Tag: diy tutorial

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!

Saving Summer Colors

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So, I did something this summer I hadn’t planned to do. I debated whether to blog it or not, but decided I would just in case they are used in a future project and there was a question about where the materials came from.

I recently found a bunch of textile art supplies/materials I had squirreled away and they’ve got me itchin’ to do some mixed media and make wall art for my home. I’m back to saving scraps of paper and other bits so I have an array to play with this winter. 

After a couple years of nursing my garden perennials, they are finally spreading out and filling in spaces. I was admiring all their colors as I mowed around the garden last month when the idea hit me that I should do something with all that pretty. 

My first thought was pressing them, which I did in some old books. Then I remembered a dying class my daughter and I attended several years ago that used plants on silk scarves. The silk was wrapped, moistened, and put in a lidded container for 8 weeks; it was a long process.

I skimmed through a couple of YouTube videos and discovered they could be processed in a steamer and that was more to my liking. 

Before going further, please keep in mind that I do not claim to be an expert or even experienced in this field.  This was done clearly for my own enjoyment. 

I made a makeshift steamer out of scrap pieces from my husband’s salvage pile. His salvage business sure does come in handy for me. He keeps it pretty well cleaned up and out of here so I have to look it over and grab quick. 

My steamer – 

Using white vinegar in a spray bottle, I misted pieces of an old T-shirt and a cotton flour dish towel before laying out the flowers and leaves. 

Salt was lightly sprinkled over the flowers along with a heavier sprinkle of alum. 

Just for the heck of it, I did another light mist of vinegar too, before rolling them up and tying them tightly.  I couldn’t find my white string so raffia was used. 

I dampened them lightly with water before steaming, covered, for 2 hours; then left them to cool to room temperature before untying, peeling off the wet flower pieces and giving them a good shaking out.

I tried tying one in a cinnamon roll shape.

While skimming YouTube, I noticed someone had rolled paper with the fabric to dye too, how cool is that?  I had thin brown paper so I gave it a try. I love the results. I can see doing more of something like this.

 I let the fabric dry completely before washing on a delicate cold cycle, and dried them in the dryer with an old towel to keep them separated. 

I’m sure some pieces of these will be pressed before using them, and others will be kept at the ready for more distressing, stitching, painting, stamping, etc.; whatever is needed.

That’s all for now I guess. The day is getting away from me and I have to get back to my glass work.

Hope you all have a great week ahead friends. Stay Happy and Healthy!

Glass & Resin Concrete Garden Stone DIY

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A small amount of extra mixed concrete from my last project, pink glass, and resin, yielded a cute little accent stone for my daughter’s flower garden. It measured 6 ½” x 6 ½” x 1 ½”.

Thinking there might be a little extra concrete, four small holes were drilled in the bottom of a square plastic ice cream bucket.  I was just going to make a square stone if there was extra until I remembered a mini metal heart mold I had. The inside of the bucket and backside of the heart mold were sprayed with cooking spray in preparation. 

There was just enough concrete to pour about 1½” depth into the bucket. A small metal ring had been removed from the heart mold years ago so it was able to be pushed into the wet concrete all the way to the rim and weighed down. I left it to dry for 24 hours before unmolding, then let it dry another 12 hours.  A few rough edges were filed down before filling the heart cavity with pink glass shards.

An interior/exterior resin (Amazon) was poured over the glass. This was the first time I’d used resin, but it was so simple and took very little. The resin had to set for 24 hours. The concrete absorbed the resin in a few places around the edge of the heart, but it scraped away easily, before sealing the concrete with grout sealer.

That’s all for now folks, I’m all caught up. I’ll leave you to your weekend. Enjoy!

Stay Well!

Mosaic Heart Concrete Stepping Stone DIY

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Now that I’ve started, I think I could really get into this concrete crafting.  Oh, the possibilities, and what fun to create some unique designs.

Concrete/stone pathways have been on my garden “want list” for a long time. My grands and I have been collecting rocks from our fields for years and there are so many cool ideas on Pinterest.  If only there were more hours in a day.

Anyway, with all the supplies here, I decided to use them again and start making a pathway happen!  I have no idea what the rest of the design will be, but it’s a step in the right direction.  

The stone was poured as in my previous post except the concrete was a little thinner and I smoothed the top. https://glassictouch.com/2023/08/11/concrete-heart-garden-stone-diy/. 

