February Flashback - Digging into the CiM - Creation Is Messy Archives - Part 3

With the hundreds of colors that CiM - Creation Is Messy has created in their extensive palette since 2006, so many colors are small batch offerings that I know many lampwork artists cherish and save in their collections for those perfect opportunities to use them in their designs.

In this post, I am highlighting a few more of my favourite CiM Archive glasses that I have used over the years, have still a few rods in my collection and I encourage other glass artists to explore them.

Each glass is showing as currently available through Nortel Glass in Toronto, as well I am sure may be readily available online outside of Canada for USA customers.
With the USD$ dollar exchange rate, I still lean toward Nortel as my supplier of choice.

As a CiM glass tester, my tests usually pair new glass colors with silver. 

I use 99% fine silver wire, foil and silver infused glass from Double Helix.

In all my blog posts, I document each glass combination testing notes to use an archive of information that I am willing to share with fellow artists.
I have been blogging each and every bead set I have created since back in 2008 as a newbie to glass art.

Now let's get to today's beads!

This set has a base of CiM Candlelight Ltd Run, a lovely transparent yellow, with these lovely shards created subtle patterns.
Hand-blown glass shards of CiM’s Chocolate Ltd Run with silvered ivory. Chocolate is a cloudy brown transparent that is true to it's name.

 

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.

This set of beads was created on a base of CiM Ltd Run, Frangipani, very pale opal purple. Double Helix's Aurae frit was generously sprinkled and reduced the glass to a golden sheen and metallic shine!

 

CiM's Indian Summer Ltd Run is a transparent brown that strikes to a rich color. In the middle bead below I simply wrapped some 99% fine silver wire and the glass color stayed true with no adverse fuming or color change in comparison to the spacers.

Reach out to Nortel to order these glasses before they are gone.

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimarchive
#doublehelixglass
#nortelinstock
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

Revisiting CiM - Creation Is Messy's Limeade Ltd Run

In my next couple of IG posts I am revisiting CiM - Creation Is Messy’s glass named Limeade, a lemon-lime cloudy transparent.

This set of hex shaped beads was created with a base of Limeade with streams of Double Helix Chloe silver infused glass.

The silver glass a reduced and encased in clear glass that captures some of the mother of pearl shine that Chloe provides.

The central square pillow focal bead was difficult to photograph to show the blues and pinks in the mother of pearl shine. 

CiM’s Limeade does seem to resemble a “citrine” semi-precious stone look in its striations.
Accent dots of Double Helix OX-376 was added to the central beads.

This mini set of Love Sonnet beads started with the base of CiM - Creation is Messy Limeade Limited Run.

A sprinkling of hand-blended Pendragonfyre glass frit was added and melted in to create the pattern resembling floral buds and vines.

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimlimeade
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

A Few Bits and Bobs of Beads - Varieties of Glass Combinations

This blog post is a bit of this and that. 😊

A few glass experiments that I completed in a studio session testing out combinations of glass.

First up, a glass frit set created with a combination of CiM - Creation Is Messy's opaque green named Primavera and Val Cox Songbird frit.

I really like Primavera as a base glass. It melts so smoothly and allows each bead to be shaped quickly and allows the glass frit to flow into unique patterns.

The flat tab bead shows for comparison the base of Primavera against the frit patterning.

This focal bead was my experiment with CiM’s Eden, a extremely dense pine green transparent with added adventurine. I started with a clear core and encased it with Eden as I was hoping that the sparkle of the aventurine would be more evident.

The resulting bead is still very dark green and the sparkle was difficult to truly capture with the camera.

The flower petals were created with layers of CiM’s rare Ra, Double Helix Chloe and capped with Double Helix clear Zephyr. Dots of DH OX-376 complete the bead.

                        

The final set to share today is a revisit back to Effetre glass. 
I must admit that I am a CiM - Creation Is Messy bead maker of which 90% of my beads are made. I love the color palettes that produce true tones and quality of the glass.

Effetre glass is still beautiful quality, it just needs more experimentation to consistently produce the results that I expect.

This set of tile beads was created with 2 Effetre glasses as it’s base, Pistachio 415 and Avorio Pervinca 296. Both glasses have striations that produce a more rustic natural look in the finished beads.

The centre twisted stripe of each bead is a Double Helix silver glass tagged as Terranova 2021.

