Recycle Glass

How do you reuse/upcycle different items in your everyday life?

I guess its time to stop buying new glass for my glass projects and start using what is already available. Glass does last forever. I might as well use it. My current project is cobalt glass water bottles and actually they can be used as vases with out even redesigning them.
Ive decided to slump and etch mine. My first one is slumped into a shallow bowl shape and decorated with beads and etch work! So Fun! I love the reusing the items!

New Glass Product... Green Glass and the Lady bug

This Bird feeder is created out of a beautiful hand cut, green glass and hand cut red and black glass for the lady bug.It has yellow glass accents running through the piece. It sits on a 16" fabricated wrought iron stand. The glass it self is 6" in diameter and 4.5" deep.

New product...Etched Red poppy Fields

Red Poppy Fields! This square dish is 5.5" x 3" and tapers down. I draw,etch,and hand paint the Poppies on the bowl. The paint is kiln baked on making it permanent.The bowl can be used for just about anything,candle holder, use in the kitchen or to hold your rings.

Makes a cute gift! Fill it with their favorite little candies!

Mothers Day! Is May 8

Butterfly Bowl

2" x 4" Drawn, Etched and hand painted!

Hibiscus and Butterfly Bowl

Hibiscis Bowl 2" x 4". Drawn, Etched and Painted by hand.

 

New Glass Products!

The Daisy Bowl

This bowl has Daisies etched around it with yellow painted centers.
Very Cute and would make a great gift. it is 2'high and 4" in diameter. Many uses.

Red Pepper Bottles
The Red Pepper bottles are each etched and hand painted. They are about 6" tall. Great bottles for infusing Olive Oil.

New product...Jars etched with herbs

These are a set of two jars with herbs etched around them. They stand about 6" tall and 2" around. they have cork lids. each jar was carefully etched by hand. They can be used for olive oil infusing. I will also include my wonderful recipe for infused olive oil.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69605289/jars-and-bottles
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69605289/jars-and-bottles

Wine glasses......Decorate your drinks

Wine glasses are necessary for a romantic evening in, favorite wine with your dinner or entertaining your friends family and coworkers.
Choosing the right wine, the correct wine glass isnt difficult. Always have large variety on hand. no two palettes are alike But keep this in mind:

Red wine glasses

The Bowl: Wider
The bigger flavors in reds need to spread out. The wider bowl also lets in more air, which releases bold aromas and flavors.

The Opening: Wider
Dip your nose into the wider bowl to get a load of more complex aromas.

Tip: When pouring wines, keep the wine level to the lower one-third the glass. This leaves lots of air and swirl room, both of which enhance the enjoyment of your wines.

BIG REDS (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz):
Get a big bowl and a big opening.

SOFT REDS (Pinot Noir, Merlot):
Get a big bowl that narrows a tinge at the opening.

White wine glasses

The Bowl: Narrower
The smaller capacity helps keep temperatures cool longer.

The Opening: Narrower
The lighter aromas waft well in a narrower glass.

SPIRITED WHITES (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay):
Get a bowl with a little room that narrows slightly at the opening.

DELICATE WHITES (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztiminer):
Get a narrow bowl and a narrow opening.

 Purchase your wine glasses at Glass City Gifts . Glass City offers an incredible selection and quality stemware etched and decorated by hand.

Chinese	Choose slightly sweet or off-dry wines. Rosès and Gewürztraminers are the best, followed by Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. With Tea or Peking duck, try Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Japanese	Choose very cold, off-dry, fruity white wines or any sparkling wine.
Thai	Rosé is the best choice but Rieslings can be a good bet. Gewürztraminer is a risky choice, can be good or bad.
Vietnamese	Best advice is to choose very cold, fruity, slightly sweet Rosés and Gewürztraminers.
Mexican	Very cold, fruity, full-bodied Sauvignon Blancs and Rosés work well. Chili heat will drown Rieslings and Gewürztraminers. Gamays and Pinot Noirs perform well, too.
Indian	Choose full-bodied sparking wines and reds such as Merlots and Zinfandels. Drier, full-bodied Rosés work well also.
Middle Eastern	Fruity wines, both red and white, work well. Choose the drier Rosès and Rieslings.
Barbeque	Wines need to be both fruity and rich, Zinfandel or Rosè make good choices. Try Sauvignon Blancs with seafood.
Fried Foods	Sparkling wines are terrific. Any crisp, dry, fruity wine, white or red, works well too.

