CiM - Creation is Messy New Color - Bone

CiM - Creation is Messy created a new opaque neutral glass in this fall's release of Limited Run colors.

Bone Limited Run is a light neutral shade that is not an ivory. It seems to be a shade between white and ivory that some testers say reacts to silver but not to colors that normally react with ivory.

I don't use many neutral glasses so I was stumped as to how I would use it in a test. When in doubt, test with Raku!

For this set, I sprinkled each bead with Glass Diversions Persian Paisley glass frit and twisted and swirled the frit into the surface of the CiM Bone glass.

We got lots of brown hued reactions along with the highlights of pinks and blue.

Revisiting CiM - Creation is Messy Siren! Happy results!

This post is revisiting CiM's Siren Limited Run. 
This is a transparent green that I had tested in a previous blog post. 
Click here to review that post.

This time I used Siren as a base glass for testing a rod of mystery silver glass sent out by Double Helix in their 2016 Garage Sale box.
I used it in twists and swirls over CiM's Siren and then added droplets of handmade silvered ivory stringer. The two glasses allowed the silvered ivory to be float and be suspended once the whole bead was encased with Double Helix's Zephyr non-reactive clear glass.
Various levels of reduction and the mix of blue and green hues seemed to glow from inside each unique bead.

These two big hole beads are beautiful suspended on the silver chain!

CiM's Greens - Turtle Power , Jelly Bean and Apple Pie Limited Runs

This week’s post is highlighting a few more CiM - Creation is Messy Fall Colors that were released a few weeks ago.

First up, CiM's Turtle Power Limited Run green opaque glass. This set uses this glass as the base on which hand-blown glass shards were applied.
Making glass shards is an art in itself as it requires patience and just the right amount of air pressure in blowing the glass bubble. It's loads of fun, but I certainly not a pro at it.

If you want to see the process, click here for a video by Scarlett Impressions. In this set, the shards are Double Helix Helios silver glass that was applied and then reduced to a metallic shine. The Turtle Power green stayed bright with no reaction to the silver glass.









Next up is CiM's Apple Pie Limited Run which is described as an opaque minty pastel green. In the rod, the glass is a light green with a blue undertone. I decided to try it out with a Glass Diversions frit named Kismet. It held the glass frit well and allowed it to be twisted while retaining it's patterning.

One last green for this post is CiM's Jelly Bean Limited Run. This green is a bright opal green which I thought would be perfect with lots of bling from Double Helix Aurae silver glass frit!
Again this green stayed bright and cheerful with no fuming reaction from the silver glass.

I had a small bit of Jelly Bean left after making the set, so I swirled some silver glass and encased it and it held it's color and allowed the silver glass to create some beautiful color and mother of pearl reactions. 

Very difficult to photograph it's glassy goodness.

Til next time,
D.

New CiM Colors for Fall 2017 - Blues and Greens - Tardis and Juniper

Blues and Greens - CiM - Creation Is Messy offers many hues of limited runs and the color palette is wide across the spectrum from olive greens to teal greens, from grey blues to deep indigos.

This season only two blues was introduced, CiM's Poolside teal transparent and CiM’s Tardis Ltd Run. 

Tardis is an opal blue that I paired with a basic frit and formed it into cubes.
It is a muted blue base and flowed beautifully as a great background for Valerie Cox’s Sunflower Fields artisan frit.

There were 5 true greens in this season’s offerings. I first tested Chrysalis and Siren Ltd Runs. Click here for the post. 

I have another to share with you below. 
This is CiM’s Juniper Ltd Run. It is a dense opaque green that I tried in different ways.

I tried it with Double Helix silver infused Triton and melted it in a hot flame and allowed it to flow and stream. I was testing to see if when worked hot and then encased with CiM Siren transparent green and formed in a heart.