I still have a thing for rocks, so I scooped up a bucket of them and gave them a quick wash and rinse. When they were dry, I started layering and gluing them into the heart shape with E6000, trying to keep them level with the heart edge.  Sometimes tape was used to hold a glued rock in place to dry and then I filled in under it. Let glue dry a couple days.

The heart opening was taped off before grouting with an indoor/outdoor sanded grout. After a couple hours, the tape was removed and any unwanted grout was scraped away to make a clean line around the edge of the heart.  The grout was left to cure for 7 days before sealing the entire stone with grout sealer. I waited another week before putting it outside. (I do plan on covering this stone during the winter to protect it from ice.)

I won’t be making anymore of these large hearts for my garden, but plan on using the wooden box form several more times.  My garden is pretty good sized, so a few large shapes will help fill in areas more quickly.  I think I’ve already decided where my new stone will go, but don’t want to lock myself into anything until I figure out what I would like to put around it.  I have several ideas whirring in my mind, so we’ll see. It would be nice if I could get at least a 6’ x 6’ area completed after the weather cools this fall and share my progress with you. Fingers crossed.

As a newcomer to concrete, I forget that there is often a little extra mixed concrete left over after pouring a project. Such was the case here.  I didn’t expect much but was prepared with a prepped ice cream bucket and mini tart pan just in case.  And guess what?  The little stone is coming next, lol.  I don’t mean to overwhelm today, but it’s too hot to work outside, giving me a chance to catch up on my neglected social media until the afternoon sun passes. Hope you don’t mind. 

Thanks for hanging with me.😊

Concrete Heart Garden Stone DIY

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Hello Friends!  I’m back to share a lovely piece I made for my garden.

The inspiration came from a picture in a flea market gardening magazine I was reading several years ago.  It was a rain filled, square concrete block with a heart shape embedded in it.  As I recall, it looked aged with its worn corners and heavily pebbled concrete. You could easily imagine it being a pleasant little surprise one might find in their grandma’s garden that had been catching water for years. While I could never duplicate the one in the magazine, I’m pretty pleased with the result I got.

After a long search for an inexpensive heart shape to use for this project, I finally found a puffed heart cake pan at a flea market a couple months ago for six bucks. Then all that was needed was scrap wood and concrete and it was a go.

First, a line was drawn on the cake pan and some of the excess was cut off with tin snips. The sharp metal edges were ground smooth.

Screw together a wooden box frame mold and attach a bottom as was done in https://glassictouch.com/2015/09/08/a-new-concrete-boot-scraper/ .  The inside dimensions of mine were 12″W 14″L. Drill drain holes in the bottom.  Brush the inside of the box with diesel fuel to prevent the concrete from sticking.

I found it handy to center and lay the box mold over an upright 5 gallon bucket. Concrete was mixed per instructions on the bag.  I left the concrete kind of thick and scooped it in the box. Not wanting a real smooth top, it was leveled out roughly with the bottom of a jar and my fingertips and was approximately 2 ½” thick.  The back of the cake pan was sprayed with cooking spray, pushed down evenly, about half way, into the wet concrete, weighed down with rocks, and left to dry for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, remove the cake pan, and with an extra pair of hands, unmold by standing the frame on its side and unscrewing the back first.  Lay it down and remove the sides. Let it dry for at least another 24 hours.

That’s it.  Some water, a few rocks, and sun happy miniature water plants (Amazon) brought it to life. It’s tucked in among the flowers in my garden for the bees and butterflies to enjoy, and hopefully begin its own aging process. 

I hope you found this project fun.  Share if you like.  

I’ve recently used my frame and cake pan again – there’s another project coming!

Enjoy your weekend!

Recycled Glass Stained Glass Heart

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I just love this little heart!

After noticing the beautiful texture in a chipped relish dish, I couldn’t resist doing something with it. And, since it’s February, a heart seemed like the perfect thing to do.

I cut a heart shape pattern before doing any glass cutting and held it on the underside of the dish to move around and choose what portion of the dish I wanted to use.

The handles of the dish broke off easily with a wheel cutter and I used my hand held glass cutter to score across the middle and break it in half. I marked an area beyond where my pattern would go and removed excess glass with the wheel cutter so the section I wanted to use would flatten nicely in the kiln.

