WOWSERS!!! That is gorgeous! I love big pieces, and the pattern you used really is unique. The colors are good together, too.
barbara_now
16 years ago
Amazing! Absolutely Amazing!!!!! I love it!!!

Barbara
texaswild
16 years ago
That is simply amazing, like BARBARA NOW said, and the most wonderful pattern of design. I like the way you laid the tesserae on each part of the design. Quite spectacular, to say the least. I've not seen the newspaper/wire technique, and don't remember that being in my Sherri Warner Hunter book. What concrete mixture did you use to cover the wire? I'm really surprised about the newspaper for shaping. Truly a beautiful piece of art, and you've placed it in a wonderful spot for enjoyment. Congratulations on what seems like a whale of a project.
coppertop367
16 years ago
I'm with the HOLY DOG SNOT!!! lady!! That is just awesome!!!!!!
lyndalu
Original Author
16 years ago
annie, cacbeary, hrsg,barbara, slow, coppertop...thank you so much.

slow - Sherri Warner Hunter uses the chicken wire w/newspaper on her chicken on page 67 of her Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden. The chicken wire is used for the shaping, and the newspaper just fills in the void, and keeps the concrete from falling through. When you asked, I thought - uh oh...where DID I get that idea? But I thumbed through the book...and oh good..it was there. :) Do you guys do that sometimes - can't remember where you got the idea or heard or saw that before? And if I get the idea from HERE - from one of you guys - I always want to give credit for the inspiration - and then go searching through posts so I can give credit where credit is due. So MANY great ideas here.

oh and the mixture....it's Sherri's "basic sand mix" - 1 part portland cement, 3 parts sand. I did start out with a hypertufa mix - Sherri's "hypertufa mix c" which was 1 part cement, 1 part sand, 1 part peat moss, but it wasn't as smooth and easy to work with as the 1st mix...so I quickly switched to that.

I used the chicken wire because I already had it - but I definitely want to try the rianna method, which Sherri uses also....I need to pick up some of that wire.
klinger
16 years ago
A gorgeous and huge project. It looks fabulous sitting by your water, I love all the colors and your design,
Cindy
rosemarythyme
16 years ago
LYNDALU: WOW! Really lovely and the colors are very suited to your climate! You have perfected the art of movement in your pieces. The design is realllllllly beautiful! All in all, a FABULOUS piece of art!
toomuchglass
16 years ago
I love it !!! You couldn't have made it any better !!
sunshine_funshine
16 years ago
LOVE IT! How much does it weigh? Any trouble moving it? Great job. I love how so many of the cult members will stick with a project until they figure it out. It's always spectacular in the end! Love the design and the colors.
lyndalu
Original Author
16 years ago
klinger, rosie, toomuch, sunshine...thank you so much.

sunshine - I have no idea how much it weighs - it's pretty heavy. You asked about moving it - and I remembered that I forgot to answer kelly's question about moving it - yes, we used a dolly. My sister and I managed to do it without any problem. So it will be easy enough to move into the lanai when hurricanes approach! Yes, you're right - us "cult members" really stick to it till we figure something out - and we can always get help doing that here!

I forgot to mention that I have this heavy-duty "swiveler" (like a lazy susan) that I found at Big Lots - that holds up to 500 pounds! So the vase sat on that the whole time I was working on it. I love those for working on projects.
Calamity_J
16 years ago
WOW!!! Awesome!! The second pic looks like it has eyes!! I listen to books too!!! And I sure hear ya about all the time it takes for these big projects! I salute you Slow for your tower! When Klinger and I were in Mexico, we ran across some statues made this way that you have done.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}
barbfrizzell1955
16 years ago
Lyndalu

You did an awesome, fantastic, wonderful job on your vase. I enjoyed looking through your album and I was able to see in the close ups that you used Sue Zipkin dishes on your vase. I love her patterns. Your vase is definitely a labor of love.
I also like your WIP pot using the thrift store dishes. Those dishes are so colorful, how the heck did you luck out finding those? Our stores around here charge so much for plates now...and if they look a little old, they charge double! Not worth it, I'll stick to GS to find mine.

Barb
lyndalu
Original Author
16 years ago
Jane - thank you! And I love those statues! I just loved all your pics from Mexico that you have shared.

Barb - thanks, and I'm tickled that you recognized the Sue Zipkin dishes. I really love her patterns, too. I lucked into a set of 18 of another pattern of hers - The Sweet Shopee - just took a picture - couldn't you just eat these up? And I really love it when the design is on the whole plate. I'll have to investigate slow's new discovery of grinding off the footers - would really help to use more of the plate on these!

I get just about all my dishes at the thrift stores. I've been really, really lucky. The dishes on my WIP terracotta pot (Lynns "Savanna"), is a set of 30 pieces - that I paid $20 for - found them at our local Kiwanis Thrift Store. I was soooooo excited to find them - and was thrilled with the price. Some of our thrift stores are ridulous on their per plate price - like GW - I pretty much quit going there. But I have really good luck at Kiwanis, Habitat for Humanity, and Family Thrift.
Shades_of_idaho
16 years ago
WOW Your vase is stunning!!!! And such a large project. Wonderful!!!! I love everything about it. Also love your glass pool house.

Those dishes are really pretty too. Lucky you!!!

Chris
barbfrizzell1955
16 years ago
Oh my god...I have 12 of her Sweet Shoppe too! I have 4 bowls & dinner plates with the design on the rims only and 4 smaller plates with the design all over. Found em at a GS. I love them so much I have held off cutting them up!

I don't think we have a Kiwanis or Family Thrift around here. All we have are Salvation Army and Value World. We do have a Habitat but it is in downtown Detroit so I would need my DH to take me.

Slow's grinding off footers won't work for me with my Allstar grinder so I'm going to check out grinding disks for DH's Dremel.

Barb
bevinpa
16 years ago
WOW that is fantastic. Great Job. Bevinpa
nanatricia
16 years ago
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THere is no words GReat!!!!!

Big Vase Project

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