My husband has a very large extended family and I really enjoy being a part of it. His aunt Gala had a very special birthday last week and we drove up to New York to attend her birthday party. Given the family tradition, I suspected that there would be special gifts and special treats there and I was not mistaken. There was a slide show with pictures of every person attending accompanied by Gala's narration describing why each of us held an important place in her life, a video made by Gala's closest friends telling the story of their friendship, a portrait of her painted by her relative, a performance by her niece who is an opera singer…
I, too, wanted to give Gala something special. I thought of Gala's house, always welcoming and cozy, her backyard... I have been to her house only twice - we live far away from each other - but I definitely remembered the vibe of it. So, I came up with a design for a wall vase in browns and beiges, that I thought would go well with Gala's decor.
Of course, I was a bit nervous. There was a chance I've remembered everything wrong, but I decided to go with my instincts. I built the stained glass panel and attached stained glass circles and wire loops that held the glass test tubes turning the stained glass panel into a wall vase. I packaged the panel up in lots of bubble wrap and a custom-made cardboard box (just like I do with all my panels when I ship them), wrapped it in gift paper and gave it to Gala at the party.
A couple of days passed and I have not heard back from Gala. I began to think that my instincts have failed me and Gala did not like the panel and the panel did not match her house… And then the phone rang. "How did you manage to remember my living room drapes?" she asked. "This wonderful wall vase of yours matched them perfectly down to the little squigglies you have for the hanging loops!"
So, I did it! But I have to confess: I absolutely do not remember Gala's drapes…