Chardonnay:Usually a medium to full-bodied, dry wine.	Poultry and game birds, veal and pork, rabbit fish and pasta preparations which feature cream and/or butter, mushrooms.
Sauvignon Blanc (Fumé Blanc):Medium to light-bodied and dry.	First courses, seafood, ethnic dishes—pastas, curries, salsas, spicy sausages, vegetable dishes, luncheon salads, olive-oil based dishes, tomato sauces, goat cheese.
Chenin Blanc:Light to medium-bodied, normally off-dry to semi-sweet.	Braised Chicken, sushi and other Oriental dishes, poultry, pork.
Gewürztraminer:Light to medium body, usually semi-sweet, occasionally off-dry.	Spicy cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican, and Indian, mild sausages, fruit salad.
Riesling (Johannisberg Riesling, White Riesling):Light to medium bodied, semi-sweet to off-dry.	Crabmeat, appetizers and finger foods, pork, salads.

Pink Wines (Rosé, White Zinfandel, Cabernet Blanc, Blush, Blanc de Noirs):Vary in color and sweetness. Choose the most current vintage.		Best with smoked foods, quiche, pork and ham,Mexican and Thai food. Can be served with all food.
Sparkling Wines/Champagnes (méthode champenoise / fermented in the bottle):Crisp and bubbly.	Brut:Dry. Traditionally a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.	Appetizers and first courses, fruits and nuts. Fuller bodied variations go well with any fish and chicken.
	Blanc de Noir:More fruity than brut, but still dry.	Appetizers	, with lunch, desserts.
	Blanc de Blancs:More delicate than brut.	Caviar. Anytime.

Treasuries

My glass was just added to 3 new Treasuries today. Here is one. The other two are on my Treasuries page. Take a look the items listed in them are beautiful.

Glory-of-the-snow blue

Glory of the Snow is one of the first Spring flowers to blossom. Here is my Glory of the snow done in fused glass.
It measures 10" x 6".
I will be making it into a sun catcher. More pics to come....

Sun Catcher

 These are the blue glass fish that I have cut by hand.

 Prior to being placed in the kiln. I also fused fish hooks in them.

This is how they look after being baked in the kiln.

 I Love these little fish! I will be hanging them by fishing line.

Finally Friday! Keeping up

Ill be posting my fused glass photos over the weekend but I needed a day to catch up with things. I will be giving some attention to my Etsy teams and making some treasuries, working on my shop, websites.



Creating handmade items has been a very rewarding experience for me. Almost therapeutic. I enjoy taking that piece of glass and creating wonderful glass gifts through fusing, painting, and cold-working. Ive been crafting for a long time, like most, but i also would like to create some gifts of different materials. Any ideas for creative items that you would like to give as gifts? I have a ton of ideas but if anyone wants to share some let me know.

Shamrock Shots

Just in time for St Patrick's Day. Shamrock Shots!

 Each shot glass has shamrocks etched around it.

Thirsty Thursday Drinking glasses

These are the glasses I will be cold working in the sandblast cabinet. Creating new designs on them.
The green shot glasses will be shamrock shots. Getting ready for St. Patrick's day.



I will etch fish on to the martini glass.

Glass Fish Ready for the Kiln

These are blue glass fish I cut yesterday and they will probably spend 7-8 hours baking in the kiln today.

Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday

OK Wake n Bake Wednesday didn’t work out how it was planned as things rarely do. Life can sometimes put these little bumps in the road. No problem. I did as much glass creating as I could yesterday and called it a day.

I did finish up a couple orders and I did get the sun catcher drawn yesterday. I also cut out little fish from blue glass. The fish will be part of the hanging glass on the sun catcher. The little fish will be in the kiln today. I will be fusing trotline clips in them for easier hanging. That will be cute, fish hanging from the trotline clips with fishing line attached.

While the blue glass fish are in the kiln today, I will be cold working glassware for THIRSTY Thursday creating new designs for our favorite drinks. I plan to make some shamrock shots and something with martini glasses. I kind of like the fish theme, I’m a Pisces, maybe I’ll continue with that.

Etched Leaves on glass vase

Here is my Tall vase with long tulip leaves hand drawn and etched around it. A couple of the leaves are bent over and the rest are straight. the vase is 12" tall. I'm going to add a little color to this one. Some green and yellow accents will look good. this image is before the paint and after the etch process.

Etched Glass Vase

Ok while my glass is fusing im going to be working with the sandblast cabinet. I have drawn the design on my vase and masked it. I cut out the design. The vase will have long leaves etched on it. I think I will be hand-painting some green and yellow highlights in the leaves.

Back to glass creations

Clean up was a grueling process. Its done.i can go back to creating today. Ill be working with green and blue glass. I haven't decided if Ill be making a sun catcher or small bird feeder dish. The bird feeder come out great. Here is one of mine that the birds use to love. I think because it was shiney.  When the dish is outside it sits in a wrought iron hook base.



Ill post some pics when its finished..Have a fun creative day!!!!!