Garden Mosaics From Recycled Materials

Brooke Bock
by Brooke Bock
My daughter and I have had lots of fun this summer creating mosaics for the garden as well as some fun coasters to use as gifts.
Mosaic Bottle Makeovers
These bottles went from the recycling bin to great garden accents with some time and creativity. We learned that almost anything can be used for mosaics.
I started with glass bottles like these. I washed them and removed metal rings from the tops but did not even remove labels.
Next I used tile adhesive to attach pebbles or marbles or tile pieces.
Our grouting and cleaning "station" in the yard included all the essentials including grout, sponges, water and a cushion.
Mini Gazing Ball with Seashells
We grouted and added seashells, marbles, tiles, buttons, recycled materials, pebbles and more to many different surfaces.
My daughter's specialty was coasters.
Here the coasters are before the grout...
Here are many of her coasters after the grouting. She is very creative.
We even did eggs for the garden as well. Basically, if I saw it in the studio during the week, it got covered in something....Except family members and pets... Be sure to check out our posts for many tips and tricks we learned through our mosaic-ing journey.
Brooke Bock
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Susan Susan on Aug 29, 2019

    I love that idea. How thick do you have to make a stepping stone so that they are durable? But not so thin they crack.

  • CAD CAD on May 27, 2020

    Question...

    For coasters, did you (your daughter) start with coasters for backing?

  • Betty Betty on May 18, 2021

    How do you get the grout to stick to the glass bottle without it sliding off before it dries?

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  • Sha27528013 Sha27528013 on Jul 19, 2017

    I have made Many mosaiced bricks to edge my garden & also some stepping stones. I'd like to add a suggestion that will eliminate LOTS OF TIME and work! I bought a small bag of "Quickcrete" concrete at a big box hardware store. ( It's a fast setting concrete) Now get this..... I just mixed up a small plastic bowl of the concrete as directed on the pkg. I used a spoon and just "plopped" down a bit of the mixture and spread it with a plastic knife! ( really I used my finger, but you're not supposed to have your hands in contact with the concrete. I just had another bowl of clean water to wash my hands off) Then I just Pushed my things Into the concrete, Totally ELIMINATING the need to GROUT!!! I just sat them aside to dry and they've been in my garden for eight years now! This year I am losing some of the tiles, marbles, etc. due to the weather. I didn't seal them tho. (Too much work!) maybe I'll post a tutorial and show everyone how easy it is!

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    • Kim Kim on Mar 08, 2022

      I have done the exact same! I used aluminum cake pans as my form. I did rectangle, squares and round ones for a variety! Turned out great!

  • Linda Lail Linda Lail on Sep 05, 2019

    ABSOLUTELY I WOULD DO THIS WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER

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