BLOG IN A BOTTLE

Here’s an interesting question to have you-a-puzzling this Wednesday… Does “everything looks special under glass”? Well the author of ‘Excuse me while I buy this junk’ certainly thinks so, and says “It’s so true! Since I’ve had absolutely nothing to talk about in the past week, I thought I’d show pics of some things I’ve put under a dome or in jars.”

And that he has, using this image of a ‘stack of spiky flower frogs holding a fun, vintage picture’ to illustrate his point, with a handy tip of what to use if one has no real cloches. “Use cheese plate covers, clock domes, upside down candle cups, etc.”

Has anyone else used glass to give anything that extra special air of grandeur?

We may not have full details of the weekend yet from our glass ambassadors who braved Belgium to prove themselves the ultimate friend of glass… But amidst the glass blowing of Christmas decorations, tasting of several premium Belgium beers (for the packaging alone you’ll understand) and oh so much more – it sounds like everyone had a magnificent time.

Therefore, we’ve put together a few fantastic pictures, uploaded over the weekend from a number of the folk present at the grand weekend out, to give you a taster of just what went on. Be sure to check back over the next couple of days for more details, but to whet your appetite, have a look below.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing more images – pop over to flickr.com and type in #chooseglass.

Remember the elegantly frosted glass bottles that emerged way back at the very beginnings of this blog… Well whether you do or not, we’ve found this magnificent post from centsationalgirl.com – telling you how to make them yourself.

Inspired by some frankly lovely etched glass wine bottles she swooned over at her favorite shop, she went about creating some other examples of her own. It must be said that there was a practical purpose at hand, as she “needed to transform the glass bath cabinet doors from a clear to opaque surface.” But like the greatest creative minds, why stop on a project that offers so much potential…

So armed with her can of Rustoleum’s ‘Frosted Glass’ spray paint, experiments were undertaken, and how! I could spend another 5,000 words describing the results generated, but probably the best thing would be to take a look yourself. From matching ‘his and hers’ water carafers to ‘wake up’ coffee jar and more – have a look over here.

So the votes are in, counted, double checked and tallied – and it is with great pleasure that I can announce that over 1,000 voters across Europe have rated Iskilde Water as the most original and creative glass packaging… Congratulations!

So with Friends of Glass trophy on its way to the Danish champions, we’ll reflect on the premier water brand who have triumphed with the cool, clear look of their packaging. Evoking all of the taste sensation of a premier water – it’s interesting to note that the water is sourced from an “unusually cold” long-secret Danish spring (dating from the last Ice Age) discovered in the highlands.

Water specialists Aqua Amore comment further on the physical benefits of the packaging “Iskilde’s long, narrow neck minimises the water’s exposure to the air over the bottle, ensuring that all the effort spent in getting the taste right is retained whilst you enjoy your meal”.

But, although the Iskilde packaging has been voted as the most original and creative out there – still remember to recycle… you can always get another bottle!

You might have heard tell of Choose Glass Week on bloginabottle.com over the last few weeks. Well at last the 21st-27th September is upon us, and with it, the first week primarily dedicated to glass, and its friends across Europe. We’ll be spreading the message that glass is the clear choice, and we’d love you to get involved.

So what’s going on…Friendsofglass.com take up the story “To help mums, dads and families get into the habit of choosing (and recycling!) glass, ‘Glassistants; will be handing out exclusive glass bottle bags at selected shopping centres around Europe (find your nearest event using the map below). Why not pop in and say hello?”

Meanwhile, a number of our glass ambassadors, who have been involved in spreading the word of recycling, will be joining a team from bloginabottle in Brussels. There they will be treated to some glass blowing, testing some lavishly packaged (in glass of course) Belgium beer and popping to the Woluwe Shopping Centre to visit Glass House: a showcase of the best that glass has to offer.

We’ll keep you updated on everything that’s happening right here on bloginabottle.com. And this week (as ever) do remember to choose glass!

There are literally hundreds of you who have pitched in to help make #tweetrecycle an unqualified success, and for that we thank you. Across Europe, nay the world, individuals, companies and green types have recycled over 108,000 bottles…

But we don’t want it to stop here… As you probably know, glass is the world’s only 100% recyclable material – and so we think it’s vital that everyone who can continues to spread the good word of recycling.

