There are few things in this world that can calm your body, open your mind, and renew your spirit in a matter of minutes. For me, one of those things is a simple stick of incense… in an instant, I can transform any room in my house into a personal sanctuary, and find a moment of peace in an otherwise hectic day.

I would love to tell you that each day I make time to sit in the lotus position, deep in meditation, becoming enlightened and aligned with the universe. I know I should. We all should. But there are days when this is just not my reality. And once I am done beating myself up for that, I like to get my incense burner and my box of incense. I love the little ritual of lighting the stick, blowing it out, and putting it in the cork… lowering it into the smoking bottle, and watching as the tendrils of white smoke begin to dance upward from the little holes in the sides of the incense burner.

“The center of every home must be the shrine room! The fragrance of incense emanating from this must pervade the home and purify it.”        ~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

This is a simple little gift I give to myself. And it is all the more special because I use a handblown glass incense burner that Brian made for me. When he gave it to me it was a clear with a whitish fume design… now it is covered with rich shades of blues, all swirling together in an intricate pattern. These incense burners actually change color as you continue to use them! Brian uses pure silver to create the fumed designs that turn different colors. When the inside of the glass bottle becomes opaque from the resin after use, the glass takes on a whole new look.

I’ve actually been using mine for so many years now that I’ve cleaned it out and started the color changing process over quite a few times. I never tire of watching the colors fill in again! When the base of the glass bottle fills up with ashes, tap them out the bottom hole. Once your burner is all colored in, if you want to clean it out you just pour a little alcohol and salt into it, cover all the holes with your fingers, and shake, rinse, and repeat!

Whenever we set up the Family Tree Glass booth at a craft show, for many years now, I am always amazed that these are consistently the fastest selling item. Every. Single. Time. Come to think of it, that was true even back when we had our own store! Folks always seem to like the idea that they could safely burn incense even when they have a cats, dogs, kids, or whatever other creature may be roaming the premesis. These burners are safe because the hot part is inside the bottle, and even if it was knocked over, it would simply burn out.

Brian makes each color changing incense burner using borosilicate, or “pyrex” glass because it is the strongest, most crack-resistant glass out there. Each one is hand blown in the flame, and then he kiln-anneals them overnight to make sure they are very durable.

Here are a few comments from past incense burner customers, (and you can read more in our etsy shop):

“My husband loves glass sculptures and I love that it keeps incense burning safe. With our 3rd boy on the way, along with 4 dogs and 3 cats, I’m always on edge if I have an incense burning while the kids are awake.”

“My brother loved it!! And mine is changing colors & looking prettier and prettier every day. Thank you!

“SO Pretty!! Very cool! havent seen something like this before!”

“Looks awesome and works perfectly!”

“What a beautiful piece! I love it! Thank you!”

These make great, unique gifts… either for yourself, or for that hard to shop for person. Each incense burner comes with a stick of our favorite incense, Nag Champa, already in there to get you started, and an information card with all the details. Visit Family Tree Glass today to order yours! And thanks, as always, for supporting art and small family businesses like ours.