Upcycling a broken glass bowl

I was given this lovely green glass bowl which had cracked and fallen in half as the client loved its rich green colour and didn’t want to throw it away if possible. So I set about glueing it back together…

… And then I added copper foil tape to cover the crack and work as a base to build on my design. The client loved Art Nouveau style so I decided to create some naturalistic, flowing plant and flower forms. These were loosely based on lilies and daisies, with different flowers and leaves front and back with wire stamens.

Here is the back view:

The clients were delighted with the result and I have had so many positive comments from other people about this bowl that I am now decorating some new glass vases and dishes with similar designs… Watch this space for some of the results.

Christmas present brooch construction

I’ve been busy making some Christmas designs in stained glass. This Christmas present brooch design would work equally well as a birthday present. I particularly enjoyed adding the sweet little clear glass ‘tag’ with etched heart and could customise the tags with the initial of the recipient for an extra special personalised gift. Below I’ve added the steps I took to create these fun designs.

The background present shape is cut from stained glass and any rough edges are ground off.

The shapes are copper foiled around all sides, ready for soldering.

Tinned wire is cut and shaped ready to add to the stained glass pieces.

The pieces are tinned with a coat of solder so that the wire will fix to the glass. A tiny clear glass tag is added, featuring an etched heart shape to complete the brooch. Then everything is cleaned carefully before the clip is added on the reverse. These would work equally well as pendant necklaces I think.