Glass artisan Caleb Siemon of Santa Ana is the first lady's honey-pot maker

"We make vessels every day, and I oftentimes wonder where they are all going," said glass blower Caleb Siemon in a moment of reflection at his Santa Ana studio. "Hopefully, they have all found happy homes."

Happy homes all over the world, as one recent order confirmed. It started with an unusual phone call from the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the U.S. State Department. A representative had seen Siemon's work on display at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington and was looking for distinctive gifts for foreign dignitaries.

The State Department soon got back in touch to say "Michelle" was quite pleased with the work.

"I thought, 'Wait a minute, you're not talking about Michelle Obama?' " he said. "I was almost speechless. The fact that the first lady was looking at images of my vessels -- it was really a neat moment for me."

Read the whole story as well as see a video of Siemon at work.

-- Zachary Slobig

Photos: Glass blower Caleb Siemon practices his craft, and a honey pot designed for the White House to hold Michelle Obama's first batch of honey. It was part of a tea set given to first ladies at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. Photo credit: Sachi Cunningham