Tulsa Parade of Homes

I don't have pictures yet but am proud to say that our glass tile has been used in 4 of the homes featured in the Tulsa Parade of Homes. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

One home built by Penn Development, market value $1.5 million, used our AfterGlow Series in two rooms. Another home by the same builder, market value $490,000, used the AfterGlow Series in one room.

Hollinger & Associates built a home in Wind River, market value $1.6 million, that used our Fantastix Iridescent glass. I haven't seen or heard which room this went into yet.

Ironwood Homes built a home in the new Stone Canyon subdivision, market value $425,000, here in Owasso and used our Brushstrokes and Art Tile Collection.

There were several other homes that tile was sold for but I haven't received any confirmation that the glass was actually used. We are off this weekend to look at these gorgeous homes to see for ourselves. If you get a chance to visit, the Parade of Homes goes until June 29th.

Marble Shack

Just wanted to advertise a little for my new side project: http://www.marbleshack.com/. I sell marbles and chain pulls on Ebay and Amazon but decided to add the website too. The marbles are little guys, about the size of an aggie marble (1" diameter). The chain pulls are perfect size at 3" long. All of the logos are fired on in a kiln so they won't scratch off. We have all of the NFL, MLB, and some college teams plus Harley, John Deere, Jack Daniels, and tons of lighthouses from around the US.

I am offering flat rate shipping for $5 to US residents on Marble Shack only. Okay there is my off the topic plug for my new website. I hope some of you will "shop by"!

Going Green

This is the latest issue for many people in America. It is good for our environment and a good habit to get into. Go green!

Tile Shack has been going green for a long time. We recycle everything that we can. Our bulk packing peanuts that we use to pack your orders are made of recycled materials. We also reuse as much packing material as possible. When we get shipments into our warehouse, we will use the packing materials when shipping out orders.

We also try to pack your order in the smallest but safest box. This allows us to use less packing material. We always make sure to give at least one inch of packing all the way around the products you ordered. So don't worry, we won't let your tiles get broken if we can help it!

We recycle in our office too. The paper we use to print your sales receipts are done on recycled paper. If our printer gets weird and prints something wrong, then we take that paper, cut it up to use as notepads around the office. We don't throw it away unless both sides are covered!

There are many other small ways that we reuse and recycle in our store and warehouse. The best way is that our products, glass tile, are environmentally friendly all by themselves. They can always be melted down to produce another product in years to come.

Go green!

Mosaic Project Ideas for Teens

It is so easy to turn teenagers on to mosaic art. All you have to do is tell them they are making something useful for their room and they will be listening! The great thing about teens is that they can use all sorts of tiles and break them using the wheeled cutters.

Some cool things to make with your teen:

1. Bulletin board - Take a piece of Wedi board and glue a large piece of cork (can be found at your diy store) to the center leaving at least a 2" space all around for the border. Glue assorted tesserae all around the outside border. Try using 3/4" vitreous glass broken into triangles with a dash of metallic glass. The Wedi is great because they can stick the push pins into the cork and it will go into the Wedi with no problems. Use Weldbond for the glue.
2. Picture frame - Buy a cheap wooden picture frame that has a wide frame (at least 1 1/2"). Let your teen glue a string of plastic beads around the outside edge. They can then fill this with colored glass that matches their room. Weldbond works well for the glue.
3. Memory board - Use a large piece of Wedi board and allow your teen to glue a huge variety of memorabilia such as a picture of their fav band, a ribbon from that contest they won, or even a pair of shoes that they always adored but are now too small. Use scrapbooking letters to glue their name and common sayings to the board. In order to cover the entire surface, provide them with ribbon, shoelaces, ect to swirl in and around the objects. You will want to use Liquid Nails for the glue and definately don't grout this one.

These are just a few ideas that can give tons of fun for your teen and their friends. The ones that use the glass tiles can also be grouted using a sanded grout. Just make sure to wait 24 hours before grouting so the glue can dry. Then place a hanger on the back and trim out the sides of the Wedi with ribbon. Now your teen can hang it anywhere they want!

Wheeled Cutters

Wheeled cutters are a major part of using glass tile. This wonderful tool makes cutting glass easy and gives clean cuts with the glass.

When I first starting creating mosaics I used a hammer and sock to break my tiles. I would place the tiles into a sock and whack them with a hammer. Needless to say, I had a lot of glass shards and very little usuable pieces.

I soon found basic nippers. These clawlike breakers work with porcelain or ceramic but are a bear to use with the glass. You have to squeeze very hard and then you usually end up shattering the glass. The crystal glass won't even break using these.

Then I was introduced to the wheeled cutters. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Although they are an investment, it is very worthwhile. You barely squeeze and you get a clean cut on most types of glass. You will never go back to using anything else.

So take the leap and buy the expensive cutters. You won't regret it!

Additions to the Limited Lots

I have just added a bunch of items to the Limited Lots section of my website. These are items that don't sell well and we have decided to discontinue them. Discounts range from 25% to 60% off.

I added the Electric Gems, Glass Shapes, CartGlass Vitreous (not the hot colors), and of course the AfterGlow II Series is still on clearance. There are only a few left of many of these items so grab all that you need at once!