Tempered Glass Art Craft Ideas

Broken tempered glass items can be collected for unique craft projects.

Tempered glass is also known as "safety glass." Treated with extreme heat, tempered glass breaks into pieces with rounded edges instead of sharp shards when shattered. Tempered glass looks and feels the same as untreated glass. Using tempered glass for crafts reduces accidental injuries, but care must be taken when working with any kind of glass.

Mosaic

Glass mosaic is the art of arranging broken pieces of glass to form a design. Grout is applied to the gaps in the design, creating a stained-glass effect. Place a sheet of tempered glass on a protected surface. Cover with a towel. Hit the glass gently with a hammer to break it into pieces. Adhere the pieces to your object's surface with clear-drying craft glue. Grout with an all-purpose tile grout; use a putty knife to force the grout into the joints. When the grout has set for 5 to 10 minutes, clean the glass and smooth the grout with a damp sponge. Use this technique to create picture frames, countertops, votive holders, vases and wall art. Apply the glass to an existing window for faux stained glass.

Wind Chimes

Lay out several lengths of nylon thread. Sandwich the thread at various intervals between pieces of colored tempered glass. Glue the glass together with clear-drying craft glue. Secure glass beads onto the bottom of the thread for weight and decoration. Tie the top of each string to a wooden dowel. Screw small eye hooks to each end of the dowel, string with fishing line and hang from your porch.

Jewelry

Use the mosaic technique to create one-of-a-kind jewelry. Make a pendant base with polymer clay; cut a small hole in the top. Embed pieces of tempered glass into the clay and bake according to the clay manufacturer's directions. String a chain or leather cord through the hole. Mosaic flat disc earrings with small pieces of tempered glass; grout with all-purpose tile grout. For a bracelet, drill holes on opposite sides of pieces of tempered glass using a very small diamond-tip drill bit. Apply fabric puff paint to the edges of each piece. Use large jump rings, available at craft stores, to string the glass pieces together.

Decorative Casserole Dish

Glass paint is available in a wide variety of colors and styles, including metallic, pearlescent, opaque and transparent. Paint can be baked onto existing tempered glass using the home oven. Decorate a casserole dish or slow-cooker lid with heat-activated glass paint. Bake according to the paint manufacturer's directions for a permanent, dishwasher- and oven-safe finish.