The Name Says it All - Stitch Rock Rocked!

For everyone who came out this past weekend to Stitch Rock and supported local DIY crafters and artists, a big THANK YOU!  What a great show. It was wonderful seeing so many creative people on both sides of the vending tables.  I was so busy from start to finish that I neglected to take pictures, however Sherry Youngblood Marrero of Annie's Cupboards took this awesome video tour of the show and it really gives you the feel for how fun the atmosphere was. So if you weren't there, check it out! And check out her blog at http://anniescupboard.blogspot.com/

Also there are some great pictures from the New Times here.

Fall Lineup of Indie Craft Shows

New shows this fall for Tortuga Tile Works are Art Sunny Side Up, Arboleda Festival and Revenge of the Tiki 3:Rockabilly vs. Punx. Also on the calendar are some favorites such as Stitch Rock, Downtown Open Market and the Fort Lauderdale Day of the Dead Festival 

Art Sunny Side Up plays host this weekend to Indie crafters & their wares from around the state. Find crafts made from recycled items, vintage objects & imagery, punk memorabilia, paint, fabric, thread, and basically anything else that might inspire the DIYer.  Oh, and clay, of course!  Tortuga Tile Works will be there this Sunday, September 11th from 10 am to 4 pm.  It's just three bucks to get in and proceeds go to charity!  

Tortuga Tile Works is pleased to return to Stitch Rock again this year!  This is the fifth year for this fabulous show!  And since it is a birthday party, be sure to dress in your best party attire and enjoy cake and party favors throughout the day!  Find amazing handmade crafts and unique products like D.I.Y fashion, funky home deco items, natural bath and body goodies, vintage finds, artwork photography, plus a few surprises up their sleeves for this extra special show.  It is on Saturday October 1st from noon to 6 pm, so mark your calendars!   

   

Revenge of the Tiki 3: Rockabilly vs. Punx is in it's third year, but this is the first year for Tortuga Tile Works to be vending.  Put on by the folks at Kreepy Tiki Tattoo and the Monterey Club, it not only has some kick ass indie/retro/punk craft vendors, but also an amazing line up of music!  Plus you can't go wrong with an event that also boasts the Shimmy Shake Burlesque review, jello wrestling with the Gold Coast Derby Grrls and  a skateboarding performance by Sugar's Drop Shop.  Yes there is something for everyone at this show! If you came out to Revolution this past March for Kreepy Kraft and liked what you saw there, this will be that plus a whole lot more!  Show is on October 8th from 2pm until 4 am. Vendors will most likely close a bit before 4 am, so come early and shop then stay late and party like a rock star. 

Boyton Downtown Market is inside at the Boynton Civic Center, Tortuga Tile Works has participated in the very fun Boca Downtown Market before, and has done events in the very friendly Boynton Beach area, so this event is a combination of good things! It is happening on October 16th from 11 am to 6pm.   

Preparations are underway for another fantastic Day of the Dead Festival.  Featuring an array of talented artists, performers, crafters and revelers, this celebration of the cycle of life and death is not to be missed.The event proper is on November 2nd, which is a Wednesday this year.  The Skeleton Processional will start at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art at 6 pm and will lead the festivities to the FAT Village Art District. Once there, you will be astounded by Community Altars, Creepy Bands and Artist Exhibitions . There will also be a preview night  for the art exhibition on Saturday, October 29th during the regularly scheduled Fat Village art walk.  Tortuga Tile Works and a bevy of other local Day of the Dead craft enthusiasts will be found in the Craft Crypt once again this year.  Keep up with which of your favorite vendors will be there on the Facebook event page!

Then heading into the Holiday Season, a new Miami show for us is the Arboleda Festival on November 12th from 10 am to 5 pm. Hosted outdoors in the heart of Miami's Design District, Arboleda will be the first large scale event of its kind in Miami to offer the community and its residents with a culturally creative and artistically eclectic experience; complete with music, gourmet food trucks, live art performances, D.I.Y. workshops, craft activities for kids, and an overall backdrop for creative exchange.     

You can always keep up with where we will be on our website event page and in the side bar on the Tortuga Tidings blog.

Tiki Bar Revamp - Amped!

Making a plain functional bar into a dynamic design keystone is as easy as choosing the tiles, cement, and grout!  Check it out!

