The Delphi Blog

As March begins, theres almost a palpable excitement in the air at Delphi. This year will be my 13th Art Glass Festival, and somehow every year its magical almost like being a kid waiting anxiously for Christmas morning all over again. It begins earlier than you might think with conversations about the schedule of events, prizes, guest artists and more. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff, the entire event is carefully planned and coordinated to showcase the talent of our customers and offer an opportunity to have fun. I like to dig in and take a very hands-on role in the entire process. While entries are streaming in through the Lansing Creativity Center and Online, Im busy checking in the prizes donated by dozens of generous vendors. While the Creativity Center is being transformed into a Gallery, I work with a team and coordinate the assembly of exhibitor packs, door prizes and prize packs. Its a big job, but a lot of fun can you imagine putting together goodie bags for a party of glass artists? Or picking out the best prizes for the winners that are as passionate about glass as you are? The Artists Reception is always spectacular. The Gallery is

After I finish soldering, there are little splatters of solder stuck all over my panel. How do I clean these up? Doesnt it look just terrible! You wonder if it will ever get clean. But dont worry, it really isnt as bad as it looks. Any of the splatters that are not connected to a solder seam can usually be removed with your fingernail (after the solder has cooled!) or a soft stick, like a craft stick (top left). Be careful not to use anything sharp that could scratch the glass. This includes most steel wool (except 0000). Most scrubbing pads for dishes will work, but you should try them on a piece of scrap glass. You dont want to scratch your project now! Any splatters that are connected to a solder seam will need to be refluxed and melted off. Trying to lift it off with your soldering iron will generally leave a peak, so youll have to melt it into the solder seam at that area. If the splatter is too large to melt into the seam, youll have to melt the seam and remove the excess by quickly pulling it off to the side with your soldering ion. You may notice that you get more splattering when soldering the second side of your project. Thats because the flux gets t

When Mike Hartwig and Kevin McDaniel opened Glass Works Stained Glass Studio in 1997, they made it their goal to create a place where do-it-yourselfers could feel comfortable. Whether artists came there to buy supplies, ask questions or learn something new, Mike and Kevin wanted to offer it all.Both men had more than 25 years of experience in stained glass work including design, construction, repairs as well as teaching classes and operating a stained glass retail business. They knew what artists needed to be successful. In that same vein, they constantly sought to offer their customers new and exciting products and services to keep them interested. What inspires me most is being of help to our customers, Mike said.Whether it is someone looking for a piece of leaded glass for their home or church or just looking for that certain item to complete their own project. The products we recommend are those we have tried and are familiar with. Mike and Kevin also sought feedback from their customers on new purchases, so they could ensure satisfaction and provide recommendations for others. They have helped many customers create unforgettable projects over the years. Our most me

If you delight in dichroic, consider entering Coating by Sandberg's (CBS) Dichroic by Design Contest. It's the fifth annual contest, and the entries get more impressive every year. See the dichroic guitar project by Michelle Wilcox (pictured top left) that won last year's contest. But if glass instruments aren't your strong suit, don't be discouraged. CBS accepts projects in multiple categories including blown glass, lampworked glass, fused glass, glass jewelry, glass sculpture, glass marbles, architectural and miscellanous. All of the artwork must contain at least 25 percent CBS Dichoric glass, and you can submit up to three entries. To enter, submit a photograph of your artwork to Coatings by Sandberg, Inc., ATTN: Contest Coordinator, 856 N. Commerce St., Orange, CA 92867, USA. The deadline for submissions is 9/30/11. CBS is giving away more than $5,000 in prizes, including gift certificates and glass packs. In addition, CBS features choice submissions on its Facebook page, website, marketing and advertising literature, etc. In other words, you could be famous! For more information on the contest, visit the CBS website. And if you're looking for a great deal on

Spring projects are popping up all over our artist gallery. Likewise, magazines and home d cor stores are filling up with familiar springtime subjects like butterflies, flowers, eggs, bunnies and chicks. Each of these Easter symbols has a special meaning (and since our Facebook fans have told us they love Easter), we're devoting extra effort to this colorful holiday. Butterflies Butterflies are a popular spring subject in home dcor, fashion and art ( Pier one and Artful Home have some amazing butterfly items for inspiration!) The butterfly represents change, resurrection, transformation and celebration. A butterfly brings a sense of freedom and joy to any project. Check out Delphi's new Artist Trend page to see some amazing butterfly projects from Delphi's Artist Gallery. Easter Lilies Easter Lilies are arguably the most popular Easter flower. The white blossoms represent purity and new life. Daffodils and tulips are also popular spring flowers. Their colorful blooms ar e a welcome change from the snowy winter landscape. Easter Eggs Easter Eggs became a popular Easter symbol in Medieval Europe. Eggs were forbidden during l

From fusing to stained glass, etching or mosaics, glass bottles are ready to be reused in spectacular art. Find creative ideas below from D elphi customers and artists like you, to get started. Cathedral Glassworks of BC, Canada designed the panel at right featuring a client’s favorite label by cutting a bottle in half and soldering it into a vineyard design. 2010 Online Art Glass Festival winner Pamela Buerger of Fenton,MI designed the panel, left, “Wine Anyone” with a glass bottle cut in half and incorporated into the design with a piece of red glass plated behind it to give the illusion of a bottle that’s always full. The 3-D Dragon sculpture, top left, by artist Steve Landrum of Mountain Home, AR was created from bits of bottles, paired with stained glass to create this fantastic sculpture with unique curved surfaces and contours. Artist Ramona Mauch of Exeter, CA captured our imagination with her 2010 Online Art Glass Festival 1st Place Sculpture, shown right. She created this fantastical creature from recycled bottles that were disassembled, then pieced back together to form this unique character with legs that hint at the origin of the g

