Handmade Pink Glass Glitter



For a few years I have been making my own crushed glass glitter using broken bottles, colorants and a crusher or tumbler.

For the Candyland Putz House Workshop and Event, I have made up several batches of glitter in sweet candy colors such as cotton candy pink, rosy lampshade, sugar plum, aqua bliss, Miss Blueberry, Divine Lemonade and more. Workshop attendees will get to use the glitters in their project and take some home.


I will have the glitter available next week, for sale in my etsy store and at my shoppe: Piddlestixs.

Have a glitter filled Weekend!
xoxo
Lisa!

Polly The Pixie Wizard, Wine Glass Doll and Vignette!
I love glass, its just so magical when either left alone, colored or decorated, vignettes really can bring a fantasy world to life to enjoy anywhere, anytime. Glass jars, vases and cake sets can store memories from a trip such as an adventure at the beach complete with sand, shells, and sea glass, then add a tag describing the adventure.

Everything you have in the house can be transformed into a piece of art from A1 Steak Sauce, Heinz 57, Tomato Sauce, Pickle and Olive Jars, Yankee Candle Jars (de-wax the left over wax inside), Canning Jars, Jelly and Jam Jars, Baby Food Jars, Lanterns, Gumball Machines, Clocks, Pocket Watches, Clear Top Plastic Easter Egg Containers, Glass Bulbs, Candy Jars, Wine Glasses, Apothecary Bottles, Glass Soda Bottles, Champaigne and Wine Bottles, Liquor Bottles, Mayonaise Jars, Fish Tank, Glass Animal Displays or Small Green House Displays, Glass Beekers and Science Jars, I could keep going, so many of these items can be given a new life.For this project I used a broken wine glass, which Linda broke during her demonstration Saturday on how to break a wine glass and turn into a captured jar fairy or display. I was so taken by it that I decided to make a doll and vignette out of it, even buying a bunch more wine glasses this week! I call this piece: Polly The Pixie Wizard, Doll and Vignette. The picture above is Polly in her beginning stages, with her freshly molded and paint head on the wine glass.Here is Polly with her finished head assemble with vintage piano paper hat, velvet flowers, trims, charms and pearls.Here is a photo of her body base with the enchanted vignette, a cotton candy carnival queen, created with vintage doll image, lettering, crepe paper, trims, handmade wand, crown, rhinestones, glitters and more.
These two pictures show more of Polly's details and magic.Here is a full view of Polly completely finished!Here is Polly surrounded by her magical carnival chairs, ready for her pixie cabinet.The chairs pictured with Polly are the pieces for the poker chip swap on the faerie zine, My mom and I made the poker chip chairs together using poker chips, my clay parts, pearls, velvet trim, paper wire and more!

Project in brief:
1.The wine glass doll and vignette was made using a wine glass with stem broken off.
2.The wine glass Base is used to build the vignette on, gluing the image to the broken stem and coating with glitters. I recommend using glossy accents by Ranger (Linda's idea), or I love clear caulk or liquid nails to glue items to glass.
3.When satisfied with your glass vignette, glue the base rim to the wine glass rim using one of the glue's I mentioned above, let dry over night, decorate with rhinestone trims, and more.

Polly was also decaupaged w/vintage piano paper, a sepia decaupage medium, painted w/Claudine Hellmuth paints and lots of trims.

For similar glass projects, poker chip projects and images, read my book:
Altered Art Circus! http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Art-Circus-Techniques-Assemblages/dp/1592534872

Have a magical day or how my friend Marlene says it: "Have a honey of a day!"
xo!
Lisa!

My Homemade Glass Glitter!

Anyone who knows me knows I have a love affair with glitter, sparkling dust, Pixie Dust, Glass Specs, Stickles, Sprinkles, you name it, if its Glittery and sparkly, then chances are I'm going to love it.

Now let's make it clear, I don't like cheapy glitter and tons of it on everything, but I do like to add a little bit of magic on things when I can. I started out as the Glittering Faerie Queen, and I haven't lost those roots.

I eventually want to fill an old wine barrel with loads and loads of sparkling glittered stars, ready to turn into wands, ornaments, Ceiling ornaments, swags, Garland, trees and more, it just looks so enchanting, like it was delivered right from a Faerie Apothecary Shoppe in a Wizardry Town. So until I get to that project I house my glittered treats in old wire baskets, either hanging with ribbon from a ceiling plant hook or on top of a side table. I fill Glass Vessels such as Salt and Pepper Shakers, Sugar Shakers, Apothecary Bottles, Pretty Wine Bottles, candy and candle jars with loads of different glitter, always complete with a vintage spoon or tablespoon set near their gleaming sides, ready to sprinkle onto a project or vintage piece.


I believe you can never have too much glitter, I love when I find glitter sales, I'll spend loads on that stuff. I especially am in love with Ranger's Stickles Glitters: Tiara is such a great color, when dried it looks like Vintage Glitter Tinsel, trust me, this is a product you want to have on hand. Stickles Glitters dry fast and give you wonderful results.http://www.rangerink.com/ Visit Ranger's Site for a list of stickles colors.

But if you are like me and look for deals, or like to recycle, then I have to share something with you, a little sneak peek into my secret invention: Lisa's Handmade Glass Glitter or Pixie Shards as I tend to call them! This invention occured during the creation of my newly anticipated art book: Altered Art Circus, Quarry Books, Feb.2009! I was researching the history of Christmas Ornaments and after leaping from one site, to another, to another, I became familiarized with the origins of glass glitter which graces the many vintage works we have grown to love and the new pieces making history today.

Its quite simple, many ornaments were made for the wealthy or for merchants by The Dresden Company, Glass Companies and other elite institutions, many housed in Germany. However for the more humble households, ornaments were handmade from found objectsSound Familiar? What do we artists do today, we recycle found objects turning them into new works of art, giving them a new meaning, a new purpose, bringing them to life again in a new way. Well this mentality we have developed was actually recycled from our vintage relatives. Remember Little House of The Prairie or A Victorian Christmas where trees were decorated with paper cones filled with flowers and candy, candles, and handmade paper ornaments, which are extremely collectible today.

Don't forget the 1920's with the wide spread of Crepe Paper delights from the Dennison Company, the popcorn garland of the 1940s and 50's, all in-expensive ways to create a joyful day. When a piece of glass broke or a blown glass tinsel ornament, these artful pioneers, simple crushed them more and glued them delicately to their handmade paper or fabric ornaments, voila, Victorian Glitter.

Obviously there is more too this theory, I have touched a bit on this in my art book, and will go further into glass glitter making in my 2nd book. My goal is to provide artists and designers with alternate ways to make glitter or art products from everyday products, somewhat GREEN in theory, to use. The result you are recycling which helps nature, using less money and keeping the tradition of the Crafter, The Artist, The Tradesman alive.

Its insane how much manufacturers charge for a small amount of glass glitter when in fact glass is everywhere, we have so much of it, from tomato sauce jars, veggie jars, pickle jars, and other food containers, which can easily be used in the glass making process.


My Glass Glitter (Pixie Shards) involves thin glass, a rock tumbler, morter/pedastal, Ranger Alcohol Inks(any color) Some art sand, a plastic bag, newspaper and protective eye wear.

Suze Weinberg http://suzeweinberg.typepad.com/suzeblogz/came over a few weeks ago and I showed her how I make it, since then I have further refined the glitter process with a faster more conveinent way, by eliminating the tumbler part. This new way makes my glitter process much easier. I will be sharing my formula very soon, I promise, and You all know I keep my promises, trust me, you are going to love this new recycling medium!

Magic and Glittery Joy!
Lisa!