I received 3 perfect, old Blue Willow plates as an heirloom gift.
Sadly, by the time I unpacked them after a particularly bumpy journey home, they had all broken.
I sat and cried.
Shattered dreams and broken plates
I had planned to hang them in my country kitchen as a feature above my window.
As I pondered over my shattered plates and broken dreams, I realized that I could use the pieces and create mosaic kitchen items.
So, with the help of my friend who came to visit for a week, we selected my galvanized metal watering can, vase and little metal basket, and had fun making mosaic.
Broken plates, glass tiles & galvanized items
Read my Mosaic Tutorial here ~ Mosaic Memories
And here are the results ~
My marvelous plates are on daily view and in use.
My Blue Willow Watering Can
Blue Willow Mosaic Vase
Practical Pages 
I loved seeing this! 😊. I had saved a very special broken plate (broken in an earthquake a few years back!) wanting to “re-purpose” it. I am especially inspired by the watering can idea! Thanks so much!❤
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@Charlotte Walker, I hope your re-purposed plate will bring you much joy too!
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Your projects turned out absolutely beautiful! Beauty from breakage. Reminds me of a God-thing.
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Those look absolutely lovely, Nadene. Well done!
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I am sure your tears are replaced with a smile. Has mosaic been invented just like you did? Somebody being very sad & creative, not willing to trash a beloved piece of ceramics?
This is a very sensitive and dangerous post, Nadene. Your pictures are so lovely, I am afraid around the world a few of your blog readers are now smashing their ceramics 😉
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Nadene,
You just say to those inquiring folks, that your plates have been ‘re-purposed!’ I think that’s the language that all the cool home designers use for items that are old, but used in a new way.
I have been wanting to do this with some old tea cups..thank you for the tutorial! Your things turned out beautiful!
Blessings,
Lori
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Beautiful! How creative! I’m inspired – I had started a collection of tea cups, and in a move, the packers put the china in with heavy pottery. The tea cups didn’t make it. I would love to try something like this so that I can at least see them, even if they are in pieces! Thank you for all you share with us!
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I am doing the same thing with a round water can that’s galvanized, I have some really sharp pieces, How do I get those sharp edges off if it. Can I use a glass cutter?
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@Judy Mulhern, we used a tile cutter to take off sharp corners as some pieces were too thick for the glass cutter, but if you score the ceramic piece first with a glass cutter and then use a plastic mallet and give the piece a tap, it may break off exactly on the score line.
Hope you enjoy your project and that it comes out beautifully!
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