Category: fused glass

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

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I don’t know the author of this Irish blessing, but its perfect for today!

“For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way

Good health, good luck and happiness

For today and every day” 💚

Can’t wait for Spring!

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Thought I’d hop on to check in and wish everyone a very early spring greeting although it’s hard to feel springish while there’s blizzard conditions blowing and snowing in our part of Iowa today. A few days ago robins were hopping around our yard and today I’m worried about where all those poor little things went to stay safe and warm.  

I’ve been in a bit of a funky mood since Christmas and haven’t done much creatively.  But, with winter on its way out, I think I’m getting my mojo back. 

I started getting back in the groove last week with a new St.Patrick’s Day suncatcher (shown above), and there’s a shamrock piece waiting on my workbench to be finished.

Last summer I cut a lot of vintage glassware into interesting pieces to create something special with but didn’t follow through. They are next on the agenda along with 4 or 5 other unfinished crafting projects that are taking up space in my work area.

Every year I make quite a few stained glass, peace sign suncatchers. I’m ready to put those aside for a while and put my energy into more new pieces and ideas. The last of my peace sign suncatchers are listed in my Etsy shop  https://www.etsy.com/shop/GlassicArtistry and pictured below if anyone has an interest.

Well, I guess that shamrock piece isn’t going to finish itself, I’d better get back to work. Stay well and stay safe friends, and Think Spring!

Recycled Bottle Kiln Play DIY

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Playtime!

It was time to do something with a small bucket of AirWick bottles I had saved. I was tempted to toss them, but couldn’t do it without at least experimenting with a few in the kiln. 

I’ve only had time to play with two, but I like what’s happening so far.  I thought it would be fun to share just in case it could spur imagination or interest with other warm glass or recycled glass friends out there somewhere. 

I like to do my experimenting in a small tabletop kiln with a window in the lid. It’s not digital.  It has a dial with high, medium, and low, so there is no firing schedule; I just go slow. I use the same type of kiln for all my Christmas ornaments too.

I didn’t expect anything earth shattering, but wanted to see how the bottle flattened before doing anything else. A high temp wire hanger was propped in the opening of the bottle before firing it to about 1600 degrees, just in case it would miraculously round up as a nice glob and the wording melted away. It didn’t, lol.  I flipped it over and fired it again the same way and the wording was still there. 

The wording finally disappeared after I flipped and fired it a third time.  Surprising, it ended up as an uneven clear glob that I plan to use in a rustic Christmas decoration later.

The second bottle was cut into slices with a glass saw to see what could be arranged with them.

Several pieces were laid out to resemble a flower. I thought the bottle opening slice was too tall for the flower center, so it was sliced again.

Wanting to maintain its shape and texture, I watched it closely and shut the kiln off at about 1650 – 1700 degrees. I did a quick flash to 1100 degrees, then let it cool completely.

So, what do you think? You can be honest, I have thick skin, lol.

It’s a bit unusual, thin, fragile, and almost weightless, but I like the results. I think it has great possibilities for mixed media or wall art projects. Add some wire, color with glass paints, or even use it as a base and layer over it. I better make a couple more just to be prepared if an idea strikes me. You never know.

I’ll keep experimenting though, there’s extra pieces and more bottles. Stay Well and Be Happy Friends!