Well...I lied.

The last post on my planter box mosaic declared that there would be no more posts until it was done. Sorry about that, but I lied. I am soooo close to done, and yet it seemed there should be a mention about the fiddly bits that take time to fill in. When you have a curvy design and don't have specialty tiles to fit those curves, then there are bits that need filling in. Now some mosaics will simply use grout to fill in those pesky areas that drive people like me crazy. While that is a viable option for many smaller areas, I prefer to try to fill those spots -- a least a bit. Once the piece is grouted of course, absolutely no one will be going by and pointing out all the areas that could have been better planned. Grout is not only the cement that holds the piece together physically, it is the cement that pulls the design together. 

If you look for the brilliant white areas, you'll know what I mean. The gaps are simply too big. This afternoon was spent cutting pieces to try and fit in those areas, and was by and large successful. There will be more cutting and pasting tomorrow, and if I'm lucky, this puppy should be finished by Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Now, there is one additional worry -- and I try to simply view this as an experiment (though I will be sad if it all falls apart). I'm tiling on cement board and did prep the surface with mesh tape to cover the seams and thinset. But here's the rub: cement board expands and contracts differently than actual cement, and this flexing can cause pieces to fall off. Time and rainy season will tell. Fingers crossed.

And without further ado, the ALMOST but not quite finished mosaic:

If you're having trouble seeing the areas that need filling in, just click on the picture to enlarge it. And yes, no more until the finished product.