Colour de Verre Glass Molds

Boxes. Our Box Molds (www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=4) have been selling really well lately. I’m not sure why. Perhaps people starting to think about holiday studio sales or, maybe, holiday gifts. If you are one of the proud, new owners of one of these molds, make sure you check out our Learn section. We have a full category devoted to these designs, www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?c=8

BTW: These are a great way to use up scrap glass and the glass lids are great canvases to embellish with glass bits and bobs.

Beautiful Feathers. I came across these feathers created by our Feather mold (www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16478&c=2) by Deborah Tomlin. I thought I would share them. With our mold, you can create something as realistic or as fantastical as you wish. Don't be shy: Post your feather pictures in the comments.

Wanna see something creepy? Anna’s Living Glass posted this picture. She filled our Big Skull (www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16480&c=9) with Paul Wissmach reactive glass. The browns in this casting are a result of the two glasses being mixed and then heated. It is fun to open the kiln and find something unexpectedly wonderful.

Easy Project. Even though the results are pretty fabulous, our Sea Horse & Shell Dish (www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16469&c=9) couldn’t be easier to make. Prime it. Fill it. Fire it. I think they look best in whites, pastels, or light translucent colors. They make wonderful gifts. The instructions can be found at www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?i=106. If you want to make it really special, considering “backing it” with dichroic sheet glass. That takes a second firing, but the project sheet includes a template to make cutting the sheet glass easier.

Satan’s Waiting Room. I asked of friend of mine if she was working on any glass projects. She said, “It’s August and my studio is as hot as Satan’s Waiting Room.”

If you are lucky enough to have your kiln outside in a shed or garage, you will also face a challenge. A firing schedule that worked great in February, might result in slightly under fired pieces if the ambient temperature is elevated. Keep this in mind and make sure to keep and DATE firing records. As a matter of fact, you can download free firing diary pages from our website. Visit www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?i=60

I wanted to show some work I found created by Carol Savage. Not only is it beautifully crafted, her use of an unconventional color color created a unique and interesting Cloud Forest Magnolia (www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16482&c=2). This is a great reminder that you don’t have to follow our project sheets word-for-word. Experiment!

Just a hint: Packaging can make a difference. For example, many people cast our snowflake designs to sell at craft and studio shows. Customers are willing to pay a much higher price for a snowflake in a box or if it is equipted with a gold or red ribbon for hanging.

I can across another example. The people at Stained Glass Stuff (www.stainedglassstuff.com) in Ottawa, Ontario made this Buddha (www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16465&c=9), but then went the step further to “elevate it” with a simple frame.

Now something that has nothing to do with glass: Just 15,000 years ago, a series of cataclysmic glacial floods swept across the Pacific Northwest creating the magnificent Columbia Gorge. As if the beautiful waterfalls, hills, orchards, and vineyards aren’t enough, there is an explosion of wildflowers in spring.

This is a shot from Rowena Point on the Oregon side. In the foreground are balsam root, lupine, and wild cucumber. In the distance is Washington state and, in-between, a glimpse of the Mighty Columbia River.

If you want to see more beautiful pictures of the place where we live and work, visit www.traveloregon.com/things-to-do/events/wildflower-hikes/

Not too long ago we did a posting about using scrap glass in our Rain Forest Leaf design. Our Buddha Faces https://www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16465&c=6) are also a great way to use up all that clear, scrap glass. Here is a video (www.colourdeverre.com/go/buddha) and project sheet that leads you through the process.

Don’t be afraid to try other designs with scrap glass. Just remember: More heat-work is required to completely melt larger glass pieces. Make sure to adjust your frit firing schedule by increasing the target temperature hold time.

Jamaison Schuler, a glass artist based in Texas, posted a video showing how he uses this scrap glass and our Rain Forest Leaf (https://www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16409&c=10) to create a real nice art piece in just two firings. We wanted to share it. (https://youtu.be/c2ed2ppsKAM)

We got a customer service call from a woman having a horrible time with our Slab Server design (http://www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16481&c=2). She was following the project sheet (www.colourdeverre.com/go/slab) but one end of the server was thicker than the other. It turned out that her kiln was way out of level.

