Stay Angry, Get those Pigs!

So now we would like to reveal to you, Square Art's Angry Birds series - presenting to you the Red Bird, Yellow Bird and Blue Bird - ta da!

They look so angry! Well, except for the blue bird.

Some of you would have already seen it on our FB Wall and also seen the little hint we gave on a free giveaway. Yep, you read that right! And this post is going to tell you how to get FREE pdf mosaic patterns of ALL THREE of the birds, all designed by yours truly.

What do you have to do to get them? It's simple, just follow these instructions:

1. Like us on Facebook (if you haven't already!)
2. Follow us on Twitter (again, if you haven't already!)
3. Follow our Blog through Google Friend Connect (see the tab on the right?)
4. Share this blog post with your friends using any of the social media sites above (e.g. share the link on your wall or just RT our tweets on this free giveaway!)
5. Finally, send an email to squareart.my@gmail.com with your name and Twitter moniker with the title, "I'm angry! Gimme those birds!". 

And voila! You will receive the pdf template within 24 hours of us receiving your email (after following all the instructions above!). It's that simple! Now, start sharing!

This giveaway will go on only till before the 9th of July in respect & honour of the brave birds standing up for what's right this Saturday. 

Tutorial: How to decorate a wooden frame with mosaic tiles and grout

In this post, I would like to show you a step-by-step guide on how to use our tiles to pimp up a wooden frame. If you have any questions about the steps, do submit them in the Comments section below.

1. Make sure that the surface area of your frame (or any other object you are working on) is clean from dust.

2. Proceed to stick double-sided tape on all sides of the frame, so that it fills up all surface.

3. Work on section by section for easier management and slowly attach the tiles. Leave about 1mm of space in between tiles for grout (depending on your design).

4. It is advisable to use the right tools for this. Sometimes I use my fingers, but something as common in the household like an eyebrow tweezer would come in handy.

5. Once your tiles are done, it is time for the grouting process.

6. Grouting is not difficult but it does require some attention to the mixing process. The ratio of grout to water is 2:1 or until you get a smooth batter. Too much water and it becomes too runny.

7. Use a flat tool to apply the grout onto the tiles, making sure it fills up the joints nicely. Spread evenly onto the whole frame.

8. Once grouting is done, leave it to dry for at least 45 mins or until grout is hard to the touch.

9. Don't start washing it away too early or the grout will not stick.

10. Once it is dried, prepare a small bucket of water and a damp sponge.

11. Proceed to wipe away excess grout gently over the tiles, making sure to clean the sponge periodically in the water.

12. It is advisable to wear latex gloves during this process as grout can be irritable for sensitive skin. Otherwise, make sure hands and the underside of nails are washed thoroughly after cleaning grout.

13. Once you have fully washed off the grout on the tiles, there will be a dust haze left over the tiles. Simply use a clean, dry cloth to dust the surface.

And voila! Your frame is all ready to use!









If you would like to know more about mosaic tiles and grouting or information on how to get the right tools, just write to us on squareart.my@gmail.com or visit our Facebook Community for pictures of our products. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making them! :)

Mosaics in interior design

(Note: This post was written yesterday when Blogger was down)

Today has been a rather productive day for me. Been pushing around a Step 1-2-3 tutorial for the blog and finally I got around to doing it. Just two more frames to grout and and that's it! Can't wait to share it with you once it's done :) So I'm taking a short break now (and we know how "short" my breaks go...) with my Old Town coffee and Jacob biscuits and started surfdaydreaming (you know, surfing the net while day-dreaming).

If before I have been dreaming of french windows and clean, airy workspaces, today I am dreaming of a new home furnished with high-end interior design using what else, mosaics! Take a walk with me as I go through this house I'm dreaming of...


Firstly, wouldn't it be great to wake up to the birds chirping and the sun shining on... a textured mosaic backdrop?

It does make  you feel like royalty, doesn't it?