I also tried CiM's Juniper Ltd Run paired with other CiM colors, Tardis, Bone and rare Indigo within a multi-layered spotted bead. 
CiM’s Bone Ltd Run is new and melts as a nice non-reactive ivory that spread evenly. 
CiM’s Indigo Ltd Run, now sold out, is a dense dark transparent blue and stood out on the bead’s shoulders. 
I found Tardis, being an opal, seemed to become washed out as it spread over the centre of the bead.

Finally, the last bead (left side) was a base of Juniper and portals of Double Helix stormed Triton layered over drops of CiM Indigo and capped with clear glass portals.

Til next time,
D.

CiM Colors for Fall 2017 - Poolside, Enchanted and Rapunzel

It is early Thanksgiving morning here on the east coast of Canada. The autumn season has arrived and the colors are brilliant!




I have a few more sets of beads to share with you from my recent testing for the new season’s color offerings from CiM - Creation Is Messy.




First up, CiM Poolside Ltd Run, a transparent teal.

I am a avid fan of pairing transparent glass with metallics. It reminds me of evening gowns and dramatic jewelry designs.




In this set, Poolside was paired with Double Helix silver infused Aurae frit. The frit was reduced to glittering droplets.

Continuing with the transparent and metallic pairings, CiM’s Enchanted Ltd Run was complemented by Double Helix Aurae shards. The silver glass seems to fume a golden hue over the transparent purple glass.

CiM’s Enchanted Ltd Run is a beautiful transparent purple that when I first opened the box of test glasses attracted directly to the other purple offered this season. CiM’s Rapunzel Ltd Run. This is a bright opaque purple that I describe as a happy color with pink undertones.

I paired the 2 glasses in hand rolled barrel beads with silvered ivory stringer twists. I really love the two colors together. 

Enchanted worked in a cooler flame has no bubbles. I did find that Rapunzel needed to be warmed gently to reduce any shockiness in the glass. Once it was warm it flowed smoothly and evenly.

On to the next post!

Smiles,

D.

New CiM Colors for Fall 2017 - Enchanted and Siren

A quick post to show these new limited run colors paired with Double Helix silver infused Aurae shards.

The centre bead was created on a base of CiM's Siren Ltd Run, a green transparent with a slight teal hue.

The two beads on left and right are CiM Enchanted Ltd Run bases, a transparent purple that seems to color shift between a purple and blue violet under different lighting sources.

In an upcoming post, I will be pairing CiM's Enchanted with another new CiM purple called Rapunzel and will be testing the colors under several light sources. 

Til next time,

D.

New CiM Colors for Fall 2017 - Chrysalis and Siren

In the latest selection of new CiM - Creation is Messy colors, two new greens are introduced and at first glance I knew I needed to combine them in a set.

I paired these two limited run colors with twists of silver ivory stringer and hand pressed them into free formed flat tab beads.

Chrysalis Ltd Run is described as an opal green that works out almost to an opaque. It was smooth to work with with no stockiness. 

Siren Ltd Run is a nice green transparent however it needs to be worked very cool to prevent bubbling. 

I am blaming this on the beadmaker rather than the glass as I did work the glass as I cooled and reheated the glass in forming the beads. 

In this set, the bubbles adds to the “sea-side” look in these beads.

Til next time,
D.

New CiM Color for Fall 2017 - Venus

The new limited run glass is described as a coral pink transparent.

When I tested CiM's Venus Ltd Run, I discovered that working it in a slightly hotter flame brings out more orange but the trade off is more bubbles.

I actually like the result in these round beads as the color reminds me of Bullseye Coral Tint.

There aren’t many coral transparent available, so I am embracing the bubbles in these round beads.

I have another set of beads using Venus as an encasement in my bead tumbler for etching. I will post the results in the next few days.

Smiles,
D.

New CiM Colors for Fall 2017 - Autumn Earth Tones

In the latest selection of new CiM - Creation is Messy colors, there are several earth tone hues.

This set uses the combinations in line wrapped round beads and demonstrates the crispness of the glass in each stringer.

Each of these colors are Limited Runs so snatch them up quickly.

