I have been loving putting together jewellery with the brown/green tones. This bracelet is made with beads that I have made from wine, beer, champagne and gin bottles!!
Loving the brown/green recycled glass combination
Category: Recycled Glass
Wine bottle beads
The thing I love about clear wine bottles is that you can do so many things with them. Yes, I can make clear beads and I often do make clear beads. But I can also get my frit out, which is really just crushed glass, and while the bead is still hot I can roll it in the frit, then melt it in and make really wildly colourful glass beads like these!
I had intended for these beads to go into a different project but when I saw them all sitting on my desk together I thought…maybe I’ll try putting them together. Glad I tried!
All from a broken cup…
Remember that broken orange cup from last week? I made these earrings and this necklace from the cup.
I had also made a bunch of small round beads to test out the glass and see how it reacted in the flame. They have been sitting on my workbench for a little while now, and today I thought I would try to make a bracelet with them.
I moved beads in and out, and around, and back in again until I finally landed on something I quite liked. Here it is…
Gin and Tonic bracelet
I am going through a bit of a gin and tonic phase this year! I am really enjoying working with the beads, and loving the contrast in the glass.
This bracelet features beads made from a Hendricks Gin and Fever-Tree Tonic water bottle.
Needs more red…
After I finished making yesterday’s necklace I thought to myself: looks nice, needs more red! I got on the torch and made some beads using the tonic water bottles, added some red frit, and then used them in this necklace.
A favourite combination
This would have to be one of my favourite colour combinations. With beads made from a Hendricks Gin and Fever-Tree Tonic water bottles I think it’s timeless in terms of colours, and also very elegant in terms of styling. This necklace would work so well with so many things in MY wardrobe, especially during the winter.
I am working towards 4 SALA exhibitions this year, and I can’t wait to take some of these beads and add a little something else to them! Stay tuned, I am hoping it’s going to be amazing (but I could be wrong)!
Meet the maker
Hello!
Yesterday I did a big road trip with the kids, and I didn’t have any energy left after that to be creative! I thought about it, but I was just up too early and home too late. So in lieu of yesterday’s creativity, I am sharing a photo of myself!
I have been making glass beads from recycled glass objects for about 9 years now. It all started when my daughter was born, and that was around the time of the Global Financial Crisis. In Australia our government was handing out money to try to stimulate our economy, and it was likened to the Great Depression. Well, that got me thinking about Green Depression Glass, and the history that has with regards to trying to stimulate the US economy at the time of the Great Depression. I found some Green Depression Glass and started making beads from that! Then I found some more glass objects and made beads from them.
My first exhibition “Anti-Depression Glass” was held at Lustre Galleries and ended up being the runner-up in the Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design award as part of the SALA awards that year. People resonated with the theme, so I kept going.
This year I am involved in 4 SALA exhibitions. I’ll be sharing more details about them as they get closer but to keep it simple I’ll be exhibiting at Bethany Wines, The Adelaide Remakery, Pepper Street Art Centre and T’Arts.
Mixing things up a bit
I had some beads leftover from yesterday’s batch of flower beads. So, I added some small round beads that I made from a black vase that I found in an op-shop to make this cute flower necklace.
I like the contrast in this necklace. It’s a little bit 1970’s.
My favourite orange cup
I was a bit sad when I dropped my favourite orange cup the other day! Don’t worry, I didn’t cry. I just thought it was a shame that my favourite cup was broken. And then I thought “well, why not make some beads from it?”
So I made some flower beads, and then made these earrings. I was worried that the colour would burn out in the flame but it didn’t. Very happy to open the kiln this morning to find these.
Mixed blue recycled glass bead bracelet
I was scrolling through my instagram photos this morning, wondering what I should make today. Trying to make something a bit different from what I have made, because that’s kind of the point of this year! To make all sorts of jewellery from recycled glass objects.
I realised that it had been quite a while since I had made a blue bracelet. I have made some blue necklaces, some blue/green bracelets, some blue/brown bracelets…but not a mixed blue bracelet for quite a while.
So without further ado…
