Sometimes “adulting” means sticking around the house for a few weekends and organizing the garage. I may or may not obsessively keep putting the objects in our house in their proper place every weekend. Closets and drawers are a different story. Fortunately, my husband likes to organize drawers and closets so it all works out. I guess everyone has their compulsion.

He mocks my closet organization but between the two of us our house stays clean so we are both happy. Basically, he’s my Jack Sprat. Anyway, he decided to rearrange the garage storage for the hundredth time and found a tub full of dusty glass insulators.

History of Glass Insulators

“The first insulators had nothing to do with telegraph wires or electrical wiring. They were the glass insulators that were used to protect homes against lightening strikes.

Glass insulators for wiring began to be manufactured in the mid 1800s in response to the technology of the time. Samuel Morse had created the first working telegraph in 1844 and by 1850 telegraph lines were being strung from one coast of America to the other.

As technology advanced the glass insulator was used for telephone wires and electrical wires. The first insulators of this type were small because they only needed space for one wire. As time went on the insulators became larger and reflected the growth of the telephone and electricity.” (Marye Audet)

Chris mentioned that he was posting things on Facebook Marketplace so I started going through the pile so I could keep him from selling everything. I am slowly turning into my mother. When I saw the bucket of glass pieces, he told me what they were and I immediately saw the potential for inclusion on my kitchen shelf.

A little hose bath and “voila!”

Voila

I thought the teal colored insulators matched my World Market every day cups but they were a little off. Oh, well! It is what it is.

Apparently, there are whole websites dedicated to identifying and collecting them. Who knew?!! Also, they can be flipped and turned into votive holders. Winning!