Glasswork in Sweden…Kosta Boda

I believe I was born to work with glass. I’m Swedish after all. The Swedes have been making glass for centuries. Their most famous glass studio is Kosta Boda, in Småland, Sweden. It’s “The Kingdom of Crystal”. It’s also where Pippi Longstocking lives but that’s a whole other story. I’ve been fortunate to have been to Kosta and Boda, which are two different glass factories. At Kosta I met the artist Olle Brozen.

Cool car by Olle Brozen

He does some really cool cast cars that are in the Kosta production line of art glass, as well as alot of other fine glass work. I got a quick tour of the hot shop and was able to watch the amazing workers create the production pieces that are sold all over the world. At the Boda studio I briefly got to meet the artist Kjell Engman. He was in a bit of a hurried mode since he was getting ready to go to the SOFA show in Chicago with his glass art.

I was absolutely in awe of the entire experience. The glass is from the sand of the area. It’s all created there. They color the glass themselves although the majority of the glass is transparent. Fabulous work. And the whole area is full of glass factories and schools. Another factory we saw that is also owned by Kosta Boda was Orrefors. They produce more traditional glassware. If you have the opportunity to travel to Sweden you have to check out “The Kingdom of Crystal”. The land where Swedish glass comes from!

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I recently stumbled across this super creative project on Instructables – “Face With Recycled Paper Cylinders” – and I had to share it with you all because it’s just the kind of craft that checks all my favorite boxes: recycled materials, hands-on creativity, and fun for literally any age.

The idea is simple but genius—roll strips of recycled paper (think junk mail, old magazines, leftover printer paper) into cylinders, then arrange and glue them to form a unique abstract face. You can make it funky, realistic, Picasso-inspired—whatever your mood or style dictates!

What I really love is the blend of eco-conscious crafting with true artistic expression. This isn’t just another kids’ project—it’s something you could easily do with a group of little ones, a classroom full of teens, or even as an adult art therapy or weekend wind-down activity. It’s super relaxing and surprisingly satisfying seeing all those paper rolls come together to form something new and expressive.

The tutorial itself is easy to follow, with plenty of visuals to guide you along the way. You don’t need any fancy materials—just glue, paper, scissors, and a board or piece of cardboard to serve as your canvas.

I also appreciate how this project leaves so much room for personalization. Want to make it into a full face? Go for it. Prefer to focus on a single eye or mouth? Totally works. You can even play with color schemes by choosing papers with a certain palette, or painting over them once they’re rolled.

In short: this is a total keeper for anyone who loves crafting with purpose. It’s the kind of project that sparks creativity while gently reinforcing the idea that beautiful things can come from what we usually throw away.

Highly recommend giving it a go—solo or with a group. And if you try it, tag me or drop a pic—I’d love to see your recycled masterpiece!

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