The Delphi Blog

One of my favorite memories growing up in Northern Wisconsin was our annual family Thanksgiving Day dinner. With lingering aromas from the kitchen, waiting to see cousins that I hadnt seen for several months, and the anticipation of who breaks the wishbone, the day seemed magical. Each year it seemed we created new family traditions, and our Delphi Family would like to suggest some traditions your family can start: 1. For a fun accent piece for the holiday table, try slumping brown or green bottles as a side dish. The size is perfect to serve Aunt Mildreds sweet potato hash or your family favorite. The color will add punch to the table as well. 2. Make it easy to identify whos drink is whos . We like the idea of creating glass beads strung with silver wire and attached to the goblet stem to claim your stake. As a take away gift, these are wonderful and can be used over and over. 3. Surprise your family and relatives by creating your own unique tableware. Using various size plates or serving pieces, solids and patterns will mix and match for a perfect harmonized and stylish look. Let your imagination go wild! 4. Small decorative weights (pumpkins are this season

Ho! For the leaves that eddy down, crumpled yellow and withered brown... Starting aloft to windy ways, telling the coming of bonfire days. - "Bonfire Days" by Grace Strickler Dawson Ginny from Melbourne, Florida wrote us with this question: "Help! I need ideas and suggestions for my front lawn and porch to welcome in the new fall season. It seems every neighbor has great plans except for me. What do you recommend?" We have some really fun, interesting and quick ideas: This season, scarecrows will take center stage. Each one will be unique and make memories and smiles. Simple or elaborate, each will showcase "their" personality. Feeling ambitious? Create a pair or a family. Make the stained glass scarecrow shown above. Download our Free Project Guide by Delphi Artist Julie Haan. Dress up your walkway or your front stoop. As the nights get longer, and dusk comes sooner, luminaries will make a strong visual impact. Go Green: Recycle glass bottles and jars by cutting them with a bottle cutter , use either the tops or bottoms (or mix and match parts) to shelter tea lights or inexpensive votives. They will last for several hours. Find creative ways to deco

I really enjoy stained glass, but after I work on a project for a while, I get stiff and sore. What am I doing wrong? We all enjoy stained glass and most of us find it to be a relaxing hobby. But did you ever finish a project, step back to look at it and realize that your back hurt, or your hands feel tight, or you have a splitting headache? Did you know that many of these symptoms can be avoided by applying a few simple rules of ergonomics. You most likely have heard the word, but did you know that it’s just a fancy way of saying, “fit the task to the person?” There are many ways to accomplish just that, and you’d be surprised how simple it really is. Most people are so intent on what they are doing (enjoying our favorite hobby!) that they don’t pay attention to how they are doing it. Let’s explore some things that you can do to make your glass hobby even more enjoyable. Here are some general guidelines: • Practice correct posture at all times. We know it’s easier said than done, but you’ll feel better and be able to work longer if you do. • Any time you hold or repeat a position for an extended period of ti

Delphi artist and veteran class instructor Julie Hann shares with us her latest Halloween project. This clever spider web bowl was created in the kiln using basic supplies and a bit of imagination. The free step-by-step project guide, first published in Fired Arts & Crafts Magazine, will show you how to make your own spooky spider web bowl. It also includes fusing schedules and a suggested supply list. Many of these products are available at DelphiGlass.com. Buy Supplies from Delphi now, or download the free project guide below. Download Free Project Guide Viewing these downloadable file requires the use of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or a similar program. If you do not have the reader on your system, you may download Adobe from their website. This project was reprinted with permission from Fired Arts and Crafts Magazine . For more great projects like these, subscribe to FAC!

Any ideas on how to make my home more relaxed and casual? Bring outdoors into your home for a fun, and spirited look. Become adaptive with planters, stands, and iron tables. These items can be as charming and functional as they have been outdoors. Think outside the box, be creative and enjoy your new surroundings. For a quick pick up, we suggest: Iron tables: Perfect next to your bed Place a lamp on the top and place next to your favorite reading chair A great spot for the remote, cell phone or any other electrical gadget Place a larger glass top and have a new breakfast area A smaller table is a welcome addition in any bathroom or dressing area In a foyer, this will set the tone for a casual look. (Place fresh flowers on top) In a dining room, cluster candles on top and eat in candle light In the kitchen, makes a perfect beverage center, lemonade, iced tea etc. Oversized Planters and Pots Place a glass on top and an instant coffee table, perfect for magazines! In the bedroom, place extra bed linens inside In a child's room, a toy catch-all For a large gathering, fill with ice and use as a beverage container Place a large floral and stems

Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention , and sometimes invention comes when you have nothing to lose. Early in my career, I had three metal-clay-and-fused-glass pendants fail in a single day. The glass cabochons simply shattered and fell away from the silver after the pieces were fired because I had neglected to cut an expansion hole underneath the cabochons. Augghh! Lesson learned. But now I was left with three ugly pieces of silver, each with small pieces of glass permanently fused into bizarre locations on the surfacea loss I could not afford. Weeks later, after tryingunsuccessfully to remove the glass, I decided to try fusing glass in patterns onto the surface of the pendants. The results were surprising, and the Stained Glass process was born This technique begins with any fired metal clay with a flat surface. Small shards of fusible glass are then attached to the silver. After cooling, Metal Clay Syringe Type is applied around the glass surface to encase the glass, and the pendant is fired again. The resulting pendant can even be placed in a tumbler without damaging the glass! However, if the glass is not encased with syringe work, the two dissimilar mater

From the Paris runways to your child's birthday gift wrapping paper, everywhere are POLKA DOTS! From small "aspirin dots" to "quarter dots" (Size is noted by common everyday round objects) the look is here to stay for a very long time. It is believed the dot originated in Poland with the now famous Polka Dance. Dancers would create wild and colorful clothing emphasizing multi-sized circles/ dots. Need some inspiration to get you started? We have ideas! For your next party, create fun and functional serving and accent pieces. One of our favorites is the quick and easy cheese serving set. The simple pattern will let you customize any color to fit you decorating scheme. Make 2 sets, one to keep and one to give as a perfect hostess gift. Brighten up a boring table, by making either polka dot chargers, or after dinner dessert or side plates. Use each family member's favorite color to designate their plate. Hey, this might be a way to get your children to eat their vegetables! Looking for new and creative napkin rings or holders? Try using clear or solid color glass strips and adding contrasting or multi-color dots.Mix and match, or coordinate for each season.

Can you please tell me the correct way to mitre the lead for diamonds? Diamonds can be tricky. This diagram shows the way we would go about cutting the lead for a diamond. We find the easiest way to decide where to mitre the lead is by drawing lines on the diamond connecting the opposite points. Then, put a piece of lead on the glass and extend that line onto the lead. Now remove the lead and cut it where you marked. Replace it on the glass, lining it up where it belongs and mark the other end of that piece of lead. Cut it, replace it, and continue until all of the pieces of lead are cut. Reprinted with permission from Stained Glass News . All rights reserved.

Mary Datwyler is the owner and primary designer of Sunflower Glassworks , Delphi's latest Elite Dealer. She has over 20 years experience in art glass, seven of which has been running her full-service glass shop. Her work has been taken to six continents (anyone headed for Antarctica?) and has been featured in print and cable TV. Recently, staff at Delphi Glass sat down with her to ask the artist a few questions about her work and her inspiration. How did you get involved in art glass? As a child my mother "shopped" religion so I was exposed to many styles of stained glass (and philosophies) in all of the various buildings I was in for religious training. That's where it began. I took my first class nearly 20 years ago and after working in glass for 12 years, I finally was brave enough to sell my first piece to the public. With that successfully in hand, I soon was receiving commission orders. I worked full time at a "real job" and worked my "glass shop" early morning and late into the evening in the garage. When my then home-based commission business outgrew it's garage space, it was time to look for commercial space and open the retail shop to complement my commission wo

A Sunflower Blooms in New Mexico Mary Datwyler has been creating glass art for nearly 20 years, seven of which she has spent as owner of Sunflower Glassworks in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She founded Sunflower as a full-service glass shop. That means whatever you're interested in -- supplies, classes, finished artwork, or commission work -- Mary and her team have you covered! Sunflower Glassworks offers a wide variety of stained glass and fusing supplies. They are currently the only glass shop in New Mexico that carries both 90 and 96 COE fusible glass. Besides supplies, customers can find fished gifts. (Mary is an accomplished studio artist. Her art has been commissioned for churches and private installations and has been featured on HGTV's That's Clever! ) Expect to find a wide range of art in the gallery from Southwestern style chili peppers to chic Japanese sushi sets. Find exclusive store coupons on Delphi's Elite Dealers page. Mary also offers classes at her store for those who want to learn a new craft. Stained glass, fusing and glass jewelry classes are staples at Sunflower. Current classes are filled through December, but a new 2011 schedule will be out

Pets make great inspiration for art. In Delphi's new contest Animal Creations submit a project of your pet to our online Artist Gallery for your chance to win. This contest is going on now through September 30th. See the contest rules and enter today! More About the Contest: Submit any project done in art glass, mosaics, ceramics or even in jewelry form! This is an online contest open to everyone. All skill levels, from beginning crafters to studio artist, are encouraged to participate. Entries must be submitted electronically through the online Artist Gallery by September 30, 2010. See full contest rules on the Delphi Glass website. Prizes: Delphi Glass Genius T-shirts will be awarded to 10 randomly selected entries. All entries are also eligible to be featured in future Delphi catalogs and publications; artists selected for publication will receive a Delphi Gift Certificate. Artist Spotlight: Our featured artist is Robin Capra of Southington, CT. Robin has been working with stained glass for about 5 years. She created this stained glass panel from a custom pattern she made using a photography of Charlie, her long haired Chihuahua. Robin's next project wil