Glass Blocks Projects

My dearly departed mother in law introduced me to this great idea four decades ago. With her garden club – they would put on goggles and drill holes in glass blocks (!) – to feed in AA battery operated white lights – then gave it a frost and wrapped it in a bow. See below- The ribbon has gotten a little mangled in storage over the years. And we had to replace the lights after about 20 years. But we like to bring it out at Christmas to remember her by.

Like so many other things – glass blocks and lights have come a long way since the 80s. Those garden club ladies would be amazed at how easy it is to make your own now.

Look for glass bocks at craft stores – now they have a generous rectangular opening that closes with a plastic cover with a hole in the center to feed your lights through. I use so called firefly lights that are sold in 12 packs in a variety of colors – I prefer bright white. These lights have a low profile battery case that fits perfectly in the glass block plug – link below –

Firefly lights

People like to personalize them with Cricut labels as well as Stencils and Etching Cream – but I just like them plain. For more ideas search for Glass Blocks on Pinterest. You are only limited by your imagination and the size of the block opening. They are a quick project, but the blocks themselves are heavy – so I try not to weigh them down with heavy contents.

You can also fill them with water for fresh flowers. Try submersible lights or marbles for more fun – I don’t recommend floral foam –

Last, but not least – you can use paint markers to decorate them for a stained glass effect.

Without lights you can fill them with candy – At Halloween I fill them with Candy Corn – they also look great filled with holiday M&Ms , Googly eyes, Conversation hearts or Foil wrapped Easter Eggs – you get the gist. Sea shells, dried flowers,buttons, marbles anything that will fit through the slot. One can even be your loose change or golf tees collector.

The good news about their weight is that I have yet to meet a dog who can knock one over with a wagging tail. In my house – that is a bonus:)

Most of these ideas work with glass jars too

Here are the links to my Pinterest Boards for Blocks and Jars.

Glass blocks Pinterest Board

Glass Jars Pinterest Board

Thanks SHL for sharing this great idea with me. I have had so much fun with it.

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