Eve Goes "Pro" with Gallery Glass

One of the most gratifying services that our blog provides--is the showcase for the talents of our readers. Eve had been following us for a while and I was pleasantly surprised to get this email yesterday.

"I was looking at some of the submissions that others have shared with your Gallery Glass website. I thought I would share with you what I consider to be my very first "professional" Gallery Glass job. This kitchen window is in 1,000+ high-end penthouses; a community known as 'The Meridian" (which is nestled just behind Las Vegas Blvd. and the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.)
In each of The Meridian suites these windows are 21:x27" and they are not only unattractive, but also fail to provide enough privacy for their tenants from the people who walk by. I also attached an image which is an example of a modular window cling technique. I called it 'Ladies In Conversations'." 

What a beautiful piece!I love to share the directions that inspiration takes our wonderful Gallery Glass artists. This panel is somewhat contemporary in feel, but the clothing is reminiscent of Victorian styles. It certainly appeals to a large segment of our Gallery Glass enthusiasts. I appreciate how the portrait style subjects are layered into the colorful background. The shading of the clothing helps to define the figures. The faces show expression by their angle and placement, without the presence of leaded features--a good trick that's not easy to achieve.

Great job, Eve. Thank you for sharing your work. We would love to see other projects as you continue to develop your talent.

New Home - New Gallery Glass Windows

There is nothing quite as exciting as moving the family to a new city. Recently, my daughter, Renee, graduated from Medical School and was chosen to do her residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. We are thrilled with the appointment, but it meant relocating to the new city which is 2 and 1/2 hrs. away from Atlanta. It isn't a long distance, but definitely far enough away for a moving van (actually took 6 trips). We kept thinking we were done, but then another van load of stuff would materialize. It was a busy and eventful 2 months which coincided with her graduation and the end of school and the "Dance" year for my granddaughters.
One of the first things Renee did after closing on the house was to email me the sizes of her windows. The house featured tiny little windows above each of the large window groups on the ground floor, and Gallery Glass was a logical solution to prevent glare where they would not be covered by curtains. We argued about the pattern for several days. I wanted to do something Art Nouveau, but my daughter felt that something more Art Deco would give the home a contemporary feel.

Finally, we agreed on this design. She thought it was perfect because it had the look that she wanted for their home. I could see that it was adaptable to all the places she wanted to put it, since it would look equally as well horizontal or vertical. And it was a pattern that could easily fit every size because the transom came in 3 sizes, the sidelights and transom was a different size and the kitchen and bathrooms were different, again. This design simply started with an "X" across the corners, and the perpendicular lines were drawn in proportionately. Perfect. Then we debated a lot about the spacial relationship of the frost and Crystal Clear. We needed a third texture, so Renee suggested "stripes" made with the Crystal Clear. It was the perfect companion to the Clear and Frost and the Ribbon of stripes flows through adjoining panes tying them all together as if they were part of ONE design, rather than dozens of separate designs.
Of course, I insisted that we not put color into play because I have a strong aversion to color on the front of the house. I think it can draw too much attention, especially at night, and it limits the use of interior furnishings and accessories that can be used in the various rooms. It's hard to pull off color successfully, especially when the same design is used across the front of the house.

 
 The front door has glass all the way around and opens into a small entry hall. Because the sidelights had real mullions (dividers) and the transom had faux mullions --bars between the 2 panes of glass, I opted to do all three of the areas on a long piece of plexiglas, instead of individual pieces. It was faster and easier, but it also allowed all three windows to match, stylewise. The transom rests against the glass, but the sidelights rest against the mullions - about a half inch from the glass, but from the outside, you really don't notice.

Our next project was the back door. It looks out from the mud room onto a deck that is higher than the street, so it is going to be highly visible, even over the fence, and especially at night.. Because the mud room has a tropical Palm Tree theme, we chose the contemporary "Leaves" design for the tall skinny window in the door. The mullions are real, but a routed groove around the outside allowed me to do the design on one piece of 1/8" plexiglas. This works well because it is a door that will get a lot of traffic, so the single panel will be more durable. 12 panes would be hard to keep in place with the family passing in and out every day. We chose to add some color to the design because it is the only window on the back of the house and can be a little more whimsical. We used Champagne for the background around the edge and also added Clear Shimmer to some of the leaves for a bit of glitz when the sun hits the design.  

