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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Signs of the Holidays

An experienced glass crafter works herself to death during the holidays because the special requests pick up. People that have seen your work all year, will call and ask you to do a project for one of their family members or friends. Hopefully, you were able to fulfill these requests and earn a little extra money so that you could buy ELECTRONICS for your family (they usually don't want any more Gallery Glass). So it's a win/win situation.





After just such a request, one of my friends, an avid glass painter, called to ask if I had any patterns for signs such as Home Sweet Home or Welcome Home. Of course, but where was it? I looked in all the files at the office without success, so left a message on my home phone--to look there. Viola! I was seeing it in my head (because I rarely forget a pattern), but wasn't sure I could put my finger on it. The project I was seeing was in a very old book that was done for Gallery Glass Flow-on Paint, a smoother, thinner version of paint that was produced in the early '90's. You're lucky that I've been around for such a long time and that I am an avid collector of glass painting books. I found it without much trouble--along with several more, so I decided to share them with you so that you can continue to make some pocket change to pay those holiday credit card bills.

Here is one I wish we had found before Halloween, but I thought that I should put it in this post, so that you will automatically think of it next year in time to make up a version of it for your front window. It would look a lot better I think, if there was Crystal Clear on the Background. It is not a texture that was available in the Glass Paint Line, so it was not used in any of the signs. But keep it in mind. The amount of unpainted background in these projects would make them hard to keep clean. Bare glass--gets dirty.
Now, I've saved possibly the best sign for last! The Name Plate is undoubtedly the best possible choice, not always for the giver, but for the receiver, nothing rates higher on their list than a personalized project that beautifully displays their family moniker. It is somewhat adjustable by picking out a font on your computer and printing out the name, then enlarging it to fit the space. For short names this will be no problem. However, the longer the name, the more you may have to stretch the name vertically to make the letters tall and skinny. If it is a very long name, you can also add design elements to the border.
These signs were made even more exciting because of the lighting around the inside edge of the frame. Here are the artist's instructions on how to accomplish this special effect. I'm putting it in as an attachment, so that you can hopefully print it out.


4 comments:

  1. HA HA...I have that book toooo!!!! I THINK I have every GG book printed with the exception of 1 or 2....I always keep looking on the web or thrift stores for GG or Great Glass books that I dont have, although a few of the books that I found didnt have the pattern sheets included, so now I can only look at the pictures LOL

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  2. I love them, too. I couldn't believe how many I had at home, that I could bring into the office. Now we can see some really rare old pictures. I'm looking forward to sharing them with our viewers that are not as good at collecting, as you are. Thanks, for being our librarian.

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  3. Need help on removing GG after 20 years! My HO Assoc has asked me to remove my GG window color after more than 20 years of being on my hugh bedroom window (on front of the condo). It is very brittle and since the area is so large I need ideas on how we can quickly remove this mural. The razor blade only takes off about 1/4" inch at a time and the window is 90" wide by 80" long. Help!

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  4. Oh my, that's a long time. (This is one reason I am such a fan of window panels - you can just pop them out if you are ready for a change.)
    Kitty, I wish I could give you a quick fix that would get the coating off in 5 minutes, but after years of humidity and temperature cycles--hot and cold--the acrylic film has "cured out". So there isn't any flexibility left in the coating. But the good news is--it hasn't penetrated the glass--it has not bonded chemically, like it would have done on plexiglas or acrylic panels. So here are suggestions. Depending on your climate, you may be able to soften it with a hair dryer, then scrape in the heated spot, but if you live in an arid climate, the heat won't do much. You can also tape a wet cloth over a portion of it and leave it overnight. Sometimes that works. But if it is still hard the next morning, go to the hardward store or go on-line--and get the biggest window scraper they have--one that uses utility blades, not single edged razor blades. The longer handles give you more leverage, then hire someone in your family who is big and strong to scrape it off. A teenage son or a nephew is a good choice. (this worked for me). He had it off in about half a day. Just be careful, he doesn't scratch the window, during removal. My "removal project" had been on my mother's sitting room windows 20 years in Lubbock, TX. Dry, dry, dry conditions. It was a booger to get off, but we did it.
    Note to prospective glass decorators: make sure your HO Assn. doesn't specifically forbid colored window decorations or have to approve the project before you plan a window makeover.

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