Mosaic and Tile Fireplace Cover

My fireplace is on a full wall of brown bricks and was very dark. I finally had the courage to paint the bricks white, and loved it. But against the white bricks the fireplace opening was a big black hole. What to do? I decided to make a fireplace cover using tiles and a mosaic design. I had 3/4" plywood sheets cut to the size I wanted, then glued and screwed the two layers together to make it strong and flat. I found metal shelf braces to hold it upright. I used wood door trim to make a decorative trim along the bottom.

It took a long time to come up with all the pieces for the front design. I had some white tiles and glass gems, stained glass pieces too. I found other things on ebay, Etsy, at Goodwill and yard sales. I attached an 8" x 12" stained glass piece with mirror braces so it can be removed and something else inserted. Here are a couple of the designs I tried.

I'm just listing this beautiful necklace and earring set of Hillcraft jewelry, from their Frost line. These iridescent glass cabochons were hand set with Swarovski crystals by a family in Czechoslovakia.

Many of the cabs Hillcraft used were made by a company that also made buttons. The cabochons were made for Hillcraft without the button shank.

Hillcraft was an Indiana company that operated from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s. Their jewelry is unique in its settings which are hand wired, and its earring backs, which often slide on the ear. Much of their jewelry was made by patients of the Indiana State TB sanitarium.

I purchased vintage new old stock beads and cabochons from the last owner of Hillcraft, and have been making them into new jewelry. The blue bracelet is an example.

This set was missing one side of the clasp, so I replaced it with a new spring clasp. I also replaced the earring backs and polished the gold wire. Now it's pretty enough for a bride.

I found a great site with the history of Hillcraft here:

http://www.hoppersbazaar.com/JJ/jj.html