Transforming old Saskatchewan farm glass into things of beauty

By Joan Janzen

If you’re old enough to remember what a Noxzema jar or Milk of Magnesia bottle looks like, you’ll be surprised at what can be created from these broken, dark blue vintage 80-year-old glass jars. Trina Mastel from Leader, Sask. has crafted a forest of 100 ornamental trees out of chunks of glass. Since 2020, she’s also made many additional crafts, all made from old Saskatchewan farm glass.

Trina resides in Leader with her husband Keith and acquires her glass collection from the homestead they farm south of Liebenthal. “The homestead started in 1910; I do my glass searching on homesteads in that area. A lot of farmers around here let me pick glass in their fields.”

Trina Mastel from Leader creates these beautiful trees and many other articles using old Saskatchewan farm glass from Saskatchewan homesteads.

Trina crafted a beautiful succulent on a piece of maple wood from her friend’s fallen tree.

Many Saskatchewan homesteaders discarded their broken glassware in a pile near their homesteads, which makes it convenient for Trina.

“For years, I would pick up the glass, putting it in a bucket. Lots of times, I can tell if it was from a sugar bowl, plate or a piece of a window pane. I wanted to create something with the pieces that I found,” she said.

Trina has always enjoyed various crafts and began searching for what she could make with a bucket of glass her husband found at the Mastel homestead. Years ago, there were pieces of gold, green, red, and blue glass in stucco, which is the type of glass in the bucket.

“In the fall of 2020, I made my first three trees,” she said. “Something to do in 2020 turned into a huge hobby. It’s so relaxing!”

After selling her first creations, Trina realized customers wanted more. “The next year, I went to a couple of local craft sales, and most people were all over it. It’s been a hit!” Trina exclaimed.

Her craft began to progress. She learned which products to use and discerned the differences in various types of glue. “Things evolved from there. A lady suggested I should try making little flowers, so I started doing succulents,” she said.

She also makes pictures, key chains, bookmarks, and sun-catchers. “When I make glass sun-catchers, I use driftwood from the Saskatchewan River.” She finds beaver-chewed driftwood on the banks of the river, as well as petrified wood. “The petrified wood is strictly from this area.”

“I also make little snowmen with the fine chips of glass I have and use black vintage beads that I got from Keith’s mom. She did beadwork in the 1960s,” she explained.

All this creative work takes place in the heated shop at the farm where Trina has plenty of room to work and sort the glass. Her cats keep her company while she works. “I can spend forty hours a week because I’ll get up in the morning and start getting things organized, start building, and watch TV while I’m doing it,” she said. It can take five or six days for her to complete one tree.

She can also spend hours building and picking up glass. “If they have harrowed the yard, I am excited to pick glass,” she said. While searching, she also found pieces of a meteorite and a 1960 penny.

“Ever since I’ve been collecting glass, people will contact me if they have a dish that was their grandmother’s and they want something made with it. I do blend it with other glass if it’s not enough glass to make a tree,” she explained. “But I only use old glass.”

Trina transforms old Saskatchewan farm glass into something beautiful and preserves history at the same time. “I find part of a beautiful bowl and wonder what it was used for,” she said.

While Trina continues to do what she loves, collecting driftwood along the river and glass from old homesteads, her customers enjoy the beautiful pieces she creates.