To create this bar, I started with a basic frame from K-mart.  I chose it for its powder coating and it's easy component assembly structure. Although quite stylish in its own right, it needed to be tikified!

I broke out the glass and did some minor adjustments so that I could fit hardy board (a concrete board available in the tile section of your local hardware store) in it's place, then I glued the hardy board in with construction adhesive (ie. Liquid Nails).  For the front panels I cut out the hardy board to fit. Then I drilled holes for bolts so that I could attach it after it was tiled.  (Hint - get some masonry drill bits for the hardy board and invest a couple bucks in shiny new regular drill bits for the steel.  Also use some oil for the metal holes and make the holes plenty big so that you don't have to stress about fitting it all together later as washers will ensure it won't be going anywhere.) 

To cut the hardy board I used two methods: For straight cuts I used a razor knife and a straight edge to score it. Then I snapped it. For the curved cuts and notches I used my angle grinder with a masonry wheel. (be sure to use your safety gear here - goggles, ear plugs, close toed shoes, leather gloves, and for extra happiness face shield and leather apron - and follow all safety instructions given with your angle grinder!  Also, be aware there is a potential for kicking and exploding disks -If you are unsure of this tool and procedure, stick to square shapes!)

Next I decided on which tiles I wanted to incorporate. As I am the tile maker, I made the tiles to fit the design - as a tile customer, just choose the tiles you want and order them online - purchase 10% extra for mistakes, cuts etc.  Tiles can be cut with various tile saws.  The basic type is a contraption where you score a line on the tile and then snap it. The  fancier saws are wet saws that work more like a rotary arm saw. These can be rented from a local tool supply shop
.

Next I glued all the bolts and washers into the hardy board so that they wouldn't spin or knock around under the tiles. I used a two part resin. Rubber gloves are especially recommend here. Once the bolts are glued in be sure to raise the hardy board off of your work surface with some extra wood so that there is no pressure on the bolts.

Lay out the tiles as they are going to be cemented next to the hardy board.  Make sure you have them just right and that your measurements are right on.  It helps to have a second pair of eyes and hands to help with the actual cementing so that you don't get off track as you go.  Once you put the tile down it is pretty stuck, you can nudge it a bit, but not much.

Time to mix the thin-set! Be sure to wear a mask and rubber gloves as you don't want concrete in your lungs or on your skin.  Mix up your thin-set per manufacturer's instructions.  I add some latex additive on the suggestion of a tile setter I met at a show. it adds a bit of elasticity to the mixture, which is helpful when transporting mosaics as I often do. Generally the manufacturer recommends putting a thin base coat down with the straight sides of your trowel and then adding more for the grooved coat. Make sure you don't mix and put too much out. This really depends on the intricacy and scale of your tile design. Start with a small section and then gauge from there.

Push all the tiles into the grooved cement. Then clean up any excessive oozed out cement that will interfere with grout work with a very wrung out, damp sponge. 

After the curing duration, per the instructions of your thin-set, go ahead and grout the mosaic panel.  Mix the grout per instructions given by the product.  (Wear your mask and gloves again)  Apply the grout over the mosaic panel.  As Tortuga Tiles have a good deal of relief this is best achieved with gloved fingers and a moist sponge. Keep rinsing and wringing out your sponge and keep wiping the surface until you have nice smooth grout lines and cleanish tiles. If it is hard to wipe out grout from the recesses, use a nail brush to dislodge the grout.  Do not use excessive water in this stage as it will lead to cracks in the grout later.  After 15 minutes wipe the tiles with a dry cloth to get rid of the dust coat left from the wiping.

The next day seal the mosaic panel with grout sealer/enhancer per the instructions on the product.

Now it is just a matter of bolting it all together...

And mixing some drinks!!

