Memorial Day Gallery Glass

 

 
Even though Memorial Day is not yet here, we have to craft ahead of the occasion so that our projects will be ready to display before and during the holiday. Here are 2 of my favorites. They are perfect for any patriotic holiday celebration--large or small. The colors are bright and cheerful, but I needed a 4th color so I chose hologram glitter for the stars in the panel on the left. These designs are perfect for picnics, Vacation Bible School projects and campground craft classes. The are timely and also very simple to do, so they can be done quickly and effectively in a group setting. It should only take each crafter 10 to 15 minutes, so the painting stations can turn over fast enough to keep the line moving.

Another of my favorite designs is the more free form flag motif of the design on the right.

To create these simple designs, print out a pattern by following the instructions on the message board on the right side of this home page. If you are doing it on the 10" blank, you will need to enlarge the design to fit the blank. If you don't have the round blanks, you can also buy clear plastic plates at the party store. They come in a variety of sizes and you can choose the right size for the "audience" you are planning to entertain. Chrildren are usually happier with the snack or dessert size, whereas adults want the more showy dinner size. You can also keep the hearts at a smaller size and duplicate them on the leading blank and mount them on the window as suncatchers.
Gallery Glass Supplies:
Snow White 16002, Ruby Red 16015, 16011 Blue Diamond,  160442 Hologram Glitter, 16074 Black Liquid Leading.

Deck the Hall with Gallery Glass Roses

Many of you will remember this picture from a February post. It is one of my favorite images because it shows these elegant flowers in 8 different colorways. I like it so much that I used it in a completely new project this week. One of my friends retired yesterday and I was asked to contribute to the room decor - especially the table and window decorations. In the past, one of our products was the clear glass blocks and it was suggested that I use them for a surface so that they could serve as a floral vase for table floral arrangements. Since it was the 2nd of MAY, the first flower to come to mind is the ROSE. I thought it would be so pretty to interpret these images and colorways to the glass blocks. Since they are square, I chose to leave out the rose bud. See the results below.


Here is a picture of the right side of the room taken from the front.

Here is a picture of the left side of the room taken from the back. You can see my Gallery Glass window decor and the free-standing Tiffanesque lighted Parrot picture that I had made years ago.

These were so much fun, I thought you might want to see how I combined the vases with flowers from the florist and some of the roses and filler flowers that I picked from my front yard.

 

If you are interested in the pattern and color suggestions for all the different colors, click on Spring Holidays on the right side of the home page. The original story was posted on February 18th, 2013. Hopefully, you are inspired to interpret these beautiful May roses in your own unique opportunity. Maybe make them for a dinner at church or your club. There is no end to the possibilities when you start with Gallery Glass Paint.

Classic Irises with Gallery Glass

May is one of my favorite months of the year. The roses are blooming like crazy because it's not too hot for them-even in Atlanta. And of course, the most regal flowers of them all are blooming at their peak all over town. I cherish every wonderful bearded color combination because I never met an iris I didn't like--from wild blue to native lavender to black bearded ones--they are all spectacular. Louis Comfort Tiffany liked irises, too. In fact, you will find them in many of his church windows and they are especially stunning in this portion of a much larger work done for a private home in the Northeast. I hope that he would forgive me for stealing a bit of the purple splendor for this 24"x36" poster frame. It could hang in a bathroom window, or be painted directly ON the window for that matter (warning, this method could take a lot of "standing" patience)! I'm not going to post the pattern, unless you ask for it. I have a lot of shading that I do not wish to revisit--but for you--I would. As long as you promise to send us a picture when it is done.

Otherwise, you might like irises, but don't necessarily want to spend the next week painting them. Then you might want to start with our Spring Flowers pattern and work your way UP. This is a simple design that can be done on an 8"x10" styrene OR here's an idea. Make multiple tulips, daisies and irises and put them along the bottom of a mirror for a May burst of color in your bath. And if this one is a little too simple for you. Wait until you see what I have for you later in the week!
Okay, I'm here to accommodate you and your quest for the perfect project. Here is the pattern and the color key for the Tiffany Irises. I finally found it in an old book that had been translated into German. I'm not sure about the commentary, but I have the colors. I just hope that you can see the numbers when you print it out to 24"x36. I wouldn't recommend doing it any smaller. It's much too detailed.
Gallery Glass Supplies: Crystal Clear 16081, Snow White 16002, Cameo Ivory 16003, Sunny Yellow 16004, Cocoa Brown 16007, Kelly Green 16008, Emerald Green 16009, Denim Blue 16010, Blue Diamond 16011 Royal Blue 16012, Amethyst 16014, Rose Quartz 16016, Magenta Royale 16017, Amber 16020, Berry Red 16023 and Ivy Green 16024.

