I Am So Thrilled!!!!

After about five years of buying the pattern, frame, glass saw, countless pieces of glass, foil, solder, flux, patina, glass polish, and a buffer head that fits on my drill, and playing dumb blonde at the hardware store to buy silicone adhesive,

IT IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!

Saturday, I polished the glass and solder on the backs and fronts of all three panels for about three hours by hand, then lightly ran my buffer wheel over all the surfaces.

After everything was clean and sparkling, each panel was finally mounted in the frame and sealed with silicone adhesive. Of course, that has to dry for two days (and fully cures after two weeks), so it sat in the basement over Easter and at last this afternoon the entire piece made it's debut in the livingroom.

This, of course, was no easy task. Those of you who've seen my basement stairs know there's a turn at the bottom, and a landing by the back door, and this thing MUST weight at least 50 pounds . . . . I had to rest a couple times on the steps and never thought it would make it to the livingroom! But, oh, once it did! It took my breath away!

But that couldn't come close to how it looks at night with a fire behind it!! Absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself! The way the flames twinkle through the clear glass pieces and make the entire piece glow is so beautiful. I can't believe I actually made this! It came out more beautiful then I ever imagined!


Here are a couple shots of it at night in a darkened room with the fire going behind it - kind of like the world's largest night light!