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Artist Works On A DIY Project To Create This Stunning Mosaic Floor Out Of 7,500 Pennies
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Artist Works On A DIY Project To Create This Stunning Mosaic Floor Out Of 7,500 Pennies

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With many countries still being in lockdown, some of us resort to various DIY projects to pass time or give meaning to our lives. If you’re looking for a new crafting project or just like looking at cool things, this post might be just for you!

Kelly Graham of Camias Jewelry Designs recently shared the final result of a 5-year project. After Kat Von D shared her impressive floor made out of 28,928 pennies, Kelly was encouraged to share the pictures of her own floor that she made in 2015.

“I made my own penny floor in my foyer room,” Graham said in a post that’s gone viral.  Kelly used 7,500 pennies in total to finish the mosaic and with some sealant, it’s held up pretty nicely over the past 5 years.

Bored Panda reached out to Kelly for additional comments and she kindly replied with some extra info. “I’m a jeweler and decided to branch out on my own via online only back in 2002,” the woman introduced herself. “I’ve been running a website since, making my own designs, maintaining my photos and site, basically a complete one-person show who does it all,” she added.

More info: Facebook | Etsy

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    After Kelly shared her post again, it went viral with 57K likes and 245K shares

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    Before jewelry, I was a machinist and I think that really developed my eye for spatial reasoning,” Graham told us. She also went into detail on how her penny floor project happened:

    I sat down at this penny floor project, inspired to make one, but it had to be nothing anyone had seen before. While I admired penny floors, mine had to be striking. I didn’t have any pattern before hand. I did it as I went along and that’s why you’ll notice a few pattern changes during the process. It took me 3 weeks to complete so ample time for me to change my mind (and I did often). The process was me having no idea what I was doing so I YouTube some basic tutorials. I began by separating old and new pennies into distinct piles and the medium ones would designate the filler between the mosaic lines. I used about 7500 pennies to complete this 6×6 ft area. Once I sat down to do it, I rather enjoyed myself immensely. It was a cathartic experience I needed in my life and maybe that’s why the design worked like it did. The inner muse spoke and I listened.”

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    I never wanted to give up,” the artist said, “if anything, I was completely dedicated and motivated to finish”. When asked how did the people respond to her creation, Kelly reported that the response was overwhelmingly positive and people praised her for the idea.

    The penny floor was finished 5 years ago but still stands just as perfect. Kelly explained how she achieved that:

    The process of making the floor was sorting the pennies, then I caulked each one on the back for a nice adhesion to the existing tile. After I put the last penny down, I waited a few days for the caulking to solidify and then I grouted. I waited a full week for the grout to harden and set and finally poured a resin coating on top. There is no penny odor, the floor isn’t slippery, and it’s 5 years later and it still looks good!”

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    “6 years ago, this was my first attempt at working with pennies I had collected before I went on to do the penny floor a year later”

    This is how the floor looks 5 years later

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    Here’s how people reacted to Kelly’s project

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    Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

    Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    As a writer and image editor for Bored Panda, Giedrė crafts posts on many different topics to push them to their potential. She's also glad that her Bachelor’s degree in English Philology didn’t go to waste (although collecting dust in the attic could also be considered an achievement of aesthetic value!) Giedrė is an avid fan of cats, photography, and mysteries, and a keen observer of the Internet culture which is what she is most excited to write about. Since she's embarked on her journalistic endeavor, Giedrė has over 600 articles under her belt and hopes for twice as much (fingers crossed - half of them are about cats).

    Read less »
    Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

    Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

    Author, Community member

    As a writer and image editor for Bored Panda, Giedrė crafts posts on many different topics to push them to their potential. She's also glad that her Bachelor’s degree in English Philology didn’t go to waste (although collecting dust in the attic could also be considered an achievement of aesthetic value!) Giedrė is an avid fan of cats, photography, and mysteries, and a keen observer of the Internet culture which is what she is most excited to write about. Since she's embarked on her journalistic endeavor, Giedrė has over 600 articles under her belt and hopes for twice as much (fingers crossed - half of them are about cats).

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    Evil Little Thing
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am appalled that she ruined that beautiful granite fireplace mantle with pennies.

    Steve Cruz
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a fireplace with cheap granite tiles around the firebox inside of a wooden surround. The granite looked nice in the realtor photos, but F2F they are cheap 90s tiles and the way they were cut to fit is distractingly bad. Wish I'd seen this treatment before quarantine, it would be done by now.

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    sino8r
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While this is really beautiful, I hope she painted it with a clear polyurethane coating otherwise the pattern color of the copper with be lost after time. Also, imagine trying to clean the floor lol!

    Cristina S.
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow. There are a lot of penny haters out there. Lol. It’s not my style but I can appreciate the time & effort she put into her projects.

    Load More Comments
    Evil Little Thing
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am appalled that she ruined that beautiful granite fireplace mantle with pennies.

    Steve Cruz
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a fireplace with cheap granite tiles around the firebox inside of a wooden surround. The granite looked nice in the realtor photos, but F2F they are cheap 90s tiles and the way they were cut to fit is distractingly bad. Wish I'd seen this treatment before quarantine, it would be done by now.

    Load More Replies...
    sino8r
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While this is really beautiful, I hope she painted it with a clear polyurethane coating otherwise the pattern color of the copper with be lost after time. Also, imagine trying to clean the floor lol!

    Cristina S.
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow. There are a lot of penny haters out there. Lol. It’s not my style but I can appreciate the time & effort she put into her projects.

    Load More Comments
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