The Delphi Blog

As catalogers, we send out a lot of paper. We hope that people keep our Delphi catalogs for a long time (and Ithink many do), but then what? The thought of all that paper ending up in the waste basket makes me sad. Imagine my joy to find a pinboard by Catalogs.com filled with creative uses for old catalogs! Here are some of my favorites. 1 . Star ornaments (top left) 2. Stretchy bracelet 3. Catalog button flowers 4. Envelopes from catalog pages I've repinned these ideas and others on my Pinterest pinboard here .

As you know, many of the associates at Delphi are also talented glass artists. I recently caught up with Delphi's Internet Marketing Specialist, Stacy Daniels, who told me about a special plate she's making for her brother and his fiance. She is celebrating passover with the couple - it will be their first Passover together. Passover is the Jewish holiday celebrating freedom from bondage under the Egyptian Pharaoh. It is celebrated with family dinners called seders. Passover this year is April 6-14. Stacy is creating a special seder plate for her brother and future sister-in-law, one she hopes they will use for years to come. You can create a sedar dinner plate like Stacy's using System 96 OpalArt , fusing mold #92308 , frit for decoration and Gold Firing Pen item#5175G for embellishment. See Seder Plate Molds and Judaica Fusing Supplies at Delphi. Also, see what some of our customers have made in Delphis Artist Gallery. Artist Credit: Top right, Angela Chadbourne, Fort Stewart, GA ; Jackie Sitzenstock, Carmel, NY; Shary Weisman, Millsboro, DE

Photographing glass objects is not easy, and yet, it's often the photograph that sells the piece. If you're advertising classes online or selling your work on Ebay, Etsy or ArtFire, good photography is essential. Here's what you will need: 1. A light tent. You can purchase one for about $100, or you can make your own relatively inexpensively. Read this article for step-by-step instructions on making your own light tent . 2. Light fixtures. You need at least one light for illuminating directly onto the object from above. If you have a desk lamp with an adjustable "neck", that will work. If you are getting too many shadows, or too much glare, you may need a set of lights to illuminate the sides of the box instead. Just make sure you're using "daylight" or "full spectrum" bulbs, and that all of your fixtures are equipped with the same type of bulb. 3. A Camera . Here's a great article by Steve Meltzer author of Photographing Arts, Crafts and Collectibles outlining cameras. Even your point-and-shoot will work better once you have your light fixtures and tent set up. Good luck! For more great photography resources, check out one of these great photog

Thank you to everyone who entered our Art Glass Fairytale contest. I'm continually amazed at the creativity of our customers - I had no idea our artists were writers too! It was very difficult choosing a winner for the Fused Glass grab bag. Many of you shared personal stories of hardship or tragedy and how you overcame them through glass. Thank you for inspring us! Congratulations go to Jude Wilder-Roberts for her tale of Uroboros and the Very First Rainbow . You can read her story below. We may also be featuring other entries in future blog posts or catalogs - so stay tuned! Once upon a time in a dreary, colorless land lived a girl named Uroboros. Since there were no colors in the town of Youghiogheny, where she lived, everyone was sad. One day while collecting drift wood on Kokomo beach, Uro found a piece of beach glass. The pale green of the stone made her smile. This was a very strange and unfamiliar sensation to Uro, but she liked the way it made her feel. Uro searched the beach for more of the beautiful stone. When she had some different colors, she headed home to show her parents. Unfortunately, Uro's father, Van Gogh was not excited by her find, but

Gail Christofferson, a Delphi educational customer for many years, is leading a student/community based project for Ostego Elementary, a new elementary school (home of the knights) in the Ostego area of Ohio. More than 1,000 students of all grade levels, as well as more than 300 community members, have participated in creating a large-scale mosaic mural measuring 7 feet high and 20 feet long. The year-long project, "Mosaics by Knights," is intended to be a permanent art installation in the commons area of the new elementary school. Members of the Ostego community were asked to submit design ideas, and with local high school art teachers guidance, a combination of multiple entries will be used in the finished piece. Christofferson and her team are in the final stages of student and community involvement, and the project should be installed sometime this spring (2012.) It is important to realize that not only will there be a beautiful piece of art for all to enjoy, there will also be a sense of pride that our community can share in having created the piece together, said Christofferson. Photos: Students working on the project; project illustration; and the panels

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!

Once upon a time in a land far, far away Goldilocks grew up to become a glass artist. She heard tales of amazing works of art - fused and formed in magical kilns, and she decided she must try it. So she set out to find her very own kiln. Now, we all know that Goldilocks was particular. She didnt want a kiln that was too big for her cottage, and she didnt want one too small for her creative aspirations. She didnt want one too complicated, but she didnt want one too limiting. So she went to Delphi where she found the kiln that was just right, and she created happily ever after. Check out our selection of sale kiln s or our complete listing of kilns. Do you ever get so lost in your art glass, you feel like you're living in a fairytale? Email your art glass fairytale to [email protected] before February 10, 2012 for a chance to win a mystery fusing grab bag of goodies. We'll also publish your story here on our blog. The more creative, the better. Good luck!

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

We are thrilled to share with you the Winter 2012 new products from Uroboros Glass. Each of these new products is based on Uroboros' unique manufacturing strengths, while adding depth to their most popular product groups. Streamer Bits Glass (all offered in 90 and 96 COE) White Streamer Bits on Clear Cobalt Blue Streamer Bits on Clear Red Opal Streamer Bits on Clear Noodles and Stringers Sprinkles (offered in 90 and 96 COE) Glass Noodle Bits, Mardi Gras (offered in 90 and 96 COE) Noodles and Stringer, Mardi Gras (offered in 90 and 96 COE) Cobalt Blue Opal (offered in 90 COE) Pastel Green Opal Noodles (offered in 96 COE) Pastel Green Opal Stringer (offered in 96 COE) Frit Celadon Opal is now available in all grain and package sizes (offered in 96 COE) View these and other NEW fusible glass products here.

Congratulations to the following winners who participated in our Bottle Art Kit Contest. Each of the winners will receive one of four new Bottle Art Kits from Diamond Tech Crafts . We appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm regarding these awesome new products. Check back frequently for new contests and great prizes! Cynthia Massei Sandy Arbogast Mary Causey Johanna Cropley Interested in Bottle Art? Get inspired with our free eBook, artist gallery and bottle cutting how-to videos.

We are so excited to introduce the new 7-Piece Flower and Foliage Mold by Craig Mitchell Smith . A few weeks ago we posted a couple of videos on Facebook to demonstrate how to use this mold to create several different projects (watch the videos here) . Now we want to hear your ideas on what to do with this versatile mold. You can create anything from hanging sconce lights to slumped frogs to jellyfish! "The functionality of this mold is endless. Every other mold we sell has a finite application - i.e. make a bowl, make a necklace, etc. This is really endless but will require a thinking shift on the part of the consumer, said Delphi Executive Director Lisa Parks. Tell us what you would create with the mold , Jan. 10 - Jan. 20, 2012 for a chance to win it! Entries will be accepted starting at 8:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 10, 2012. The contest ends at 4:30 EST on Jan. 20, 2012. To qualify, fill out the entry form in its entirety. One winner will be chosen at random and notified before Jan. 30, 2012. Enter Here. Who is Craig Mitchell Smith?