In keeping with our recent theme of Recycled Art, we're featuring glass artist Patti Lenckus. Her scrap glass mosaics are made from leftover glass otherwise headed for the landfill. Read how she got started in this Earth-friendly endeavor. Stained Glass Artist Patti Lenckus of Norman, Oklahoma has been saving her scraps for years. She has a five-shelf storage cart with bins, and she meticulously divides each piece of scrap by its color. Last year, she started using this glass to create mosaics. My first project was a picture of a flower vase created on an unfinished wooden tray that I found at a local craft store, Patti says. I had so much fun that I decided to teach a mosaic class at the local art center to share what I had learned. I taught my students to make pictures from scrap glass on a piece of floor tile. Patti also taught a class called Glass on Glass in which her students created flowers on glass trays. She even found a use for the tiniest pieces of leftover glass. I use them in the image discs on the end of my kaleidoscopes, she says. She finds a use for all of her scraps regardless of texture or color. Bright, opaque glass is good for using on thing

You may never feel the same about a jar of jelly ever again. Linda Kester Hamilton has always had a creative soul. She currently works as a graphic artist from her home, and is a small-time producer of DVD productions using photos, mementos, film clips and new photography. She also does intricate beadwork and dabbles in a variety of other media. After moving last year from the central coast of California town of Aptos, to Alamogordo, New Mexico, she found the change in local recycling facilities alarming. She began to hold onto things she would normally recycle or throw away, namely her wide mouth jars and lids. "I remembered a teacher in high school had shown us how to make candle sticks using the same method I use today," Linda said. "Now, there are more modern crafting supplies to get neat things accomplished and I am very thankful for that." In high school, she remembers cutting lace from her canopy bed set (hoping her mother wouldn't notice) to add texture to her candle holder projects. Aside from reusing her bottles, (her bed lace) and other recycled materials for texture and embellishment, Linda also fills her jars with shredded tires to add weight. This is

Ever wondered what goes in to developing a new craft tool or product? The post below was submitted by Rita Levine of Diamond Tech International. She leads readers on a journey through the product development phases of the new G2 Bottle Cutter. Last Spring I was invited to join a group of friends for a little "eco" crafting. Little did I know that two months later I would be working to design a new bottle cutter. We worked hard that day to embrace our eco-friendly projects. Our goal was to transform bottles into art. It was clear, however, the bottle cutters we were using were not "cutting it". We struggled to score and separate our bottles with very little success. It was then I thought, There has got to be a better way! So I rounded up our product development team and we set out to create a tool that would effortlessly turn bottles and jars, bound for the trash, into crafts. If we could make it an earth friendly tool, all the better. To achieve this, we first fashioned our new bottle cutter from recycled aluminum. This was good, we thought, but we decided to take it one step further and made the packaging from recycled paper. (We were definitely bitten by the recycl

For an art glass enthusiast, discovering the Stained Glass Studio of Clearwater, FL is like a fried foods addict finding the fairgrounds. It's sensory overload. Large panels hang from the ceiling, small panels are posted on lightboards, and a large mixed-media piranha looms in the front window. You could spend hours in the 2400-square-foot studio and not find all of the art glass treats sprinkled around. Owner Kathleen Bromley is like the Willy Wonka of this proverbial chocolate shop. Her studio, located on US 19 attracts tourists, snow birds and locals of all ages, and she has diversified her offerings to appeal to multiple audiences. We went to visit Kathleen at her studio while a class was in session. Her students were learning how to make glass kaleidoscopes. She broke away from teaching long enough to introduce her staff and give us a quick tour. She, like her shop, is warm, inviting and colorful. Someone you feel like you've known all your life. Perhaps that's one reason behind her loyal customer base. Once you meet her, you're hooked. Or maybe its her business model, with its great selection of products and bustling staff, the air is thick with creativity. Wh

There's a lot of buzz about recycled art these days. At Delphi, we not only promotes "green" art, we also strive to run a green business. Here's what we're doing... Delphi uses overrun boxes whenever possible instead of official Delphi boxes. We use 100% recycled biodegradable packaging peanuts. They are literally and figuratively green. (Also our bubble wrapping is both figuratively and literally green). Bring Us Your Peanuts We are also a recycling center in Lansing for used packaging peanuts. People in the community can drop off boxes or bags of peanuts and well reuse them. For recycling centers near you, call the peanut hotline at 800-828-2214 or visit http://www.loosefillpackaging.com/ We use paper wrapping when possible. We even save our newspapers to use as wrapping! We have a dumpster just for recycled cardboard We recycle plastic and aluminum cans. Large bins are set up in both break rooms and by the snack machine. We are very conscious of our power use. Lights in the restrooms, break room, and classrooms are motion activated. We turn off office computers and lights at the end of the day. We print our catalogs on PEFC recycled paper a