I taught in New Braunfels, TX, Friday and Saturday. The New Braunfles Area Quilt Guild is full of very nice ladies and we all had a good time. On the drive to and from class, I got to see some of the town and I want to share a bit of what I saw.

I sincerely hope that this building used to have balconeys in front of those doors. It’s a long drop to the ground!

This building and the historic courthouse on the downtown square is made from the white rock that is famous in this part of Texas. I think it’s limestone.

Mary says that this Victorian house has amazing lights at Christmas. The owners keep it decorated for Christmas all year round.

The sleigh is an interesting touch – especially at this time of year. Spring has sprung in New Braunfels and hot summer will be here before you know it. I think those folks in the sleigh need to take their jackets off before they melt :-).

I did promise to share the mosaic a table top instructions. Here is the short version:

1. Make sure the surface you are going to stick the mosaic to is hard. If the surface has any give, the mosaic could crack.

2. Clean the surface from any debris and dirt. If is it bare wood, I would prime it.

3. Buy mastic. This is the “glue” that holds the tile pieces in place. Read the information on the bag or can. I used dry mastic that had to be mixed with water. Follow the directions precisely.

4. Buy grout. This is the stuff that goes between the tiles. It comes in a variety of colors, with sand and without. I used sanded grout because I knew I would leave large gaps between tiles.

5. You will also need a notched trowel to apply the mastic and a grout float to apply the grout.

6. Buy or find tiles, plates, and/or other ceramic objects.

7. Break any ceramic objects that aren’t flat. I put my plates between 2 pieces of cardboard and whammered them with a 4 lb hammer. Wear protective googles!!! Pieces that don’t sit flat are going to be hard to use. Discard what you can’t use.

These broken bits have sharp edges! You can file the edges of each piece. Being in a hurry, I did not. In most cases the grout covers the sharp edges. Unfortunately, my table still has some sharp points that stick up. I’m going to use a hand-held power sander with the appropriate emory sandpaper when I put the tabletop back in place.

8. If you’re smart, you will plan exactly where you want each tile piece to go. If not, you’ll need to work fast and hope for the best. Do some web searching and I’ll bet you’ll find a variety of instructions on how to prepare mosaic tile. In fact, check out the Mosaic Tile Guide!

9. Read the directions and mix and apply the mastic. Don’t put down too much at any one time because it takes longer to place those tiles than you think it will.

10. Read the directions and mix and apply the grout after the mastic has set. Enjoy!

We took the mosaic top off of the table because the mastic and grout need to not freeze for a few weeks. Jack was outside and decided that the table base was just too exciting to ignore.

He’s right at 15 months old and is walking more these days. He weighed 27 lbs two weeks ago. The boy is built like a brick outhouse – solid as a rock. Christopher, his dad, was like that too. Now Chris is 6′ and on the thin side so maybe that is how Jack will be too. Or not – we’ll just have to wait and see.

Elanor and Jack were over yesterday afternoon. It took me a bit to notice – but look at those socks! She explained that she couldn’t find the sock that matched either one so she just wore them together.

When I wear mis-matched socks, I do it on purpose and have to stop and think which ones work together. Maybe what I need to do is just dump all my socks in the drawer and wear what comes out together…

We’ll be sending an eNewsletter out soon, but I wanted to give you a heads up. C&T has released another of our out-of-print titles as an eBook. Read more about Contemporary Classics in Plaids & Stripes on our website. We’re very glad to have this book available again – and we hope you are too!

In addition to the eBook, we have the pattern for the cover quilt, Pretty in Plaid, available as an individual pattern. It is in the ebook too – this stand-alone pattern is for those who only want it, and not the whole book.

I am only mildly excited by shoes. That may be because I have to wear flats if I want to walk without pain. At any rate, I was really surprised to find out that my youngest son really likes shoes! He takes care of them way better than I do. His shoes always look new.

Jeff particularly likes athletic shoes in splashy colors. I got him a pair of screaming yellow Puma’s for Christmas last year that practically glow in the dark. It looks like he likes these snow-white shoes just as much!