glass part 2

so once i bring the shards home, they get a good cleaning. they are individually washed with soap and warm water, dried, and then shined up nice and pretty. here's a pic of a handful of glass all dried and shined up, ready to be made into something fabulous. i go over every edge and point to make sure it isn't sharp. i love the rough and unique edges of each piece, but i will rub my fingertips over the edges and on some fabric to make sure it doesn't cause damage. if there are any issues i use some tools to grind the sharpness down to make a safer edge, still leaving it rough and varied. i think one of the most interesting aspects of the pieces is how asymmetrical they are. (i am a libra so i typically like balance and symmetry, so this is odd for me!) each piece has a shape that suits it better for vertical or horizontal hanging. the thickness of the glass determines how deep or bright the color is. the size determines if it will be a suncatcher or pendant (some are interchangeable if you like big statement pieces!) i'm thinking of trying to make some earrings and outdoor mobiles soon. we'll see what else i come up with! i'll take suggestions if you have any!

hidden treasure: the glass shards

this is just a small portion of my stockpile of glass shards. aren't there are so many beautiful colors?? holding each piece up to the light really shows you the striking shades. it's hard to see just how amazing they are, but this is how i found them- covered in dust and dirt, all piled together.  i found these at Creative Reuse Pittsburgh, where i get a lot (most!) of my materials. they were all on a shelf, separated by color, stored in huge plastic pretzel barrels. because they were kinda in a corner i had passed them by a couple times before finally noticing them. i went back again and again, each time sitting on a big spool of hot pink ribbon, holding each piece up to the sun shining through the giant window in order to see the color. i looked at each piece for shape and break, handpicking some for pendants and some for suncatchers. so much fun- like a treasure hunt! each piece has beautiful striations. some of the break patterns are parallel and some are rounded and swirly. every piece is as one of a kind as you can get.