Now for the transoms in the living area. The design worked well because the transoms were 4 different sizes. But as you look at the finished panels, they all look like the same design.

We also did the transoms above the dining area window and the doorways into the back hallway. The window over the sink was another "must have" because the window looks right out into the side of the neighbor's house. Notice that the design looks just as well "stacked"-as it does arranged in a line.

In case you think we were done, you'd be wrong. I took the same concept to the master bedroom on the main floor and the master bath. There are little windows in the shower and another 4 pane over the tub. I did the ones over the shower areas, both upstairs and down, but have yet to create a design for the large window over the tub. I'm thinking that we will do a little more with that design because it's big--there are 4, 21" square panels to work with. It's an opportunity for something interesting--maybe even some color. Stay tuned! I'll update this article when we finish.

Sandra Creates Tiffany-style Irises with Gallery Glass

 

Once in a while, a reader will "blow me away" with her tenacity to figure out the Gallery Glass Technique on her own, although there are few instructional materials that survive in the marketplace (in spite of my ongoing efforts to preserve the GG body of knowledge). But Sandra has done it once again. I am over the top about her creative experience that she agreed to share with us. Here is her story--along with some wonderful step-by-step images. She really did this people--in only 3 projects! Unbelievable!

 

"I've been doing lots of painting; my 3 front door windows, the long transom glass over my French doors in the master bedroom (on Plexiglas); I drew/designed/created an underwater coral and tropical fish design over the living room transom and used some paint direct methods and created some on blanks and moved to the glass (it's a long 3 pane window) did the 6 pane glass window on a back door; and then started on this project, which I really love."

 

(comment from Carol) Many people start out with a small project before they do a window. 30 years ago, when I first started glass painting after taking leaded glass classes (cutting and soldering), I used one of my 8x10" frame-able art patterns that I had done in my leaded glass class--as my first project. I outlined the design and filled it in with similar colors of paint--having very little faith that it would be acceptable, since I was a newly born glass snob and was only looking for the "real thing". The next morning I got up and put the two projects side by side in the window--and could not believe my eyes. The painted glass and my leaded glass project looked almost identical from half way across the room! That's the day my passion for glass painting took root and it's been growing ever since.

Sandra continues: "Actually, I wanted to do the bathroom window so no curtains were needed; I started searching for a pattern and between the Tiffany peacock and this one, I choose the iris's. I didn't know about the kit, I just was so enthralled with your creation that I downloaded your picture and googled to find the template, I can't remember where I found it, either on the blog or somewhere on the Internet. I downloaded Carol's finished picture to compare it to and searched for the colors of paint to match the template after finding the index of colors on your site. I ordered those not found locally at Michael's, and guessed on the ones I couldn't read from the blown up template, I think there was one no longer manufactured; I did add a couple of new ones like the hologram paint."

"I had a piece of Plexiglas cut to the exact size of my bathroom window, and taped the template to the back. I made the template by downloading a software program that would blow up the standard letter sized template to any designated size, in this case 3 by 4 ft. It printed up one 8x11page at a time (4 pages wide and 6 pages vertically) and I painstakingly trimmed and taped all the pages together to make the 3'x4'print line up correctly. It wasn't until after it was done that I noticed some of the outside edges didn't quite come through in the end product, but you'd have to be as picky as I am, to notice."

"It took me a couple of weeks to complete this in the evenings and weekends, I took pictures of the process from beginning to end. I used the pre-made lead (Redi-Lead) lines since the project was so large and the leading so perfectly even in width; my hand leading is not nearly that good!"

And here's the finished piece in the window. Love it, love it, LOVE IT! Isn't her story amazing? One of the most admirable steps was figuring out how to make the blow the pattern  up to 3'x4'--incredible. I'm still not sure how she did it. I have a huge Cannon copier at my elbow that I can blow up patterns on, but patterns that are larger than one 11x17" sheet are tedious--to say the least. The next thing I can't imagine--is doing this huge, intricate design--with Redi-Lead strips. I used the Liquid Leading, which is so much faster (for me), but whatever it takes, to get the finished result.
Sandra, you are one smart cookie! Keep sending us photos of your fabulous work. I would love to follow your journey into our enchanted Gallery Glass world!