CiM Monarch and CiM Harvest - both opaque oranges
CiM Buttermilk - an opaque pale yellow
CiM Canoe - an opaque silver brown

Each of these colors flowed easily with no shockiness or bleeding. 
Great option for autumn inspired jewelry creations.

This photo provides a closer look at the colors in the solid spacer beads.

I had a bit of glass left over from making this set, so I created a few necklace beads with the glasses.

Smiles,
D.

A Missed Set - CiM Maroon, Pistachio Ice Cream and Hades

Somewhere along the way I missed posting this set from my Spring 2017 CiM - Creation Is Messy color testing.

These colors are an awesome combination for multi-dotted beads.

The deep red is CiM Maroon Ltd Run mixed with bases of CiM Pistachio Ice Cream Ltd Run with highlight dots of CiM Hades black stringer.

Heads Up! 

This weekend - Results coming this week for this season's New CiM-Creation Messy colors! 


Stay tuned for pretty Pendragonfyre bead blog posts all this week!


Check out the preview here.

Stormy and Bumpy Weather in Beadland!

I had a few hours last week to play with some of the darker new glass colors by CiM - Creation is Messy. 
In some of the colors, I found that they are so dense in color saturation, that using them as bead bases tend to make the bead sets too dark and hard to photograph.

So it was time to experiment to see what would happen if these dark colors were mixed with the neutral silver infused glass. Below are some of the results:

In this first set, I mixed CiM's Barrier Reef Ltd Run with Double Helix Olympia Rain silver glass.
Barrier Reef is a very dark transparent teal which resulted in stormed portals of dark greens and blues mixed with ivory and yellow storm streaks.
It was a challenge to capture the storms with the camera, so I have posted two photos to show in the variety of lighting.
The base of the beads is CiM Musk Ltd Run, a brownish green transparent with the storms captured under clear encasements and highlighted with dots of Double Helix Aurae and rare OK380 silver glass.

In this next set, I mixed CiM's African Violet Ltd Run with Double Helix Olympia Rain silver glass. African Violet is a dense and saturated transparent indigo that is so dark unless it is diluted. Mixing it in the storm technique, some amazing reactions appeared bringing out blues, purples, and golds in the portals magnified under the clear glass bumps.

The base of these beads is CiM's Ceylon Ltd Run, a transparent brown glass with Effetre Light Ivory base dots under the stormed portals finished off with highlighted with dots of rare OK380 silver glass.

The final set for this post is another experiment with CiM's Barrier Reef Ltd Run with Double Helix Olympia Rain silver glass.  This stormed stringer created additional bubbling in the storming process and I did not use a light ivory base for each drop.
The greens really came out in the portals with lots of bubbling. 

The base of these beads is CiM's now sold out Blue-yah Ltd Run, a transparent blue with silver glass highlights to complete each bead.

Summer Bead Sets - Pastels and Silver

This post is to share some new interchangeable necklace beads for summer.
Pastels are always beautiful for summer.
If you are interested, check out my Facebook page.

The set below features a focal bead with lots of stormed and reduced silver glass encased under a clear glass. It glows with pinks, purples and blues.
The spacers are CiM Bubblebath Ltd Run, a pale opal purple.

CiM Bubblebath Ltd Run is just a wee bit fussy with 99% fine silver wire when it is melted in and the silver takes on a slight golden fume as seen in the photo below.

In the set below, CiM Bubblebath Ltd Run runs in a narrow trail in the focal bead between shoulders of CiM Cornsilk Ltd Run. Cornsilk is a soft opal yellow glass that really compliments the pale purple and silver wire surface decoration.

CiM Cornsilk Ltd Run is not reactive to silver so the beads with 99% fine silver wire really glow with it's soft yellow hues.

Last set for today is another pastel for those love blue-greens. This shade of CiM - Creation is Messy glass is appropriately named Spearmint Ltd Run. 

Beautiful sets for summer 2017!

