An Introduction to the Valentines Collection 2022

An Introduction to the Valentines Collection 2022

In 2022, one of my goals for GlassHouse Design was to concentrate on bringing new and exciting products out on a regular basis. This collection, my first of the year, has been a complete joy to create, and I really hope you all like it as much as I do!

As Valentines is fast approaching, I knew that my first collection of the year would be Valentines themed. I also knew I wanted to stick with a more traditional Valentine's symbol, eg hearts, flowers or similar, and in the end, after much sketching and scribbling, I landed on my final design, a sort of patchwork heart built around a central diamond shape.

Next I had to think about colours for my new release, I wanted to do something a bit different with my first collection of the year, so I decided that each heart I created would be entirely unique, using a different combination of colours and types of glass. 

In the end, I've released 10 different colour ways of my Valentine's heart, each has it's own colour story. I've created some images for you below showing the original images that inspired each of the hearts.

Bluesy

Bluesy Heart - stained glass heart created using different shades and textures of blue glass, in a mood board showing a blue fence, different blue flowers and leaves
Bluesy was one of the first colour combinations I created for this collection, as I browsed my racks of glass. This heart contains all different shades and hues of blue, and I love the classic simplicity of a palette based around a single colour.

Crystal

Crystal stained glass heart - stained glass patchwork heart made up from 4 different types of glass, all with a distinct texture including ridging, muffle and raindrops. Heart photo is on a mood board with a diamond photo and a drawing of a crystal.

Crystal is the only heart in this collection containing clear glass. I wanted to play with texture with this one, so each section is different from the rest. From deeply ridged glass on the outside edges, to the hammered texture of the iridescent pieces at the top, each piece of glass in this panel was both a challenge and a joy to work with.

Daffodil

Daffodil stained glass flower in tones of green, yelow and orange. Also included is a collage of photos and drawings of different types and colours of daffodils from bright yellow to the very pale yellow petals with the super bright trumpet
Daffodil is actually one of my favourites from the collection, I feel like it's so 'Spring-y'! Every year when the daffodils come through, it feels like winter is finally on the retreat and the sunshine is coming back! I tried to capture this essence of Daffodils and Spring by having the green glass around the outside of the heart, almost like leaves enclosing the bright and pretty blooms on a daffodil.

 

Iris

Iris- stained glass heart in shades of purple, violet, mauve and dark pink, along with illustrations and photos of purple iris flowers

Iris is another of the flower themes in this collection. I knew for one of the hearts, wanted to create something darker and more luxurious, with deep purples, mauves and pinks. When I was doing my colour research I found a photo of some gorgeous Iris flowers and knew that was the palette I was going to aim for. This piece really comes alive when the light shines through it and you can see the richness and depths of the coloured glass.

 

Mist

mist stained glass heart made from glass in shades of light and dark grey, transparent white and clear with white smoke running through, in the background is a photo of a mountain rising up through clouds and an illustration of strands of mist moving across the page.

Mist is my tribute to valley life- I recently moved to a very steep sided valley and almost every day we have mist rolling around the hills. It has a really calming, meditative feeling to it, which I tried to echo in the soft grey tones and pure white centre of this heart. The glass forming the two side panels has a wispy, smoky effect of white on clear and is one of those glasses that I've had in my stash for ages but rarely reach for - although this piece has made me question why!

 

Night Sky

night sky stained glass heart created using navy, indigo and grey glass, with photos and illustrations of beautiful night skies in the background

I think this one is my absolute favourite of the whole collection, the dark glass I've used in shades of navy, indigo and grey is sooooooo scrummy! As with Mist, this colour combination feels really calming to me, with the deep blue centre of the heart surrounded by shades of grey and indigo.

 

Pastels

pastels heart stained glass heart with created with pink, blue, yellow and green glass, all in pastel shades. background images show chalk pastels, a watercolour rainbow and an illustration of three pastel coloured balloons
Pastels is a super sweet colour way, featuring pink, blue, green and yellow glass. This is one of the hearts that changes most depending on whether or not it has light shining through it. In the image above, it was photographed lying flat on a white surface, so the colours are at their most vibrant. With more light shining through, the colours become much more subtle. I feel like this is one of the funnest hearts in the collection.
Roses
Roses stained glass heart, featuring four different types of glass all with different textures and varying shades of red. Background shows a photo of red rose petals and illustrations of red roses in bloom.
I couldn't do a valentines collection without including a reference to red roses, now could I? They are basically the quintessential Valentines flower, and with good reason! My Roses heart celebrates the variety of red tones and hues you can get in a bunch of red, red roses. 
Sunshine
Sunshine stained glass heart featuring different colours and textures of yellow glass background shows images of a sun filled sky, a sunflower and a cartoon drawing of a sun with a happy smiley face
Yellow is my favourite colour, it's the colour of happiness, custard, daffodils and sunshine! This heart is my tribute to the summer time, to bright shining days and to the joy of feeling the warmth and light of the sun on your upturned face. A perfect way to keep the Sun shining in your window, even if the weather isnt cooperating outside!
Sweet Pea
 
Sweet pea stained glass heart features glass in shades of blue, pink and purple. the background image is of a flowerbed filled with sweet peas in all different colours, as well as a line drawing of a sweet pea plant
And last, but not least, Sweet Pea. Ending on another flower themed palette, this time possibly one of the nicest smelling blooms- Sweet Peas. 
This flower always reminds me of my best friend Katy, a much more green fingered person that me, her garden is always full of sweet peas in every colour you can imagine.
So there you have it. 10 unique hearts all made from the same pattern, never to be made again!
Which one is your favourite? It there another colour combination you think I should have included?
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