The heart pattern was traced onto the smooth side of the glass and the tracing was then etched with a pencil scribe. The etched line was filled with black marker to dry. This is a step I like to do when I’m using a glass saw. When the marker is wiped off, it remains in the etched line so you can see it as you cut. In this case though, the black marker was still hard to see with the texture of the glass, so I went over it again with a red china marker and that did the trick. (This works great for dark glass too, just use a white marking pen). I removed all the glass I good around the tracing before using the saw.

After grinding the edges to smooth, the top edge of the heart piece was rounded slightly at the grinder to remove the high textured ridges before firing it again.

The glass was thick so a wide foil was needed. I used two widths of 1/2″ foil and overlapped them on the side of the heart. Then it was soldered up and finished. Completed, it measured 6″L x 4″ W. Surprisingly, it only weighed 4 oz.

I’ll be using this glass some more. I’m thinking a blue version would be nice for Mother’s Day.

I’ve enjoyed making hearts lately and hope to get more made for my Etsy shop and FB page as soon as time allows. 🙂

If you’re new to my blog, Thank You for stopping by. Please feel free to like, comment on , or share this post. Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Recycled Bottle Christmas Ornament

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Hi All, It’s me.  I was looking over my blog and realized that there were so few posts over the last year that I probably wouldn’t even qualify as an occasional blogger; but I’m going to keep trying, lol.  I still owe everyone an update on the Inventory Sale I had last May.  I have a few pictures of more display trays that were made, so I’ll post a short catch up on that after the first of the year. Yes, I will!

But, today, I wanted to get on to wish everyone New Year blessings and share a quick post on a fun recycled bottle ornament that was fused together for this Christmas season.  I know not everyone does glass art, but these pretty little ornaments combine both my love for glass and recycling/repurposing.  And, they’re my favorite pale green color too.

They’re so simple that I thought just a picture collage would suffice. 

A Gryphon Diamond Band Saw was used to slice the bottle.

After fusing, I used a crystal snowflake and smaller crystal beads threaded through the kiln formed channel for embellishing, but any variety of beads and charms can be used.  I like to seal jump rings and wire connections with a bit of solder so everything stays neatly in place. 

They look so delicate and shiny!

I’d like to try a long dangle with three of these hooked together, but haven’t had time to figure it out yet.  When and if I do I will definitely share it too. 

Another, more traditional, fused ornament design was offered to my followers again this year; a set of happy little gingerbread people. 

Sadly, at the moment, the terracotta brown color used for these is out of stock everywhere.  It’s the preferred color for my candy house and reindeer too, so I hope it or something very similar is back in production soon so it’s available by early next fall. 

Well, that’s my quick post.  I truly wish you and your families happiness, health, wealth, and much more in 2023! Happy New Year!

Vintage Style Display Tray DIY

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With the summer dates on the calendar filling in almost quicker than I can write them down, I’ve had to kick my garage clearing project into a higher gear.  A tag sale is being planned at my home toward the end of May so there’s going to be a lot of crazy going on here for the next 2 ½ weeks.  Fun crazy!

But first, I wanted to put up a quick post on a newly finished display tray created from a vintage springform baking pan, a brown ceramic insulator, metal lamp ring, wooden finial, and a zinc Ball canning lid stacked on a short length of ⅜” threaded rod.  It may seem like an odd assortment of pieces, but the different materials melded together beautifully.

Before starting, a ⅜” hole was drilled in the center of the zinc lid, and a 11/32” hole was drilled in the bottom center of the wooden finial.  The hole in the finial is slightly smaller so the threaded rod will fit snugly. An assortment of washers and nuts were found to fit the threaded rod.

As with previous projects, all pieces were cleaned well and waxed before laying them out to be assembled.

The finial was constructed first.

The rounded end of the insulator sits into the pan’s center opening.
Insert the rod down through the insulator.
Turn the piece upside down, holding the finial firmly. Drop the zinc lid in place over the rod, add washers and the nut; tighten. The insulator may shift as you tighten. If so, loosen the nut and adjust.

The biggest challenge I had with this piece was to find an item that would fit perfectly inside the pan center from the bottom and not slip through. The zinc lid was the solution for me.

The little metal piece on the outside of the pan was bent up slightly so it would not scratch any surfaces.

Would love to know your thoughts. Please feel free to comment and share. Until next time …

Tiered Tray DIY Repurposed Enamelware

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I’m back with my first tiered tray. As mentioned in my previous post, I’m working to clear out old before bringing in new. I would like to use as many of my gathered pieces as possible, so you may be seeing several small projects over the next two months and occasional tag sales at my home to help achieve my goal.

