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I was in an antique mall yesterday and saw this 'trivet', and wondered what kind of handicraft this is. It appears to be some type of stones set in a slightly sandy base in an indented circle of wood.
Those vintage mosaic trivets - tile on wood - are used to be placed between a serving dish or bowl, and a dining table, usually to protect the table from heat damage. Popular around the world. Could be made of many different materials.
Makes a great, ornamental wall hanging too.
Mosaic tile, probably from the '50s or '60s.
Mosaic was very popular then; my uncle had a tile shop, and every windowsill and tabletop in our house was tiled.
They did an awesome coffee table that featured a dragon with mirror tile claws and eyes; it now hangs (sans legs) over my brother's fireplace.
I'd check eBay or Amazon for supplies, though shipping can be expensive.
Home Depot will have some tiles, but limited to colors and styles currently popular for kitchens and bathrooms. They'll have mastic (tile glue) and grout.
Maybe Craigslist or Facebook would turn up old stock of tiles.
Estate sales might be a source...
You can also do mosaic with broken ceramics, like plates and teacups. I did a 12' x 24" counter a few years ago, with a mix of dishes and tiles.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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This is similar to Marquetry, the art of wood veneer inlay, which I do. It can be inlayed designs on a wood floor, guitar, table top, or a wall hanging. I typically use a variety of different woods, but you can also use the same veneer but stain pieces differently before cutting. An example below (not one of mine).
Also went to Hobby Lobby to see what supplies they had. Lousy variety.
Ya know...if you wanted to get creative...
You could go to Goodwill or Salvation Army, and buy some cheap but colorful crockery. Put a plate between a couple of towels, and break them with a hammer...and voila! You have tiles.
You would need semi-soft wood and wood tools. You can do inlays with many materials like metals, tiles, pebble stones, sea shells etc. That's how ornamental boxes and wall art is done.
Look at those pictures: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/710724384919017758/
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