Stained Glass Christmas

Every year, I add a few new designs to the Christmas Collection.  

I started with Classic Christmas Trees, Christmas Pickles, and Round Christmas Ornaments.  Over the years, I've added Holly, Mistletoe, & Angels.  

Classic Christmas Tree ornaments 

Some designs become part of the studio's history. The Old-fashioned Christmas Lights, created from vintage glass from my Grandpa Thomas's collection, were released as a limited edition and have been retired.

Christmas Pickles are back for another year

Now,  it's time to welcome the newest additions to the 2026 Christmas Collection.

Whimsical Christmas Trees

Available in Snowy White, Plum Purple, and Crisp Green, they're equally at home hanging in a sunny window, decorating your Christmas tree, or standing on a shelf with an LED candle glowing behind them. 

Iridescent Trees - New this year

They also make thoughtful host gifts and neighbor gifts. 

They are beautiful hanging in a sunny window, on your tree or on a shelf (try sitting an LED candle behind it!). Makes a thoughtful host gift or gifts for neighbor. 

Snowflake Charms

Iridescent glass makes another appearance in these miniature hexagon ornaments. Each one is laser engraved with a delicate snowflake before being finished in lead came and tied with ribbon.

Snowflake charms are wonderful tiny gifts

Fun fact: even our ribbons are made in the USA.

Measuring just over an inch, they're perfect for decorating a tree, hanging from a rearview mirror, or tucking into a gift. They make wonderful office gift exchange presents, Secret Santa surprises, and thoughtful little gifts for friends and grandparents.

Mystery Misfits

Mystery Misfits are back for Christmas! With seasonal colors, and holiday wrapping, these are fun stocking stuffers and Secret Santa Gifts.  Just remember, stained glass is not a toy!  

Christmas Mystery Misfits

Christmas is just getting started in the studio. Over the next few weeks, I'll be busy making stockings, pickles and more! If you want to see them before the rest of the world,  join the TCAG Insiders and get early peeks and special treats.

Until next time,

Ailsa

2026: The Year So Far and looking forward

Well, the first half of 2026 is a wrap and it's been a year of big changes at TCAG.

My plans for 2026 were to grow my email list and event schedule.  Those took a backseat when I learned goimagine was closing shop.  I shifted to building an ecommerce site and let the emails slide. Since I was already committed to several local art and craft vendor events, I stuck with it. But, man, I sure felt pulled in a lot of directions for a while!

I've added a few fun new designs to the line up. Fan faves have been the Mystery Misfits.  Look for seasonal versions of each as we move in to fall and winter. 

If you're already a subscriber, you know the new site is up and running. With items added as I can, it's a growing collection of my current items for sale.  I have created some smaller mini-suncatchers, which I think of as charm sized. Most measure around 2 inches by 2 inches and make great little gifts for moms, dad, friends, and grads.  Gift boxed options are available on most.

This spring, we attended Zionsville, IN's Brick Street Market for the second time. We added the Hoosier Hometown Markets and Spooner Market, both impressed us and we hope to add them to our schedule in the future. And, we returned to historic Franklin, IN for the Ethos Celebration of the Arts.  

For the second half of 2026, I have added several new events this year while keeping my previous events on the books.  From local fundraisers to huge art fairs, I'm still scheduling event for September thru December.  You'll find a running schedule at the top of this page.  

And, lastly, the Fall and Winter collections will drop soon.  With traditional black and orange, pretty pastel, and spooky gothic color palettes for Fall, you are sure to find something you'll love.  Stained Glass Christmas will be back in classic green and red, whimsical iridescent pastels, and playful personalized pet ornaments.  Join the TCAG Insiders for early access to these limited edition suncatchers and gifts.

Until next time,

Ailsa

How I've Built My Glass Library

I have a lot of glass. In the beginning, it was easy to manage, mostly because it was all unmarked vintage glass from Grandpa Thomas. 

No plumbing? No big deal!

How do I work without plumbing in the studio?

I love my huge studio. Even with garden equipment, saws, drills, and other stuff, I still have plenty of space.  But, there are quite a few features it doesn't have like AC, central heating, and plumbing.  It's not a deal breaker, that's for sure.  I have created several work arounds

Glass Facts You May Not Know

Did you know...

there are several types of glass?

glass is made from more than sand?

glass is made from secret recipes?

glass may contain gold?

you can see glass made?

Inside TCAG: Making of Seasons Drop

There’s a children’s book we read over and over when my kids were little—Wild Child by Lynn Plourde. We wore out one copy and bought another. While gorgeous colors and bold illustrations have lived rent-free in my mind for years, it wasn't the direct inspiration for the Seasons Drop series.

Repair Broken Staines Glass: A True Story of Blood, Sweat, and Tears

I love this piece.  The size, the shape, the colors - all of it.  I love it more than I thought I would.  It was especially heartbreaking when I broke it! 

How? It's hard to believe but I stepped on it!  I usually dry freshly cleaned stained glass on bathmats or thick towels. In the bathroom. On the floor. 

Inside a Kaleidoscope: My Kaleidoscope DIY Kit Experience

 

One of My Most Rewarding Builds - With a Few Close Calls!

This kaleidoscope project started as an idea for the goimagine Maker Challenge "Festival Fever" and became one of the most rewarding pieces I’ve ever made, despite nearly derailing it at least twice. I love it's fun, trippy vibes and think it is a great addition to the kaleidoscope aesthetic!

The prep work:

I began with the exterior triangle-shaped tube, cutting, foiling, and soldering strips of black opaque glass with a metallic sheen (fusing glass that shimmers to life in the kiln). Soldering was tricky because the fit between the two chambers was so tight—I had to work carefully to prevent any drips from spoiling the interior.

Once the frame was solid, I moved on to the mirror chamber. The kit included pre-cut front-surface mirror strips and hardware—mirrors specially designed so the reflective coating sits on top of the glass, not behind it. It’s a small detail I’d never considered until this build, but it makes all the difference in clarity.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, bonus moms, and positive maternal figures!

For a brief history of Mother’s Day in the U.S., check out these articles from the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum and Smithsonian Magazine.

I'm keeping it short and sweet - I'm celebrating with my family this weekend!

Until next time,

Ailsa

Brick Street Market - Here we come!

 We're headed to the 40th Annual 
Brick Street Market in Zionsville, IN  

Join us and over 100 other great vendors for art, home decor, clothing, accessories and food at this free event.  We'll be in booth 701, on historic Main Street, about halfway between East Cedar and East Oak Streets - look for our banner!

Where to Buy High-Quality Art Glass (Even If You Don’t Live Near a Supplier)

If you’ve ever hunted for art glass online, you know the struggle—cruddy photos, unclear descriptions, the nagging worry that what shows up won’t be what you hoped for, and the sinking feeling that there’ll be zero customer service if something goes wrong.

A Quick Guide to Stained Glass Tools, Supplies, and Resources for Beginners

According to the SGAA, one of the oldest examples of using multiple pieces of colored glass in a window was found at St. Paul’s Monastery, founded in 686 AD. Cool, right?

Fast-forward to today: We’ve got cool tools for stained glass work, modern stained glass materials, and free resources that explain the stained glass process for beginners. Electricity speeds up the process, modern tools do the same job more efficiently, and you can find supplies locally and online. 

Meet the Maker

From Nursing to Stained Glass

Hey there! I’m Ailsa, owner/maker at Thomas Critchlow Art Glass (TCAG), based in Indiana. 

After nearly 25 years as a registered nurse, I decided it was time to retire. Nursing was a big part of my life, but I was ready to dive into something new.