Checking to see if your kiln’s lid is level isn’t good enough. Check the shelves! The perfect tool is a bubble level. I find the easiest to use are the round ones. They don’t cost more than $10, but can save a bunch of heartbreak. Here is one for less than $3, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Johnson-Bull-s-Eye-Level-100/100194712

Beads. An instructor thought I would enjoy seeing the her classroom kiln, loaded, ready to fire a bunch of students’ molds. She sent me a picture. You can see our Simple Round Beads, Pillow Pendants, and Heart and Circle Focus Pieces, and our Mixed Plain Pendants. You can see more about these here, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=1. (There are also a few molds that aren’t ours.)

A day later, she sent me a snap of the firing’s results. Notice how “sugary” the glass looks. This is because the glass didn’t get enough heat work. The instructor and I agreed that the molds needed to be re-fired with a longer hold at the target temperature.

Why didn’t this work perfectly? She followed our project sheet? The reason is that all kilns are different. This kiln was HUGE, fully loaded and it is fired almost daily. All of these factors have an effect on a firing schedule. Additionally, with top element kilns, even the glass color can affect a firing schedule. Clear and transparent glass will will require more heat-work.

The best solution, download our Firing Diary Pages and keep track of your firings results. Then, in the next firing, increase or decrease the heat-work to work to the perfect schedule. You can download those Firing Diary Pages free, at www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?i=60

Leaves. Colour de Verre’s leaf designs are a perfect way to celebrate spring’s emerging leaves. And, if you are looking for beautiful, realistic results, can we suggest our wafer-thin technique. Not only is it a totally different way to use Colour de Verre molds, you utilize fare less glass per casting.

Check out our video and project sheet at www.colourdeverre.com/go/wafer. It works great with any of our Big Leaf designs, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=10

Follow us! Brett is now in charge of our Instagram feed and he is doing a great job. So follow us at

Fluted Heart. We make a design called the Fluted Heart. It was designed to be used as a frame or ornament, but we are curious what you are doing with it. If you have completed a project with this design, send pictures to us at [email protected] with the subject FLUTED HEART. You can see more about the design here, www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16372&c=2. If you want to see the project sheet, visit www.colourdeverre.com/go/flutedheart.

Cherubs. While our Skulls and Big Skulls are edgy, our Cherub design is sweet and classical. It is a perfect first casting project and the results are a great gift. As you gain casting confidence, try combining them with our Wings or using them to embellish larger piece. Check out the Big Skulls, Buddha, Cherub, and Wings designs in our decor section, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=6. If you want to get ideas for simple projects or compete instructions for the elegant gold plate in the picture, take a look at our project sheet, www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?i=121

Teardrops and Ovals. Two of my favorite jewelry designs are the Oval Pendants and the Teardrop Pendants. You can find them in our website’s jewelry section, www.colourdeverre.com/go/jewelry. These are easy-peasy to make and you don’t have to have any jewelry or metalworking skills to get spectacular results. We have a video and project sheets at www.colourdeverre.com/go/teardrops that illustrates one of my favorite techniques. In short, the technique is to sandwich a layer of dichroic frit between a colored frit layer and a clear frit “cap”.

Yes, you can bring wine to your neighbors’ house when invited over, but, if you want to make an impression, bring them a little something you made in your studio, too. A perfect idea is a small plate made with either our Rain Forest Leaf or our Kiwi Leaf. You can find them here, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=10. Both designs have an integrated slumper on the mold’s reverse side, so you don’t even have to buy a slumping mold. Of course, we have videos and project sheets to led you through the steps and to give you ideas, www.colourdeverre.com/announcements.php?id=15

Manufacturing in America. People ask us where we make our product. Right her in Portland. We use a 6th century process called “Slip Casting.” We start by painstakingly developing the initial artwork. From this we make plaster molds. Into those molds is poured liquid clay that is poured out after a short time living a clay shell in the mold. The shell of hardened clay is removed from the mold, cleaned, inspected, and fired. Once fired, the Colour de Verre mold is ready to be packaged.

