Michael Holigan: Stacy and I begin by grabbing hammers and smashing the tile. How do you know how big to make the pieces?

Stacy Robinson (Artist): Anytime that you have a big space to cover it's best to use larger pieces. It's a lot more work the smaller it is.

MH: What makes these mosaic projects so much fun is they take very little time to put together. Stacy says the project we are doing today should take only three or four hours.

Back inside, we begin by using a putty knife to put mastic on the wall. Mastic is the glue used to bond the tile to the wall. You can purchase it at most hardware stores or design centers.

Stacy, How long does it take for the mastic to dry?

SR: To get it completely dry you need to leave it overnight, but it starts setting up, I would say, 15 minutes. There's really no end to what you can add to these mosaics.

MH: So it doesn't have to be tile to make your mosaic.

SR: No, it doesn't. Really, just whatever your imagination can think of and what the mastic will hold.

MH: If you want to put together your own tile mosaic this weekend, there are some common mistakes to avoid:

• First, make sure you don't leave too much space inbetween the pieces of tile. You want to make sure the eye can easily follow your design. The grout and tile can also crack if the spaces are too large. Limit your spaces to about a ¼ of an inch.
• And try to make your design bold. This will make it less confusing to the eye.

I'm Michael Holigan, About The House.