Pet Mosaic Plaque

Show your furry friend how much you care! A Pet Mosaic Plaque from Candace Jedrowicz is the perfect tribute to your constant companion. Use an old, clean peanut butter jar lid as your canvas! Recycled craft projects are a guilt-free, frugal option for every type of crafter.

Materials:

A peanut butter lid, or other kind of jar lid
Polymer clay – granite, turquoise, glitter silver and white or transparent (or any colors of your choice)
About 3″ of 20 gauge wire
Assorted beads and charms
Any kind of small letters to spell your pet’s name, or other message
Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
Aleene’s Foamtastic Glue
Thin sheets of craft foam or whatever material you like to build up layers, while keeping the plaque lightweight
Drill with 1/16″ bit, or hammer and nail
Grout – any color

Instructions:

To make turquoise, I mixed some speckled granite clay with transparent blue.
Choose a color to represent your pet in the middle of the plaque. I made a paw and bone to represent my dog, but you can use anything at all.
Make small flat stones from one of the polymer clay colors. These are for the letters of your pet’s name.
Add a ring of another color of stones to go all the way around the outer edge.
Your jar lid will determine the sizes of your pieces. make them as large or small as you want. Play with it until you achieve the look you want.
I attached metal letters at this point. If you’ll be gluing on your letters, wait until after grouting, so they won’t be damaged.
Remove the clay pieces and bake according to the directions on the clay package.
Drill or poke holes in the out edge of the jar lid – 2 on top about 2″ apart for the hanging wire – as many holes as you have charms on the opposite side to make dangles.
Cut two circles of foam to fit in the jar lid. Glue one layer of the foam into the bottom of the jar lid with Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue. The object is to raise the clay pieces to the top of the jar lid rim.
Cut about 8″ of wire for the handle.
String assorted decorative beads onto the middle of the wire and thread both ends into the two top holes.
String one small bead on each end of the wire. Thread the ends back through the holes you just threaded them into and pull until the beads stop you. Curl the tails.
Cut about 2″ of wire for each dangle hole. Bend an eye hook in one end and bend squiggles in the wire. Thread each wire through its hole, leaving the eye hook on the outside.
Use Aleene’s Foamtastic Glue to bond the second layer of foam to the first, gluing the wires in place in the process.
Glue all your clay pieces in place with Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue and allow to dry.
Fill in the spaces with grout. Wipe off the excess grout.
When the grout has firmed a bit, you can do some smoothing with a damp sponge.
Allow to dry.
Put together the charms and dangles and attach them with the eye hooks.
The outside edge of the jar lid can be painted or decorated in any way you like.