To get started, a collection of three worn enamelware pans were taken to the drill press and 5/16″ holes drilled through their centers. The enamel coating will chip away during drilling. I applied a coat of clear fingernail polish around the drilled holes and any chipped edges of the enamel to prevent any further chipping. A clear sealer could be used for this step too. After the fingernail polish was dry, the enamelware was waxed and buffed.

I chose two decorative spindles to use as spacers between the pans. I thought their design worked well, they already had center holes in one end, and one already had a finial; perfect. After cutting them to the lengths desired, they went to the drill press and a hole was drilled through the length of them using the original hole as a guide. They were sanded, painted, and sealed.

A piece of 5/16″ threaded rod was cut to the length needed and a washer and nut found to fit it.

The pieces were slipped on the rod, working from the top down and secured with the washer and nut.

I thought it was finished at this point, but after looking at for a week, I had to add one more detail; a wire ring at the top.

With bolt cutters, a circle was cut from a steel bedspring; sanded, painted, sealed. The tray was taken apart and the finial drilled through at the drill press. The steel ring was almost unbudgeable. I had to hold the finial while my husband stretched the ring enough to get it the holes; its a tight fit.

The tray was reassembled and done! I have my first item for a future tag sale!

Please like, comment, and share as you wish. Keep recycling, repurposing, and upcycling, each small step helps.

Succulent Wall Planter DIY Tutorial

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Spring break gave me the time needed to complete my latest project.

I’m pretty excited about this piece.  Not only do I get something for my bathroom wall, I discovered a nifty new way to make a basket that may come in handy in the future.

I started with a chunky, long, oval wooden frame purchased at a vintage fair a few years back.  It needed a little work to get squared up and made sturdy before a cardboard template could be drawn for the opening.  

Tracing the template, I cut and shaped a piece of mirror, a piece of clear glass, and a piece of old chicken wire.  The mirror was cut from an unwanted, inexpensive, thin, full length mirror I had in the garage, and luckily I found a large enough piece of clear glass in an old window pane. Another option for this planter would be to use chicken wire alone.

I removed the back of the mirror with a spray stripper, and used a wide plastic putty knife to gently remove it.  Spray stripper is pretty awesome; much better than using a brush for this step. Once it was stripped and washed clean, I used bleach to sponge the back lightly in a few places and speckle with a toothbrush splatter. Always protect your eyes and wear gloves when doing something like this. I let the bleach sit for about an hour. After washing off the bleach, you can add black speckling, metallic powders or paint, or vintage papers to show through the mirror, but I left mine plain.

After a few layers of stain, paint, and sanding, the frame was sealed with a coat of clear, satin,  water based sealer.  After the sealer dried, the cut pieces were inserted in the frame opening, sandwiching the chicken wire between the clear glass and the mirror.  Secured with glazier points.

I cut a 10” hanging wire basket in half and laid it on the front of the frame to see what it would look like and figure out where I would need to trim it to fit well.  I left extra length on each end of the top rim wire so L shaped corners could be bent. (I had to find a pair of stronger hands to help with bending.)  I ended up with two loose side wires and glued them in place to get the shape I wanted. When dry, the glued areas were touched up with a little brown paint.

I found some very simple hardware to hang the basket onto the frame.  One is just a cut eye hook, but I’m not sure what the other pieces are.  I found them among some of my stained glass hangers so they may have come from a glass supply source; I don’t know.  If anyone has a clue what they are, please chime in and let readers know.  I wouldn’t mind having a few more myself. 🙂

I attached the two brass hangers to the frame first, then hung the basket to mark where the small hook would go under the basket and before drilling a hole.  I removed the basket, screwed in the hook, then painted the hardware to match the frame. When the paint was dry, I replaced the basket and hung the frame on the wall to fill.

A fiber planter liner was cut and fitted inside the basket, along with an old deflated ball for a pliable, leak-proof planter.  The ball was turned wrong side out before placing it inside the liner and adding succulents.

I’m pretty happy with my new planter.  It has kind of an Old World charm and looks right at home hanging above our tiled tub surround.  It hangs almost directly across from a large East window, so I’m hoping with the benefit of the mirror it will get plenty of light.

I hope you found something interesting or picked up a few useful tips from my project. Thank You for visiting my blog.  Please, let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers, fellow up-cyclers and re-purposers.   

On to the next project —