Mastic can be used as an adhesive in non-wet areas. Your drywall is obviously in good shape, which means by itself it's not being hit by or incurring standing water. You didn't mention and water staining or degradation, so sure, mastic can be used to adhere the tile to it. Grid lines: It will most certainly help to add layout lines on the wall. It might help to strike chalk lines, then use a straight edge and sharpie marker to go over those lines. With differing tile sizes, you are correct in that you use the layout grid lines for overall guidance to keep the overall layout looking good, but on a tile-by-tile basis within the grid lines, the tile spacing is adjusted plus-or-minus here and there to keep that overall pattern looking good. Regarding uneven tile sizes...you might want to do a rough mock up. Your goal will be to not have a larger-than-normal tiles adjacent to several other larger-than-normal tiles. Several large tiles in a row can really throw the layout off. Same with several smaller-than-normal tiles in a row. That can result in a run of wide grout joints. Try to work out your layout and installation so larger-than-normal and smaller-than-normal tiles are mixed and mingled throughout the layout. Mastic usually holds tile pretty well on the wall, it's usually a "no sag" installation unless the tiles are heavy. If you think your tiles might sag, then have a collection of tile spacers and/or tile spikes (spacers shaped like wedges) to prevent sagging. These can be store bought or home made. I'd clean off the backs of the tiles. Use a sharp chisel to shave the dollops of silicone off the tile. If you start with crap, you'll end up with crap. Why start with compromised materials? If you use the "premixed adhesive" (mastic) to set the tiles, wait several days before grouting. Mastic cures by drying, so it needs air. If you use the "premixed grout" which is also a mastic-like material, read the installation and cleanup instructions. It can shrink as it dries, so it might not be the best choice if you have wide grout joints as the excessive shrinkage could result in it pulling away from the tiles. If you decide to opt away from the Mapei premixed stuff, see if they have Mapei Kerabond and Mapei Keralastic. That combination gives good working time and good stickiness in terms of minimizing sag. Mongo

Thanks Donna! We try to come up with "quality" crafts, so the adults aren't bored to tears for 3 hours. We got a little tired of the pre-packaged "foam" crafts, if you know what I mean. We have quite a number of ladies that come without kids because they like them too. We also try to focus a lot on recycling, or "out of the box" ideas for things, like the lightbulbs and chip-clips. Feel free to share the ideas and the website. I'm soon to be unemployed, so I should have more time on my hands to update the page. Eventually I hope to be selling things from it. It's so much more my passion than computer programming. BTW, the little pails can be gotten at any wedding favor supply store. We happened across them at the Dollar Tree for 3/$1! It was a steal! We bought all we could find before I even knew what we were going to do with them. Of course, we do that a lot. Since we're so conscious of pricing, we buy things on clearance or after Christmas and then figure out later what we'll do with it. For example, my partner in this event salvaged her neighbor's cedar fence this summer and then asked "What can we do with this?" We decided it's going to be a decorated birdhouse this year. I'll be putting that on the website shortly, I hope. Thanks for your compliments and enjoy! And keep checking back!

Since all the women in my family are artistic, and some of the men too....Dad always did woodworking...everyone in my family prefers something handmade. A handmade item shows love, and that you actually thought about the person you are giving it to rather than rushing into a store at the last minute to grab something to give as a gift. I believe that if you actually make something that is high quality, there is no matching it with something store bought. The gifts that mean the most to me are the ones that someone made specifically for me. I have a fleece blanket that my sister-in-law made several years ago. It has gotten me through many hours of illness, and cancer treatments. Everytime I wrap it around my shoulders, it feels like a hug because I know that she made it for me with love. A store bought blanket would never feel the same. I have beautiful crocheted lace doilies that my aunt made for me. She is getting older and I know that those can never be replaced after she is gone. I have Christmas ornaments that my children and other family members have made for me. Every time I put up my tree for the holidays, I remember who I recieved them from and what was going on in our lives at the time. These are all things that you can't give or recieve with store bought items. I have a wooden napkin holder that my dad made for me. There is a story behind it of something that happened while he was making it that I will remember every time I use it. Dad is gone now and I will never have another thing that he made for me. I know that he had me in his heart while he worked on it. I know that I am not the only one in my family that feels this way. I have listened to the stories of where a special gift came from many times. TooMuchGlass, Please keep giving those handmade gifts! Even if they don't seem to appreciate them now, I believe that over time, they will mean the world to your loved ones. If not, then they are really missing out on what is important in this life.

If you do it in the tub, lay a sheet in first to use as a lifter for the wet quilt later. Fold the outer quarter on each side to the back, and then put it into accordion folds to fit in the tub with the accordion pleats going up and down. The folds help make sure all the front gets nice swishing water, and then can be gently recompressed to get some of the rinse water out. My mom never used much soap, because she said it's really hard to rinse a quilt and water is pretty cleansing anyway. That may not matter so much these days with special quilt soaps-she always used a shampoo she liked the smell of. Enlist help to lift a wet quilt out the tub--it's going to be really heavy. Lay it out flat to dry, again on top of a sheet and my mom always puts another sheet on top of the quilt to protect from any sun and bird droppings. Nothing quite so frustrating as a clean fresh quilt that's almost dry with a plop of bird poop on it.