The silver glass produced tones of blues with just a touch of silver fuming in the kiln.

All the glasses used in this post are ready and available at Nortel Glass in Toronto. Reach out to  them to order these affordable options for your glass bead making!
Til next time,
D.

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimprimavera
#effetrepistachio
#effetreivoriapervinca
#valcoxfrit
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Lake Baikal Ltd Run - A Revisit

Creation Is Messy’s 2022 Lake Baikal Ltd Run is a transparent blue with subtle lavender wisps.

I fell in love with this glass during my spring glass testing and was so excited to pick up some rods of it on a recent visit to Nortel in Toronto. 

First up, a small set of Goddess beads.
I had previously tested CiM’s Birchwood Ltd Run for its friendliness to other silver glasses, so it was fitting to create my Goddess beads to test how Lake Baikal would behave with layered portals.

Starting on a base of this glass, I layered dots of CiM Birchwood, CiM’s extremely dark blue Indigo , CiM’s Jetstream transparent blue. I used some Double Helix test glass named SR859 and reduced it. 

Clear portal dots of Effetre clear were added to capture the stormed reaction of the silver glass producing streams of blues.

Dots of Double Helix Elpis complete each bead.

Next up, a set of tapered flat focal beads.

This set of beads started with Lake Baikal with ends of CiM’s transparent blue named Jetstream.

I wrapped 99% fine silver wire over the centres and encased it with Effetre Clear glass to allow the silver to melt to droplets and protect the surface of each bead.

These would be beautiful together in a necklace or made into separate drop pendants.

The CiM - Creation Is Messy website shows Jetstream and Indigo as Sold Out, so contact Nortel as they may have some in stock. 

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimlakebaikal

#cimbirchwood

#cimindigo
#cimjetstream
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Fjord Milky Ltd Run

This simple set of jewelry box beads were created on a base of CiM's Fjord Milky Ltd Run, bluish teal milky opal, sprinkled with Val Cox Sadie Hawkins frit currently available through Nortel Glass in Toronto

Two crystal shapes, four rounds and two spacers make up this set.

#creationismessy

#cimglass

#cimtesting

#cimfjordmilky

#cimnewcolors

#cimglass2022

#nortel

#valcoxfrit

#pendragonfyre

@creationismessy

@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy Color 2022 - Dusty Rose Ltd Run

Kathy at CiM is always sharing with her testers a few extra surprise rods each testing season. Dusty Rose Ltd Run was one of the special rods for 2022 due to a very limited production run.

It is a cloudy transparent with a peachy pink tone.

Starting on a base of this glass, I layered dots of CiM's Buttermilk Ltd Run, a creamy opaque ivory with silver, and a silver glass from my stash of 2016 Double Helix Garage Sale simply labelled as OP.e, opaque purple speckled luster which I treated in the flame 2 specific ways (see below)

Clear portal dots of  Double Helix Zephyr were added to capture the stormed reaction of the silver glass.

• The double bump beads - the silver glass was not reduced before adding the Zephyr

• The single bump beads - the silver glass was slightly reduced before adding the Zephyr.

The resulting difference is very noticeable as the reduced silver glass has a blue mother of pearl shine vs the golden amber storms under the Zephyr clear portals on the double bump beads.

Dots of Double Helix Aurae Light complete each bead.

Spacers are pure Dusty Rose. 

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimdustyrose
#cimnewcolors
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Arctic Milky Ltd Run

As many CiM testers have communicated, CiM's Arctic Ltd Runs for 2022 have not behaved as expected. In the rod it is a light blue milky opal.

My testing results for Arctic Misty Ltd Run resulted in a dark bottle green brown when I paired it with silver glass.

In anticipation of similar result in testing the Milky version, I intentionally used Double Helix Aurae fine glass frit to create this set of beads.

Double Helix Aurae fine frit was sprinkled and reduced on this set of round beads. The spacers are solid Arctic Milky. 

It is a belief of mine, that a kiln environment with silver glass present may be a clue to why this blue glass changes color so dramatically.

Either way, this set of beads are beautiful with various shades of metallic brilliance.

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimarcticmilky
#cimnewcolors
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl 

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Atoll Milky Ltd Run

Creation Is Messy’s 2022 Atoll Milky Ltd Run is a green milky opal leaning to the blue side of the spectrum. 

