The Delphi Blog

When planning your Christmas creations for 2011, channel seasons past. High-quality products and traditional colors (various shades of red, green, gold and silver) characterized the upcoming holiday season, according to experts at the 2011/2012 Christmasworld trade fair in Frankfurt. Fortunately for glass artists, glass was the material of choice for tree ornaments at this years show. Fused, blown and stained glass ornaments will be more popular than ever! Click here for hand-picked Christmas glass. In addition to traditional ball-shaped ornaments, make note of these five standout trends: Nature The biggest source of inspiration for the 2011 Christmas season is nature. Natural materials like wood, bark, wicker, as well as milled wool and felt were mixed with glass, pearls and precious stones to achieve a beautiful but organic feel. Hearts Classic heart-shaped ornaments in delicate shades of rose, red, gold and silver were seen throughout Christmasworld. Stars The Christmas star is also huge for Christmas 2011. It symbolizes high hopes and ideals, which is perfectly in line with a renewed sense of optimism. Flowers/Birds Flowers and birds a

St. Pete Beach, on the west coast of Florida, has long been recognized for its beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets. Now it will have a new claim to fame - an 8' tall by 20' wide glass mosaic mural created entirely by volunteers from the surrounding communities. The mural will adorn the east side of the Suntan Art Center next door to the world-famous Don CeSar Hotel. Glass artist and instructor Pat Chase, who currently serves as the president of the Suntan Art Center, came up with the idea to create a mural out of glass. "[The Suntan Art Center] used to be a Firehouse with large windows out front. When they did the remodel, they took out the windows, leaving a large indented area that looks like a frame for the mural," Pat said. Pat approached nationally recognized artists Frank Saso and Libit Jones about a design for the mural. Together, and with input from other artists and members of the community, the two created the finished concept. The mural includes images that are meaningful to the community - dolphins at play, a large pelican, sandcastle and shovel, stunning sea turtles and more. A painting of the final design is pictured above. Since March 2011, a gr

Some were messy. Some were messier. But only one was messiest. Glass Artist Mindy Meyn was awarded $200 in organizational supplies from Delphi as the winner of Delphi's Messiest Art Glass Studio Contest. With more than 50 photo entries from art glass studios around the world, the competition was stiff. But Mindys mess received more than 70 likes on Facebook and 20 comments, (some nicer than others) making her the reigning queen of clutter. Mindys studio, which she says is at its worst, only leaves her a small space to work in a very cramped corner of the garage. The rest of her garage, she says, is filled with multiple skis, backpacks and a kayak. The contest was so close, that Delphi decided to award Robin Veverka, whose studio is also miserably cramped, a $50 gift card to Delphi. With so many wonderful (awful?) entries, Delphi is considering making this contest an annual event. Thanks to everyone who participated. We understand creativity can get messy! Want to unclutter? Read 13 tips for a Tidy Craft Space or view Favorite Organizational Products.

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

Get Fired Up with Fusing! Saturday, June 11, 2011 from 10am - 3pm ONE DAY ONLY! Hang out at Delphi for the day and watch free fusing presentations by Delphi Experts. Learn about the fundamentals of fusing, tips and tricks from Delphi's best and network with other artists! Don't Miss These Exciting Presentations: 10:00 am - Let's Start Small Learn the basics on how to fuse glass. Glass cutting and layering will be demonstrated. Take advantage of the opportunity to try new embellishing products by making a small cabochon that will be fused and ready to take home later in the afternoon. All material will be provided. 12:00 pm - Prepare and Apply It: Which kiln wash do I use? Learn what kiln wash works best on which surface and how to prepare and apply Check out the New Molds and see what they can create. 1:00 pm - Glass Vessels Sinks, Birdbaths, and Fountains Discover how to alter a firing schedule to accommodate larger and thicker vessels that can be used in different applications. Cold working, fire polishing, and drilling holes will be demonstrated. Complete assembly will be discussed. 2:00 pm - Unique Patterned Glass Murrini and damming mol

The grand art of mosaics, which has existed for thousands of years, was used by the ancient Greeks to decorate their walls, floors, tables, benches, fountains, and pools. Made from marble, ceramic tiles, semi-precious stones, and smalti, mosaics are luminous, lightproof, water and temperature resistant. They allow artists infinite possibilities to design unique and long-lasting creations in their own expressive style, from realism to abstract. This weeklong workshop guides students through the various steps needed to complete their own one-foot square mosaicfrom the cartoon drawing to the final installation. Most materials needed for the workshop are provided, but participants must bring their own tools. Please see the workshops materials list, available in the Leagues main office. Born and trained in Russia, Vladimir Aituganov immigrated to the United States in 1991. He then became an American citizen, and established his studio. He is known as a master of mosaics and of painting in the United States, Russia and France. He has had numerous solo exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. His majestic mosaic murals for churches h