Amanda's Gallery Glass Enchanted Entrance

 

It is wonderful to know that our blog is read around the world. I got an inquiry from this lovely lady, Amanda, a few weeks ago and swapped emails for a couple of days, to discover that she lives in Australia. Here's how she found us and what she was encouraged to do--based on the information on our blog. Amazing, I couldn't have done it better myself!

Amanda writes, "Your site is what made me choose Plaid, when I was researching on the net to see what I should use! I’ve thrown myself into the deep end, choosing as my first project a massive stained glass window for our entrance. It’s almost done… just the rest of the sky to go (going to be a mix of clear, hologram glitter and etching)."
"I think the hardest bit was printing my design on a bunch of paper sheets and then sticky taping them together. I do all my design work on the computer so it made sense to do it with this one too."
It’s going to be facing inwards, in a little entrance to our house. So… not exactly inside like inside a house inside, but definitely protected (roof, walls). We don’t freeze down here, but it can get pretty hot. Hopefully it’ll cope. We don’t get very humid down here in the south either (not like the north of Australia) so that sounds like a good thing. I’ve got some redilead (that’s how I did the octagon) so I’ll see if I think the outside would look better with (the design outlined on) it. I will definitely send a photo when it’s in place. (I have told hubby I’m going to be ‘away’ that day - I don’t think I could cope with seeing it go in!!) I can’t wait to see what it looks like with light coming through it! By the way, Hubby’s grandmother wants to play with my paint now that I’ve told her about it - you may have another convert!"

 

"Here it is, I designed and painted the dragon for the new entrance to my house that we've just finished (the window edges are coming-- but I couldn't wait to send this!). I love 'real' lead-light glass but I didn't have time for classes and I definitely wanted to make something myself. After a bit of internet research I thought Gallery Glass would be my best go. A huge thanks to Carol for her blog and YouTube videos that made me think, eh, this might not be to hard! It was a super fun project and I'm itching to do some more."

Amanda's story is not typical. People often start with a small project, and gradually work up to their target - a window in their home. But occasionally a new beginner will just "go for it" like Amanda did--with incredible results. So what are YOU waiting for newbie glass crafters--start today, planning your next project. Good job, Amanda! We love it!

 

 

　　
 

Painting windows by Vertical Application

The vertical application is used to create Gallery Glass designs directly on windows and other vertical surfaces. There are four basic steps:
(1) Preparation
a. Choose a design and colors for your room. Measure your windows and alter design to fit your window. Draw a pattern to fit your window pane. Patterns can be reduced or enlarged on a copy machine to fit your window. To enlarge a pattern dimension, add borders or make the borders wider. To reduce a pattern dimension, trim borders or make them smaller.
b. Gather supplies. Allow 2 oz. of paint per square foot.
c. Practice laying the leading strips on the surface you will be using. Get the feel of the paints. You can peel off practice areas before you start--for real.
d. To protect window, cover dividers and sill at the bottom of each pane with masking or painter's tape. Place newspaper on the floor under the window. Remove tape after paint sets up but before it is dry. Remove excess paint from dividers during application.
(2) Make leading strips with Liquid Leading or use Redi-Lead. Carefully estimate the amount you will need for the whole project. Measure and add together the lengths of all the lines in the pattern. Multiply the total by the number of times the pattern will be repeated on your window(s).
(3) Outline the design
a. Thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the window with glass cleaner.
b. Tape your pattern on the outside of your window so you can see it from the inside. If you can't access the outside of the window, transfer the pattern to the glass, using black transfer paper. Repeat transferring pattern as necessary to get entire pattern on the glass.

