The Delphi Blog

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

Extra! Extra! Read All About It Stained Glass News has Extended the Deadline to Enter the 25th Anniversary Contest Creating glass art is rewarding. Designing glass art that is stylish and functional is even better. What could make it even more amazing? Winning huge prizes just for sharing your project! Stained Glass News has just announced that the entry deadline for their 25th Anniversary Contest has been extended through February 28th, 2013. You get 8 incredible extra weeks to dream up new designs and send your submissions! Get more details about this contest in our Contest Announcement blog post, or get the contest rules and entry form to enter today.

If you're like most fusing artists, you like to try new things all the time. Pot melts fantastic! Raking amazing! Boiled glass stunning! Wait....what's boiled glass? Boiled glass is the hottest new way to get a stunning organic looking design in your fused art. Each piece will be completely unique, and is effortless to achieve. 1. Select several (3-4) pieces of tested compatible fusible glass to use. Both 90 COE and System 96 work well. We recommend using strong, contrasting colors with a layer of white or clear to help keep colors bright. 2. Cut glass pieces to size. Important note: Glass likes to be thick when fused. Because your project will be stacked more than thick, it will spread out during firing. Either dam the glass to prevent it from reaching the edges of your shelf, or cut glass small enough to ensure a safe fit. 3. On a kiln shelf lined with shelf paper, position the bottom layer of glass. Spoon Bubble Powder onto the surface of the glass and spread it out. 4. Stack additional layers of glass onto the base. Depending on the intensity of bubbles and boiled results desired, you can opt to simply add the glass, or to alternate l

Here's our list of 5 Favorite New Items from the November 2012 edition of Stained Glass News. 1. Realistic Leaf Casting Molds from Colour de Verre We always flip for the latest new molds from Colour de Verre, and these premium leaf molds are fantastic. They allow you to make gallery quality, detailed glass art pieces. You can create with Kiwi, Rain Forest, and Aralia leaf molds. Check out the molds and free project sheets posted on our website. You wont believe what you can create. Kiwi Mold Rain Forest Mold Aralia Mold FREE Kiwi Project Sheet FREE Rain Forest Project Sheet FREE Aralia Project Sheet 2. Our Favorite New Glass is Making us Twizzle! CBS Dichroics newest pattern, Twizzle, features a fun zig-zag design that has our creative juices flowing. Offered in Rainbow Mixture and Green/Magenta Blue on thin black and thin clear in both 90 and 96 COE. 3. Bea

Giving an incredible handmade gift can be easy, and doesn't have to take much time from your busy holiday schedule. This season, design a keepsake plate and take advantage of the firing time to whip up some cookies in the kitchen for a special gift that will last beyond the last scrumptious bite. 5 tips for creating quick plates: 1. Apply wash to your mold before getting started on your fused design. This will allow plenty of time for multiple coats to dry before it is time to slump. 2. Using two pre-cut circles (available in 90 COE or 96 COE ) as the base of your plate makes it the right thickness for a full fuse, so you can focus on adding details instead of cutting glass. 3. Fusible pre-cut shapes (available in 90 COE or 96 COE ) and millefiori (available in 90 COE or 96 COE ) make creating fast. Fun designs will add color and personality; all you have to do is arrange them! Note: Don't forget to match your COE. 4. Add details or holiday greetings with Glassline Pens. Looking for an easier way to apply it? Write your message on paper with black marker; place your base glass on top and trace. If it's hard to see, a light box can

Congratulations to the winner of Delphi's 3rd Annual Animal Creations Contest! The entry with the most votes was submitted by Kaitlyn K. The name of the piece is The Bengal Tiger and according to the description it was Kaitlyn's first mosaic piece standing about three and a half feet tall. Great job Kaitlyn, and congratulations! As the winner Kaitlyn will receive a Delphi Tote Bag filled with assorted animal pattern books, a golden honey stained wooden display box with a 6 inch square opening for your glass art, as well as other assorted goodies! Total retail value of over $85.00. We had over 200 entries in this contest spanning all of the glass art mediums and features animals of all sorts. Check some of them out in the slideshow of entries. Want to participate in future contest? Delphi announces all special events and contests through our email newsletters, sign up today!

In 1979, a journey began. That's the year Janet Schrader began working with glass, and she was immediately hooked. "Color is a very important part of who I am, so finding all the properties of changing color in glass has held my interest for many years. I love how glass changes color depending not only on the light source but also that it changes from morning to night as the light quality changes." Around 1988, Janet encountered dichroic glass for the first time, and fusing became the new focus of her glass art launching her successful line of handmade jewelry which she sold nation-wide. Janet's one-of-a-kind stained glass, jewelry and fused art have been met with enthusiasm, and winning awards including 1st and 2nd prize in the professional artist category for Fusion/Cast/Kiln work at the 2012 Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas. Her love of learning and trying new things has kept her engaged in creating with glass as a medium. She is continuously seeking out opportunities to study new techniques. Janet shares this wealth of learning and experimentation in the many warm glass classes sh

The Holiday Season offers the perfect opportunity to create custom glass art celebrating traditions. Unique decorations and dishware featuring iconic designs are sure to become favorite centerpieces of your holiday decorations. Hanukkah is no exception - the Festival of Lights immediately conjures up images of dreidels and Hanukkah menorahs. Find a fresh take on the menorah and design your own in fused glass following step-by-step instructions courtesy of Aanraku Glass Studios, or make festive gift tags, plates or candle ornaments for Hanukkah with Free Project Guides. Looking for more ideas to create glass art projects for Hanukkah? Browse glass art Judaica supplies.