Wolf Art Glass: Recycled Glass Ring Stand

Wolf Art Glass of Austin, Texas has an amazing deal on Esty for a recycled glass ring stand. The cost is only $15 plus shipping. I also love it when recycled glass artists include photos of the original glass as you can see below.

Click here for more details.

Recycled Glass for Bartops, Worktops, etc. by Recycled Glass Innovation

The company Recycled Glass Innovation, in Wheldrake, York, UK, has an exciting line of recycled glass designs for use in bartops, worktops, tiles and architectural glass.  One of my favorite designs is below.
Visit their website for more information.

How to Create a Wine Bottle Chandelier

In a Special to The Oregonian article by Shannon Quimby, she shared the step-by-step instructions on how to create a beautiful recycled wine bottle chandelier.

Photo: OregonLive.com

Click here for the instructions.

Pawn Stars: The Infamous Glass Sword Episode

I have been out of the TV loop for the past year or more and just became addicted to the Pawn Stars show recently. There is an episode where this guy brings in a fused glass sword that he made and says it took him THREE YEARS (???!) to create it. The sword appears to be about 1/4 of an inch thick or so and maybe 36 inches long with a few strips of clear backed dichroic strips fused onto it.

This sword could easily have been created in a weekend and probably without a mold since it is not thick. It was probably the worst use of glass I have ever seen and the reaction of the shop owner is priceless.

You can find a video clip on youtube. I am not posting a link here since someone did some "creative editing" to the original episode on youtube and inserted a few seconds of non-family friendly comments into the video.

Recycled Glass Soda Bottles for Dish Soap, Oil, and Vinegar

I found a story on these vintage soda bottles, recycled by Monika into easy-pour bottles for her oil and vinegar. So why not get rid of your unattractive soap, oil and vinegar plastic bottles and instead use interesting recycled glass bottles?

Click here to read more.

What is Expected to Trend in 2011?

As artists, it is important to be aware of trends and to try to capitalize on those trends if our art happens to be a good "fit."  After reseaching the expected trends, there seems to be consensus that the demand for "green" products will continue to grow.  The article below also mentions an interest in one-of-a-kind items vs. mass produced items.

Click here to read the full article.

The Historic City of Exeter in Devon England Recycles ALL Their Glass

162,000 tonnes of glass recycled in Exeter after Christmas celebrations

By Anne Byrne

We may be in a recession, fuel prices may be going through the roof, and Exeter may have had its worst snowfall for more than 20 years, but on the evidence of the bottles gathered from city bottle banks, we all had a very merry Christmas.

Exeter's recycling officers, who are used to seeing bottles pile up week after week, said they had never seen anything like it.

A year ago, between December 29, 2009 and January 13, 2010 the bottle banks took deposits of 146,000 tonnes of glass. Over the same period this year, 162,000 tonnes were deposited.

And all of Exeter's recycled glass stays in this country – the green glass goes to Cwmbran in South Wales to be made into fibreglass while the clear and brown is sent to Kirby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, for re-processing.

Click here to read the full article.

New Recycled Glass Pendants from Mira Woodworth

Feel like doing some online shopping since you may be off of work today? Dreaming of spring colors yet to arrive? Glass artist Mira Woodworth has created new pendants using window glass and pigments.  Each one is mounted in a silver plated pendant tray and comes ready to wear. 

They are a bargain at only $65 each.

Click here to visit Mira's Etsy shop.

Honeysuckle Pink: Pantone 2011 Color of the Year

"While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, "Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life."

"In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”"

Click here to read more.

Recycled Bottle Glass Coat Rack at Uncommon Goods

Uncommon Goods offers a variety of unique home and garden items manufactured from around the world. This coat rack made from recycled bottle glass is very innovative.

Click here for more information on the item.

Marble King and Recycled Glass Marbles

Marble King manufactures almost 1 million marbles each day in Paden City, West Virginia. The company's marbles have been known for their high quality standards for more than 60 years.

But did you know that most of Marble King's marbles are made using recycled glass from West Virginia glass factories, such as scrap glass from Fenton, that would otherwise find its home in a landfill?

Marble King is also the corporate sponsor of The National Marbles Tournament held each June in Wildwood, N.J. They are also the first toymaker to receive the "Made in the USA" certification.

