No one goes home with their Juno on award night.

According to Juno awards spokeswoman Sara McLaren, only a couple of statuettes actually go to the ceremony, and they are circulated among the winners all night long.

Most of the statues are housed in glassmaker Shirley Elford's Hamilton, Ont., studio until the list of winners is received and the polished aluminum bases engraved.

Each Juno statuette is made of hand-blown glass, crafted individually by Elford.

Only a few layers of wet newspaper come between Elford and the molten glass she shapes, creating a personal connection between her and the artists for whom she creates them.

The statuettes that don't pass her standards are melted down into paperweights or take a place in her garden.

"I have a few hanging out in my garden. They're just the bodies," said the 64-year-old designer.

"Somebody spotted them the one day and said 'Oh my God you've got Junos in your garden.' I said, 'They're not Junos, they're just Junettes,' " she said, laughing.

"Better they come hang out in my garden than end up as paperweights."

While swapping Juno bodies for garden gnomes has gotten her local attention, the lucrative contract to design the award has also helped Elford connect with Canada's brightest stars.

From singer-songwriter Tom Wilson stopping by the studio for a repair job to Bram of Sharon, Lois and Bram leaving a thank you message on her studio's answering machine, Elford has rubbed shoulders with enough artists and musicians that she's able to name-drop a list in rapid fashion.

With the help of some friends and a couple bottles of wine, Elford packages up the awards each year and hands them over to Fed-Ex. Last year, she was happy to send an award to the Black-Eyed Peas. "I was particularly excited about wrapping theirs up," said the music-savvy grandma. "Billy Talent, too."

Designing the award has also granted Elford a higher profile as an artist -- she has since been commissioned to create awards for the likes of Bill Clinton, Elton John and Prince Edward.

Elford was asked to re-design the Juno by former CARAS president Daisy Fulle for its 2000 debut.

Her design transformed the award, taking it from a large lucite triangle to a svelte and futuristic glass figurine.

McLaren cites the value of each statue at $450.

The annual contract to create the awards makes up about half of her annual business, Elford said. It takes her a couple of months to create the awards -- she makes approximately 200 each year.