The glass used to create fused glass pieces can be very expensive. A square foot of clear fusible glass costs about $5. Colored glass is between $7 and $10. Then there is glass that is a combination of colors or patterns that can go up to $20 a square foot. And I’m sure there is…
I should really, really know better. And I should definitely know by now that I need to listen to that small voice in the back of my head. I have a custom order for some fused glass plates that I have been working on. I put them in the kiln yesterday, and because I really,…
I should know better than to design something in a hurry. I was running behind on some pieces I wanted to have ready in my online store before Valentine’s Day. My heart stained glass panel that I am working on still needs to be framed as I type this; hopefully tomorrow. So while I was…
This fused glass sushi plate with the Droid guy on it was a Christmas gift I made for my son. He has been an avid Android fan from the beginning.
Here is the second piece in the Deep Winter collection called “Snow & Sky”
I have been working on a few fused glass pieces in anticipation of Indie Artisans’ next collection which will be called A Breath of Deep Winter. When I think of “Deep Winter” I think of snow, bright white, icy blues, and wind.
Earlier this year while thinking about fused glass things to make and sell for the 2010 holiday season, I came up with the idea of a fused glass Christmas wreath from recycled glass bottles.
This year I wanted to create a bigger fused glass snowflake that I could hang in a window as a sun catcher. I modified the original snowflake pattern that I had to a slightly different design and made this one approximately 6 inches. Bigger, yet still small enough to fit in my 8″ Eventheat Studio…
This recycled glass wine bottle spoon rest is the newest addition to my recycled glass items. As you can see by the pictures below, it is a very versatile piece.
Here are the new Christmas coasters I made in the studio last weekend. I used more of a moss green than the traditional Christmas green giving them a more updated feel. Green stringers in two shades of green remind me of pine needles. I should have called these “Pine Needles & Holly Berries.”
Isn’t it lovely? No. Not the kiln, but the stand it’s on. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful husband who built this kiln stand for me. It’s on wheels so that I can move it away from the walls when I’m ready to fire it. I love that it is has extra shelves…
I got a request from my dad for a custom fused glass dish to celebrate a special birthday. He specifically wanted at plate or dish not too big, with the number “60” and “Happy Birthday” on it. This was a bit of a challenge for me. I had to figure out how to get a…
Is it men in general, or just my guy? I’ve mentioned before how wonderfully supportive my husband is of my fused glass and stained glass work. But, more often than not, when I show him something new he’ll say, “What do you use that for?”
My last post was about one of my pet peeves. Another of my pet peeves is stores that sell Christmas merchandise earlier and earlier each year. It used to be you never saw Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving and you certainly couldn’t buy holiday items until after Halloween. Over the years it seems that retailers have…
One of the other things I’ve been working on is some colorful fused glass crosses. They have a mosaics feel. Most of them have some texture, because that’s the way I like them.
I recently add a Murrini Maker mold to my ever growing collection of fused glass slump and drape molds. I took it out for a spin last week, loading it up with noodles, stringers, frit, and broken bits and pieces from a pattern bar.
It seems like just yesterday I was buying my first baby kiln an Evenheat Studio Pro. Then I got the papa kiln a Paragon Pearl 22. The first is sometimes too small, while the second is sometimes too big. So I now have the mama kiln a Skutt Firebox 14.
This glass handkerchief vase came out of the kiln this morning. I used a drape mold from Slumpy’s called Sorrento. I love the shape of this mold.
This fused glass sushi plate is another project I made in the fused glass class I took at Hollander Glass. We made pattern bars in the first class. The next class we cut up the pattern bars and fused them into another piece.
This glass business card holder was made using Slumpy’s stainless steel business card mold. I’m still tinkering with the firing schedule (aren’t we always?) but all in all it turned out great.
Made a recycled glass soap dish from some lighter colored green glass. I’m calling it Spa Green.
Here is the completed bowl that I made in my fusing class that I took at Hollander Glass. I love this technique and can’t wait to try it in another project. It looks like I’ll need another piece of equipment though. A flat lap sander is an essential part of the process.
