"Smoke and mirror" (a device for burning a candle at both ends)

Now for something "completely practical"...if you are going to burn a candle at both ends, a proper device is important.

This piece resulted from the rare time that someone says, "Hey Chuck, I've got this piece (of junk) that I thought you might like...", that I actually did like! (Thanks Chris O.!).

Some repairs and alterations were executed and after some evolutions of that, this is the result.

Originally a smoking side table, I started with the "smoke and mirror" idea. Slumping a piece of streaky white and clear glass and mounting it in one of the existing four holes for the smoke idea and adding a small mirror in another one got me started. Using a pre-formed stainless steel dish for the water, I was also thinking of the air, earth, water and fire themes and hit on the idea of burning a candle at both ends.

I fashioned a holder for the candle using one of the original metal inserts (for ashes?), adding some copper and brass pieces to catch the dripping wax.

I restored the lighting in the central glass 'globe' and made a tile and mortar 'riser' to create more 'weight' (both visually and physically), as well as making it a more stable piece.

It is important to remember that when burning candles at both ends, danger is being courted. Only operate the candle when fully rested and in a sober state of mind, with proper fire control procedures in place. Safety first!

"Transom" window

"Transom" windows were the horizontal rectangular stained glass panels above bedroom doors in many Victorian era homes. They were hinged on the bottom to tilt into the room for ventilation when the door below them was closed.

This is  a modern interpretation of that idea. Installed in an interior wall, it doesn't need to open for venting, but shows off the variable effects of light through a stained glass window very effectively.

The wall it is mounted in separates the dining room and the hallway that leads to an under the stairs sleeping alcove and to the bathroom. The light on either side is dramatically different whether day or night or with natural or artificial light.

During the day (or primarily with artificial light on the dining room side), light reflecting off the surface of the glass makes the darker shades almost opaque. Walking around to the other side, the dark glass can be seen to be a translucent aqua, with highlights on parts of the clear beveled glass.

The variable effects of light on other colours of glass can be seen between the upper and lower narrow edge pieces in this view.

Another view shows the variety of textures and 'imperfections' (air bubbles and  striations) in the hand blown stained glass. These give a vibrancy and variation to the shadows cast by light through the glass that cannot be matched by the machine roller textures of production glass. These are some of the subtle details that can make a glass panel a pleasure to live with over many years, with the enjoyment of surprise at seeing the variable effects of light.