Inspiration

Winter is a wonderful time for projects that warm us up. Whether we’re making something that depicts the chilly winter weather or creating something sunny and tropical to help us think warm thoughts, any of the winter variety glass packs are a fabulous choice.   When it comes to stained glass supplies, these sets of eight sheets of 8”x8” glass in assorted color schemes including blue and white hues as well as creamy whites with touches of warm color will bring your next stained glass project to life. Whether you use it to create lamps, panels, doors, or décor, there are no limits to what your imagination can dream up.   These winter glass packs of stained glass are a lot like how we look at life. It all depends on how we look at life. Some of us will look at these sets of colors and instantly think of windy, blustery snow-filled days. Some will look at that cold and depict it in a positive way, embracing the art that winter burns into us with her frigid blasts of air to create stained glass projects that celebrate winter. Meanwhile, others will feel inspired to lament the colder temperatures and endless snow, and perhaps showcase this in

Glass artists have the unique opportunity to celebrate holidays by creating art to honor traditions. Passover is no exception. This eight day festival is celebrated in spring, commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The highlight of celebration is the Seder, a 15-step family tradition and ritual-infused feast that is served on a special Seder Plate. Designing a custom Seder Plate is a perfect way to honor the tradition. Incorporate favorite colors, create a modern square version, or add dazzling dichroic accents to dress up your design. Shop Seder Plate Molds to get started creating your own. Below are some beautiful variations on Seder Plates from glass artists that are fantastic examples of some of the ways you can personalize projects. This modern take on the Seder Plate features iridized glass and hand painted gold lettering, by Art Glass. Glassdesign dresses up the traditional round Seder Plate shape with dichroic accents. Yafit Glass brings a lively color pallet to this Seder Plate with vibrant transparent glass and gold hand-lettering. Artist Kerry Silver of Silver Fusion Art Glass uses vibrant color a

As some pick out costumes and prepare for annual Halloween festivities, in Mexico people begin preparing to celebrate Da de los Muertos, the day of the dead. This three day event spans October 31st through November 2nd. Traditions vary from town to town. However, most families spend these three days honoring and remembering the lives of the dead with flowers, decorations, traditional foods and brightly decorated skulls. These are commonly known and referred to as Sugar Skulls. While both Halloween and Da de los Muertos embrace skulls, the scary skulls that are sometimes associated with Halloween don't compare to the ornate and sometimes tasty sugar skulls displayed proudly during this Mexican holiday. Sugar Skulls are funky, festive and a huge trend these days! In honor of Da de los Muertos we encourage everyone to celebrate other cultures and have fun getting creative with an icon ofthis traditional Mexican holiday, the Sugar Skull. In pop-culture Sugar Skulls are often adorned withhearts, crosses, flowers and filigree. The possibilities are endless so enjoy! Check out all of the ama

August 26th might just be another Dog Day of Summer for some people, but here at Delphi we are looking forward to this day. Why you ask....well because it is National Dog Day. This year we have decided to do something special to celebrate not just dogs, but all our favorite furry, feathered and scaly friends. For the remainder of August, we're putting our favorite pet inspired glass art supplies on sale. Delphi will be donating 5% of the proceeds on all sale items to the Humane Society to help pets in need. We encourage everyone who loves animals or just loves using them as inspiration for their art to join us in supporting a good cause, now through August 31st. Here are some of our favorite supplies: Cat Designs Pattern Book Paw Bail Fat Cats Color Enamel Decals Pre-cut Paw Prints Available in 90 96 COE In previous years, we've hosted The Animal Creations Contest to shine a spotlight on fantastic projects depicting the creatures large and small that ste

