Sometimes, when students come to one of our workshops, it is interesting to note that most of them come with a relatively small repertoire of products in mind to create. They either think about awards or glassware. Little do they know that the techniques they are about to learn are applicable to a wide variety of products. So, the fun thing in teaching a workshop is always to see their eyes light up when they realize the potential of this type of work.
In this article, I simply want to focus on one of those potential areas of products, the custom gift market. Naturally, I cannot cover all the possibilities under the sun but will focus on a wide selection of products that are always in demand. Of course, there are also unusual products that are often created especially for a recipient and are not available as a “blank” from a supplier; so there is room for your own inventiveness and creativity.
Awards
Probably known to almost anyone, awards represent a large category of items that can also be considered gifts. Official awards are usually given by companies and sports teams but can also be given to someone who was part of a private event, such as a baking contest or a personal golf competition. These kinds of awards tend to be a little bit more fun and not locked into using a logo or company-inspired text.
There is a great variety of objects available, and you can choose between low iron glass, jade glass, and shapes made from optical crystal glass. The latter tend to be more expensive than the previous two categories, but here you can also find sculptural pieces like animals, boats, trucks and airplanes, and such.
Mugs
Another very popular category. Utilitarian objects are always welcome as they are not necessarily something that just sits on a desk to be looked at but can be used every day. Using the photoresist method of producing stencils allows you to not only create images with very fine detail or small text, but also create photolike images. Best of all, the blasting process works on glass, ceramic, or acrylic products.
The advantage of using ceramic mugs is that you can achieve a two-color image without having to apply any paint to the product since most ceramics have a color glaze over the top of the color of the ceramic or porcelain body, which can have a red, gray, or white color.
Glassware & flutes
This is also a very large category in creating gifts. Just like mugs, all glassware is used in everyday life and therefore very popular. These items can be personalized in any way you can think of. You can customize them for an individual or create sets for special occasions, like weddings, engagements, and the like. You can choose to focus on a specialty market, such as wine or beer drinkers, or the latest fad: whiskey drinkers. This latter category also likes to use “stones.” These are small square “ice cubes” put in a freezer and used to keep the whiskey cool. These can also be adorned with initials or custom designs, just like the glass itself.
Bottles
And for the whole category of alcohol consumers, there is the possibility of decorating the respective bottles with images and text. Since the bottles are usually made from colored glass, it is almost always necessary to add some color to the blasted designs to have them stand out in contrast to the color of the bottle. The only type of bottle that requires a bit of gentle handling is champagne bottles. Yes, you can blast a design into them but do not shake the bottles during processing or you might have a mess in your blasting cabinet.
Coasters
Another item very closely related to mugs, glassware, and bottles are coasters. These items will protect the surface of your furniture and can be made from glass, acrylic, stone, or wood. Even though these objects are usually flat on the bottom, you still do not want to slide them on the surface of your furniture.
To prevent that from happening, we use what we call bump-ons on the bottom of the coasters. Bump-ons are small half spheres made from a soft material that are usually clear in color. They are self-adhesive and easy to apply. If we make coasters from ceramic or stone tiles, we often use self-adhesive felt pieces that cover the whole bottom of the item, since ceramic tiles, for instance, often have ridges on the bottom side which do not look very attractive.
Vases
The decoration of vases is in no way different from the mugs or glassware items in terms of creating images or text but, one thing is definitely more challenging than in those just mentioned: the shapes. Most vases do not tend to be just cylindrical but often have complex shapes employing both convex and concave shapes.
These shapes make it a great deal more challenging to apply stencils to their surface. You really have to plan where you are going to apply a stencil and how large it can be since the curvature will distort the image or text. If you want to have it easy, stay with the cylindrical shapes, but if you want something special you will have to work at it a bit harder.
Ornaments
Again, these are very popular items and just because they are called ornaments, they do not have to be a Christmas ornament. We have used these blanks as personal commemorative items for people and pets. These are small items and can be had in a variety of glass types: regular plate glass, low iron, or optical crystal with facets, not to mention many different shapes.
You can hang them with a ribbon or attach longer chains to them. In our area, people like to hang things from their rearview mirrors in their cars. We have blasted “ornaments” with pet images or other symbols and attached chains or beaded extensions to them to hang from the mirror, or wherever someone would like to see them.
Picture frames
Be it a person, pet, or location shot, people love to frame their memories. In our line of business, we are able to not only commemorate the above-mentioned categories, but we can add a text or sentiment to the picture. Picture frames come in many shapes and sizes, vertical, horizontal, straight, or curved. You can choose to leave the blasted areas white or introduce some color as well; it is up to you and/or the taste of your customer.
Boxes
Jewelry or keepsake boxes are another utilitarian item. Here again, you can find boxes made entirely from glass or from wood. And yes, you can also blast on wood. We’ve created wooden boxes with glass on top that we had to buy separately. We then inserted a round, beveled mirror that we blasted. If a box is made from glass, you can blast on any side of the box. And don’t be limited by the name jewelry or keepsake: you can use a box for anything you want.
Letter openers & bottle stoppers
These are specialty items and maybe not quite as in vogue anymore; not many people use a letter opener anymore, but some of us do. Bottle stoppers on the other hand are pretty useful and get more meaning when they are personalized for the recipient. Both items can be made from glass, stone, or wood.
Assemblages
Do not be afraid to experiment! I am showing just one small project we made at the request of a customer. She and her daughter were into the “Beauty and the Beast” theme and we created this combination piece for them. It used a wooden base, a bell jar turned upside down with a fernlike pattern blasted on it, some optical crystal pieces attached to the top of the jar, and an artificial rose and petals on the inside. They were very happy with it.
You see, there are a lot of products to choose from when it comes to making a gift item. As I mentioned in the last category: do not be afraid to think outside the box. I could show more items made by fusing and casting glass, adding gold leafing, and airbrushing to items, but those are all specialized techniques that require more attention. This article was designed to make you aware of all the many products you could consider for your business. I hope it gave you some inspiration to consider some new products to add to your business.
