Yellowknife (Sep 03/04) - Where you might see a tiny liquor bottle, Sophia Grogono sees art, and a moderate income.

Grogono began dabbling in glass art at her dad's studio when she was five. Now eight years old, she specializes in creating small vessels for flowers out of discarded liquor samplers.

Sophia Grogono, 8, decorates and markets tiny vases made from recycled bottles through Yellowknife Glass Recyclers. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

"When I saw the miniature bottles, I thought I could make vases out of them," said Grogono.

First she buys the bottles from the glass depot at the Sportsman.

Then she uses the same stencil patterns her dad uses on larger bottles, only the images have been shrunken down and put together into a strip that can wrap around the bottle.

The vases that result have designs such as caribou, ravens, wolves or inukshuk ground onto them. In some cases she reverses the stencils, leaving the design in polished glass on a ground background.

For Grogono, the vases are an enjoyable hobby that brings in some cash. She began Grade 3 at J.H. Sissons school yesterday, and when she's done her homework or is on holiday, her spare time is often spent in the glass studio."Sometimes I spend an entire day, or just a few hours," she said.

Her dad sent a few up to a shop in Norman Wells, and she's now working on a commission of 24 stencilled souvenir vases with "Norman Wells NWT" along the base.

She also makes homemade candles and has tried her hand at larger pieces, but....

"I like my miniatures," she said.

She has given them as gifts to her teachers and others. But through sales at the studio she clears $5 to $10 on a good day. She has just opened her own bank account.