Therefore, we’ve created a central site which will map exactly who is getting involved, and where in the world they are! Similar to the popular geographic Twitter aggregator Twittervision in form, but created solely with Tweetrecycle in mind – you can watch as tweets pop up across the map of Europe – and see who is on the leaderboard and creating the most tweets about #tweetrecyle.

Whatsmore, you can click on an individual tweet to view it on twitter.com, or click on a person listed in the bottle graph to see their complete twitter account… It could be a great way to follow like-minded individuals too.

So go and have a look, #tweetrecycle and look for your Tweet coming up! Oh, and a prize for anyone who can knock our very own @girliterate from the top of the charts… She’s doing a little bit too well.

The days are ticking down, and with them the chance to have your say on what Europe rates as the most original and creative glass packaging on bloginabottle.com! Should it be the distinctive rounded edges of the Absolut Vodka bottle so famous on liquor shelves around the world, or does the bulging fist of Diesel’s Only the Brave perfume get your vote?

Either way it’s time to make a decision (or vote for 2 or 3 items if you’re torn between your favourite trio) and help us decide which glass packaging should take home the prize.

As it stands, Iskilde (or ‘cold spring’ in Danish) Water, which was discovered in the Mossø Conservation area in a remote part of the Danish lake highlands in 2001 is currently leading with 31% of the votes, but to use an old footballing cliché, it’s anyone’s game!

Voting closes on Sunday – so make sure to get your vote in before then!

It’s lovely to be able to appreciate some quality glass art, and as I trawled the blogosphere this morning, I came across the rather lovely Masters Glass Art site. Understated in form it may be, but the treasures that lie within its pages offer up a rare ocular feast. From pendants to plates with everything in between (including the odd spoon) author Christine creates a whole spectrum of glass products.

To illustrate some of the work on show, I’ve picked this Striped Fused Glass Pendant, resplendent in “all the colors of the rainbow!  It is so colorful!  When this fused glass pendant is taken out into the sunshine, it really sparkles” says Christine. Apparently it is created from rainbow dichroic glass and cut specifically to reveal the full spectrum of colours.

Offering inspiration to potential glass artists everywhere, Christine talks of her affection for the craft too and where it all began, “I started working with glass in June 2005.  I took a class to learn how to slump a glass bowl in a kiln.  It was so much fun and the glass bowl turned out so nice!  I was hooked!”

Why not have a go too!

Ah how the word of #tweetrecycle has spread, and as our recycled bottles continue to increase and with it, the amount of energy saved,  it was nice to see the word being spread round and about the Twestivals of England. Reports of #tweetrecycle bands being proudly worn at Oxford, Reading, Birmingham and London Twestivals were emanating all of last weekend, with more from Manchester; scores of pictures taken of the ‘Twitterati’ wearing the #tweetrecycle logo upon their wrists.

I’ve included my favourite picture below, and if you want to furnish yourself with a stylish bit of blue for your wrist – just drop us an email at Camilla.brown@friendsofglass.com and we’ll send some along. Meanwhile, keep tweetrecycling!

Sad news from The Times, as it seems that last orders are finally being called on the Great British pint glass – in the latest measure from the Home Office designed to make our public houses that little bit safer.

And while this will come as a devastating blow to those campaigning for the increase in use of the worlds only 100% recyclable material, as well as those who enjoy a traditional pint – the government is insistent. Sebastian Conran, who heads the Home Office’s Design and Technology Alliance Against Crime, said: “There are existing plastic glasses and if you go to a baseball game in the United States you can buy beer in a paper cup.

“People are quite used to drinking beer out of plastic and paper things but there is a feeling that in public, it is a traditional thing to drink beer out of a glass.”

But whether the great British public will openly embrace plastic glasses or ‘baseball paper cups’ is questionable, with popular opinion (anecdotally anyway) against the move. Twitter user predacomDom said “In the Sports Cafe. It’s fair to say this isn’t my usual kind of establishment. Apparently we can only be trusted with plastic pint glasses”. N8zilla added “Plastic pint glasses at a bar = Sippy cups for pre-adults”.

But however the governments crack design team decide that the new pint glasses should look, here’s hoping they take environmental concerns into consideration, as with 126 million pints of beer served each week in Britain alone, any reliance on the wrong materials could be globally catastrophic…

Any thoughts? Leave them below…