Yellow, red and sizzling orange are t hree of summer 2011s hottest colors . These colors are stunning in glass. In fact, red has always been a coveted color in stained glass, and remains one of Delphis best-selling hues. According to Jaymes Richardson of Civility Design (www.civilitydesign.com) for HGTV, When you have accents of red, it draws attention to other things you might not even notice in the room, Richardson says. The whole idea is to entice, intrigue [and] invite without clubbing you over the head and dragging you in. Red and orange are great colors for art glass accents like candleholders, bowls, vases, sculptures, etc. And yellow glass accessories are great for brightening a room with little sunlight. Create a pendant lamp in yellow or red for a dramatic pop of color. David Bromstad, host of Color Splash on HGTV says, Hot colors like reds and oranges will energize you and get you ready to tackle the day. Just be leery when you fire your next set of red or orange dishes, as these shades supposedly stimulate appetite (they say if youre on a diet, eat off of a blue plate). Red, orange and yellow all look great against neutrals like white, tan, grey

If your art glass studio is a hot mess, enter our Messiest Art Glass Studio Contest and you could win $200 worth of organizational supplies from Delphi! How to Enter: Email your photo to [email protected] May 23- May 31, 2011. We will post all photos to an album on Delphi's Facebook page on June 1 for voting. How to Win: Our Facebook fans will decide the winner. Whoever's photo gets the most "likes" wins. Voting wil begin June 1 and end June 9. Winner will be announced June 10, 2011. Prize: Winner will receive $200 in studio organizational supplies from Delphi. The Fine Print: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook. You are providing your email address to Delphi Glass and not to Facebook. Delphi Glass will notify winner by replying to email address. Delphi Glass will not share your email address with anyone. Delphi Glass reserves the right to deny entry into the contest for any reason. Participants acknowledge that Delphi Glass may use their photos for reproduction in any medium including print and electronic for the purpose of advertising, trade, display or any other medium. For more info, visit Delphi'

We found Mollie Barrow on Facebook in the midst of a discussion on Pot Melts. Mollie cooks up her incredible glass creations in a quiet eco-village in rural Ireland with her 10-year old son Elliot and cats Bonnie and Oscar. She is continually inspired by the Northern Lights, and the rich swirls of color in her pieces prove it. We were blown away by her magical melts, and we know you will be too. How did you get started in glass? I've been in love with glass art since I visited the Murano Glass Factory in Venice when I was 16. I was hypnotised by the skill and speed those guys had working with molten glass, and I would have loved to pursue glass seriously from then. As is often the case, however, life had other plans and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I finally picked it up. I took a 16-week fusing course at the only teaching studio in the country, with the intention of making some nice jewellery for myself. Then I made some for friends, and then their friends. And it grew from there. I'm a natural rule breaker, and I was soon experimenting with glasses and kiln times and mixing things I shouldn't mix and getting up to all sorts of shenanigans

Last weekend, while killing time in Detroit before a flight, I wandered into the Henry Ford Museum. If you haven't had a chance to visit this monstrous attraction, make plans now. Its incredible. I was there for three hours and saw only a small portion of what the museum has to offer. There are huge machinery collections, transportation exhibits and much, much more planes, trains and automobiles, oh my! I was especially intrigued with one particular machine. The Corning Glass Ribbon Machine. Before the invention of this machine, every light bulb was hand blown. As you can imagine, this process was painstakingly slow and expensive. But then a man named Will Woods came along and changed the world. This is his story. In 1898, Will Woods was a 19-year-old kid looking to pursue his dream of becoming a glassblower. He traveled to the Corning Glass Manufactory in Corning, NY to learn the art. Thomas Edison had commissioned Corning Glass to manufacture the envelopes for his first electric light bulbs in the early 1880s. At that time, skilled glassblowers called gaffers could produce just two bulbs per minute. Eight years later, Corning Gla

One of the biggest trends in jewelry for 2011 is layering . Layering necklaces appears chic without looking stuffy. The key to pulling off this look is combining different textures and lengths. Gone are the days of never mixing gold and silver. Dig through your jewelry box for charms, chains and forgotten items, and wear them together for a fresh look. Necklaces in different metal finishes, a string of pearls, and a brightly colored cabochon make an elegant statement on a plain white t-shirt or LBD. In 2008, we saw this layered look emerge on runways the world over, but it was a subtler approach (perhaps pairing a shorter gold chain with a longer one.) Now, anything goes. To keep it from getting tacky, (you dont want to end up looking like your crazy aunt Marge) follow these tips: The chains should be of varying lengths and staggered. Try mixing metals such as gold, gunmetal, silver and copper in varying shades. Wrap a strand of pearls, gems, glass beads or organza ribbon around one of the chains to add texture and sparkle. Delphi now offers metal ball chain in various shades and sizes (see photo at right). We also carry organza necklaces i