Crafty Days & Crafty Nights: Mosaic Mermaids

Starry Nights

One of the groups that I was involved with is the Tidewater Officers’ Spouses’ Association (TOSA). TOSA has two charity boutiques in the Hampton Roads area: The Tidewater Collection on Naval Station Norfolk, and the newly opened Tidewater Collection Too at Naval Hospital Portsmouth. Once on base, anyone can shop at the boutiques where the unique line of handmade mosaic mermaids are sold. 

Nearly Finished

The mermaids come in several different sizes with each one is hand-crafted and donated to the boutiques by members of TOSA’s Mosaic Mermaid Club. The boutiques are run by TOSA volunteers, and all profits generated from the boutiques’ sales are donated to charities that support military families. Because the volunteers donate their time and materials are donated and purchased through a generous donation from USAA, TOSA is able to donate 100% of the proceeds from the mosaic mermaids to military charities. 

Needed Materials

I'm sure you're thinking to yourself how is this relevant to the blog title.  Read on!

Design In Progress

Each month, Mosaic Mermaid Club members meet at the Armed Services YMCA on Independence Blvd., and spend four hours creating mermaids to donate to the Tidewater Collection charity boutiques. Armed with brown-bag lunches and creative ideas, the volunteers select a wooden mermaid form (a licensed replica of the Norfolk mermaid) and begin picking out the glass they will use. There is a table full of tools to score, cut, break, and shape the glass into the perfect pieces. Some mermaids have incredibly intricate designs, reminiscent of the painting technique, pointillism. Others are more like a watercolor, awash with brightly colored glass in a fluid design. The group has just started making multimedia small ornament-size mermaids to complement the growing collection of 15- and 24-inch wooden mermaids. Once the mermaids are complete, they are displayed for sale in the boutiques, and all the proceeds benefit military families.

Ready For Grout

Once the tiles have set, the mermaids are grouted (my least favorite part) and taken to the boutique for sales.

So this is one of my favorite crafts.  It involves being 'artistic', socializing and just being out and about.  

What's not to love?

I really miss this group of creative and wonderful ladies!