A FAMILY AFFAIR : Cat’s Pajamas Stained Glass
By Ted Scheffler
Cat’s Pajamas Stained Glass is a family-owned crafts business that began, literally, with a ‘can-do’ attitude.
Owned by Peggy, Stacy and Thomas Campbell - all of whom are artists themselves - Peggy says when asked how Cat’s Pajamas Glass got started, “We started the business because I wanted a window in the living room and so I thought, ‘I can make that!’ I started by looking up the process, reading books and watching videos. I bought a starter kit and made the window! My son Thomas is an artist and helped design it and cut the glass with me.”
She continues, “That got him [Thomas] interested and he learned how to make beautiful stained glass. His wife, Stacy, has a knack for seeing awesome images in glass and making panels. Tom then makes beautiful wood frames for the panels.”
Since 2011, Peggy, Stacy and Thomas have created hundreds of stained glass projects and “collaborate to utilize each other’s strengths when designing their projects.” They also accommodate custom, original, one-of-a-kind art pieces for customers.
Sticking with that can-do philosophy, Peggy says “I wanted origami cranes for my Xmas tree and thought, ‘I can make that!’ Then Tom suggested others would enjoy the cool glass so we started an Etsy page and expanded our inventory.”
Being a Utah craft business based in Deweyville, Peggy says that “Stained glass items are very rare to find in Utah, but there are a couple of companies we have discovered. We fund our own obsession and hope to make a profit some day, but our number one purpose is to share the beauty with others!” She adds, “In 5 years we hope to be paying for our supplies!”
For anyone wishing to take a swing at making their own stained glass, Peggy Campbell sums up the process:
Find a pattern or, I like to draw from nature.
Select glass colors for your project.
Cut glass with glass cutter.
Grind the edges.
Put copper foil along the edges for the solder to adhere to.
Flux and solder together.
Wash in warm soapy water to remove flux. Polish and hang!
The Campbells’ stained glass creations can be found on Etsy at CATSPAJAMASGLASS@Etsy.com and they also have a Cat’s Pajamas Glass page on Facebook.