in these photos, i am working on the interior border... the border that will go around the outside edges of the mirror. even though i have marked, on the base, the area where the mirror will go, i want to be very sure that the line made by the mosaic is as even and exact as possible. i don't know why, but i have trouble keeping the line as straight as i want, even if i have a clear marking.

in the first photo, i am using a ruler along the inside edge of the interior border, to better visualize my line of mosaic as it meets the line of the mirror... just imagine that the top edge of the ruler is the top edge of the mirror... and using my pick to adjust the pieces. i am always surprised at how off i can get, even though i have the markings. using a ruler or other straight-edged three dimensional object in this way really helps me to be more exact. this is also very helpful when you want the very outside edges of your mosaic to be as even and straight as possible.

in the second photo, notice how uneven my deep burgandy strips look. because the cuts are not always completely clean and straight through, the pieces may look uneven and/or misshapen from some angles. i don't need to worry about anything except the top surface of the piece. compare the first photo with the second, and see how much better the alignment looks in the first photot. the only difference is the camera angle.