Birdbath Project Complete!

I think I can say that I'm officially on a roll. I completed this birdbath project that I started a year ago.

It started with this column. I have two of them that I purchased years ago to use as planters. Since moving to the new house, they've been sitting here waiting to be reused for something, until the idea of using them as bases for birdbaths came to mind.

It took me a while to figure out how to make the top, but I ultimately decided on making a form out of plant trays, which turned out working pretty good.

Then the whole thing sat for a year, like my projects often do!  Until yesterday when I sat down to mosaic the top.  I was surprised how fast it went.  After making the sea serpent, I'd forgotten how quickly mosaic can go when I'm not working with something so intricate.

I used porcelain tiles for the first time, and am not sure how crazy I am about them.  For this project they were perfect.  The base has a very aged look so I wanted tiles that would appear aged also.  However, after grouting they've turned "cloudy" and all the polishing in the world isn't going to change it.  I'll have to ask the smart ladies at the GardenWeb forum if I did something wrong, or if that's just how they are. 

So this just about completes my bird garden.  I'll probably put up more feeders and some more mosaic butterflies and such, but it's nice to have this bath completed!