Bauble decorating workshop

Workshop participants decorate a glass bauble themselves. They work on its outer surface rather than blowing hot glass. Special glue and glitter are used to write a name. Instead of selecting a printed design, each participant makes their own lettering by hand.

The workshop is part of a programme that includes a guided tour of the collection and visits to the glassblowing and decorating departments. Watching the earlier stages provides a context for the work participants then try themselves. They take the decorated bauble home, leaving with a real glass object rather than a design drawn on paper.

Glass needs careful handling during decoration. The instructor gives guidance, and children work under adult supervision. This hands-on part of the visit concerns the most immediately visible features of a finished ornament: its lettering, pattern and their arrangement on a curved surface.