The Tulips are Coming.....

The simple, colorful, regal Tulip may just be my favorite flower. They are so sleek and smooth. I love the long elegant petals and the stately leaves. Mostly, I love that they hide in the ground all year and then burst forth in all the splendor at the time when the moon and soil temperature are just right. And the color combinations are unbelievable. If we could ever figure out what God did in the tulip bulb to create all that beauty, we just might be able to solve some of our social problems.

So how does Gallery Glass work for tulips--wait and see. Whether you're paintng one or a bunch, it will be an opportunity to use some of your favorite colors in the rack. And there is so much variety in the color choices, you can almost always coordinate them to the specific occasion that you celebrating. I chose to use, what my grandaughter calls, the "Easter Colors" although the formal name is pastels. You get these shades by adding white to the color, or by choosing colors from the Gallery Glass Palette--that already have white in them, like I did. This color key uses 2 new colors that I altered slightly. I lightened them because they were too opaque to coordinate with the other pastels in the project, so I added 1:1 Crystal Clear.

If you are looking for a quick and easy tulip project, these two blossoms will work up quickly--easy to paint, though not so easy to lead because of the ring around the flowers. It's hard to keep your leading uniform around such a big circle. The shading can be a lot more dramatic if you apply Hologram Glitter to the end of the petals and comb it into the petal color. The leaves and stems use my favorite 2 greens--Kelly Green and Lime Green. I apply the Lime to the top portion of the leaves because the sun would be shining on them and they would appear lighter, even though the leaf is only one color in nature. I have also done this pattern with the tulips and the ring a different complementary color. The Tulip pattern below is keyed for Ruby Red tulips and a Citrus Yellow ring. Try that combination for something different.

Now, let's look at a REAL beginner project--easy to lead AND easy to paint. This single flower can also be done as a Cling because it is strong enough to hold together when you peel it up. I've done it on a 6x9" oval because I have them available, but it I normally wouldn't consider it "important" enough to justify the use of a surface. However, I often do this design in Spring classes as a leading project. The design doesn't go close enough to the edge for static electricity to be a problem and it is quick and easy to complete the outline. It gives the students a  sense of satisfaction. And they can paint it when they get home.

4 Tulips Pattern - 10" Round
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16008 Kelly Green, 16024 Ivy Green, 16035 Lime Green, 16081 Crystal Clear, 16014 Amethyst, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16423 Hot Pink, 16020 Amber, 16455 Sunflower, 16011 Blue Diamond, 17073 Blue Bird, 17077 Lavender, 17052 Fresh Lime, 17051 Light Green, 16442 Hologram Glitter (HG), 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16215 10" Round Blank.

2 Tulips Pattern - 10" Round
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16461 Citrus Yellow, 16015 Ruby Red, 16008 Kelly Green, 16035 Lime Green, 16001 Crystal Clear 2 oz. 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16215 10" Round Blank,

Single Tulip Pattern- 6x9" oval or Cling
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16008 Kelly Green, 16924 Ivy Green, 16035 Lime Green, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16423 Hot Pink, 16442 Hologram Glitter, 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16215 Oval Blank, or Gallery Glass Leading Blank (for Cling).

Welcome to Ivan's First Project with Gallery Glass!

Front doors are one of the most popular places for Gallery Glass. There is a strong desire to enhance curb appeal and of course, privacy is a big issue. Also entry halls are notoriously dark--with the door light being the only source of light, so Gallery Glass solves a serious decorating problem. Ivan Arnold is a beginner who decided to make the small door light one of his first projects. We can certainly admire his creativity and innovation. Here's what he says about the project!

"I finally finished the stained glass panel for our front door, using Gallery Glass. I put the leading on the back side, as you suggested, which faces the exterior side of the door. It's far from perfect, but I guess it's not too bad for my first Gallery Glass project! My wife likes it. (I made it as a birthday present for her.) I altered our door, so that the glass panel is held in place with small screws holding the trim on the inside. That way, I can change out the panels quite easily. My plans are to eventually make three more panels, one for each season, and each one with a different bird and foliage!"

Great idea, Ivan. I'm sure our readers will be interested in your plan to change the feature seasonally. That's the kind of luxury we have with Gallery Glass. The cost is so minimal that we can be extravagant with our creativity. Thanks for sharing with us.