Mudlarking Mosaic - the beginning

I'm good at ideas but rubbish at execution. So it will take gargantuan effort for me to ever finish this thing and sadly most of the time it feels more of a burden than a pleasure, I'm hoping that will change as I get into it. 

Ever since I started mudlarking I've wanted to make something from all those bits of pottery. I came across a mosaic made of foreshore finds which I absolutely loved and knowing I couldn't better the design I settled on pure plagiarism, albeit rather ambitious for someone who hasn't made anything since primary school. 

Tania Covo the wonderful Thames jeweller told me what equipment to buy to get me stared, by enjoyable happen chance, she had worked with the mosaic artist I'm copying and assured me she wouldn't mind. 

So printed photos, ordered the equipment and pulled out my first set of pottery pieces, the ubiquitous shell edged pearl ware (1780- 1840)  with its blue edging, the relief decorated edges of white stone ware plates(1720-1780)  and the more yellowy cream ware popular from 1760. 

and had a go at a section of the design to see if I could 'do it', far from  perfect but good enough for me to pursue 

then did a bit more 

so decided to get serious and bought a book and  went to the wood shop. Realising that I would never get it together to put the wood together into a frame, my very kind husband took it down to a local carpenter and brought back a large 44" x 45" frame.

Created a template from the photo, blew it up on a photocopier, copied the design onto tracing paper on both sides, so that I could then transfer it onto the board. 

By this time I'd been banished to our party shed with all my 'stuff', so with Black Eyed Peas blasting out and youngest ensconced with his nintendo on a sofa nearby to keep me company, I finally marked out the design in pen. 

 priming and buying tile cement tomorrow - then I suppose I'd better get on with it.