What can you do with old glass, lamp parts, silver trays, knobs and metal bits?
Make a cloche, for one.
Spring is the season of rebirth for all the world. What better time to capture Spring's magic under glass. Funny, isn't it, that anything you put under glass appears more valuable. Or just maybe it is, to you.
There are beautiful cloches out there and its easy to grab one and create a minature world full of nature. Or gather treasures to feature that have deep meaning to your heart. And it is fine to select one already created. But the artist in me loves taking this time to create something of my very own. This Spring I will create a cloche ... or two ... or
When I wander the aisles of Antique Markets, my eye often gravitates to bits and pieces. I've been known to look under things and ask dealers if they have any left over pieces. I love old door knobs, drawer pulls, lamp parts of all kinds including shade frames, stands and finials and glass globes. I love to create lifts from old wooden legs, old candle sticks, old silver serving trays, and stands of all kinds. I'm always scouting for silver stands that have long ago lost their casserole dish.
It's old glass and left over metal bits and pieces that stir my soul and cause my creative juices to bubble up! All you need to add is a glass, a lamp globe, or an old bowl to make yourself a wonderful cloche. Although cloches are perennial, they are never more beautiful than when you capture Spring under its glass.
I get this scouting habit honestly. I loved my grandfather's workshop as a child. I inherited a box filled with items that he had collected over the years, with no explanation from where they came, especially the casket handle! My mother had a book entitled "Trash to Treasure" in the '60s. So my entire life, I have loved to create new pieces from old, just as they did.
Which Came First, The Cloche Glass or the Stand?
Which ever one you find first is the one that comes first. You may have scoured the corners of antiques booths and found the perfect glass component. Cloches can be made from almost anything including drinking glasses, large or small glass lamp shades or even just the frames, old jars, canisters, apothecary jars ... anything glass may do. And in some cases, it may not even be clear glass.
Or you may have already found the perfect base. It could be a plate, tart pan, lamp base or a wooden table leg. It could be tall or short. It could be nothing at all. Whatever it is, it should speak to you. You'll know it by the little tingle you get in your heart. Remember that the glass does not have to fit the base. If you have a little extra ledge, that's a perfect place for an emblishment.
What If I Want A Cake Stand?
The same principle works for cake stands as well. Old lamp glass work great. After a day of Christmas baking, I was yearning for more cake and goodie stands. I'll be working on this soon.
The Perfect Finial for Your Cloche
You need a handle to lift your cloche, and for this you'll need a trusty tube of glass glue, and anything from a door knob, drawer pull, wood or lamp finial, bird or figurine, even an old spool thread once wound around. The center one below is wire wound to hold a photo. Your choices are endless!
Add a Little Embellishment to Your Cloche
Ribbon is a given. Keys are next in popularity. But little charmes or other related item can offer the perfect kiss of perfection hanging from your finial. The one to the right is a crown! Use your imagination.
What About Lifts to Create Your Vignette?
Simple displays are sweet, but multiple levels can be sensational. We have been stacking treasures on books and upside down bowls and pots forever. Why not look for some orphaned silver casserole servers or trays. They make great stands for small or large items by simply adding a top: a wooden or marble piece or even a plate or silve tray for a round stand.
What Are You Going To Display In Your New Cloche?
Now for the fun part ... What are you going to display? What is important to you. What brings Spring into your home? What makes you remember someone or someplace you love? That's what you feature.
You Gotta Go ...
... to my Pinterest page. I have pinned hundreds of ideas and some with step by step instructions. You'll also fine the photo credits for what's pictured above. Click here!
Lakewood 400 Antiques Market is this weekend and I couldn't be happier. I am inspired! I have a pair of old tall candlesticks I have been smirking at for years. They will get a new coat of paint and be turned into tall cloches just in time for Spring. The Hawk Feathers we collected will now go under glass since they became the favorite play thing of my kitties and had to be hidden. And the candle sticks I have tired of on my mantle will get a new life after the Christmas decorations come down. Hmmm.What will I do with them? Stay tuned.
Enjoy!
jan
What better place to search for great treasures, furniture and accessories, and everything from fresh produce to hand made jewelry, than at the Lakewood 400 Antiques Market! You absolutely never know what you may find there! It is a glorious treasure hunt sure to delight. For more information Click Here!
Please Note: Beginning January 2024, Lakewood 400 Antiques Market will be open on the 1st weekend of every month, and no longer on the 3rd. Go to the website and you can add the upcoming dates to your Google calendar. For a reminder every month, sign up for their newsletter.
Jan Jones is a Designer, Artist, and Author of
"Finding Me: A Motivational Journey of Discovery for Young People."
and the soon to be released, "Daydreaming." For more information Click Here
For the www.janjones.design website and jjd magazine where you can read many articles by jan
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