Wow, the last few weeks have been crazy busy around here. Our college graduate got a job. Yay! It was a whirlwind of activity getting him moved and ready for his new job. We are so proud of him. Last week I was busy with our church’s Baby Daze consignment sale. Anyone can drop off…
The Kaiser Lee Board is a fiber board that can be cut to make custom shaped molds for casting and slumping and used as a kiln shelf. I bought a piece of this board when I first got my first baby kiln. Two kilns later, and I am just now beginning to experiment with it.
Back in April I made a pattern bar in one of the classes I attended at Glass Expo. I finally got around to using some of the slices from it. The first lesson is it really helps to have a good tile saw when cutting up pattern bars. My little Home Depot special was not…
One of the things that confused me when I first started working in fused glass was which kiln wash to use. So far I have used both Hotline Hi-Fire and Hotline Primo primer. This is what I have discovered about them.
I recently bought a round disc mold and have been experimenting with in my kiln. Sadly, my first attempt at round fused glass discs was not very successful. But with some more experimenting, I ended up with some really fund pendants.
I am pretty sure that every glass fuser has on occasion had the problem of having kiln shelf primer stuck to the bottom of a piece. I tested a product called Wash Away and here is my review.
A couple of months ago I bought a kiln shelf from Bullseye. I just recently got around to using it and it’s great but ….The first time I used it I had primer stuck to the bottom of my glass.
Now that I have been glass fusing for over a year, I have decided what I really need is a 14″ kiln to complement the ones I already have.
More show and tell from my visit to Glass Craft Bead and Expo in Las Vegas! This is a piece that implemented the raking technique.
This is another fused glass piece I made at Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas this year. It is a mosaic technique.
I have seen several demos of the bas relief technique in fused glass. It has been on my “to try” list for a while now. I finally got to try it in Patty Gray’s class.
I just got back from my trip to Las Vegas where I attended the 2010 Glass Craft and Bead Expo. This year I took fused glass class. I took a two-day advanced fused glass bowls class with Patty Gray and a 1 day glass manipulation class with Larry Cimaglio.
Recycled wine bottle soap dishes and handmade soaps.
This is the last post in the Recycled Wine Bottle Cheese Board series. In Part 1 I wrote about preparing bottles for the kiln. In Part 2 I wrote about the firing schedule I use. In this post, I will share some of the other things I’ve learned along the way.
What’s cooking in the kiln you ask? Here is a picture of what is in my kiln right now.
In Part 1 of my series on how I make Recycled Glass Wine Bottle Cheese Boards, we had just finished cleaning our wine bottles really, really, really well. What’s next? Well, first…
Since starting in glass fusing a little over a year ago, I have not had the opportunity to be around other glass fusers. Most of what I have learned is from books, and trial and error. Online bulletin boards like www.warmglass.com can be a good source of information. But sometimes, you really just need to talk to someone.
This morning I opened the kiln to find my champagne bottle and wine bottle had fused together.
The first thing needed to make a recycled wine bottle cheese board is, of course, an empty wine bottle. Collecting empty wine bottles can be, without a doubt, the most fun part of the project.
The first title I considered for this blog post was “The Art of Making a Wine Bottle Cheese Board.” But truth be told, I don’t consider flattening a wine bottle in my kiln “art.” In fact, it is more science than art. More than once I had a flash back to my high school science class. Remember studying the scientific method?
Remember the fused glass screen melt I did a while back? The one that damaged my kiln shelf! Yes, I’m still mad about that. Well out of the ashes arose this beauty.
Unfortunately, my first fused glass screen melt was not a great success. I purchased a screen melt kit made by Master Artisan. Read about my experiment.
Oh so sad. Someone please pass me a hankie! My handkerchief vase is broken.
Recycled wine bottle soap dish featured today on topetsyfinds.blogspot.com
The finished fused glass heart after being slumped in a mold. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Hot out of the kiln today – heart and leaf shape to be slumped in mold.
I must have been a good girl this year because Santa brought me everything on my list. One of the things I am really excited about is the screen melt system I got. I can’t wait to do some experimenting with this. It will be a while though! I’ve got a few other commitments I’ve…
Childhood memories of hankies and how a fused glass handkerchief vase is made.
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