The Delphi Blog

National Book Lover's Day is a lesser known holiday - much to my disappointment. It's celebrated on August 9th every year. I love books. I love books so much that in my house, every day is Book Lover's Day. I'm hoping you'll join me in celebrating for this one day at least though. "A book is a gift you can open again and again." Garrison Keillor A home without books is like a room without windows. Horace Mann Books have always held a special place in my heart. They open up a world of new possibilities to me. Each time I come back to a book, I bring fresh experiences and perspective to it, which lets me take something new away from it. Art books are no different. In addition to the bones of the process, the invaluable instruction that they present, they offer an opportunity to dream and create. The project ideas and instruction allow me to gain a greater understanding of the process, and how to use the process as part of the art. I get a new jumping-off point for creativity. I believe that books are as fundamental to an artists' workshop as the raw materials they'll use to complete a project. Without one or the other, no artistic vision can be executed successful

Delphi is pleased to welcome glass artists Kaori and Keiji Okushima, from Shiga Prefecture in Japan, to our Lansing Creativity Center on Saturday Aug. 10th, from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. Come to Delphi for a chance to see Kaori create her glass jewelry and hear Keiji explain his creative process. Kaori and Keiji are both part of the Art from the Lakes program . Art from the Lakes is a special artists exchange project between the sister states of Michigan in the United States and Shiga Prefecture in Japan. Named to recognize the importance of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and the Great Lakes which surround Michigan, the 2013 exhibition and residency brings seven extraordinary artists to Michigans capitol city of Lansing to exhibit their works. As part of the exchange artists from Michigan will be invited and hold an exhibition in Shiga in the fall of 2014. Kaori Okushima, Glassworker The Art from the Lakes Exhibit is held at the Lansing Art Gallery, August 1st - September 28th, 2013. All are invited to attend the opening reception on F

With the end of our very first ever Pinterest contest, we are thrilled to welcome over 1,000 new followers to our Pinterest boards . We hope that everyone found inspiration to create glass garden art projects of their own from our Glass Garden Art board and our Garden Center . Congratulations to the winner, Cindy Pilat, who was randomly selected. Cindy's board has an inspiring collection of glass garden art. As the winner Cindy will receive an assorted mix of flameworking and jewelry supplies - plus a few fun mosaic supplies, a $100 value. Want to participate in future contests? Delphi announces all special events and contests through our email newsletters, sign up today! Also like us on Facebook to stay connected to all things Delphi. Thanks to all who participated in this contest.

"Well, hello there Carlise, my name is Cere. It's nice to meet you!" As a flameworker, the most powerful tool at our disposal is the torch. From raw gas to burning flame, the torch provides the energy needed to take glass from solid state to molten magic. As someone that typically works with Borosillicate glass (32 or 33 COE), I tend to work towards the hotter parts of the flame, however, if you work with Moretti (104 COE), or soft glass, you may find the cooler areas beneficial to you. No matter what kind of glass you are melting in your torch, when properly familiar with the parts and type of the flame, you can bring your work to new levels. Q: Oxidizing, Reducing and Neutral: What kind of flame do I have, and what does that mean to me? A: When being worked, many glass colors are sensitive to the atmosphere or the ratio of mixed gases in the flame. Different atmospheres can produce a diverse array of effects, some desirable and some not as much. It's important to know what kind of flame you are working with and what kind of flame your glass desires. When in doubt, start with a neutral flame and adjust your settings from there. Reducing Flame - a flame

Here's our list of 5 Favorite New Items from the May 2013 edition of Stained Glass News, also in this issue Stained Glass News 25th Anniversary Contest winners announced! 1. Button Molds from Creative Paradise What better way to show off your art, than to wear it! These fantastic new molds from Creative Paradise are available in three different styles, Small Round, Large Round, and Square giving you the freedom to create buttons for any apparel in your closet. We love creating glass art and what a bonus when it is practical too! 2. Getting the Blues can be Great - 2 Exciting New Colors from Spectrum Glass Expand your creative pallet with the latest hues from our friends at Spectrum Glass! Blue Topaz and Hydrangea Opal bring to life two of our favorite shades from nature, perfect for portraying bright ocean blues and subtle floral hues. These colors are aptly named for the gem stone and flower they represent. Blue Topaz is a copper bearing color, making this an excellent addition to the Reactive Color pallet. Hydrangea Opal is the lightest shade in the System 96 Blue Opal Line. Try these fun new project ideas from System 96 centered around t

