Man in the Moon with Stars

I love making things like this for the holidays, they are fun to make and easy to gift (or sell).

Materials needed:

Man in the Moon Mold

Man in the Moon Mold
$28.00

1.5L cobalt blue bottle bottom

glass drill or dremel

bead wire

crimp beads

clear glass beads

Flat blue bottle glass

glue

glass tools

Step 1:

Kilnwash the mold, add the cobalt bottle bottom and full fuse the bottle bottom on the Man in the Moon Mold. (In depth Bottle Bottom Fusing Tutorial here.)

Man in the Moon bottle bottom mold

Step 2 -Cut glass for small stars.

Start with flat blue bottle glass. Cut into a 2″ strip.

Cut flat blue bottle glass into a 2″ wide strip

Cut the strip into 2″ x 1/4″ strips:

Cut 1/4″ wide glass strips

Break into strips

narrow blue bottle glass strips for stars

Step 3 – Assemble stars

Each star takes 5 strips of glass, so make sure you have 15 strips ready to go. I like to assemble the stars in batches, it makes it easier. I also assemble the stars on my workbench and then move them to the kiln when the glue is dry, much easier on the back!

Side one of the stars, add a glue dot on the top edge.

Side 2 of the stars

Add glue to side 2 center and bottom edge

Add side 3

Adding glue dots to the star

Add side 4 to the star

Glue dots for the final side of the star

Assembled tiny stars – ready to fuse

These stars can be fused in the same firing as the Man in the Moon bottle bottom. Just put them on a prepared kiln shelf or shelf paper.

Step 4 – Drill holes in the Man in the Moon

Drill one hole in the top edge of the Man in the Moon for hanging, and 3 along the bottom where you would like the stars to hang.

Moon and stars fused and ready to assemble

Add the clear glass beads to the beading wire and crimp one end of each wire through each of the bottom holes on the moon.

Bead wires with beads

Crimp the other end of the beaded wire to each star. If the small holes in the stars have fused closed, you may have to drill them out to fit accommodate the wire.

Assembled Moon and Stars chime

Add a loop of wire or monofiliment at the top for hanging and you’re done!

Finished Moon and Stars chime

Tips and Trouble Shooting:

If the gap is too small to slide pieces together, you’ll need to widen it with either a diamond file or a diamond bit on a dremel tool. Use plenty of water and wear a mask.
Make sure the feet are level, if your vase isn’t balancing, you may need to grind the feet larger and flatter
If your fiber paper doesn’t come out cleanly, add water and dig it out with a skewer or hooked wire.
Yes, the vase can hold water

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