Wishing Ball

Where do wishes go once you make them? Their force for good travels out into the universe in ways we don't understand, but what if you could keep a piece behind as a special reminder of that magic?

Glass artist Jill Henrietta Davis has conjured up a way to do just that. Each shimmering ball of hand-blown, blue glass comes with 52 tiny slips of paper for you to pause once a week throughout the year and record a message of hope or gratitude. Coil them up and tuck them in the tiny hole near the base and they become a permanent part of the display.

People often ask Jill why the wishes can't come back out, and her explanation can be summed up with birthday candles. “When you blow out your candles, you don't tell the wish you made, otherwise it won't come true,” says Jill. “But more importantly, memories are always more beautiful than photographs, and the same is true of wishes. When you look at the little slips of paper accumulating in your Wishing Ball, I want you to think about the Big Picture those messages convey. Rereading the notes would be like looking backwards, or trying to step in the same river twice.” Handmade in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.