DIY Network

Glass Mosaic Toadstools Turn old flower pot saucers into fun garden toadstools. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-108

Create a toadstool fit for a frog prince!

If you love potted plants as much as Michele Beschen does, you've probably accumulated several "orphaned" saucers from pots that have cracked or broken over the years. The B. Original host has a great project that puts those saucers to use: glass mosaic toadstools.

Once you get started making these toadstools, they'll begin sprouting all over your garden. Scroll down for Michele Beschen's easy how-to.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Play with different styles for a patch of terrific toadstools!

Materials:

shallow saucer from flower pot
stained glass
glass cutter
eye protection
contact cement
grout (premixed or powder)
plastic gloves
glass rocks, plastic beads, other ornamentation
empty wine or soda bottle
work gloves
play sand
conduit or other pipe that will fit through the bottle opening
mallet

Note: Michele Beschen recommends using a saucer with fairly smooth sides the first time you do this project.

• Set your saucer upside down on top of an empty can or similar item so it's elevated off your work surface
  (figure A).

• Cut and place your stained glass pieces: Use the glass cutter to score the glass then, wearing work gloves, snap the glass on the score line. You also can buy pre-cut pieces of stained glass.

  Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection when cutting glass.

• Glue the glass to your saucer using contact cement
  (figure B).

• Once the saucer is covered (figure C) and the glue is dry, apply grout. Wear plastic gloves and use your hands to work the grout into all the spaces between the pieces of glass. Wipe off excess grout with a wet cloth.

• Once the grout is cured according to the manufacturer's instructions, embellish your toadstool. Use contact cement to attach glass rocks, plastic beads or other weatherproof decorations (figure D).

• To make your toadstool base, fill an empty wine or soda bottle with play sand. Cut your conduit so that it is about twice as long as the bottle is tall.

• Dig a shallow hole (4"-6") where you want to "plant" your toadstool. Pound your conduit a little more than halfway
  into the ground, then fit the bottleneck over the conduit (figure E). Wearing work gloves, slide the bottle down over the conduit until it's flush with the bottom of the hole.

• Fill in the hole around the bottle. Glue the saucer section of your toadstool onto the base with contact cement.