Have a great week!

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Peat Moss

The final glass of the CiM - Creation is Messy Spring 2017 palette is another green called CiM Peat Moss. 

It is a transparent earthy green with an olive tone and is a unique color within the COE 104 lampwork palette.

In this set below I paired it with Double Helix Triton silver infused glass shards that are carefully applied to the base glass to create a gleaming "armoured" look. The metallic coating when reduced brought out gleams of gold and copper that complimented the olive toned glass.

Now that I have completed this season's color testing, the only question that remains is:

What do I create next?

Til next time,

D.

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Troll

I am down to only two more new glass colors to test for this spring. 

It was an awesome experience to play with the CiM - Creation is Messy colors and I hope you have enjoyed seeing the creations!

In this post the featured color is CiM Troll Ltd Run.

Described as an opaque gray green. Doesn't sound that exciting at first glance.

I wanted to really test it against silver, so I created some beads with a coating of 99% fine silver foil and a sprinkling of my handblended Pendragonfyre frit. 

Normally I would tumble etch these "dragonscale" style beads, but they are pretty with the gloss finish.

My frit has rare purple rose mixed with raku and a few extra ingredients that when layered on silver foil brings out the micro-dots of silver in veined patterns and the rich tones of purple, magenta and blue.

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Yangtze

In response to requests for streaky rods, CiM - Creation is Messy created a new limited run color named Yangtze with "a core of clear, encased in transparent yellowish green, encased in clear."

The description doesn't sound all that exciting, so I was not sure what to test with it. When this happens, it is always better to go simple - less is more. So I paired it with 99% fine silver wire.
There was just a slight reaction to the silver with small trails. There was some scumming and micro-bubbles, but I encouraged it from the glass as it gave an antiqued sea glass glow even though I left them with a shiny gloss finish.

The result is a simple yet elegant set of beads that would be awesome in a ivory bridal set of silver jewelry.

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Pachyderm

As I am working through the testing of CiM's - Creation is Messy Spring 2017 palette preview, one of the offerings is a grey brown that is infused with silver called Pachyderm Ltd Run. 
CiM only has a few glasses with silver infusion, so it is fun to test it out with my other go-to brand of silver glass - Double Helix.

On a base of Pachyderm, I layered Double Helix Terranova shards and scrolls of Terra 2.
I heated and cooled the glasses multiple times to see the browns bloom from each striking and the resulting chocolate tones are wonderful for an organic feel.

Again, this is a limited edition glass that will no doubt sell out very quickly.

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Two Shades of Brown

The varieties of browns in the glass palette across all manufacturers can be limited to grey based or orange based browns. To find a brown that is a true caramel-chocolate is difficult and elusive.

Let's take a look at these limited runs.

First up, CiM's Van Dyke Brown Ltd Run.
Described as a opaque dark brown that when used in plain spacers has potential to bring out caramel tones. I experimented using it with Effetre light ivory and some silvered ivory stringers I had on my studio table. It definitely created webbing and striations where the glasses met. If you like mixing glasses or an organic feel, this glass would be worth experimenting with. 

Next up, CiM's Safari Ltd Run.
Described as "a yellow-toned opaque brown". I tested it with a sprinkling of Glass Diversions Coffee Bean frit. 
This created a striated look that reminded me of a giraffe print. 
The spare tab bead is the true color of Safari with no frit.  
Although there is little "caramel chocolate" in this brown glass, I can definitely see it's potential for animal or exotic prints.

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Cornsilk and Sea Mist

This post has some new Big Hole Beads in two of the new colors from CiM - Creation is Messy for Spring 2017. Both are limited edition glasses only available for a limited time.

First up, CiM's Cornsilk.
Described as "a soft opal yellow".  I really like this color as it is not reactive to silver so it can be used with layers of silver glass or wire without that yucky brown reaction.
I really like this color for it's buttery look and inner glow. 