Starting on a base of this glass, I layered dots of CiM's Birchwood Ltd Run, a creamy opaque ivory, and a silver glass from my stash of 2016 Double Helix Garage Sale simply labelled as TC366, a blue speckled cluster (maybe a prototype for Keto)

Clear portal dots of  Double Helix Zephyr were added to capture the stormed reaction of the silver glass producing the most brilliant blue portals that shine in the light.

CiM's green glass stayed true to its original tone and melted beautifully and stayed stiff enough to maintain the layering without drifting or shifting.

Dots of Double Helix Aurae complete each bead.

End bead are solid Atoll Milky.

#creationismessy

#cimglass

#cimtesting

#cimatollmilky

#cimbirchwood

#cimnewcolors

#cimglass2022

#nortel

#doublehelixglass

@creationismessy

@nortel_glassgirl

Follow-up Testing of CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 - Elegance Ltd Run

In my last post, I mentioned my challenge in testing CiM's new pink - Elegance Ltd Run.
In the set of beads where I used layering with silver glass and Super Clear, the glass turned an opaque pastel pink rather than staying opalescent.
I noticed that even in the spacer beads with no silver glass, the solid opaque pink was still the result.

I decided to complete a controlled experiment. 

Here are my steps and results:

- I have 2 kilns running when I am making beads. Both are started at the same time and beads with silver glass are placed in my right hand kiln leaving the left side kiln for non silver glass beads.
At the end of my day, I created two sets of spacers made from CiM Elegance. 

• Each were made within 5 min of each other. 
• One mandrel of 3 was placed in the right hand kiln, the other mandrel of 3 spacers in the left kiln.
  

- Both kilns were ramped down at the same rate and durations.

• - The spacers placed in the kiln with other silver glass beads turned opaque.
• - The spacers in the "non-silver glass" environment kiln remained translucent. 
  

Coincidence or does exposed silver glass create a kiln environment that change opacity of a glass?

A little mystery that may need more testing...for this beautiful precious pink!

#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimelegance
#cimnewcolors
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#vdoublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Elegance Ltd Run

Glass beadmakers are always on the hunt for a new pink - everything from a pale rose to a hot bubblegum pink. The ingredients to create a pink glass are pricey so each time a new pink comes out for testing it causes me a bit of anxiety to ensure that I am properly handling the glass for optimal testing results.

My "thing" is to test with silver glass, most notably Double Helix, so I embarked on creating this set of beads with high hopes.

CiM's Elegance Ltd Run is described as an opalescent pink. Yikes... Will I be able to maintain the opalescence?
I consulted with the CiM Testing team and found that some were successful in maintaining the glass quality and translucency while others appeared to create more opaque pink beads.

 

 

This set of crystal and round shapes are the result of my tests.

 

 

Layers of CiM Elegance, Effete Super Clear, Double Helix Aurae, 99% silver wire with a final encasement of Super Clear was shaped in to crystal and round beads.

 

Was it the shaping of the beads that caused the pink glass to turn opaque?
I definitely need to come to a better experiment and hypothesis on this new pink glass.

Stay tuned for my next post for more details.


#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimelegance
#cimnewcolors
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#vdoublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl 

 

 

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2022 Color - Arctic Misty Ltd Run

CiM's Arctic Misty Ltd Run was definitely a surprise glass. Described on the website as misty opal light blue, holding the rod in my hand, I saw a beautiful blue.

I love to test new colors by pairing them with Double Helix silver glasses to compare reactions. For the most part, blues and silver glass play well together.
Other CiM Testers this season has varying success with keeping the blue tones in their test beads so I was prepared for a surprise opening my kiln the next morning.

 

 

I paired CiM Arctic Misty Ltd Run with Double Helix Psyche glass shaping these flat backed tapered barrels. The Psyche glass was twisted and reduced and encased with Double Helix clear Zephyr. The colors going into the kiln was blues and blues.

 

 

What came out was a dark bottle green-brown from what was light opal blue. Was I disappointed? Certainly not as I had planned for it. Thank you my CiM Testing team as you allowed me to "make lemonade out of a lemon". 

 

 

I think these beads are beautiful and the darker base glass really allowed the silver glass to appear more vibrant. 

The spacer beads are Arctic Misty with no silver glass added.

 

 

What do you think?


#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimarcticmisty
#cimnewcolors
#cimglass2022
#nortel
#vdoublehelixglass
#pendragonfyre
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl