I am making a stained glass panel with a lighthouse in it and I want to put windows and doors in the lighthouse. Do I cut them out somehow or put something over the glass
First the negative bits:- An outdoor wedding would save lighting but risks bad weather and also some guests may not be able to hear well if there is any wind. The set-up costs of this also have to be taken into account and may well be more expensive and create more vehicle emissions than a church or hall wedding venue. Transport is the main emitter of un-green pollution which is under the control of individuals, followed by un-necessary lighting (e.g. upward facing floodlights that mainly light the bottom of clouds). For example: It's very sweet to have a wedding on a tropical beach or a Carribean island; but the CO2 emissions (as well as the cost) of getting everyone there is obscene. If you have to shuttle the wedding party between venues then hiring a bus would be ok. It would also make parking easier at the reception - but where would the guests leave their cars at the wedding venue? Would they be safe? Also, what about those who want to leave at different times? There's always some who don't want (or can't) wait around to the end of the festivities. Now the positive bits:- It would be a Green decision if you had the sites adjacent or in easy walking distance of each other. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but to go green why not have the wedding in a venue local to where the majority of the guests live. You could try asking the bridesmaids to use second-hand dresses instead of having specially made gowns. This isn't as mean as it seems - it's eliminating waste on the production and materials for clothes that would otherwise only be worn once ( the bride's dress is the natural exception). Best of all to go Green would be not to fly anywhere for your honeymoon. If you're travelling beyond a hundred miles then go by train (the greenest of all transport except for a bicycle). Try spending your wedding night in a railway sleeper compartment. That could actually be extremely romantic (James Bond always makes it seem so) and the train crew will make a big fuss of you.
Traditionally,you're supposed to pick or create a design that won't have you trying to have pieces floating in the middle of another piece because it is difficult to cut a hole in the middle of a piece of glass, as you may have discovered. I have cut round holes in glass but it was regular window glass, not stained glass which can be a little trickier to cut. If you want to try cutting a round hole and then grind or chip it into a square shape, go ahead and try but be prepared for lots of spoiled pieces. Something else you could try, though, is a fairly new thing--glass paint which can be found at many craft stores or art supply shops. Pebeo is a popular brand. It can be painted on and left, which should work if the piece will always be indoors and you don't scrub it to clean it. There is a version of the same paint which can be painted on and then baked in a regular oven, and it's supposed to be dishwasher proof so should stay on very well. I have used some of this paint and it seems to do what they say it will, I'm still testing it for wear and don't have a dishwasher so can't really road test it. Painting on glass, such as you see in church windows, used to be quite impractical for the average glass artist since it needed a kiln in which to fire it on to the glass.
