You know those people who are always on time and are ready for every holiday weeks before they arrive?  No, me either!  And those people have not been visiting Paradise Glass lately either.  As a matter of fact, this week was a duel between a last minute commission I received last week-- a husband wanting to get his wife a stained glass window depicting a lighthouse in Bermuda that they visited on their honeymoon 25 years ago.  The problem was their anniversary was less than 3 weeks away.  To make sure the piece is ready to give to her on their anniversary, the design needed to be created, the window measured, the glass selected and (the big part) I need to construct the window.  I was working away on it when I got a call from another thoughtful husband who remembered Mother's Day is coming up and he wanted to get his wife a glass vase.  Unfortunately I didn't have any made and this is a time consuming process; after the pieces are cut, a vase requires two times through the kiln-- first for fusing and then for draping over the mold.  That's what the picture is-- the fusing is finished and now it's on its second firing to get the shape of the stainless steel mold.  Each firing takes almost 18 hours so it will be ready tomorrow afternoon.  I'll post some finished photos on Facebook.  And then back I go to Bermuda to commemorate a very special lighthouse! It's worth it-- I'm always happy to help people find a way to express their love.  Happy Mother's Day to you Moms out there-- one of you is getting a beautiful vase!