One of the nicest parts of having my studio right behind my house is it gives me the ability to move back and forth between work and home life easily.  Over the holiday break when my kids and husband were home, I wanted to be around to spend time with them but I also had two projects that needed to be delivered the first week of January.  I took advantage of the down time, when everyone was off on their own checking out Christmas gifts or relaxing, to slide into the studio and work on these projects.  The one pictured above is for a repeat customer who is hosting her daughter's confirmation party tomorrow.  Her daughter wanted to give her guests a small charm that could be hung on a backpack so we developed these butterflies which measure about an inch and a half.  Despite their small size, there's a lot of work that goes into each one-- the wings are created separately from the body and then the piece is fused together.  After fusing, the black veins and white spots are painted on and the piece is fired one last time.  The butterfly is a symbol of so many types of transformation and seems fitting for her confirmation.  I hope it's a wonderful day for their family and all the guests go home happy with their little piece of glass art.