Featured Artist Barb Byrne of Eclectic Treasures

Barb Byrne of Eclectic Treasures has always immersed herself in arts & crafts. She began sewing in high school, working with embroidery and needlework as a young adult, and then spinning and basket weaving when she moved with her husband to a 300-acre farm in mid-Missouri in 1990.
In the late 90s, she wove a full-sized baby cradle for her first grandchild and it was so well-received that she began a small business, aptly named Heirloom Cradles, making and selling doll cradles of all sizes, including miniatures. While on the farm, Barb began growing her own gourds after discovering gourd art, turning her gourds into decorated vases, bowls, and jewelry. She found a way to marry her love of weaving with gourds and her specialty became weaving natural materials onto the rims of decorated gourds.

Fused Glass Coasters using
No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive
for Frit Detailing

In 2007, Barb and her husband sold the farm and moved to the Kansas City area to spend more time with their daughter and her family. Barb joined the local area community center where she took a class in fused glass. After just two sessions, she was hooked!!

Fused Glass Night Light using No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive
to Write Olivia and No Days Bailbond to Attach Nightlight Finding

 Not having her own kiln, Barb continued to take classes at the community center for about a year, making mostly small jewelry pieces. Once Barb realized that this was the best creative outlet she had ever experienced, she bought her own kiln. Barb still makes lots of jewelry, but now she also makes a host of other items, including night lights, luminaries, business card holders, coasters, picture frames, and houseplant stakes. She also slumps and decorates wine and liquor bottles.

Dichroic Cabochon turned into a pendant
with No Days Bailbond

Barb loves to use No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive, especially when decorating her business card holders, night lights, and houseplant stakes. "The No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive keeps the small glass pieces in place and is great for adding frit to some of the narrower pieces I design."

Dichroic Fused Glass Pendant and Earrings

Barb teaches nightlight and luminary classes in her home studio. "My students also love the No Days Liquid Adhesive. Several students have used No Days to help them 'write' names on their creations with frit and to paint frit flowers to accentuate their designs." Most recently Barb has discovered the ease of using No Days Bail Bond on her creations. Not only is it the best adhesive for attaching pendant bails, but its super bonding power works really well on earrings, bracelets, and rings. It has also proved to be a real asset when attaching the metal clip to a nightlight. And it’s SO fast and easy to use!

To see more of Barb’s work, you can visit Eclectic Treasures' Facebook page.