Problems with mortar solved

         It took a little extra time to experiment around with 9 different combinations, to see what would work best. I came to the conclusion that special mortar for glass tiles was the best combination. Also a little expensive $13 for a 4 lb. box. This did not require any add mix & worked fantastic for  the thin glass tiles. After 2-3 days I could not break them from the plywood. Other then the light weight the Schltuer board could be skipped if one wanted the cheapest possible combination and the extra weight was not a problem. Because I am using a lot of metal trim & it would be very hard to set in glue or mortar, I decided to install the trim with screws attached directly to the plywood behind the Schluter board. The smaller trim tiles around the metal strips I also installed with regular tile glue.

Here is where we are so far.

Here is the faucet with darker blue tiles under faucet.

Can't decide on what color to install inside the frame

The sides pieces will support a shelf latter.

This was the best thin-set for these glass tiles.

This was junk to the max. 

Here is my sample board to test the thin-set.