c. Working one strip at a time, pull up the Redi-Lead strips and press them to the glass, following pattern lines. Continue until all pattern lines are covered with leading strips. Trim corners and intersections so that there is only one layer. Don't go over lines or overlap the strips. Don't pull or stretch the strips as you apply them. Don't handle the strips more than necessary. Piece long lines by placing them end to end. When lines intersect, trim (miter) them neatly with a craft knife.Touch up gaps when you're finished by squeezing a small amount of Liquid leading over the gaps.
(4) Paint the design
a. Holding the tip of the bottle against the glass, apply paint to one section at a time. Begin in top left corner and run a thin line of paint across the top of the section and the leading above it. Be sure to cover the corners. Squeeze gently, and move the bottle with a wiggling motion side to side, working downward in horizontal rows, filling in one section at a time. Be sure to cover the corners and paint to the edge of the leading to seal the leading strips to the glass and avoid light holes. Always complete an entire section before beginning another section or taking a break. Don't shake the paint before applying--it will become too thin for vertical application. If it runs, you're applying too much paint. Use the tip to make it thinner and spread over larger area. Apply all paint straight from the bottle. Use less paint as you get to the bottom of a section; otherwise the paint may slide or droop. If you spill paint on clothing, wash it off immediately, using soap and water. Don't allow it to dry. Immediately wipe up spilled paint on window sill, sash, or frame with a damp rag. If paint dries on woodwork, spotting may result.

b. "Comb" the wet paint immediately with a toothpick or nutpick, working back and forth to create smooth, even color and to pop bubbles.
c. Complete Removal: Use a craft knife to score the paint just inside the window facing around the perimeter. Remove the entire painted area by peeling the leading and color away from the glass. If paint doesn't peel easily, use a hair dryer to soften the paint

Painting Tips and Techniques:
If paint stops flowing, use a paper towel to push tip to one side and lift it out. Use nutpick or long pin to pull dried paint from inside. Replace tip and continue painting.

To eliminate light holes in the corners of painted sections, dab some Liquid Leading over the hole. Liquid Leading will be less noticeable than patching the gap with paint.
To change a color before the paint dries, use a cotton swab to remove the unwanted color. Then repaint.
To intensify or darken a color, apply another layer of paint after the first layer dries.
To lighten a paint color, mix paint color with Crystal Clear.
If you want a translucent, not transparent look, paint your design with Snow White, Canyon Coral, Cameo Ivory, or Rose Quartz. Although all Gallery Glass paints have a milky appearance in the bottle and until they are thoroughly dry, these four colors have a cloudy translucent appearance when dry.

Change your mind about a color or section? if needed, you can remove just one or a few painted sections that you wish to change. Wait until the paint is dry, then use a craft knife to score the paint inside the leading. Simply peel out the paint from that section. Clean the section before applying another color.

Does your Patio Door need to be more private? Or maybe you just need to block the light? This is one of the most common requests that I get. Many homes have sliders or patio doors, as they are sometimes called. And they are extremely difficult to cover because they MOVE. Even a Gallery Glass solution is not an easy one because of the heigth in proportion to the width. Here is one pattern that will work. The two center sections have been left un-painted, but you can paint them if you need privacy.

Simulating Real Glass on Your Window:
Gallery Glass creates a realistic look because of its thick consistency. All hand-rolled glass has texture, and Window Color allows you to choose bumpy or smooth effects, depending on the application technique. Practice and experimentation will make unlimited variety and creativity available to you. You may want to experiment on the window or a separate piece of glass before beginning your project. Sponges, artist paint brushes, and small stencil brushes can produce very different textured patterns.

Cathedral - Use the method of color application described earlier in the post to achieve the look of textured, cathedral stained glass, or experiment with any of the special effects listed below.

Opalescent - Translucent Window Color such as White, marbleized with one or more colors. Place drops of one color in an area, then fill in with a second color. Use the bottle tip or a toothpick to swirl the two colors. Do not overmix. Translucent colors used for both the dots and the background look more like opalescent glass.

Glue Chip - Etched, fern-like designs on clear glass. This is a very popular look. A similar effect can be achieved by using the marbleizing technique with Snow White dots and Crystal Clear as the background.

Wispy- Two or more colors marbleized into a clear background. Place dots of two colors on the glass, then fill in with Crystal Clear. Use the same technique as Opalescent.