You can read more info on this certification by clicking here.

Curbside Glass Recycling Comes to Flagstaff, Arizona

A private company called "Curbside Glass" has decided to offer a pick up curb service for glass bottles. Curbside Glass currently offers several tiers of service, from a once-a-month glass pick-up for $3.99 to a weekly service for $12.95. In addition, the city's once-a-month service will cost $3.55 a month once it gets started later this spring. City officials said the crushed glass will come into larger demand four to eight years from now when the glass will be used as a lining as the city landfill grows.

The sizes of the containers used by the two competing services are very distinct. The city will issue 47-gallon blue containers similar to current city trash bins while the Curbside Glass uses 5-gallon buckets.
The two services will compete against each other this spring, with the city expected to begin offering the service in March.

Click here to read the full story.

Recycled Bottle Glass Cabinet Knobs

If you do not have a large kiln for sculpture casting, creating recycled glass cabinet and drawer knobs can be an area to explore. The hardware can be ordered from various sources online and glued with E6000 (or another glue).

Click here to view more info on the finished items at Viva Terra.

Kenya’s Kitengela Glass; Creating A Business Out Of Recycled Glass

"Kitengela Glass is located opposite the Nairobi National Park, at the end of a rough road. Despite this, the constant stream of visitors from all over the world never stops. The magical ambience of the place is peppered with sculptures, animals and secret mosaic pathways which lead to niches of busy artisans all transforming recycled glass and scraps of other materials into beautiful artworks, jewellery and home ware."

Click here to watch the CNN video.

Tips For Experienced Artists Who Would Like to Author Art Books

I thought I would share some personal tips and strategies that were helpful to me in getting my first book contract.

 Know the book you want to write and target the publisher who publishes that type of book. I think we all have had friends and acquaintances who will tell you how they just received their 10th manuscript rejection and now are going to send it to "next ten" publishers on their list. Taking shots in the dark like this are not likely to get you a book deal. You should do a massive amount of research and familiarize yourself with the publishers who do the type of book you wish to write. For example, if a publisher only does art books on Monet and Picasso and they do not do "how to" art books, look elsewhere. I easily spent 40 hours on my upfront research and at the end of the process, I was familiar with the genres/types of books from more than 20 publishers and I knew the ones who were the best fit for the specific kind of book I wanted to write. 

When you have narrowed down your list to the two or three publishers on point with your book topic,  you still need to do more research.  If you want to write a book on "19th Century Stoneware", you should familiarize yourself with any and all previous books on the topic of ceramics and stoneware. Googlebooks and Amazon will provide you the titles of such books.  Then, you will have to distinguish in your book proposal how your book will be different than other similar ones on the market. Don't hesitate to flip through books on point or close to your topic.  You may be able to check out these books for the library or flip through them at bookstores.  If there are books on your exact topic, I would advise you to carefully review these books.

Follow the publisher's submission process for your book exactly! This information should be on their website. If they do not accept direct submissions from would be authors, get an agent. Also be sure to first google the publisher to make certain they are not a vanity publisher.  You should not be spending a dime in this process beyond the cost of mailing your manuscript and a few other incidental costs. 

And finally, one of the hottest growing areas in the publishing industry are books by niche publishers. These niche publishers have ready made audiences who have strong commitments to and knowledge of certain topics.  These audiences are always eagerly awaiting new well written books on their favorite subjects.

A Recycled Glass Head?

Pier 1 Imports has a recycled glass head for $19.95.  For some reason it reminds me of a piggy bank.

Click here to see more info on this item.

Sculptural Recycled Glass Tiles: Tsunami Glass

Tsunami Glass of Windsor, Ontario, Canada has a new twist on glass tiles and creates sculptural 3-D green wall panels.

Click here to visit their website.

Are You Dreaming of Your Spring and Summer Garden?

Now that the seed and plant catalogues have begun to arrive, I am sure many of us are dreaming of our 2011 gardens.  The video below shows how someone created a cold frame using a recycled window.

Oceanside GlassTile and Recycled Glass Tile

Oceanside Glasstile in Oceanside, California makes some of the most beautiful glass tiles available.  In the video below, they show some of their recycled glass tiles.

Happy New Year 2011