Decorating Ideas for Glass Insulators

Paperweights

• Clean off a dusty glass insulator find from the attic, basement or a flea market. Use vinegar and water to get the glass smudge-free and shiny. Place the heavy glass on a stack of papers on a desk for a ready-made, attractive paperweight.

Pendant Lamps

• Carefully drill a hole in the top of a glass insulator, using a diamond drill bit. Thread a cord and lamp kit through the insulator and add an LED light bulb. Hang the insulator from the ceiling as an industrial chic lamp pendant. Suspend a row of the insulator lamps over a kitchen breakfast bar or a rec room pool table.

Macrame Vase

• Slip a glass insulator into a macrame hanger and suspend it in front of a window where the glass will catch the light. Tuck a realistic fabric spray of greenery into the hollow of the insulator or plant an epiphyte in it for an instant hanging garden. An alternative to a macrame hanger is a combination of copper wire and chain. Use very thin copper-colored chain from the hardware store and wind copper wire tightly around the insulator, catching the chain in several loops of wire. Use a pliers to twist the wire closed and bend the twist flat against the glass. Hang the planter by the chain. The copper may turn verdigris over time if it is exposed to moisture, giving the hanging planter a true vintage appearance.

Tea Light

• Turn a glass insulator upside down and set it in a small circular metal stand, the kind used as hand-thrown pottery or flowerpot display stands. Set a tea light candle in the opening and use one or more of the tea lights on a patio or picnic table to add atmosphere to a summer evening feast.