In the Pink

   

I think when most people walk into a mid century bathroom and see the ubiquitous square pink tiles, they cringe. There was probably I time when I did as well. These days, I’m really drawn to the color pink. It just makes me happy. I’ve been meaning to paint the small bathroom off my bedroom for a long time. Since I’m the only one who uses this bathroom, I didn’t hesitate to pick this color. When I saw an adorable sink backsplash featuring tiles designed by Emu Tiles on Instagram, I thought it would be fun to make a cool little backsplash for my sink too. Plus, I’m always looking for ways to use these mini tiles.

Construction Photos

Thank you Susan Yeley Homes for posting these photos on Instagram.

It’s so cool to finally see all the monkey tiles that I made last year getting installed in their new home. I remember being nervous about the consistency of finish as I unloaded the kiln. There was a fair amount of variation due to when tiles were dipped (the glaze got thicker as I went along) and where the tiles were located in the kiln (centrally placed tiles were hotter and glossier). There’s no way I could match the consistency of the computer rendering but I think the installer, Instile, has done a nice job of interspersing lights and darks to create a beautiful surface.

Garage Panel – Part Two

 

 

   

               

Well it was a very busy weekend. Despite all the rain and that amazing lightning storm on Saturday night, I installed the second garage panel. I really enjoyed doing this project but, it took nearly the whole summer to make the tiles, and it feels amazing to finish it! Still have some cleaning and polishing to do but I’m ready to start thinking about the next project.

Monkey Business

   

monkey fireplace process

            

When people think of handmade tiles, they often assume the tiles will be used as accents in a field of conventional tiles. When I received a request to do a fireplace surround composed of 85 of my monkey tiles, I was surprised but very excited to take on the challenge. In order to complete the project in a timely fashion, I had to make several monkey molds and press tiles throughout the day for several days straight to allow for adequate drying time. It was a very different way of working for me but I’m so pleased with the results. I especially love the wallpaper that was selected to surround the fireplace. It compliments the tiles beautifully (or maybe the tiles compliment the wallpaper).

House Numbers

   

   

I’ve been wanting to do this project since we moved to the North Beach neighborhood in 2015. It’s been really fun getting back into tessellations and color after a year of doing almost exclusively black and white sgraffito tiles. It took awhile to figure out the best way to install the tiles on our bumpy stucco garage but I think the cement board was a good choice. The installation went very smoothly. I’m starting to think about ideas for another panel on the opposite side of the door.

Scratching Dogs Update

oxana-photo

dog-bath-02

dog-bath-01

I’ve finished a second batch of Scratching Dogs tiles. Click on my “Shop” button above to see the new ones. The two photos above show how tiles from the first group of Scratching Dogs were used to accent a dog bath in NY. They were combined with larger photo tiles of the owners’ dogs. The photo tiles were made by Zazzle.