New find......Glass Cabinet Doors to repurpose into Mosaics

Sooo, there I was, talking with the Hubs while he was driving from place to place for work. Hey, he says, that sign said Glass Cabinet Doors $5. What, I say....where, who, why, tell me more! Hubs: It is by one of your thrift shops. It's a cabinet place, but the sign says $5 Cabinet Doors. So, go get me one silly says I. Hubs: No, we'll go back this weekend. Silence on my end........more silence. Hubs: Are you still there? Yes! more silence....... Hubs: I think I'll go back now and get one! Wow honey, good idea! Maybe you should get like 50?  So he goes in and gets one and brings it home. Swoon.....remember $5....with glass! Now, if only the little divider thingies stiles <--[Hubs said I should call them that] were removeable????  :::sigh::: No, they are glued down! Poo! But hey.....they are still only $5!!

4 of the 6

2 smaller

2 verticals

So, wonder woodworker man cut one of the :::rolls eyes::: stiles out of said window and is in the process of doing magic filling, puttying, sanding and other such things to make it a stile free window.  Although I can use them WITH the stiles, they have more potential without. If it works, I will be making another trip to said Cabinet store soon! I want them ALL!! <--Guess I'm channeling Veruca Salt there! LOL  Honey, can I have $250??

Stiles removed and putty applied

Guess you know what I will be doing all weekend. But it is exciting. Especially since one of my new purchases last week was this book: 300 Stained Glass Cabinet Door Designs.   I think it was fate! So, stay tuned.......

The happy window family

New Flower just listed

I wanted to share the newest addition to the ARTful Salvage collection of Glass Plate Flowers over in our Etsy shop. I am thrilled with how this one turned out. I do enjoy making these as each one is completely unique and has it's own personality. They do make wonderful ooak gifts.


This flower is made from beautiful vintage clear, white dishes and pink dishes.The flower base is a gorgeous Federal Petal depression glass plate, topped with a pink floral pattern china plate, a pink center plate and accented with a clear center and shiny green glass stone. It will be a stunning accent for your home or garden.

LOVE the concept but not the colors, shapes......just convo me and I will be happy to work with you on designing your own custom flower. If you have sentimental dishes that you would like us to use, we are happy to do that as well. We call it Memory Glass.....it is such a joy for me to look out into my yard and see flowers and totems that I have made from both of my Grandmother's dishes. Thanks for stopping by!

L@@KIE what just landed over in our Etsy shop!

Just in time for a Spring......ARTful Salvage is proud to present: "The Chit Chat Club." I was given this pattern by a great friend and fellow glasser. I knew when I found this 3 pane window it was perfect for these little birdies. I just absolutely LOVE how it turned out.

We believe in retaining as much of the history in each of our 'found' raw materials as we can. For the windows, that means leaving the original glass. It also means, leaving the original finish when possible. We believe there is always beauty to be found in the 'signs of love' in the passage of time and a story to be told (or imagined). We do, however, realize that not all paint and finish is desirable for your home. We seal all of our windows with Polycrylic so they are safe and easy to clean, yet still showcasing there lovely patina when possible. (Small commercial break - We LOVE Polycrylic around here and it is almost ALWAYS our go to sealer. We use it on paint, wood, paper.....you name it. It has NEVER let us down) We now return to our regular Blog post! :)

The birds were lovingly created by hand cutting and grinding a rainbow of colors of stained glass. The background is created with a random fill mosaic of clear seeded glass, again all individually cut by hand. We make our mosaic windows by gluing the stained glass to the original glass. The window is grouted in a coordinating color and sealed. After a good cleaning and polishing, the window is ready to be displayed in your home or garden.

The Chit Chat Club can be purchased in our Etsy shop. More windows (actually 9) are on the work table and will be hitting the shop soon.

As always, we welcome your feedback. We'd LOVE for you to share our blog with you friends, family and associates. Any questions, give us a shout. Contact me here or on Facebook or our Etsy shop! Love the concept but not this window....by all means, let us know. We LOVE custom orders!

Ars Gratis Artis - ART for ART's sake