Now, on to the kitchen. I've always had a weakness for white built-in cabinets for the kitchen so this marble mosaic wall with white cabinets just hits straight to the mark.

So bright and airy. Love that it looks out into a garden.

Or what about something out of the ordinary?

Can you say "tropical paradise"? 

Another pet love - a window over the kitchen sink.

Besides the kitchen, I think the next most important personal space is the bathroom. And I'm just loving this minimalist design using ceramic mosaic tiles. I've never been a fan of dark walls but this just works - it feels like I can pull a mattress in and sleep on the tiled floor!

Can you feel the warm love? :)

Oh, be still, my beating heart.

View the designers' links here:
DecoDIR
Posterous
House Design Buzz

Razzle dazzle 'em old things!

A lot of customers who drop by our booth during craft fairs ask what can they do with the tiles. Sometimes I draw a blank on how to answer, not because I don't know how, but because the answer is that it's limitless! So, I proceed to tell them about the easiest projects they can start out with. Photo frames. A lot of photo frames we are buying these days (think: IKEA) are either in black/white or in solid colours. Why not jazz them up with some sparkly tiles to match the interior of your house or the mood of the picture? 

Let me show you some example of some razzle-dazzlin' that I manage to do yesterday. If you will remember, I did a Home Improvement Challenge post about 2 weeks back asking readers to choose which one I should work on, a black vase, some coasters of a photo frame. In the end, it was decided that the photo frames needed some colours and later I did try out the coasters to see how it would like.

The frame before the dazzlin'

The frame after some dazzlin'

The reason why this is such a simple project is because of the straight lines functioning as borders around the frame. The tiles are currently sold in 5 x 5 mm squares and no cutting is required. All you have to do is get the colour combination that works for your frame and stick it. It didn't take me very long to finish this project :)

Now, for the coasters. I got some "pearl white" tiles to work with to achieve a "sea-shell" look on my coasters. I only did one so far - have a look at them:

Here's the plain-looking pear-shaped coaster.

Sticking the pieces together. The round corners were a bit tricky.

Voila! It's done!

I'm not sure if hubby would let me bedazzle the rest of them though!

So, there you have it folks! It's really easy, once you get pass the first 20 tiles or so. Why don't you start on some projects left aside this weekend? :)

Mosaic Art for the Little Ones

As I was thinking today of the future of Square Art and how we can reach out to the masses, my thoughts veered to how kids react to our mosaic tiles. In previous craft fairs, we would see children of all ages reaching out to the colourful tiles and pictures and even their parents were drawn to their enthusiasm. We even had a lovely buyer who bought some tiles for children to create lovely pieces as Mother's Day gifts for a local Sunday School. Then I thought, will it end up with the parents doing most of the work (like one parent we met who was afraid of that) or will the children enjoy doing it by themselves?

Then I stumbled into this video of children creating mosaic art using egg shells. It shows that given the right instruction and direction, children are able to express themselves confidently through art. Watch right through the end when they describe what they did :)

Perhaps, given the right encouragement and passion, they will be able to come out with works of art such as these in the future:

Note: Square Art sells acrylic mosaic tiles and DIY mosaic kits both for children and adults alike. Some of the tiles are small and children will require adult supervision. However, these kits are good for children ages 6 and up and are great for them to express themselves through art and as a new hobby. ^CL

Things you can make......

... with our mosaic tiles...! :) I'll be sharing inspirations and projects that you can make easily with our range of mosaic tiles! :) 

Remember the tip I gave on egg containers? You can place the mosaic tiles in individual spaces to organize the colours and keep everything neat. Makes it easier for me (& you) to select and pick out the colours we want to use :)

For this project, I'm making a mosaic tile frame! You can easily use any old frames that you already have or buy one for this project :) 

Step 1 : Preparation - Clean the tiles with a damp cloth to wipe off dust or sand dust. 