Feathery - Use a very soft flat brush. Put paint in a shallow cup and dip the tips of the bristles into the paint. Begin at the top and make a comma stroke to the right and one to the left. Continue in rows until the entire section is filled. The result is a quick, easy, feathery texture that covers a large area economically. Crystal Clear or Blue Diamond work best for this technique.

Etching or Stucco Texture - Use a stencil brush and a paper plate. Load the tips of the bristles with a small amount of paint. Use a pouncing motion to cover the section very sparingly. The finish looks similar to etched glass. This is an excellent finish for mirrors. Use Crystal Clear or Blue Diamond for best results.

Vertical, horizontal or diagonal Grain - With the applicator tip touching the glass, apply the paint thinly in streaks. You can also use a toothpick to "comb" the paint to create a directional grain.

Opaque Colors - You can mix almost any shade of translucent paint by putting a bright color directly into a bottle of white and stirring well, then applying to the glass.

Shading - Put two colors next to each other in the same, then comb to blend the two together where they meet. This is perfect for flower petals, leaves, and fruits.

Pattern for Pink Rose Arch top:

Gallery Glass Supplies: 16008 Kelly Green, 16001 Crystal Clear, 16016 Rose Quartz, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16076 Black Liquid leading or Redi-Lead.

Pattern for vertical trellis:

Susan's Craftsman Style Dining Room Windows

I'd like for you to meet my new Gallery Glass friend. Her name is Susan and she is the new "poster girl" for Gallery Glass.

Well not really, but she would be a good one. Here is her story:
"We have a 1920's craftsman home in Grand Rapids. This is our first home, and we love the older neighborhood, just not the proximity of the neighbors. I was talking with my friend about possible solutions and she mentioned Gallery Glass--having used it herself. Now she is an artist, so despite her telling me Gallery Glass was easy, I remained doubtful. I do love sewing and creating. I love vintage style and Pinterest absorbs way too much of my time. But an artist, I am NOT! I did tons of googling and pouring over this blog. I was still hesitant to try it on the vertical original windows, so I had panes of glass cut locally to fit just inside the frame (cheaper than the plexiglas). I also did online searches for "prairie style" or "Frank Lloyd Wright" styles of stained glass windows. I found an image that instantly appealed to both my husband and I, so I measured out a piece of wrapping paper the size of my window--used a long straight edge, and did lots of erasing."

"I was able to place each pane of glass over the template and outline the design with the liquid leading. I used one of the new colors - Gallery Glass Frost Honey Quartz --for the edges and several coats of Gallery Glass Amber for the accents (which coincidentally matches my grandfathers depression glass that I have on display!) I also used TONS of Crystal Clear. I seriously went through five bottles!! Because I had the luxury of working flat, I used way too much. and ran into a little problem. I was applying it too thickly, in order to get the level of opacity and texture that I wanted. It took three days to dry clear and my concern was that it would cloud up later during humid weather. Carol assured me that even thick paint will eventually cure. She also gave me some tips on getting maximum texture with minimum paint and I incorporated the suggestions as my project progressed. I was able to achieve a couple different textures near the top of the piece (vertical lines)."

 "I had my Dad help solder on zinc came lead (used in real leaded glass) around the outside edge to finish it and make it look more authentic. I discovered that it really IS easy to fix a section of paint(say, from a soldering iron mishap). Just cut out the bad section and start over. I installed the windows using plastic mirror clips, leaving a bit of space all around for the window for them to "breathe" in winter. I'm loving the results and friends cannot believe they aren't real stained glass. My neighbor is happy, too. She thinks they look great from her side, as well. I know that the panels were a necessity, however, because she happened to ask me about the process that changes the white to clear.  (I only worked on the project in my dining room at night--she was obviously WATCHING--the whole time.)"