Art Glass Festival is the most anticipated event of the year at Delphi, and it's no secret why. We get a chance to see all the fantastic glass art that talented artists like you have been making! We would like to say thank you to everyone that participated in Art Glass Festival 2013 - and a special thanks to our contributors , their generous support makes this event a success. Our contributors provide all of the amazing prizes that are handed out to the winners of both the store contest as well as online. During the month of April, the Lansing Creativity Center comes alive with inspiring art as it plays host to the Art Glass Festival gallery. The exhibit opens with an Artists' Reception where artists from near and far share their discoveries and achievements in glass art. Check out all of the exciting photos from this year's reception on Facebook. May brings the inevitable end of the Art Glass Festival exhibit at the Lansing Creativity Center, but it also gives us the much anticipated results of the People's Choice Award voting. We would like to congratulate this years' winner, Carol Santoro, shown here with her winning Blue Heron mosaic entry. Ar

Delphi Glass is pleased to welcome guest instructor Michael Dupille. Michael will be teaching two classes this May and June at the Delphi Creativity Center in Lansing, MI . Get to know this innovative glass artist and be inspired by his techniques. See a collection of his works on our Pinterest board . Michael is considered a pioneer in the field of kiln formed glass and has created many of the working processes and techniques which are considered standard in the warm glass industry today. Artist Bio A Seattle resident, he has worked in art his entire career as both creator and educator. Experienced in a variety of media including animation, illustration, print and textile design, he continues to challenge himself through invention and innovation. Michael was part of the glass blowing program at Central Washington University in the early 70s. Since the late 1980's he has worked extensively with glass, having developed and refined a technique for 'painting with glass' that uses crushed glass (frit) in combination with kiln fired methods. He refers to this process as fritography. Michael pioneered many kiln forming processes, especially in the area of mold maki

Did you know that April is National Earth month? Thats right, a month-long event scheduled for April 1 through April 30 in Washington, DC, featuring interactive, eco-friendly experiences to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage sustainability. Earth Month 2013 represents a significant expansion of Earth Day festivities normally celebrated April 22. Join millions of people around the world and unite with the sole purpose of celebrating National Earth Month by looking for your communitys local efforts and meaningful programs. In the meantime, why not start the celebration at home with crafting projects that recycle, re-purpose and reuse. Responsible manufactures such as Diamond Tech are coming up with alternative crafting projects that provide a value proposition as well as social, emotional, and therapeutic benefits that balance in perfect harmony with any Earth Day celebration. For example, last year Diamond Tech introduced the Generation Green Bottle Cutter and Kits. These eco-friendly products allow craft enthusiasts to recycle and reuse glass bottle and jars otherwise bound for the trash.   Bottle Art Kits make it easy to cr

This spring, both System 96 and Bullseye have announced the expansion of their color palettes, and both have offered up some inspired (and inspiring) new hues for your glass art. The colors capture some of the more subtle shades that appear in nature when the lighting is just right - those magic moments when the world takes your breath away. They are also the colors that appear in tremendous works of art, from memorable paintings to your next project. Let these fresh colors inspire your designs. We're proud to introduce the latest hues here: NEW System 96 Blue Topaz Transparent Apple Jade Opal Hydrangea Opal Chambray Opal Payne's Gray Opal Blue Topaz Transparent mimics both the clarity and color of its namesake gemstone. Rounding out the selection between Sky Blue and Deep Aqua, this color blends beautifully with all the blues you already love. In addition,

Here's our list of the 5 hottest new and featured items from the March 2013 of Stained Glass News: 1. Creator's Premium Bottle Cutter What can the makers of the popular Cutter's Mate and Beetle Bits Cutting Systems do with a bottle cutter? It turns out - A LOT! They have designed a premium, top-of-the-line bottle cutter that is sturdy, easy to use and gives superior results. We love the special features on the Creator's Bottle Cutter, especially the aluminum slide bar ruler which makes cutting precise sizes a cinch, and the adjustable carbide cutting wheel so getting perfect pressure for an even score is a breeze. Want to learn more? See how it works with step-by-step photos and instruction . 2. Once You Try an Electric Mandrel Spinner , You Will Wonder How You Ever Created Beads Without One! With the Electric Mandrel Spinner, you will free yourself from arm and shoulder strain while creating beads faster and more consistently. The trick? This ingenious tool provides continuous rotation to your mandrel, so winding glass evenly is easier, heat is dispersed throughout the bead, and you can focus on the creative details. In a nut shell - it's an a

Here's our list of 5 Favorite New Items from the February 2013 edition of Stained Glass News. 1. Snowflake Casting Molds from Colour de Verre With the new premium mold from Colour de Verre you can make incredibly detailed, beautiful snowflakes. There are so many ways you can use these snowflakes. Hang them on their own (they are light) or incorporate them into projects. Were excited about how creative you can get making the snowflakes depending on the size of frit and firing temperature. LOVE them with dichroic! Check out the mold and free project sheets posted on our website. You wont believe the gallery quality of the pieces you can create. 2. Barefoot Tools are Back and Better Than Ever! Powder Vibe Electric Mandrel Spinner The Bearfoot Tools line has some of our customer's favorite tool; and we would have to agree! After recently not being available in glass art, the tools are now back with extra features and available in money-saving kits. Have the popular tools? Now there are tons of convenient accessories to get th