Fresco Tile

I'm pretty sure Dale would say that I'm not an easy person for whom to buy gifts... I like to say that it's because I'm happy and satisfied with what I have and don't have a desire for more material things. That's my positive spin on it, at least! Dale's figured out, though, that usually a safe bet is to get me something associated with pictures. I know it's going to come as a surprise to you all, but I LOVE PICTURES.

For Mother's Day, 2007 (not a typo, LAST Mother's Day), Dale gave me a "Fresco Tile Kit". Essentially , it's a project in which you take a plain tile and turn it into an antique-looking memento with a personalized picture. Sounds like something I'd LOVE, doesn't it?

Well, 18 months after receiving the gift, I created my first tile. My reasoning for not doing it sooner was that I wanted to wait until Ivie was old enough that her "look" wasn't changing each and every day. I wanted it to be something that still sort of looked like her when she was older!

So yesterday I made my first tile. It was an all-day activity, as it involved completing a step and letting it dry for an hour or two before moving on to the next step.

After finishing, I'm happy to say that the project was a success. And now I can't wait to do the other tile! Will probably do a "baby" one of Macie, since I'm eager to work on it!

Here are the before and after pictures of my project. If you're interested in getting a similar kit for yourself or as a Christmas gift for someone else (they have other types of kits, too), you can check out the website at: www.tilanofresco.com.