Painting - spackle finish???

My wife wants to put a spackle finish on the kitchen backdrop (I think it's laminate). And then strick some tiles randomly in the spackle. Anyone done this with any success? Do we glue the tiles first then spread the spackle? Any way to color the spackle? Or is this just a dumb idea?

Do you mean 'spackle', as in the patching compound?

If its laminate the spackle won't last very long. It will chip and flake off with every little bump.
Spackle is not thin set mortar nor or glue for putting up tiles.
Spackle is not grout, either.

If its laminate, you can try to glue the tiles first, but you can't use just any glue. An epoxy may work.
Yes, I think you can color the grout, but I have never done that.

Hmmmm - sounds like the spackle is not a good idea. Is there another kind of material I sholud try instead? Should I tack up some wire and use plaster? I have never used it - so realkly don't know even how to start.

My nephew and I tiled my sister's kitchen counters and one bathroom vanity top years ago and they still look great. None of the tiles has come loose, though a couple have chipped over the years and a few spots around the kitchen sink have had the grout touched up.
The counters were Formica or other laminate with separate backsplashes which we removed. We sanded the countertops very good to scuff them up before spreading regular tile adhesive to set the tile in. We used bull-nose tiles on the edge and 4x4s for the field and a small wet-saw to cut the tile. After all was dry, we grouted. Sometime later my nephew tiled the drywall between kitchen cabinets and counters for a backsplash. No problem.
Instead of sanding, you can use a chemical deglosser to give the smooth plastic some 'tooth' so the adhesive will hold. Just make sure the laminate is clean and dry before you start spreading adhesive.

I am rereading your original post. Is the backdrop separate from the countertop? Some diyers will just glue a piece of laminate to the wall, right over the sheetrock, instead of tiling or painting. Is this what you have? If so, remove it first. You may tear up the sheetrock but s owhat. You're going to tile over it so the repairs don't have to be perfect.

No - I don't think I gave the best description of what I want to do. My wife saw this type of thing in a Mexican restaurant. The finish looks like spackle (probably plaster? or stucco?) - with a few tiles randomly interspersed throughout. Now she wants to do this on the backsplash in our kitchen - and she thinks the "stucco or plaster" type finish can be done with spackle. HELP!!!!! How can I get this project done!!! Is there some kind of stucco or plaster that can go onto a laminate backsplash (about 2-4 feet high - 4-5 feet wide). I DON"T WANT SOLID TILE - just a few interspersed and maybe a border of tile around the mostly stucco.

Sorry if I misled you

I understand you want to get this project done as quickly and painlessly as possible. But to do it right I really think you should remove the laminate. Your description suggests that it is just a piece of laminate glued to the drywall.