Category: Uncategorized

When I was sorting through my stash of glass — some collected, some gifted — I found this purple cup. It was such an unusual piece, with its mix of colours and swirly pattern, I just had to see what would happen when I put it in the flame.

Would it keep that swirl? Would the purple stay vibrant? I couldn’t wait to peek inside the kiln — and it did! The beads kept that streaky finish and the purple stayed so bright. Who would have thought a $2 cup could turn into such pretty beads? 💜

Have you got anything in your collection that you might like to turn into beads?

Fever Tree Tonic Water bottles — they say the secret to a great G&T is the tonic, and Fever Tree is one of my favourites! Good for sipping and melting down into beads.

The glass is clear, melts beautifully, and I can decorate it with almost anything. For this project, I used a blend of smashed-up glass (frit) that I made myself. I love mixing my own frit blends — it means every bead is just that little bit more unique.

Cheers to good tonic and beautiful beads!

White Milk Glass. Today’s bead begins with a white milk glass goblet — simple, sturdy, and once treasured on someone’s shelf. Milk glass has been around since the 1500s, originally made to mimic fine porcelain but accessible for everyday homes.

When I first melted this piece, it felt so different to work with — maybe it’s the opacity? But I love how it melts into something new yet keeps that soft, milky glow. The beads turned out simple and sparkling — just like the goblet, but now with a new purpose. 🤍

And yes — that’s my finger with a fresh cut! Occupational hazard when you work with broken glass. It happens all the time… I’m pretty used to it by now.

Pink Depression Glass today! Depression glass was made in lots of beautiful colours — green is the most well-known, but there’s also blue, brown, and this lovely pink.

One of the rules I’ve always stuck to with recycled glass is: don’t mix it! You can’t tell what the COE (coefficient of expansion) is just by looking, so if two glasses aren’t compatible, they can crack or break when they come out of the kiln.

But today I decided to break the rules — I mixed pink and green Depression Glass, just to see what would happen. And it worked!

Bethany Wine Chardonnay bottles — another favourite to melt! I was first introduced to Bethany Wines when I did a SALA exhibition there about 10 years ago. I used their beautiful bottles to create a special range of jewellery, and we were all so happy with how it turned out that we just kept going!

I still love visiting the winery whenever I can — wandering among their old bottles and dreaming up what they might become next. These beads were finished with pixie dust, one of my favourite little touches. People often ask, “Are these really glass?” — and I love saying yes!

Cranberry Glass — how beautiful is that pink? I think this piece was probably from the late 1800’s.

I remember finding a pink bowl in an antique shop in the Barossa Valley, back when I was just getting fascinated by all the different old glass out there. It was damaged — still priced what felt like expensively — but I was so intrigued by the colour and the history. Did you know Cranberry Glass gets its colour from gold added during the glassmaking process? Incredible.

I bought it, and when the shop lady pointed out the damage, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was planning to smash it anyway! Pink is a tricky colour to find in glass, so I was grateful this experiment worked — the beads turned out so pretty.

And I have kept an eye out for similar items whenever I visit antique shops. What old glass are you intrigued by? 💗

July 4 — Melted Moments 💙🍸
Bombay Sapphire Gin bottles — one of my favourites! When I first started making beads from recycled glass, so many people suggested these bottles because the colour is just incredible.

The jewellery I made from these beads became so popular that I had to put out a call on social media for donations — and you delivered! Now I always have a good stash of Bombay Sapphire bottles ready to melt.

Whenever I do my shift at T’Arts, I usually find a bottle waiting for me in my drawer — a little gift instead of rubbish. I love that people think of me (and the beads) before tossing them in the bin.

Cheers to everyone who’s helped turn recycling into something beautiful! What’s your favourite bottle colour?

July 3 — Melted Moments 💙
I get all sorts of glass donated to me — sometimes it’s an old bottle someone wants turned into a keepsake, sometimes it’s just an interesting piece they think I might like to melt down. I love that.
Sometimes I get to it straight away… sometimes it waits its turn for years! This piece was given to me by my mum many years ago. I was curious to see how it would melt — it has this beautiful blue streak running through it.
Thanks, Mum — for the glass and for everything. 💙
Do you have a special piece of glass you’d like to see transformed?

Today’s beads are in honour of Coopers Sparkling Ale — a proud local South Australian company with a long commitment to looking after the environment.
Back in 2013, I created a necklace with beads made from a Coopers Sparkling Ale bottle, finished with gold leaf. It was a finalist in the Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables Exhibition — the judges loved the contrast of high-end gold on something once destined for the bin.
I still love turning the ordinary into something precious. Gold leaf can be incredibly difficult to work with, but worth it!

July 1 — Melted Moments begins! 💚
First up: Green Depression Glass. 16 years ago, I first thought about melting this glass down for beads when I had a SALA exhibition at Lustre Galleries. We were in the middle of the global financial crisis and I had a six-month-old baby on my hip!
I remembered how Green Depression Glass was made to lift spirits and stimulate economies during the Great Depression — so it felt right to upcycle it into something new back then, and it still does now.
I love how pretty these beads are, plain or decorated — that soft green is timeless. Looking back, this was really the beginning of my recycled glass journey. 16 years on, I’m still melting moments.