Vintage and Reclaimed Glass Garden Art

Very popular now is yard art created from vintage and new glassware. I found some glassware at yard sales, but most at Goodwill stores.  I've made several pieces and it's been a lot of fun.  Here is what 'unassembled' yard art looks like.









It took over my kitchen (work area) and dining room (finished pieces) for awhile, so I added a table in the garage. Here are photos of finished pieces.  They are totems, wall art, small pot art, mushrooms, birdbaths, birdfeeders, and staked suncatchers.  Below on the left has an oil lamp on top.

I love the flower-shaped bowls and plates as they guarantee you have something blooming all season.

Plates can be hung on the wall or set among the plants or patio furniture.

Colored glass has been elusive, so I resorted to painting the glass then baking it in the oven. I used that technique on the pink mushroom, the red topper, and the bowl of the red bird bath.

The purple and green totem on the right is a bird feeder.

Tile Fireplace Cover

I'm very happy with the finished fireplace cover. It's heavy and won't tip over easily, the braces mean that it won't fall flat and break any of the decorative pieces. It's removable, so I can still use my fireplace. Here it is!

Mosaic and Tile Fireplace Cover

My fireplace is on a full wall of brown bricks and was very dark. I finally had the courage to paint the bricks white, and loved it. But against the white bricks the fireplace opening was a big black hole. What to do? I decided to make a fireplace cover using tiles and a mosaic design. I had 3/4" plywood sheets cut to the size I wanted, then glued and screwed the two layers together to make it strong and flat. I found metal shelf braces to hold it upright. I used wood door trim to make a decorative trim along the bottom.

It took a long time to come up with all the pieces for the front design. I had some white tiles and glass gems, stained glass pieces too. I found other things on ebay, Etsy, at Goodwill and yard sales. I attached an 8" x 12" stained glass piece with mirror braces so it can be removed and something else inserted. Here are a couple of the designs I tried.

Mosaic Plant Table

I love jewelry, but I like other crafts too. I recently tried something new - mosaic tile. It was very time and labor intensive, and I have new respect for the prices artists charge for their items. I found a table the size I wanted at a yard sale for $2. The legs needed to be tightened, I added a wood edge to the top, and I painted it white. Then I had to plan my design and pull together all the tiles, glass bubbles, and photographs. I used pink and iridescent pre-cut mosaic tiles, broken china, china plate focals, and glass "bubbles" (like you put in flower vases). I put flower themed photos of my granddaughter Mia under large flat glass bubbles. I'm usually very critical of my own work, but for once I am very pleased with the results!

Christmas Tree Jewelry

I'm reinspired this year by combining jewelry with holiday decorations. Christmas tree jewelry -- ornaments -- are a great place for beading, wire wrapping, and glitter. I found many ideas on Etsy and Artfire.

I've been busily preparing ornaments and ornament enhancers for the Swope Trunk Show (December 3). Then they'll go back online. Here are some samples of this addition to my line.

Modifying Vintage Clip Earrings

Vintage clip back earrings can be made into post earrings. Here are instructions for how I made a pair of gray pearl cluster earrings from circa 1950 into post earrings.

I removed the clip mechanism on the back with needle nose pliers. Pull off if you can do it without damaging the earrings. You can also bend the mechanism back and forth until it breaks off, then file the edges.


Rough up an area on the back and clean it for gluing the new earring post. Using E6000 (or a similar glue for jewelry or metal) apply to earring post pad and place on back of earring. Do not place the pad on the out edge of earrings this size as they may droop off the ear instead of laying flat against the ear lobe. Glue the post pad to a flat surfact near the center. Let the glue dry at least 24 hours.

(Grand) Baby Shower

My daughter Deni's sister-in-law held a family baby shower for her at my house on October 3. They chose my house because it is centrally located for the family members. I wanted to give everyone a small gift to thank them for coming so of course I thought of jewelry!

I made necklaces of a 3D pink iridescent heart on a thin gold chain. I found a nice poem and a cute container for it all. Overall a fun project!

I also had fun making several gifts for my Deni or my granddaughter Mia -- but more on those later.