Reborn Glass   Mike Gray & Erica Casella     Cape Coral, FL

Mike Gray and his daughter Erica Casella do more than recycle glass. Since 2007 they, and their family, have sorted, sanitized, crushed and sifted bottles into various size shards and frit, artfully giving it a new life or form -- Reborn Glass. By taking something otherwise considered trash, they reimagine it as a fresh light-seeking art piece of both beautiful form and practical function.

Bottles mostly come in brown (earth), green (trees), blue (water) and clear (air). The relationship between those colors and our natural resources sparks even more inspiration for them. They say there is something magical in creating a little light for the darkness.

Each one-of-a-kind nightlight is created "mosaic" style, then kiln formed and fused at about 1500 degrees.