The photo below the set shouldered by plain spacers and:

• Second from the left is paired with fine silver wire
• Second from the right is my goddess style bead with portals of Double Helix Kalypso silver infused glass layered over rare CiM Black Current Ltd Run and captured under clear glass portals.

A new blue-grey glass, CiM's Sea Mist.
This is a new offering from CiM, a veiled glass described as a core of clear, encased in transparent blue, encased in clear. This "streaky" glass created an "sea glass" style of bead with lots of potential. I liked working with it and any bubbles that normally can drive a bead artist crazy. I think it added to the end result. 
Again with testing, I like to try different techniques (left to right)

• Base of Sea Mist with my handblended Pendragonfyre frit. The purple rose in the frit really bloomed with no icky reaction to the raku within the frit.
• Base of Sea Mist with some Triton shards and dots. Notice that the silver glass fumed the Sea Mist to a light grey tone.
• Last bead is wrapped in 99% fine silver wire. If you look closely, there is a slight reaction to the silver, but it gives off an antique look with the base glass. 

Til next time,

New CiM Color for Spring 2017 - Hemoglobin

A new red from CiM - Creation Is Messy! 
CiM over the past few years has introduced a number of new red limited runs. I have been fortunate to test them prior to their general release.

My fellow bead artists know how hard it is to get a reliable and beautiful red. Sangre has been my favorite out of all of the current glass palettes available. I always get a rich and glossy red that went into a set that was published in Bead Trends August 2010 magazine. 

Here was the set called Heart of the Matador. See the full post here.


I was super excited to see the most recent one based on what was posted on the preview page.
"Hemoglobin is a mismelt of Sangre. It is very close to Sangre- many of our testers suggested we "pass" it. However, we know many artists use Sangre for production work. Based on the slight difference we are now calling this batch Hemoglobin.

We are offering Hemoglobin at a reduced price to Sangre"

Now on to Hemoglobin Ltd Run. 
I wanted to see if it worked with silver glass as well as Sangre did and below is a photo of some flat tab beads with Double Helix silver glass murrini and Triton dots. The color stayed a true red with no liver or browning. Definitely a keeper!

It is glossy, rich, and AWESOME! As noted above it is being offered as a limited run at a reduced price, so grab it while it lasts.

Til next time.

New CiM Colors for Spring 2017 - New Green Hues

This post will introduce you to more new green hues that CiM - Creation is Messy has released this season.
Note that these colors are limited runs, so grab them up while they last!

First up, CiM's Peridot Ltd Run. 
Described as a "transparent gemstone green". It is a yellow green almost pale in hue.
I wanted to test it against silver glass, so I sprinkled one of my "go-to" fine frit, Double Helix Ekho.  With the frit coating, you don't see the micro-bubbles that occur when you work the glass in a warmer flame, so if you want crystal clear beads, definitely work in a cooler flame.

Next up, CiM's Eel Grass Ltd Run.

Described as a "natured inspired transparent green". I love this green as it is not too yellow and not too blue. Just right as a spring green.

I paired it as a base in my goddess style beads with layers of Effetre Light Ivory, CiM's rare Black Currant Ltd Run and some Double Helix mystery silver glass (maybe a Terra). 

The portals ranged in pinks and blues with some micro storms. 

The single bead on the right side shows the color of the glass alone. The silver glass didn't fume and the green shade stayed true.

Next up, CiM's Inchworm.

This is a juicy bright opal green!

I wanted to run it through several tests so making some bigger hole beads were in order.

This set from left to right:

1. Single spacer bead showing the true color in all it's glory!

2. Wrapped in DH Triton silver glass shards.

3. A Goddess bead with DH Kronos portals

4. Simply wrapped in 99% fine silver wire. 

5. Single spacer bead

6. Barrel bead with streams of rare DH Kronos melted in.

This glass works beautifully with silver with no adverse reaction lines. It seems to have an inner glow that is bright and cheerful for this spring and summer!

Spring is here and the greens have it!

Have a great week!