A Mosaic Trade with Christine Brallier

Look what I got in the mail today!! Art trades are lots of fun, but you can't really make a living at it. So even though I've never done a mosaic trade before, I made an exception with Christine Brallier, a mosaic artist in California that has been my long time pen pal and good friend. I am so glad I did, because I had such fun making the mosaic I gave to her (see below). I think I smiled the whole time I made it. Then of course, I got this masterpiece today. I cried. Yup. Flat out cried. It means a lot to me and will always be very special.

I was also glad I traded because I got to see the sides and back of her mosaic. She paints the back, which was very impressive and dressed it up so much, even though it's not seen by anyone but me. The sides were grouted (backer is wedi) with thinset underneath, which is much tougher than grout alone. Somehow she got the sides so flat and smooth. Beautiful! She also sent some fun goodies, including a magnet and some stickers.