Step 2 : Select the colours that you have in mind for your project! :)

Step 3 : Using a good double-sided tape, apply the tape to the frame and peel it off to reveal the sticky                  tape

Step 4 : Pick up the tiles by colour and arrange them on the frame!

It's that easy! And a fun way to de-stress :)

Voila! The finished project! Isn't it pretty!!! :)

You can purchase our mosaic tiles & kits at http://facebook.com/SquareArt

Hope you like this project & will attempt it on your own! :)

^ET

We were at.....

... Lex, Empire Gallery Subang on the 5th March. Very encouraging to have many crafters and non-crafters who adores our mosaic tiles! Oh, I just wished we had more colours and more tile kits to offer last Saturday... but fear not! We're bringing in MORE colours and MORE kits soon!!! 

Just watch this space or follow us on our FB page... we've got our page name, finally (yeay!!!) We'll update you on our stocks availability and share fun tips, projects, ideas and tutorials here too! :)  

fun tiles to make your own craft projects!

Our tiles & tile kits

We shared a booth space registered under Angelicquirk

Thank you those who dropped by to say 'Hi'. Hope to see you again at the next handmade market! :)

^ET

Be there or be 'square'

Square Art  and AngelicQuirk are going to be at the Handmade Market organized by Team Etsy Malaysia on the 5th March (this coming Saturday!!!) at Lex, Empire Shopping Gallery Subang :) 

Lex is on the 2nd floor of the shopping gallery... you won't miss it! Just look for the Lex Slide... the longest (or was it highest...) indoor slide in Malaysia! :)

Square Art will be showing you that being 'square' is the new cool and how you can achieve that! :) 

and AngelicQuirk will be showcasing more new products... think lifestyle items and more stationary love for you! 

A little Go-green Tip

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? I hope that you have fully rested and is super-charged to do whatever it is you have to do! (I hope what you have to do includes some crafting as well... especially with our mosaic tiles!) *grins*

I just want to share a tip with you in regards to storing the tiles neatly so that it's easier for you when you need to use them :) Oh, this tip is good for recycling too! Yeay!! We advocate recycling :) 

So, you know those egg shell containers that we get when we buy eggs from the market or grocery stores (supermarkets have it too)? ..... Some of the containers are plastic and some are made of carton materials. They make good mosaic tile separators! And you don't have to spend a cent getting new containers :)

See.... they sort out the colours perfectly in their tiny compartments :) Well, actually the compartments aren't that small... they can fit up to about 12.5 gms (half packet of the retail packaging we sell) in each compartment. 

Don't the tiles look super neat? LOL... It makes it so much easier for me when I need to pick and choose my colours! :) 

Try this little go-green tip that we have for you! Hope you'll find it useful too :)

And look out for our next posting soon.... I'm gonna share some projects that I've been working on with these pretty tiles...

Till then, take care & be 'square'! :)

New beginnings

Hi everybody!

Thank you for your tremendous support during Crafty Art Market over at Jaya One last Saturday! :) If you were not there, awwww.... you have missed a day of fun & excitement! But fret not, we'll be bringing our wares to Lex, Empire Gallery Subang on the 5/3, which is next Saturday!

Besides that, you can also find us at :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Square-Art/137292626337085
(Our Page name is too long! Help us get our own name by liking us on Facebook! :) )

and follow us at :

http://twitter.com/squareart_my

so if you want something that we do not have displayed, just email us at squareart.my@gmail.com and we'll get it for you! :)

Ok, back to Crafty Art Market....... :) It was our very FIRST debut, showcasing our array of mosaic tiles and tile kits! The response was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! We shared a booth with Angelicquirk who sells handmade cards, journals, book thongs & other cute stationaries and had a great time! All the vendors were uber nice and everything was handmade, thus making everything unique!

It was definitely a very encouraging experience! Do drop by our blog often as we'll definitely be updating you on things that are 'square', colourful & fun! :)


-ET-