The Holiday Season offers the perfect opportunity to create custom glass art celebrating traditions. Unique decorations and dishware featuring iconic designs are sure to become favorite centerpieces of your holiday decorations. Hanukkah is no exception - the Festival of Lights immediately conjures up images of dreidels and Hanukkah menorahs. Find a fresh take on the menorah and design your own in fused glass following step-by-step instructions courtesy of Aanraku Glass Studios, or make festive gift tags, plates or candle ornaments for Hanukkah with Free Project Guides. Looking for more ideas to create glass art projects for Hanukkah? Browse glass art Judaica supplies.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." - Thomas A. Edison Along the way, I've had some wonderful artists and friends share tips on how to make our endeavor successful, and these that I've chosen to pass on below may be the ones that have made the most difference. 1. Pick a path and focus. There are so many wonderful avenues that can be explored with fused glass.... or other glass mediums.... that for many of us, it is difficult to choose and focus on one area. Of course it may be necessary to take several classes to learn a variety of techniques in the beginning. I loved jewelry, contemporary design w/stringer and sizzle sticks, pattern bars, rod making, etc., but sooner or later, it is wise to pare down the list and focus on work that when viewed by others has a theme. In time, you can create a body of work that will become your signature. Spend some time looking at art of all types. Think about what it is in those particular pieces that just speaks to you, and begin moving in that direction. Georgia O'Keefe, Monet, and Klimt are especially exciting to me visually. Bold, beautiful, bright colors are my f

Loving glass and loving to talk about glass and art are two of my favorite things to do. What I will be sharing with others and what others ask me about most often will be the subjects of my blogs for Delphi. But my first thought is always to one issue that I believe causes crafters, artists, and those who wish they could make something beautiful to stay on the side lines and possibly never take a class or open a book. It is this issue that often defeats us before we even start. It is a belief that we have no talent which often brings on a fear of failure. I have heard over and over again, I'm just not artistic (artsy, crafty, talented, gifted, good at). If you have ever felt that way, then you need to hear this. At one time, I felt the same way. Oh yeah! I could copy things when I was young, but I could never do anything ORIGINAL. I did paint by numbers, not REAL painting. I'm just a Mom, and I do crafty stuff. No one would PAY MONEY for my things. Have you heard these same or near same voices running around your head before? Well, you are in good company because most of us suffer from the nagging feelings that we are probably not a Renoir, and in reality,

Inspiration can come from so many places . Sometimes a word or a picture will stir a memory. As I trace the thread of a memory it often weaves a tapestry in my mind of vivid images, ready to be transformed into art. A few words triggered such a moment recently when I remembered a favorite childhood book that Id shared with my children, Frederick by Leo Lionni. I went searching through the bookshelf of childrens books in our home that we'd kept even after the children had outgrown them. I found Frederick, and began flipping through it. Next I picked up The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and paged through the beautiful illustrations. Sometime later I emerged from my journey through The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. I was flooded with ideas and inspiration for projects. The experience brought a smile to my face as I realized that the simple little story of Frederick had been an inspiration my life through. Much like Frederick, Ive always labored to collect colors and imagery, things that arent always tangible but have a value all the same. What things from your me

Delphi associates are raving about the new Bend It Molds from Creative Paradise . The clever design makes it easy to fuse projects that stand up on their own, and the mold comes in three different sizes, Large, Medium and Small (or Baby Bend It .) The picture frame for mom (top left) was made by glass artist Denise Christmas-Gibson using the Medium Bend It Mold . The Father's Day golf project (at right) was also created by Denise using the Large Bend It Mold . What would you make with this mold?

We received so many impressive entries into the Light Up Our Blog contest, we've decided to showcase a series of them on the blog. Check back frequently, and you might just find your entry in the spotlight! Jacqueline King has been working as a professional glass artist for four years in Australia and uses Delphi Glass as her major supplier. She has recently been recognized in many publications from the US 'Best of Worldwide Glass Artists' to Australian Art Collector Magazine. Although she's relatively new to glass and still considers herself an emerging artist, she now teaches copper foiling and kiln-forming to other aspiring artists. Images: These are three of Jacqueline's 'functional' pieces she makes from a wide range of art glass. The bases are made from salvaged timber and some include Australian agate, fossil and semi-precious stones. Visit Jacqueline King on her website.

It seems that Pinners can't get enough Bottle Art. (If you haven't discovered Pinterest yet , you will.) It's a great place for artists to gather inspiring images from around the web. I started a pinboard for all of the bottle art inspiration floating around the blogosphere. Below are 7 projects I've pinned from our very own artist gallery. See more on my pinboard here . What are you making with bottles? Upload your bottle art to the artist gallery and you just might see it pinned to Delphi's Bottle Art pinboard! 1. Bottle Art Necklace 2. Recycled Champagne Bottle Beads 3. Soy Candle 4. Windchimes 5. Planter 6. Bottle Bird 7. Mic rowave Kiln N eckla ce