ACCOMPLISHED

There is nothing like spending a day working on a project and then sitting back and admiring what’s been accomplished. That’s what I’m doing right now…sitting at my computer typing this while looking out my sparkling clean garden window and enjoying how all the glass birds, apples, bowls, etc., gleam. Usually, this task is completed much earlier in the year, but somehow, dusting, washing, and polishing haven’t been high on my to-do list lately.

 I have so much glass I suppose I could spend most of my time just going through the house and keeping it dusted. It wasn’t my intention to become a glass collector. It all began with a beautiful blown glass bird. It was clear, tinged with blue, had silver dusted in its body and it was only $10. Suddenly, with the purchase of that one bird, I began to haunt a variety of antique malls, Goodwill, garage sales and various thrift stores. I didn’t go on the hunt just around home either, but tried to visit such places while out of town.

 Today, that first bird is no longer. Somehow, when cleaning, I managed to break off one of the wings and even though I glued it back together, it didn’t hold…still sad about that. I don’t know how many years I’ve been collecting, but I have two garden windows, each with two shelves and all are filled with glass. There is a flock of birds on one shelf while below, there are more than a dozen apples of all sizes and colors. Large and small hand-blown glass bowls sit in corners and against the back window. A large bowl holds a variety of glass fruit and adjacent are several heart-shaped candy dishes. There are other items including a piece that looks as though it was made by Dale Chihuly, a couple of very old candy jars that once graced some little store, rabbits, balls, and vases with glass flowers.

My glass isn’t limited to the garden windows, but graces almost all flat surfaces throughout the house. There’s an animal collection, lots of candle holders, a bowl with glass candy, picture frames and a variety of odds and ends that caught my fancy. There’s even a couple boxes of glass PartyLite candleholders in the attic because there’s not enough room.

 I did manage to turn my glass fascination into a money-making hobby.  At a craft show years ago, I saw glass towers made with bottles and a variety of other glass pieces. Once you glued them together, you stuck a stick through the mouth of the bottle and, voila, yard art. At a different craft show, I found flowers made with a wide variety of glass, i.e., plates, bowls, candle holders, glasses, vases, etc. At that point, I abandoned making towers and took up making flowers. For those, I frequented Goodwill, going on the days certain color tags were half off…hated spending more than $.50 for a piece of glass. Of course, in looking for glass for yard art, I also found other pieces to add to my collection.

 Last year was my final year to participate in the one craft show I did for quite a few years. I still have some glass flower stock, but the neighbors are going to be having a garage sale at some point this summer, so I’ll stick up a sign and hope to sell my remaining inventory. As for the remaining loose stock I haven’t used, it fits into three 10-ream paper boxes, and my son can take them away for his garage sale.

 Making yard art was great fun and I rather miss doing it this year, but not enough to open those three boxes and begin creating. I also miss visiting the various places for new stock, but I really don’t need any more glass of any size, style, shape or color…keeping what I already have clean and dust free is more than enough to make me accomplished.