My, my, my! We've all had neighbors like that, right? I love the look that the windows create with the table. I love that she coordinated the accent colors of her window with the sentimental accessories. I love her clear textures - so classic and well executed. The primary feature of Gallery Glass Paint is --privacy and light. A secondary benefit is creating a pleasing artistic compliment to furnishings. All the features and benefits blend to create your unique decorating style. Susan did an incredible job on her first project. Her panels will be the focal point of her home for years to come. And they are not temporary or short-lived. I have peeled windows off that were in place for 20 plus years--and they still looked great, we just wanted to re-decorate. Thank you, Susan, for sharing your wonderful experience with us. You didn't mention the hours and hours of work that it took to accomplish this amazing feat, but I know--I KNOW that it was a considerable chunk of time. Good job. I'm so proud of you. Thank you for sharing it with our readers.

 

Classic Look for Commercial Space with Gallery Glass

 Last year we decided to do some problem solving with Gallery Glass at the commercial location where I get my "maintenance" work done--Joanie Parker's Hair Salon in Duluth, GA. It's a wonderful new shop, but the bad news is--it faces west and the afternoon sun glares in the front part of the space every afternoon. The lease excludes window treatments but Joanie was able to negotiate with the landlord to allow Gallery Glass. I wrote about creating the first phase of the project last year and we thought that we were done, but the door was still a problem, so we decided to expand the treatment to the door and create a 1/8" plexiglas panel that could be inserted on the backside--not an easy task to accomplish since it has a metal facing, and a glazing gun could not be used to hold the panel in place. We resorted to silicone glue squeezed between the edge of the plastic and the metal frame. The panel was taped in place until the glue could dry overnight. In spite of the high amount of traffic through the door, we are pleased with the results .

I took the original patterns for the bottom windows and adapted them for the door. The main issue was the printing on the outside of the door. Even though it wouldn't normally be read from inside the store, it was a consideration. I didn't know how much the stained glass design was going to show through from the outside, so I created to highlight the printing, rather than compete with it.

Another problem was the opaque panel at eye level that had her logo on the outside of the door. It was blank white from the inside and barely showed through. Rather than leave that area dark, I reversed the logo and painted it with FolkArt Extreme Glitter. That gives it reflected light rather than transparency, but it was a viable alternative to ignoring the logo box. Joanie says that people have made very favorable comments about the stained glass effect. Most of them think that it is "REAL" leaded glass, rather than glass paint. (Don't you just love it?) But it was a wonderful solution to a very tedious glare problem. In addition to solving a problem, Joanie feels that the traditional design contributes to the classic style and ambiance of her decor. It makes the shop unique and people really notice the project since we applied the technique to the door.

Here is the original article on the initial project--the 6 windows at the bottom of the window wall, under the divider. You might be interested in some of the details of that project, as well as the update.

Joanie Parker has been my friend for 20 years. I call her my Image Consultant because it is her unfortunate responsibility to make me look good. Not just on special occasions, but every DAY! She has held my hand through my reluctant career on TV, my daughter's wedding and now the unavoidable opportunities caused by deepening wrinkles and thinning hair. A few years ago, she got the courage to open her own shop and it has been an unbelievable success. As of March 1st 2011, she was able to move to a larger space with more room for additional makeover specialists. But there was one tiny problem. The building faces West and so they get grilled in the afternoon. The only answer is sunblock blinds for the top portion of the windows, but there is that narrow space under the larger top windows that present quite a window covering challenge. It's too narrow for 6 more sets of blinds because they would cost almost as much as the top ones, even though they're short. If they leave them open, their feet are still going to get the heat treatment. So I volunteered to solve the problem creatively with Gallery Glass.

I had one tiny problem. The windows were not all the same size. Two were about 7 inches deeper than the other four. That meant that the design needed to line up across the top, but be expandable so that the two longest ones would coordinate. I must have looked through 100 books and finally picked the best "expandable" design that I thought would go with her decor, which leans toward "traditional". I won't minimize the amount of calculations it took to make sure that both designs would have the same width, but varying heights. It is a mathematical challenge and only possible with an efficient copy machine for enlarging and stretching the design, as needed. But once I got it--I was excited. I could just visualize the classy appeal that the windows were going to add to the front of the shop. First I had to solve the problem of sourcing 2 panels that were large enough to fit the big windows. I learned something new. Glass distributors stock a thickness of acrylic sheeting that is only 1/16th thickness in 4'x8' sheets. It is thin enough to cut with a craft knife, but not as expensive as the 1/8 inch thickness (that you can't cut). The only catch was that I have to buy the whole sheet. No problem, if I don't use it now, I'll find something for the rest of it later, but I could get the sheet trimmed to my specifications for $85. What a deal!

