How To Make a Memory Board

The Memory Board project has a special place in my heart. My daughter is leaving home next month to attend university. Like many parents, I'm reflecting on where the time went and trying to savour all the memories. Since my children were born, I've collected little letters that they wrote to me, artworks from school and precious hand prints; it's all been tucked away in a rather large memory box. I pulled the memory box out the other week; so many memories that should be on display, not hidden away in the garage collecting dust. That was the start of my memory board project. It was a fantastic journey, going through the memory box, photocopying the memories, making the tiles then putting it all together into a mosaic.

I've outlined the steps below of how I created the memory board so that you can do the same. Celebrate life's important milestones with a memory board. It might be a wedding, a special birthday, or the birth of your child or grandchild. To make it easy, I've created a kit containing the tiles and supplies you need to make your own.

We have two different kit options available:

Memory Board Kit (Deluxe) - This kit contains the premium board used to make this project and measures 40x50cm in size.
Memory Board Kit (Standard) - This kit contains a 6mm thick MDF board and measures 30 x 40cm in size.

MATERIALS / SUPPLIES

Rectangular Mosaic Base - 40 x 50 cm
Clear Glass Tiles - 5x5cm x 9 packets
Adhesive - Sullivans PVA
Black Grout
Photocopies of your memories
Black paint
Rotary Wheel Nipper - to cut the tiles
Scissors, Craft Knife
Grouting - Gloves Containers, Wet Wipes, Rags

STEPS

1. Gather Your Memories

Your memories can include photos, works of art, letters, clipping from newspapers or poems. You can include anything that can be adhered to a glass tile!

2. Photocopy Your Memories

I've used a combination of full-colour images and black and white. The memories have been re-sized to fit into 5cm tile. If you have a letter or item that is too large, consider using a segment of it.

3. Glue The Paper Images To Your Tiles

Use a clear drying PVA adhesive, like Weldbond or Sullivans.
Brush the adhesive onto the paper, ensuring that you cover an area the size of the tile. Apply the paper to the back of the transparent glass tile.
Work the excess glue from under the tile. You could use a small ruler or squeegee to do this by gently rubbing it over the tile.
Leave it to dry completely, then cut the excess paper from around the tile using a pair of sharp scissors.

4. Adhere Your Tiles To The Base

A thin coat is all you need as they aren't heavy and have a paper backing.
Once you've adhered the paper to the tile, don't change the placement, as you could wreck the tile.
Keep the tiles close together to minimise the amount of grout you will need.
I've cut some of the tiles into smaller sizes and rectangles to add size and shape variation to the mosaic. You might choose not to cut your tiles; it's entirely up to you.

5. Tile Cutting

As the tiles are 5cm in size, I've used a Rotary Wheel Nipper to cut them. Rotary Wheel Nipper has a wheel to score the surface of the tile. Run this over the face of the tile, creating a scoring line. Then place the tile in the breaker arm and press down; it will break the tile along the scoring line.
If the paper doesn't break completely, use a box cutter or craft knife to cut the paper or bend the tiles upwards, so the paper doesn't tear.
If you have a two-wheeled glass cutter, you can use it to cut smaller-sized tile pieces. Using this tool to cut a 5cm tile will result in irregular shapes.

cutting of tiles using a rotary wheel nipper

6. Grouting

Mix your powdered grout with water to create a thick paste. This is to reduce the amount of water, these tiles are paper-backed, and water is not their friend. If you use too much water, it will creep under the tiles creating watermarks. Mix the grout to a smooth paste with no lumps. Keep some of your grout aside just in case you need to thicken the grout later.
Spread the grout all over the top of the tiles and sides, making sure to work it into the gaps.
Once you have applied the grout, you will need to wipe it off straight away; we recommend using wet ones as they contain just the right amount of moisture. If you use a sponge, you will have too much water.
Once you have wiped away the excess grout, allow it to dry for 20 minutes, use a soft cloth, and wipe the mosaic clean.

7. Paint the sides of your base

Use acrylic paint to paint the sides of the memory board.

Legal Disclaimer: No warranty is implied by these instructions. Use at your own risk. The Mosaic Store and its proprietors are not responsible for the results of any actions taken based on this information, nor for any omission in the advice. Please wear appropriate safety equipment when cutting mosaic materials and using grouts and adhesives. Keep out of reach of children.