How to Make a Glass Block Centerpiece
Making your own glass block centerpiece is fairly easy after you finish drilling a hole in the glass. Most glass block crafts use some sort of light to flicker and dance inside the glass surface. To create a glass block centerpiece with a string of LED lights inside, check a local home improvement store for an 8- by 8-inch glass block around 2- to 4-inches thick. Make sure the glass block is hollow. This shouldn't pose a problem since most glass blocks are manufactured as hollow shells.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Glass block, 8- by 8-inches
- Drill
- Drill lubricant
- Towel
- Frosted glass spray
- Pencil
- Silver metallic paint pen
- Silky silver ribbon, 2-inches wide
- Scissors
- Craft glue
- Small string of LED lights, battery-powered
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1
Place the glass block with the large back flat on a work surface. Carefully drill a hole in the middle of one thin side of the block that's big enough to slip the battery-powered LED lights through. Use a precision drill with a strong tip, such as a tile drill and appropriate drill lubricant.
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2
Rinse the block off, inside and out. Dry the outside of the block with a towel and let the inside air-dry for at least 24 hours.
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3
Cover the outside of the glass block in a light coat of frosted glass spray. This will give the glass block centerpiece a warm and fuzzy glow when the lights are placed inside. Let dry.
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4
Use a pencil to sketch out the design of a simple flower on the middle of the large front of the glass block centerpiece. Sketch a matching flower on the back of the centerpiece. Use a silver paint pen and go over the flower sketch on the front and back of the frosted glass block. Let dry.
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5
Cut a piece of silver ribbon 26-inches long. Wrap the ribbon tightly along the four thin sides of the glass block. If your block is more than 2-inches thick, use a ribbon of the same thickness so that it covers the glass sides precisely. Overlap the ends of the ribbon on the opposite side of the one that has the drilled hole, add some glue and secure the ends to the glass to keep the ribbon in place. Let dry.
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6
Turn the LED lights on, push the ribbon aside and drop the lights into the hole in the glass block. Push the ribbon back into place to cover the hole. You can push the ribbon aside to turn the glass block centerpiece on and off as needed.
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7
Place the glass block centerpiece on the middle of a table with the glued ribbon ends facing down and the ribbon-covered hole facing up.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can alter the basic listed steps in several different ways to create a customized glass block centerpiece. For a wintry theme, draw snowflakes or snowmen on the glass block instead of flowers. For a romantic theme, use red ribbon and draw hearts on the glass with a red paint pen. For a birthday theme, use polka-dotted ribbon and draw colorful balloons on the glass.
