The Delphi Blog

Creating a page for your business in Facebook is easy! Follow these steps to set it up. Then remember to update your page frequently with engaging content like photos, business tips, event information, etc. 1. Click on "Create a Page" in the bottom right-hand corner of Facebook.com 2. Choose whether youre creating a page for a brand, a public figure, a charity cause, etc. 3. Follow prompts and fill out information - youll have to attach the fan page to a personal account. Note: Facebook prohibits creating duplicate personal accounts like having a work account and a personal account, so make sure you adjust the privacy settings on your personal page before you link it to your business page . 4. Once your page is set up, youll want to secure a username like www.facebook.com/delphiglass, to do this, go to http://www.facebook.com/usernam e. Choose wisely, you cant change the username once selected. Once your page is created, you can work on the aesthetics. Upload a cover photo (this is the large main image across the top of your page) and a profile picture. Make sure to update the About section with your studio hours, address, website, etc. Now you're ready

1. Blogs Sites like blogger.com and wordpress.com make setting up a blog free and easy. Its a great way for students to create online portfolios of their work and document the creative process. Teachers can also use blogging sites to create free mini-websites for their classrooms to post assignments and encourage student interaction. 2. Flickr Flickr is an online image gallery, where teachers can share images of their students work. You can adjust the privacy settings to keep your gallery private, public to some groups, or completely public. Visit Delphis Flickr site for inspiration. Flickrs Creative Commons section is also an excellent resource for royalty-free images that you can use in PowerPoint presentations and projects. 3. YouTube YouTube is a great resource for free videos on almost any topic. More than 200,000 videos are uploaded per day, and chances are, your favorite business probably has its own channel. The Delphi Glass channe l has more than 130 instructional videos for learning new techniques in art glass. YouTube for Schools provides schools access to hundreds of thousands of free educational videos from YouTube EDU. These vi

1. Blogs Sites like blogger.com and wordpress.com make setting up a blog free and easy. Its a great way for studios to create online portfolios of their work and document the creative process. Use a blogging site as a free mini-website for your business. 2. Facebook Facebook is a social networking service that makes it easy to keep in touch with friends and family. With 1 in 7 people on the planet on Facebook, its also a great platform for promoting your business and finding new customers. Find out how to set up a Facebook page for your business. Here are a few good examples of art glass businesses on Facebook: Momma Mosaics (photo top left) Stained Glass Creations and Beyond Steider Studios 3. Flickr Flickr is an online image gallery, where studios can share images from store events, classes, students work, etc. You can adjust the privacy settings to keep your gallery private, public to some groups, or completely public. Visit Delphis Flickr site for inspiration. 4. YouTube YouTube is a great resource for free videos on almost any topic. More than 200,000 videos are uploaded per day, and chances are, your favorite business probably

At Delphi's latest Glass Getaway, 14 Ceramic Studio/Paint-Your-Own-Pottery owners from Texas and Oklahoma gathered in Austin to learn how to make money with glass. Participants learned how to make nine exclusive fused glass projects that they can recreate in their own studios. In addition, glass artist and business expert, Denise Christmas-Gibson, shared marketing ideas and best practices for implementing glass programs. This is, by far, the best class Ive attended in 10 years of business,said Michelle Booth of Glazed Over studio in Houston. These [projects] were cute, fun, easy projects that will make my studio money and my customers happy. Christmas-Gibson agreed that the getaway was a success. When studios get together like this, they share ideas with eachother and brainstorm together, Christmas-Gibson said. It's really great to see participants getting so much value out of these workshops. So far this year, Delphi has hosted Glass Getaways in Phoenix, AZ, Lansing, MI, and several other locations upon request. Plans are underway for a workshop in the Alabama/Georgia area and other cities in the near future. For more information on Delphi's Ceramic Studio/PYO

I dont have just one favorite tool, but there is one that I use virtually every time I work on a project. As you know, having the right tool for the job, makes the job a whole lot easier. Beetle Bits Cutting System with the Flying Beetle Attachment This system provides the speed and precision glass cutting that a busy studio demands. Cutting strips, squares, angles and more are perfect every time, and this tool does it in half the time of other systems. Be sure to train your entire staff to use this amazing system and theyll all be anxious to use it. Plus, they now have a 35 bar to use with your system, so cutting large pieces of glass is fast and accurate. There is a video on the Business Center, under Studio Resources that demonstrates all the wonderful things this system will do!

