Those who live in glass boxes...

     Well hello, Blog, I remember you! Today I am going to tell you about making glass boxes. You can pass along the info to any humans who may happen along...

     I have a lot of pretty glass that I like to turn into things...boxes, jewelry, wind chimes...

This is some of the glass I use for stained glass projects. I think I was a magpie in my last life, because I can never pass up anything colorful and shiny! Sometimes I buy glass with  a specific project in mind, but more often, I get it just because it sparkled and the color sang to me! Small window panes, card holders, sun catchers, and boxes of every shape and size have been known to spring from this shelf...

Now this stuff...this is cool! It's for fusing. I cut it up, break it, grind it, whatever, and stack/pile it and cook it in my little kiln. I have a small Paragon kiln, with my eye on a bigger, floor model when I become rich and famous! I make mostly jewelry with this, but picture frames, small dishes, and other melted things have been known to appear...

Lately, my muse has me working on boxes. I like to make them, people have been asking for them...it all works out! Pink ones, purple ones, clear ones, square ones, long ones, boxes to hold trinkets, tarot cards, and baby teeth...The possibilities are endless!

This pretty lavender glass is for the sides of a tarot card box. I have decided that I don't like the look of corners that have heavy solder on them, so I am beveling my short edges at 45 degree angles to make the corners tighter. That does give me a slightly wider edge to wrap with the copper tape, though, so I am trying the 3/8" instead of the 1/4". So far, the 1/4" is perfect on the long sides, but short on the bevels, and the 3/8" is perfect on the bevels, but too wide on the long sides...trimming may be in order!

Here are the sides of 3 boxes taped and ready to solder together. The pink is has the 1/4" copper, and the lavender has the 3/8". The difference is noticeable.

Sides are together, all nice and square...time to cut some bottoms. I have learned not to cut the bottoms until I have the sides together...no matter how careful I am, if I just cut to pre-measured sizes, something always changes during construction. I have added a lot of glass to the scrap box that way! Now I put the sides together, then use them for a template...it's working much better!

Got the bottom glass cut, time to smooth the edges and make it fit. I love the sound of grinding glass in the morning!

Bottoms for the 3 boxes ground, taped, and ready to solder. I tin everything first (apply a thin coat of solder), then I solder them into the bottom of the side assemblies.

Soldered necklace

Steps…uh…1ish through 4ish of making a piece of soldered glass jewelry. It is to the point where the glass pieces with the collage inside have been wrapped with copper tape. Next is the fun part…heating the up soldering iron and melting things!!!

Now I have soldered the edges, added the jump rings, and antiqued the small ones. Some of the black will come off when I polish them, and they will be a little shiny again. Going for the whole ‘look what I found under the floorboards in that old house’ look, so we’ll see. The small pieces are going to be a bracelet, the large ones are destined to be a necklace. Next comes chains, beads, buttons, crystals, shells, dingly-danglies (that’s a techy term)…whatever I find to stick on them.

Well, no matter how I poked, prodded, and pushed, the bracelet parts would not co-operate. They decided they wanted to be a necklace, and that, as they say, was that! So here they are…they got their way, and became a necklace. I hate it when the inanimate objects win…and they do that a lot!!!      ...sigh...

I love the way this looks...the glass pieces turned out great! Not happy with the way it hangs, though, so I will probably be taking it apart and changing the shape. In the words of my hero, Flo...happens to me all the time!

Things I get to play with...

I was playing in my rock and gem trays the other day, and thought they would make pretty pictures...so here they are!

Amber, Hematite, Ocean Jasper, Ruby Fuschite, Bronzite, Onyx

Labradorite

Lava, Botswana Agate, Unakite, Pietersite, African Green Opal, Hemi Jasper, Aquamarine, Moss Agate, Shell

 

Rose Quartz, Mother of Pearl, Rainbow Moonstone, Black Gold Amazonite, Aqua Calcite, Purple Imperial Jasper,

Cultured Pearls, Stick Pearls, Blister Pearls, Ceramic Moon Jar

Sponge Coral, Branch Coral, African Ruby, Carnelian

Turquoise

Shells

More studio shots

OK...more studio shots! This is my 'wall of potential'. There are 3 sections, each 6' x 3' x18" metal shelving. (You know, the kind you buy at Walmart in a box and put together with those little slide-on connector thingies). Nearly everything I could ever want, to do any project, is in here... somewhere. Fabric, yarn, trims, gem-stone-bead-metal cases, books (how-to, why-to, someday I'm going to, because I liked the socks on the cover...), resin, acid, polymer clay, wool, spindles, glass, copper...you get the picture!

Here's the close-up of the 'fabric/sewing section' that I promised my friend Jerry. She is a fellow seamstress and artist, and I think she thinks I'm kidding about being on fabric overload! (and this isn't all of it!) I love to sew, and don't make nearly enough time to do it these days. I do the fun old crafty things like making clothes and quilting, but I really love costuming - Victorian, Renaissance, bellydance... I love rich, vibrant silks and satins, heavy brocades, gossamer sheers, lace...I really love lace! (Which leads me to another topic...tatting...but that's a post for another day!)

Some of my glass for stained glass projects, and copper tubing I use in my jewelry work. I like to hammer the tubing to make metal backgrounds for a lot of my jewelry pieces. It gives me the texture and depth I like. Air-conditioner tubing...it's a lot more versatile than you might think! I have glass that is textured, painted, iridescent, opaque, transparent, thick, thin...you name it. That gold one is going to make some really cool faerie wings!

My work apron...I think this says it all...haha