Decorative Glass Blocks

I love to decorate the 8" x 8" glass blocks that you can get at Lowe's or Home Depot ( I just saw one in Michaels the other day, too!). I've made a lot of Christmas gifts using the blocks, and this year for Easter I made 2 different kinds. When the Christmas season starts, you can find the blocks with pre-drilled holes in the bottom. You can also have a machinist drill the a small hole as well.

So, here's the story that surrounds this particular block:
My friends Keith and Lisa Dunlop are expecting their first child next month, and I was recently invited to a shower for her. Her colors and theme - whether it is a boy or a girl - are dark green, deep dark red and tan, baby animals of the forest, especially deer and moose. I always like to give a gift that is conscious and respectful of the wishes and likes of the recipient, but this was a challenge. I thought long and hard before I percolated the whole idea.

On side one, I took white mulberry paper and drew a scene of mountainous trees with CTMH markers. I cut several trees from card stock in varying colors of green, glued them on the mulberry paper, then stamped some deer and moose in the forefront. I put a sticker of just the head of an owl back in the trees, stamped an eagle flying overhead, and placed a gold star in the heavens. The mulberry paper was left to dry for a day, then I "glued" it down onto the block with Liquid Glass from Close To My Heart (Z679 - $6.95) and covered the whole paper with the liquid glass as well. Liquid glass is a clear, thick substance that you can use for many projects, and I find that it works well for adhering and protecting the mulberry paper on the block. When dry, it looks glossy.

For the other side of the block, I purchased some dark green mesh-like paper from Spokane Art Supply. I glued the paper down with the liquid glass, and repeated that process 3 more times. After it dried for a day, I decided I would just leave it instead of decorating it, because it came out dark in the from, but more light came from the back. (I had thought about making a tree out of buttons).

I fed a small string of white lights into the whole on the bottom, then wrapped the glass block in some wide tan tweed-like ribbon and knotted it at the top.

I always like to make homemade gifts, probably because I so enjoy receiving them as gifts. Anybody can purchase something at Target or Walmart or Nordstroms, but a handmade gift shows love, appreciation and caring beyond words. Nonetheless, it is always subject to rejection! Fortunately for me, Lisa absolutely loved the gift. Best of all, it couldn't be purchased or duplicated!

Find me on Pinterest and see other glass blocks I've made if you are interested.