The Delphi Blog

I know I'll never get up the nerve to open my kiln to rake . Instead, I was wondering, can I fake...I mean, rake it? I was recently in Monterey, CA visiting a shop on Cannery Row, where glass artist David Alcala is usually busy at work. The day I visited, he was out (at the Glass Art Bead Expo) promoting his new book and Flexi-Glass . His lovely wife was holding down the fort and I marveled at his landscapes made with fine glass frit. I knew I had a lot of Uroboros frit and powder at home, and it inspired me to try and fake a kiln rake with frit. I laid out a sheet of newspaper, and donned my goggles and face mask . I cut out a 10-inch transparent glass circle, so I would have a double-sided plate. Next, I sprinkled a bunch of purple powder, then white, and purple again, gently patting down the mounds with my fingers. I then added a squiggley line of bejeweled frit. From there, I included Uroboros fine frit in white, purple, then sprinkled on some more bejeweled frit. I used a paint brush to gently move the frit across the plate, blending one color into another. Next came the big move. How was I going to get this thing into the kiln

This past weekend, Delphi celebrated its 21st Annual Art Glass Festival at the Lansing Creativity Center. We had a fantastic turn out for the artist's reception! At our catered breakfast, artists had the opportunity to meet and mingle with one another and winners were recognized and awarded prizes. Delphi also awarded each entrant an exhibitor pack. This year was a bit different, because artists were able to create their own goodie bags at the exhibitor pack station. We also awarded more than 15 door prizes. View more pictures from the event.

Before I was fortunate enough to own a kiln, I used to experiment with all kinds of polymer clay using recipes for faux gemstones. It was fun and inexpensive. While giving a fused glass lesson the other day, I said, "Hey, lets try to make some faux opals." So, we crushed up some green and orange, clear backed dichroic glass (from the Uroboros Magic Box ), and mixed in a tiny bit of crushed opaque white glass. We cut two transparent ovals, covered them with Bullseye Glastac Firing Glue , and sprinkled on the frit. We added another layer of glue and piled up some more frit. The beauty of this glue is that you can use as much as you want. I love it for holding the frit on the edges of bowls and glass. The fired pieces looked like opal cabochons! To make the cabochons more opaque, I used my Dremel tool, and ground the back sides of the glass. I did find, however, that gluing the pieces to a ring or pin blank, kind of takes the effect away. This would be an excellent tool if you were using the cabochon in a bezel, like I saw in one of the "how to" lessons, that inspired me. Adding an oval of dark green, like a doublet, behind the cabochon, might create an Australian

Boyce Lundstrom has been a well-respected name in fusing since the late 1960s . In 1974, he founded the Bullseye Glass Company. Since then, he's published several books that have become essential guides for fusing artists. His latest release, "The Best Bottle Book Ever" showcases whimsical art made from discarded bottles. He outlines technical aspects of cutting, breaking and fusing bottles, and addresses compatibility issues and firing schedules. We're giving away the book! Along with the new G2 Bottle Cutter and a popular Bottle Sagger mold - an $85 value. It's our best bottle art giveaway ever! Enter our sweepstakes through Facebook April 21-23 to win the prize pack. (If you'd rather not enter through Facebook, you can enter here.) The winner will be chosen randomly on April 24. Our apologies for the technical difficulties with the Bottle Art Contest....the link should be fixed now. If you are still having trouble, please call our customer service dept. at 800.248.2048 (open 4.23.12 until 6 pm EST) and one of our reps will manually enter you into the contest .

