The Delphi Blog

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

Did you know that Halloween is the second largest decorating holiday after Christmas? And October 31st will be here before you know it! Now is the time to start thinking about Halloween decorations, especially if you plan to sell your crafts. For a "boo-tiful" look for your home, office or store, we have made simple suggestions that anyone can do! This year's hottest home decorating trends are SKULLS, GHOSTS and SPIDERS. All shapes, sizes and colors, will accent your tabletop, window sun catchers, accent mosaic pieces and of course your trick or treat candy bowl. For fun and quick easy looks, we suggest: 1.) Place a square of orange or black glass in the middle of your table, and arrange pumpkins and spiders for a incredible centerpiece. 2.) Pre-cut glass shapes of various Halloween motifs can be easily made into unique and functional serving pieces, candy dishes, and one of a kind gifts. 3.) Making fused cube candle holders using simple orange and black glass with white ghosts is a fun project. 4.) For a "spooky" porch accent, try making a novelty wind chime; A great visual and audio treat. 5.) Go Green! Recycle bottles with quick and easy mosaics. Choose your

Delphi Glass has many experts on hand to help you, such as stained glass experts, fusing experts and jewelry experts. But, did you know we also have trend experts? As a Merchandise Specialist at Delphi, one of things I enjoy best is predicting color trends. With the help of Delphi's staff artists and instructors we have come up with our choices for late summer. Our choice for the top 3 colors for late summer 2010 are:

I am about to set up my new workshop. I was just wondering what you think are the most important things to include? Since every situation is different, we cant give you specific answers, but here are some things that you should give some thought to. We think that the two most important things in a workshop are safety and comfort. You obviously want everything in your workshop to be as safe as possible. Ideally, you will want to have: proper ventilation, plenty of lighting, safe storage areas for glass and chemicals (do you have children?), grounded electrical connections, no extension cords, safe disposal for glass and supplies (trash cans as opposed to plastic bags), and easy to clean surfaces (no carpet on the floor). Comfort is the next most important consideration. The height of your work surface is very important. If you arent comfortable, you wont be able to work as long as youd like. If you arent sure of the most comfortable height for you, use your house as a guide. You know whether you prefer to work standing up or sitting down. If you like to work sitting down, measure the height of the tables in your house where you like to work. If you always pay your bi

How can I tell if a piece of glass is cracked? Did you ever notice the workers in your local glass shop tapping on a sheet of glass before they move it? They do that to see if it has any cracks. Cracked glass has a very different sound when tapped than intact glass does. This will be the best way to tell if your glass is broken. However, you should try it out on some other sheets before you try it on a piece that you think may be broken. Once you have heard a cracked piece, you will know what it sounds like. Hold the sheet from the top edge with one hand. Hold it out and away from your feet, just in case. Gently tap the sheet with one of your knuckles. A solid sheet of glass with no cracks will have a solid, clear ringing sound. A sheet with a crack will have kind of a buzzing, vibrating or tinkling sound. Reprinted with permission from Stained Glass News . All rights reserved.