Monica’s great niece, Kelsey Taylor, announced wedding plans in 2021. That meant an opportunity to create something special as a gift. I was still weighing options when one day the answer fell into my lap
as Monica and I were visiting Monica’s brother Ralph and his wife Georgie Lee (Kelsey’s grandparents). Georgie Lee gave me a small ornate metal lamp base that had once belonged to her mother, Nan Goodwin, Kelsey’s great-grandmother. The base was designed for a globe shade but the original was long gone (presumed broken). Georgie Lee had kept the base for sentimental reasons and now I had the perfect idea for Kelsey’s gift.
Inspired by some of the great lamps of Tiffany, I decided to attempt an 8″ sphere that sits on the base. Perhaps something with a spring-time theme.
I studied how to make a 2-D paper pattern for a 3-D globe and then drew an animated apple tree with a little bird perched among the blossoms. It seemed appropriate as Kelsey’s grandparents were married in the spring-time in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia – apple country!
I had a wonderful time creating this lamp. It kept me busy and alert throughout the COVID isolation of winter ’21. The pattern is repeated three times around the globe, so keeping all those little pieces numbered and orderly was paramount. Diligence prevailed. 
During it all, my mind was free to travel back to the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, a place Monica and I both love and long to revisit (church windows are waiting to be photographed 😁).
On reflection, this project was everything I dreamed my stained glass journey would entail:
A challenging design not previously attempted which meant lots of learning (love that)- A complex pattern involving over 600 pieces of glass which meant a long enjoyable studio experience
- A story connected to the piece – in this case, the lamp base that carries four generations of memories, and counting.
Monica and I wish Kelsey and her husband, Cody, a wonderful life together filled with promise. May this little lamp always remind them of their own family tree and all the blessed memories it bears.
I am pleased to present the Apple Blossom Globe Lamp.
nellyglass studio 