Hi, SILVA: Thinset doesn't come in black. Lowes carries Mapei in grey and white. I used to use Mapei brand grey thinset and Mapei Keracolor black grout for certain pieces, and charcoal for most. I like the charcoal. B/f I started buying charcoal, I mixed black and white grout to make my own shades of charcoal. The already-mixed charcoal is juuuuuuuust right. Lowes switched the UltraFlex II to Porcelain something - just ask the clerk at Lowes - it's the same as UltraFlex. I found it a little bit grainer than the UltraFlex, but it was pretty much the same stuff. Remember - Mapei has an 800 number on the sack. I called the company b/f I started using it, and they were very helpful - answered all my questions. I miss y'all, and still check in every morning.

Thank you, slowmedown! I was hoping you would come in here and help me out. Miss you and wish you would post here more, whether it's technically about mosaics or not. I've been doing a few other things as well, such as covering cigar boxes with paper (using Mod Podge and thread). Still going strong on the mosiacs, though.

I'll take a chance, then, and post my latest. It does have a teensy qualifying element - in the niche of the doll. The materials were plaster cloth over an aluminum foil armature, decoupaged w/snippets of a paper napkin. Head is one I cut off a porcelain doll, covered w/polymer clay and remolded the face. Eyelash yarn for hair, gold, metallic ribbon lace for crown and a small matchbox bottom for the niche. Gold mirror glass and black bugle be

Wow, that is charming! I love the colors and especially love the crown!!!

SLOW so nice to see you here. I agree with Silva, it is fun to have you around. People always ask me how I learned mosaics. I tell them a wonderful woman in Texas taught me everything I know. :-)

Love to see your new pieces. I can sooo see this one in your bohemian styled house. Are you keeping it?

How nice of you LORIBEE: I do miss y'all, and thanks for the comments. Yes, keeping this little doll. I'm doing a lot of teaching of techniques lately in a Monday art group I started here. Doing mostly paper crafting, altered art on canvas and art journaling.

Slow, we seem to be going down a similar path . . . here is a decoupage mother Earth I did last week.

and here are two decoupage cigar boxes I just finished - wonderful fine wood and nice fastenings; I applied recycled calendar art and magazine art along with crochet thread.

Love these! And I see your same style from mosaics coming through in this medium too. Both of you. How fun.

Ooooooo - how cook are those?!!! Fabulous, SILVA. I LOVE decoupage. I have a friend here who is doing a large box w/a glass inset on top, She is putting every kind of mixed media she knows in that box, and it's turning out so beautifully. I taught her to heat emboss, use stamps, make paper flowers w/a heavy layer of embossing enamel on the petals and while hot to stamp into it, then use different metallic paints and rub n buff over the stamp. Of course, she's using a bit of mosaics. She's also using modeling paste over stancils, gold leaf. There's a bit of polymer clay too. You name it, this box is gorgeous. I'll take a photo of it and post it here when she's finished.

Slowmedown and Silvamae, all your work is beautiful!! I love seeing what everybody is doing.

Gorgeous and so unique!!