Attempt this large project in two or three sittings.

The actual design is quite simple but what really makes this birdbath so effective is the use of brightrcolour and the varying angles at which the tesserae are laid.

You'll need
Tools Brush for sealer
Pencil
Compass
Stylus (optional)
Tile nippers
Goggles and mask
Mixing containers
Palette knife
Rubber gloves
Rubber squeegee
Rags or cloths
Sponges

Materials:
Concrete birdbath, dish and stand in separate pieces
Waterproof sealer for concrete
Cement-based tile adhesive
Old china or crockery: assorted patterns
Glass mosaic tesserae: yellow, purple, red, light blue, bronze, turquoise, dark blue
Black grout

Step 1
Preparation Seal all the sides of the dish and the stand with concrete waterproofing sealer and allow it to dry.

Step 2
As the design for the birdbath contains little detail, design directly onto the birdbath. Start by locating the centre of the birdbath and draw three circles approximately 20 mm, 30 mm and 65 mm in diameter. You can use a compass to do this or a string and pencil.

Add in some large floral shapes around the outer circle, and small flower shapes in each of the corners. Add some detail around the rim. No need to draw a pattern for the stand - just work the design to suit the shape. Fill in with turquoise. The outside rim is tiled with purple. Allow to dry before turning it face up.

Step 3
Tiling the dish Start working in the centre of the birdbath. Using tile nippers, cut a small circle from the patterned china. Fix it in the centre using adhesive. Surround this with a border of china tesserae to complete the first circle.

Step 4
Add a row of yellow to complete the second circle.

Step 5
Cut the purple tesserae into thin rectangular shapes and lay them around the yellow circle, radiating outwards. Surround this with a border of red and then light blue to complete the third circle. of each flower. For each flower, cut five petal shapes from the bronze tesserae. Butter the back of the tesserae with adhesive and fix in place.

Step 6
Cut four small circles from the crockery and fix them in the centre of each flower.

Step 7
Define the large floral shape by outlining it with thin rectangles of turquoise. Fill inside this area with random shapes of turquoise and outline with a row of yellow.

Step 8
Place a row of thin rectangles of dark blue around the yellow. Fill in the remaining area on the dish using randomly shaped blue tesserae.

Step 9
Stick a row of whole blue tesserae around the inside rim. Apply the adhesive with a palette knife and allow it to dry for 10 minutes so the adhesive becomes slightly tacky. If it is wet, the tesserae will slide down the side. Position the uncut edge of the tesserae uppermost to make the finish neater. Allow the adhesive to set.

Step 10
Turn the dish over and tile the back. Starting in the centre, stick a row of thin, red tesserae around the dish, followed by a row of light blue. Fill in with turquoise. The outside rim is tiled with purple. Allow to dry before turning face up to dry.

Step 11
Tile the top of the rim. Start with the four detailed areas. Cut four small squares from crockery and fix them in place. Border these with red, then yellow tesserae cut into thin rectangles. Fill in around the rim with light blue tesserae.

Step 12
Tiling the stand Cut the flowers from pieces of china and stick them randomly around the main section of the stand.

Fill in around the flowers using dark blue. Tile the rest of the stand adjusting the pattern slightly, depending on the size and shape of your stand. Don't forget to mosaic the back of the dish! Choose two or three colours and fix them it; bands around the dish.

Step 13
Finishing Allow 24 hours for the adhesive to dry. Wearing gloves, spread the black grout over the surface of the birdbath. Wipe off the excess with a rag.

Allow the grout to dry; turn the dish over and repeat the process to grout the back. While the dish is drying, grout the stand. Once dry, give the birdbath a final polish with a rag to remove any grout residue. Allow at least 72 hours for curing before using the birdbath.

Source: Mosaics (Murdoch Books) a Better Homes and Gardens mini workbook