Chloe's Mom, I was joking about the ugly--the swivel is fine. But, yes, very dangerous. I've been plopped onto the floor by these several times. Swivel pedestal chairs would be cool! Very mid-century. We had them when I was little (Atomic age, but swivel). I thought of orange grout too! And nixed it for the same reasons. But also because I don't want to call attention to the floor. I had a really dynamic floor once and learned my lesson. If you have a really really great floor people will look at it. I want them to look up. :-) Kris, it's the perimeter that will have the pond. I flirted with granite that looks like river rock for the island, but wised up. It would have drawn all the attention, and I really don't like granite for kitchen counters. Hence the tile. :) The inspiration for the pond was really the tiles. The frogs. And waterlilies, vines, bamboo and ginko blossoms. I just loved them. And everyone has been giving me grief because the giant I painted where there are no upper cupboards is going away. This'll give 'em something to look at.

Congratulations....like both of your accomplishments. Now on to more exciting challenges. I really like your bag, the fabrics work so well together. Amazing what you can do with 1 FQ. I love looking a bags but have problems using them. Don't feel comfortable unless I have it across my body. lol.

Thank you all! It felt good to get something done. It poured rain all day yesterday...I think we had around 4 inches. Today we are having gusty wind and more rain, and it's about 30 degrees colder than yesterday. I think I'll still make a run to JoAnn's for some BOGO thread. Quilting fabric is 50% off, too. ðÂÂÂ

Thanks, everyone! This is my third mushroom and I think my favorite. Practice does really make a difference when it comes to mosaic, I'm learning! Kathy, yes I paint the stem. I figured it would be too busy to mosaic the whole thing. Painting concrete/mortar takes a little more patience, though, because you really should let the concrete cure for a good 30 days before applying paint. That's because the cement is very acidic when you first make it. The PH level moves toward neutral the older it gets. But to paint it, I first paint on a coat of 123 Primer. Then I use craft paints labeled for "outdoor" use. They're in the paint aisle at Michaels, or any similar craft store. Once that's dried, I spray on an outdoor acrylic sealer. Then I use glue to stick the two pieces together. I'd love to see yours when you get it done!