Newcomer to market sells glass flowers

Katherine Bell made her debut at the Washington Farmers Market Thursday where she sold homemade ornamental glass flowers and bird feeders. Not only was it Katherine?s first market, but it was the first time Katherine had sold her wares to anyone. She said the response she received from the crowd was good and she plans to return to the market.

The ornamental glass flowers Katherine had on display were glass plates that were turned vertical and suspended in the air with a metal rod 4 to 5 feet high. She has more than a dozen of them scattered throughout the flowerbeds at her home in Keota.

Katherine started making the lawn ornaments two years ago after she moved to Iowa from New York City. She saw that people put metal flower decorations in their flowerbeds and lawns. She liked the idea of making her own decorations but wanted them to be a little bit different from what she had seen before.

One night, Katherine brought home four boxes full of glass plates. Her husband, BJ Bell, was curious about what she was doing, since to him it looked as if she had just hauled in four boxes of junk. Katherine explained that she found the plates at antique stores and that she would turn the plates into beautiful ornaments.

?I looked at the metal flowers in other yards, but I liked the glass better because it shines through,? she said. ?Being able to see through the plates is important.?

Katherine also got the idea to make her own bird feeders. She had one on display Thursday that was decorated with a glass swan on top.    

?I love swans and hummingbirds, so that?s usually what I make,? she said. ?A lot of my pieces are vintage and they have a meaning. I like the vintage look and I like that colorful look. I?m from an island, so I like my colors. Blue is a popular color around here. I like red, turquoise and pink, but I am open to any color.?

She said she saw someone else make a bird feeder and thought she could do that too.

?I didn?t know how that person made theirs, so I experimented and found a way to do it,? she said.

The bird feeders include a metal tray on the bottom with an upside down glass jar above it. Katherine puts a decoration on top of the feeders as well as a plate below the tray for the birds to perch on.

Katherine said she began making trinkets a few years ago. She started by making magnets.

?Every time I made one, my husband would tell me, ?Could you make them for my friends, too??? she said. ?I made things for people and they really liked it. I thought, ?I?m going to have to sell some of my stuff.??

Katherine has given several of her ornamental glass flowers to BJ?s mother, whose flower beds are now full of them.

Katherine is from the Dominican Republic. She lived there until the age of 12 when she moved to New York City with her family, where she lived until the age of 18.

?When I came to Iowa I liked it because it?s really quiet and there is less traffic,? she said. ?You can actually have a yard. And I have my husband here, so of course I prefer living in Iowa now.?