It's not just writers that suffer from writer's block. Artists fall victim to a similar condition. You're sitting alone in your workspace looking around and...nothing. You've lost the ability to produce a new idea, much less a new work of art. Sometimes the "absence" is temporary - just a moment or two. Other times you mull around for weeks feeling lost. What do you do to get your creative juices flowing again? We asked our Facebook fans to share their ideas. Here are a few of our favorites: Play loud music. Cut and break glass. - Amy M. Step away. Look for inspiration elsewhere. Go to a museum, watch a program about something unusual. Just do something new. - Jacque D. Pinterest ! - Dawn M. Go for a walk. Look for nature to inspire you. -Shirley J. Clean your workspace. Then get out and explore somwhere - even if it's only the mall or a local park. - Deanna A. Look through a Delphi Catalog . - Marjie B. Go to an art show or gallery. - Deborah S. Color in a kid's coloring book. - Jude W. Take a walk in the woods, sit and listen to the birds, walk down to the water and watch a sunset. - De

As artisans selling our wares, we all want to know 100% of the time that every craft show that we choose to participate in will be wildly successful and well worth the time and money spent. Not only do you have to find the time to set up, work the show and break down...you also have to make sure you have enough inventory. This is all secondary, though, to the dreaded booth fee. The booth fee is like gambling a small fortune, not knowing what the end profits will be and if the show will be well attended. Here are the secrets to a perfect show... THERE ARE NONE. Its a crap shoot, folks. Ive been on both sides as a show attendee and a show organizer...and one thing is for sure, its always a gamble. You cant control the attendance, the venue (generally speaking), the vendors surrounding you, the weather, the state of the world...nada. The only thing you CAN control is your own attitude. Who am I kidding, I do have a few bits of advice to share... Check your attitude. The power of a positive attitude, a pleasant demeanor and general courtesy to everyone (vendors, attendees, venue staff, volunteers etc) can make or break your show. No one likes to be stuck next to a

Artists are often asked to donate items for charity auctions and fundraisers. And while most people love the idea of contributing to the greater good, a fundraising auction can end up hurting your career if you're not careful. I found a great article by ArtBusiness.com that lists several pointers for artists seeking auction success. Here are 9 key takeaways from this article: 1. The best events are those that support visual arts organizations and attract buyers from visual arts communities, like collectors. 2. Donate to non-art-related fundraisers only when it's an organization you feel strongly about. You'll be happy with your contribution even if you don't achieve any professional gain from the experience. 3. Find out how you (the artist) and your item will be presented. What will be said about you? Will your art be presented live or by photograph? Will your contact information be published in the program or on the website? 4. Talk to the people conducting the auction and ask what types of items (and prices) will sell best. 5. Donate a good piece of art. You want your donation to serve as a positive reflection of your talent. 6. Include your bio and contact

We scoured the web, asked our Delphi artists, questioned our fans on Facebook, and finally came up with 13 easy-to-implement tips for keeping things clutter-free! Feel free to share your own in our "comments" section below. 1. Choose an area with good lighting. If you have a window, keep the area clear, so light can flow in nicely. 2. Partition off the craft area (contain the craft creep) with a screen or furniture. 3. If you haven't used something in 2 years, consider donating it to a school or senior center, selling to a buy-back program or tossing it. 4. Label everything. 5. Consider what tools and supplies you need the most. These should be easily accessible. Store the rest in clear bins. 6. If your space is limited, go vertical! Install a slat wall for easy shelving. From our Facebook fans: 7. Scrapbooking paper shelves are also great for small scrap glass. - Amy Davis 8. I bought a $15 shoe rack/cabinet from Target to store my glass. 4" 6" x 12" cubbies and I think there are 20 spaces. - Deby Hutt Romaniw 9. My husband and I run a vinyl decal business and I use the leftover cardboard tubes that the vinyl comes on for my zinc, lead and wire

Here are a few rules to follow when creating your custom booth: 1. Your vehicle size determines your booth dimensions when it is broken down . I cannot tell you how common it is that someone creates a booth that will not fit into their car or van! 2. Keep it simple smooth, clean lines in all wall coverings and table treatments is the current look. Simplicity is key. 3. Dont use materials for your display that will distract from your product line. 4. Keep the opening of your booth at least 6 feet wide (7 to 8 feet is even better). You need people to enter your booth before they will buy. Narrowed-down openings say, dont come in! resulting in less customers entering your booth. 5. Use multiple levels in your display . The more levels you create and display your work on, the more interest you create from the aisleprompting customers to enter your space. 6. Remember, a picture says a thousand words. Put this adage to work for you. Show with large photos in your booth what you dont always get a chance to say. For example, how your functional pottery will look on the Thanksgiving Day table. 7. Use lots of light. Make sure that your booth is we

Your aunt has asked you to make an identical matched set of bowls for her. But Im going to suggest that you try to get her to think differently. Experience tells us you can repeat a design to create a set that is close but chances are they will not be precisely alike (thats one of the appeals of handmade). So instead of identical, work within a design theme then create variations on that design to give each item in the set individual character. In other words, plan to make your designs different right from the beginning and people will appreciate your creativity as a special endowment. Besides matched sets are made by a robots not one-off artists like us fusers. This Randys ProTip brought to you from the book Introduction to Glass Fusing by Petra Kaiser. Visit Wardell Publications.