Here is the pattern that I drew up of the 2 sizes and their relationship to each other.

Here is the way they are to be placed in the storefront. I couldn't wait to get started. Once I got my plexi, I was anxious to get started. She only wanted to have a few clear textures in the color scheme, so I chose Crystal Clear applied in a bumpy technique, Etching Medium applied lightly with a brush, Clear Shimmer and Hologram Glitter. It was the perfect combination and I must say that it looks as good from the outside, as it does from within. The sun glints against the glitter and reflects like crushed diamonds--really!

Here are some very dark pictures of the finished panels inside the shop. Sorry they aren't any better, but you can get the idea. She says that people notice it most when they start out of the shop after they have paid. They will come back and ask about it. They also sit and stare it while they are waiting for their color to process or sitting under the dryer. She says that most everyone that sees it for the first time--has to ask what it is!

These are the panels that will be hidden by the sofa, but we had to do them, also. You certainly see them from the outside when you're walking up the sidewalk. Maybe this will give you some ideas of what you can do either for money--or for a family member who has a small business. Be sure to check with the building owner to make sure that they will approve the window treatment. Some leases have restrictions about window coverings.
It was a happy ending to an extensive project, but one that was very satisfying. I was excited to see Gallery Glass solve a very hot problem!

French Manor Bathroom Window

We have wonderful readers and occasionally we get a new one. I got this post from Diane -- a new GGC reader-- over the weekend.

"I just found this very informative blog and I'm so happy I did. Thank you so much for all the great information and if you ever run upon a fleur-de-lis pattern and how you would suggest doing one please post it. That is my favorite decorating element. It might have something to do with being from Louisiana and adoring our Saints football team."

Diane, I don't know how ambitious you are, but here is one of my favorite Fleur de lis patterns from several years back. We photographed a book full of projects in the new home of a Plaid employee. They had NO window treatments, so we were free to go crazy. I love the simplicity and subtle color in this arrangement. It also has an air of formality, which may or may NOT, go with your decorating style. Not a Saints fan, no problem! There are a number of design motifs you could substitute for the fleur-de-lis. If you already have window treatments, you may want to enlarge the central pattern and do the design as a framed art piece. It would be appropriate for either an 8"x10", 9"x12" or 12"x18" with a simple border around the centered design. Here are the instructions for the window. This project incorporates Redi-Lead strips and the modular technique. Click on "Learn How Tips" to the right of the home page--for details about this technique.
Diane, you can enlarge an image and substitute the actual shape of the Saint's logo if you want.

1. Prepare window surface by protecting work area with paper towels. Clean glass with glass cleaner. Let dry. Measure window and create a pattern enlarging and adjusting design elements and measurements.

2. Place Fleur-de-lis patterns under leading blanks and outline with Liquid Leading. Let dry. Paint them according to the color guide on the pattern. Transfer the pattern elements to the window, reversing them as needed. Peel off cured Fleur-de-Lis and place them on the window. Outline the shapes of the swags with Redi-Lead strips.

3. Using a black marker and ruler, mark off the center of the window into even squares. We used 6"x6" because it made sense for the size of our window. We used a GG large round bevel mold for the medallions, but it's discontinued, so you can make your own medallions by spreading Crystal Clear Gallery Glass across the bottom of some clear crystal glasses that have molded patterns on the bottom. Spread the paint evenly and let it dry thoroughly. Then trim off any "crust" that remains around the motif and place them in the outlined circles in the corners of the squares, as shown.

4. Paint the Swags using the desired colors. Apply Crystal Clear to all squares on window. Let dry.

5. Using small brush, apply Etching Medium to the background area outside of the swags.

Gallery Glass Supplies:

Amber 16020, Cameo Ivory 16003, Crystal Clear 16001/16081, Gold Sparkle 16019, Snow White 16002, Etching Medium 16044.