I am always trying to save my scraps, even if they are metal. I grind my glass, pin backs and bails with my dremel tool (I've found that they stay glued together much better that way), and I started saving all of the grinding scraps. I save the sterling silver grindings in one bottle, and my gold plate with mixed metals, in another. One day, I was looking at some old green sea glass lying on the beach. I thought about folks sending notes out in a bottle, and it being found miles away, full of sand on a beach. I wondered if I could capture that idea in a pendant. When I got home I put those ground metals to use. First, I cut one square of transparent glass, then a smaller square of aqua-green transparent glass, and a tiny square of transparent glass. I sprinkled some of the mixed metal grindings on top of the clear glass, then placed the aqua glass on top of that. On top of the aqua glass, I sprinkled the sterling silver grindings, and capped it with the smallest square of clear glass. Once fused, the mixed metals turned a nice dark color like sand, while the sterling silver grindings stayed nice and bright, just like clear sand. The set did remind me of the s

Jo Kinnaly is a glass artist living in Northern Virginia . Happily retired from her government job, she spends much of her time playing with glass. She has been creating glass art for a little over eight years, and finds that the more she learns, the more there is to learn. Over the years, her work has evolved into animal portraits which she creates from photos, but she tries to find time for a wide variety of projects. Kinnaly says she usually doesn't spend more than a few weeks on a project, but this lamp took her several months. She made the grapes herself in her kiln. The shade is roughly 12 tall and 18 in diameter. You can see more of Kinnaly's work on Etsy.

Delphi China is exhibiting at ChinaGlass 2012, April 2-5. It is the 23rd Annual International Glass Industrial Technology Exhibition and the largest of its kind covering more than 80,000 square meters. There are 853 exhibitors from more than 23 countries including USA, Germany, Italy, France, Finland, Austria and Australia. Companies will be demonstrating new products, technology and equipment. Delphi is proud to be showcasing its wide variety of fusible glass, supplies and educational resources. View more photos from the exhibition.

Here's a great idea for a night in with the ladies ...Jennifer Newman, Delphi's Director of Merchandising, recently hosted a Mosaics and Wine night for a few of her friends. It was a fabulous event (all of the ladies are now addicted to making mosaics!) Here's how you can plan a similar experience for your closest friends. 1. Send out invitations. You can use a free service like Evite to send out stylish invitations to your girlfriends. We recommend no more than a dozen people. Ask them to bring an item to mosaic (a flowerpot, a wooden box, a small table, a trivet, etc.) 2. Plan your menu. Snacks and beverages like sangria, beer, salad, artichoke dip, veggies and chocolate covered strawberries are always well-received. Make it a pot luck and ask each lady to bring a food item or beverage. 3. Gather your supplies. You'll need a few pairs of wheeled tile nippers , an assortment of mosaic tiles (glass and ceramic), clear silicone adhesive and colored grout. 4. Set the mood . Use folding tables and disposable table cloths for easy cleanup later. It's also nice to have finished projects on hand (if you've done this before) or mosaic books for inspiration. Fr

Delphi is proud to introduce its 2012 Born to Do Glass T-Shirt . With its detailed black, white and red design, the shirt embodies a cool, biker vibe. It features a seamless double-needle top stitched collar with taped neck and shoulders and a double needle sleeve and hem. Made from 100 percent cotton, this durable and comfortable t-shirt is long lasting and offers a flattering unisex fit. It comes in black and is offered in every size from Small to 2X-Large (and it's only $11.95! )

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.

Over the weekend I attended the 23rd Annual Hyde Park Village Art Fair. The trendy area of Hyde Park, located in Tampa, FL, was the perfect setting for a show of its kind. The brick-paved streets were lined with booths showcasing high end art - everything from life-sized sculptures and paintings, to handcrafted sterling silver jewelry. One of the exhibitors was world-renowned glass artist and Delphi customer Vincent Pernicano . I recognized his work three booths away. There is something so captivating about his approach to mixed media. Pernicano, who has won several awards for his work, including the 2009 Delphi Art Glass Festival Online Competition, uses layers of colored glass that have been cut into shapes and fused together with glass frit and fusible glass paints to create three-dimensional components. The glass components are then backed with wood and attached to a canvas-covered wood-backed panel and frame that has been pre-painted with acrylics and/or oil paints and sealed with five coates of varnish. Dichroic glass stones are sometimes added as accents to the finished piece. Pernicano lives and works in a small community in Northern Michigan, but his ar