A key to our quality is that we are constantly replacing these molds to maintain the quality and fine detail for which are designs are known. Take for example, the fine veining of our Cabbage Leaf, Northwoods Maple, or Feather, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=10

More boxes. Linda Glover saw my last post and sent me an email with cast boxes she created using our box designs, www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=4. She is producting beauitful color textures by mixing relatively large frit meshes. She then embellishes them with both additional castings and lovely roses created using a freezing and fusing technique. If you are looking at embellishing boxes or other larger work with castings, check out our website's LEARN section, www.colourdeverre.com/go/learn

Our friend, Jeri Warhaftig, just taught a course a Corning Glass Museum. In the class her students were casting pieces and then sandblasting them. She taught two techniques: The first was a simple sandblast using stencils. The second was a bit more complex, but creates really outstanding results that are reminiscent of henna tattoos - fine, intricate lines and details. Briefly, the cast object is sprayed with an enamel to create a thick layer of contrasting glass. That contrasting layer is sandblasted off creating the impressive detail.

If you are interested in casting your own boxes, see our designs at www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=4. We also have project sheets and videos, www.colourdeverre.com/learn.php?c=8

If you are interested in seeing more of Jeri’s work or taking one of her classes, visit www.jeriwarhaftig.com

My friend Jamaison Schuler has created some great art pieces using our Wings and 3" Heart design, www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16427&c=9 and www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16359&c=9. We have some instructions that might help if you want to create your own. Visit www.colourdeverre.com/go/wings.

Jamaison has done something subtle but important here of which studio artists should take note: Mounting a piece in a frame or shadowbox elevates a casting from bauble to artwork. Most importantly, it increases the sale price of the piece.

This time of year can be a bit frantic. The company parties, family dinners, decorating, and the search for the perfect gifts all add to the hustle and bustle.

Take a moment for yourself. Here is a beautiful, short video titled Oregon Nights, www.colourdeverre.com/announcements.php?id=44

Wishing everybody a wonderful holiday season,
Your friends at Colour de Verre

Playing with Fire! Once a week, we receive a similar call or email, "Do I really have to clean and respray my molds after every firing?" The answer is an emphatic "Yes!"

Once ZYP Lubricoat has been fired, it becomes a thin, delicate layer of powder. It is very difficult to remove the finished casting and reload the mold with frit without disturbing this layer of powder. And, if any part of this powder layer is accidently brushed away, the glass will probably stick and your mold with be ruined. In short: Not cleaning and respraying your molds is like playing with fire. It might work once, or twice, or more, but then it won't work and you will be sad.

Check out our video on using ZYP at www.colourdeverre.com/go/zyp

Snowflakes. Our snowflakes, www.colourdeverre.com/go/snowflake/, make great ornaments for Christmas trees, windows, or even an office cubical wall. However, taking castings from this mold (or many of our other designs) and then framing them elevates the pieces. Take a look at what Jamaison Schuler created. You can see the whole process in this video, www.youtu.be/wgEPXxWOfao

Beautiful. My friend Jeri Warhaftig is giving a class at Corning Museum of Glass. She does this amazing techique that combines casting and sandblasting. The results are boxes and pendants that are highly crafted with designs that remind me of intricate paper cuts.

Snowflakes. Our neighbor Kerstin is a glass artist. She has been laboring away in her studio creating Snowflakes for all the galleries that carry her work. She has created hundreds so far! She embeds a small piece of wire into each to make it easy to attach a ribbon for hanging. The majority of the snowflake is clear fine which she then dusts with colored powder to add interest.

See our snowflake molds and our other Winter Designs at www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=11.

Sponge Bob's Best Friend. I recieved a note this morning from Dave and Anything in Stained Glass, www.anythinginstainedglass.com. They are a Colour de Verre distributor in the Washington, DC area. The took a starfish created with our Starfish design, www.colourdeverre.com/product_detail.php?id=16429&c=3, and created an homage to Sponge Bob's best friend, Patrick Star. The most wonderful thing about Patrick is that he works so hard to make everybody feel smarter than him.

We have tons of Sea Life designs. See them at www.colourdeverre.com/products.php?c=3