Materials 

Tortuga tiles
Bar frame
Consumable Supplies

·         hardy board

·         bolts, nuts, washers

·         two part resin epoxy to glue bolts in place

·         thin-set concrete

·         grout

·         optional -latex additive

·         water

·         sealer/enhancer

Tools

·         drywall knife

·         straight edge

·         optional - angle grinder or other masonry cutting tool

·         optional - wet saw or scoring rig

·         mixing spoon or optional mixer attachment for drill

·         trowel with straight and ridged edge

·         buckets

·         sponges

·         nail brush

·         wrench for bolts

Safety/Comfort

·         safety goggles

·         rubber/latex gloves

·         leather gloves

·         close toed shoes

·         apron

·         dust mask

·         vapor mask (for the resin)     

 I hope you find this article helpful and inspirational.  Although this is written based on my own practical experience I make no guarantee as to its accuracy, reliability, legality or safety of the given instructions.  Licensed tile setters/contractors should be consulted/hired for guaranteed results. 

Spring Fling

It was another great Sunday at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale this past weekend!  This installment of the Indie Craft Bazaar, the Spring Fling, was yet another mixture of a lovely setting, funky stuff and super nice people!  Tortuga Tile Works was in good company with some of my favorite folks, Irma of "I Work Artwork" was on hand with some wacky new crocheted butterfly characters, "Just V" was there with feathers and necklaces galore,  "HennaEden" had a charming display of her wooden henna pieces.  Plus there were soaps, and notebooks, and frame, and teacup bird feeders, and a host of other must have original accessories.

My friend Sean was in town and he found a quirky and adorable creature he named Pierre.  This little guy was conjured up by "Mindy and Lola", two sisters with a variety of sewn goods, everything from hair flowers to an "I love lap dances, Las Vegas" bag.  Sean and Pierre are shown here with Migdalia of RecycleMyBag.com.   

Migdalia makes all of her bags out of recycled clothing with prints of her marvelous women.  She also is a regular at Indie shows and always has new designs to drool over!

Be sure to catch all the latest indie craft wackiness coming up - Art Rock, Downtown Open Market and the Brickell Bazaar coming up in May!

Wild about Ray Guns

Whether you prefer Flash Gordon or Barbarella, ray guns are the preferred  weapon over the archaic slug throwers most of our police/military and underworld use today. 

As the swankadelic weekend experience of Mod Miami approaches. Tortuga Tile Works is packing up various Atomic Mosaics featuring robots, rockets and of course ray guns.  The ray gun tiles are among my personal favorite and I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few links on the subject.

  

First off, If you are interested in acquiring a weapon "to insure the peace at any of your galactic estates" check out these three models by Dr Gordbort in his illuminating infomercial.

Not sure if Dr. Gordbort is on the level with his claims, at the Atomic Rockets website you can learn the difference between a blaster, a needler and a fulgurator!  Also make sure that you aren't throwing inaccurate information into your atomic conversation with their list of misconceptions like "rockets don't got windows" 

There are some amazing slick designs at the Kurgawa's Gallery and to learn even more check out this bibliography of popular articles and books on Justin Pinchot's Toy Rayguns website.

Warm Welcome

It's night time and you are all decked out for the Luau, but it's dark and you can't see anyone's address.  Neighbors begin to look out the window at that weird car with the weird people slowly creeping down the street and turning around randomly in their driveway...not the case if you are going to Chip and Andy's.  Their new Tortuga exterior street number mosaic is a beacon in the night for their party guests.  Not only does it fit perfectly with their mid century Florida home, but they also installed a very cool atomic silo light above it.  The neighbors still might peer out at your guests as they traipse to the door in their best Fashion Tramp Aloha wear, but you can rest assured they will easily find their way to your door!

The tiles are adhered to concrete board with Thinset concrete and then grouted and sealed for outdoor durability. These numbers also look great in a variety of color schemes in combination with other tile collections, such as red and brown with Death Head tiles or pink and burgundy with atomic ray guns.  Contact luru@tortugatileworks.com for your own house number mosaic before your next big party and your guests will thank you!  Simply pick out which tiles you want from the website and LuRu will put together a custom design just for you.

Nothing says, "I love you" like Valentine's Day Bacon!

The Retro Indie Market was packed this past Valentine's Day weekend and we all had a great time! The craft vendors were in good company this time around with a host of vintage dealers! The combination really gave you the feel of a funky street market, although instead of a street, the location was the beautiful historic Boynton Beach Women's Club. The amount of people certainly made it feel like a thriving market.  People lined up for the free brownies and then they just kept coming.  The place was packed! 

New tiles this show included the "True Love Always" couple in black or blond hair, two new musicians for the Day of the Dead tile series and of course the bacon!