Children's mosaic tea light holder

Carrying on the series of tutorials for making mosaics with children (that is good for very little ones as well as bigger kids), here is a lovely tea light holder for you to make that involves no cutting and materials that are readily available.

The key thing to notice here is the type of glue used. Working on a 3 d surface means that using ordinary craft glue is hard as the object you are sticking on will slide off.  So, before I launch into the project, here's some good to know info about silicone adhesive!

In this project we use clear silicone adhesive  / caulk which is the stuff that is used around the edge of a bathtub (flexible, slightly squidgy even when dry).  It is very tacky stuff so you won't have to worry about tiles etc.. slipping off! It comes in various colours so make sure you buy the one that dries clear   - it is white when it comes out of the tube. Builders / tilers will buy them in big tubes that require a metal 'gun' but you can also get silicone in squeezy tubes (the small ones sold for craft purposes / on mosaic sites are much more expensive than the stuff you buy in a DIY stores and I have never seen any advantage to warrant the extra cost).  Lastly, a lot of silicone adhesive has a pongy smell so use it in a well ventilated area and not for long periods. However, I have discovered a tube of the stuff that is smell free and readily available (at least in the UK) called "Kitchen and Bathroom Sealant" from Wickes DIY. Enough about the properties of silicone glue! Here's how you make your pretty mosaic tea light holder.

What you need:

• old jam jar / glass tea light holder etc...
• glass nuggets (available in pound / dollar stores / florists / Ikea / craft shops) mix of coloured and clear / translucent is nice so that candlelight shines through
• translucent (see through) silicone adhesive
• spreader

1. Spread the glue quite thickly over the jam jar - work in section so that you can hold and rotate the jar. 
2. Embed the nuggets firmly in the glue. 

3.  You will need to squish and move the nuggets around to fill the space without going over the edges.
4. Leave to dry - it will take a good couple of days to go clear.
5. If you want, you can grout it when it is dry - black grout is particularly effective
6. If you have used a jam jar, you can add some wire on the rim so that you can hang your mosaic tea light holder - we are going to make a few to hang out side once the warm nights come (can't wait!).

We have left ours ungrouted and I love the way that the candle light catches the bubbles in the glass. Simple, pretty and a very easy mosaic project for children big and small (and adults of course!).

Have fun!

Before I sign off, I just want to say thanks so much for all the encouragement in the last post. It is hard to say in words how much I appreciate the genuine support that people give. It means a lot.  I have added a new page on the top right of the menu with all the newly updated  "Celebrating Each Step" info on how to be part of this reflective space.  The new code for the blog badge is there (so that blog badges point to this new page not the old one). Please do update your blog badge with this new code or add the blog badge for the first time to declare "I'm Celebrating Each Step". Thank you :)