New Love Sonnet Bead Sets and a Few Spacers

Just a few beads to share today that I created last weekend when I fired up my BRAND NEW kiln for the first time.

In case you didn't see my Instagram or Facebook post, I purchased a BlueBird XL kiln when I was on a road trip to Toronto last month.

Jean and Jennifer at Nortel ROCK!

I was very lucky to get this beautiful berry purple colored "cadillac of kilns" which I have named Penny The Dragon.💜

My first session at the torch flew by and below are the sets created.

Starting on a base of Effetre white encased in CiM - Creation Is Messy Candlelight, my own hand mixed Pendragonfyre Love Sonnet frit was sprinkled to create these romantic beads. 

The spacer beads are included in this set are made with pure CiM Candlelight.

Starting on a base of Effetre white encased in Effetre Amethyst, my own hand mixed Pendragonfyre Love Sonnet frit was sprinkled to create these romantic beads. 

The spacer beads are included in this set are made with pure Effetre Amethyst.

This set of frit beads combines CiM Primavera, an opaque green with Val Cox Songbird frit.

Simple round beads within this abundant set. 

Four plain spacers of Primavera complete this set.

I always include time in each session to create some simple spacer beads that are small enough for earring sets. 

I find it is great way to practice consistency and heat control making multiple beads on one mandrel.

The spacer beads below are made from CiM - Creation Is Messy glasses

Atoll Misty This glass was very popular when it was introduced as a color in the 2022 CiM palette release. It is a nice minty green misty opal.

Beeswax Misty, a soft pale opal yellow that can strike to an amber depending on the time and temperature it is worked.

From the photos below, you will note the difference in the beads color and translucency in the making of these spacers. 

I usually make 4-6 spacers on one mandrel, so the variety of the beads are a result of the warming and rewarming of each bead.

At the time of this post, Nortel has in stock:

- CiM Candlelight and Beeswax Misty. Atoll Misty appears to be SOLD Out

- Effetre White and Amethyst should be available.

#creationismessy

#cimglass

#cimcandlelight

#cimprimavera

#cimatollmisty

#cimbeeswaxmisty

#effetreamethyst

#nortel

#pendragonfyre

#handmade

#handmadeincanada

@creationismessy

@nortel_glassgirl

Hollows - On My Annual Technique Pursuit of Creating Hollow Glass Beads

About once or twice a year, I spend a day working on making hollow beads. 

Usually I end up with some wonky egg shaped hollows as my technique is not the most efficient for heat control.

I am fortunate to not having any disasters or explosions of glass, but my end result beads are certainly not perfect - Is that what they call One Of A Kind? 😉
I am still in search for the best technique to consistently create hollows. Suggestions from my fellow glass artists is always welcome!

This post will show the various hollow beads from my Easter break.
My goals for each bead was:
- Clean Bead holes
- Some expansion of each hollow bubble
- Each bead survived a night in the kiln and emerged with no cracks.

Let's take a look at the beads!

 

CiM's Lake Baikal is one of my favourite glasses. I love the striations of red and blue that run through each rod that transmit wisps of lavender within the blue base glass.

These 3 hollows are pure Lake Baikal with the centre bead wrapped with 99% fine silver wire. These beads range in measurement of 22.4mm to 28.6mm hole to hole.

On the same blue theme, CiM Jetstream was the main glass in these two hollow beads.

 

 

One bead, egg shaped, was wrapped with 99% fine silver wire measuring 26.9mm hole to hole.
The other bead has CiM Ming added to each bead end measuring 31.6mm hole to hole

This bead was my most success in creating a round hollow bead shape. It was created on a base of CiM Leaky Pen. Leaky Pen is a very dense transparent glass that in hindsight should have been diluted with clear to show the true color in the hollow round. 

 

 

I placed a wrap of Double Helix Psyche silver glass around the centre, a couple wraps of 99% fine silver wire and melted it in to secure the silver droplets. This bead measures 18.4mm X 21.7mm.

These next two hollows are bright for spring composed of CiM Scotch Broom glass with silvered ivory stringer decoration. CiM Scotch Broom is a luminous golden yellow with varying degrees of transparency/opalescence. These range in size of 17mm to 21.1mm hole to hole.

 

CiM's Beeswax Misty is a soft pale misty opal yellow that can strike to a deeper amber depending on the time and temperature it is worked. In this hollow, the centre glass was shouldered with Double Helix silver glass known as OX 459, an emerald green luster that shines to a metallic sheen when reduced. The gentle wrap of 99% fine silver completes the bead.

Finally, two hollows of bright green for sunshine days of summer!
CiM's Budgerigar is a candy colored yellowy green misty opal that creates the hollows of these two beads.
Hollow 1 is a simple one with a wrap of 99% fine silver wire measuring 21.8mm hole to hole.

 

 

Hollow 2 is measured 25mm X 25mm with streams of Double Helix OX 459 melted in and reduced to create the reactive golden streams for this one of a kind bead.

Each hollow bead would look great on a simple chain!

Glass availability at the time of this post may be available through Nortel. I purchased Lake Baikal there recently. Budgerigar, Scotch Broom, Beeswax Misty, Leaky Pen and Ming are showing as available in their online cart. Jetstream may be available at other CiM distributors.

I purchase my glass from Jennifer and Jean at Nortel in Toronto. Reach out to them for your glassy needs.
#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimlakebaikal
#cimbudgerigar
#cimbeeswaxmisty
#cimleakypen
#cimscotchbroom
#cimjetstream
#doublehelixglass
#99%finesilverwire
#nortel
#pendragonfyre
#handmade
#handmadeincanada
@creationismessy
@nortel_glassgirl

CiM - Creation Is Messy 2021 Color - Beeswax Milky and Misty Ltd Runs

For my first post on the new CiM - Creation Is Messy 2021 color release, I tested 2 new shades of yellow called Beeswax. 

CiM created this hue in two options - Beeswax Milky Ltd Run and Beeswax Misty Ltd Run. 

The difference in the hues is based on translucency of the opal glass, which is something unique to current offerings across glass manufacturers.

The CiM website notes that this batch of color was based on a formula for another SOLD OUT color named Ghee, so I decided to pull out a rod of Ghee from my archive stash and create from comparison beads.

Looking at the rods, there is only a slight difference as noted below. Ghee is a slight deeper yellow in comparison.

In the past, I always liked to use silver glass and a reduction flame to create caramel tones of browned butter in my beads made from Ghee.

The following are my creations with each of the glasses using Double Helix Psyche silver infused glass.
Original Ghee's focal bead has Psyche scroll design.
Beeswax Misty Ltd Run's focal bead has dots of Psyche 
Beeswax Milky Ltd Run's focal bead was created with Psyche line trails.

The lovely caramel tones that present in Ghee when it it fumed by the silver glass and kissed by a reduction flame. 
Although my beads made with Beeswax are lighter in tone, I was able to coax browned butter hues in a reduction flame.
The Ghee spacers present darker tones that Beeswax offers.

Is Beeswax a substitution for the original Ghee, I am not 100% convinced, but I do like the options within Beeswax to have soft yellow opal beads when it is worked cool and quick as well as deeper caramel tones with a little more effort in the flame.

It is a keeper for its compatibility with silver glass - a favourite for 2021.
Check back soon for another post of glassy goodness!


D.


#creationismessy
#cimglass
#cimtesting
#cimnewcolors
#cimghee
#cimbeeswaxmisty
#cimbeeswaxmilky
#cimglass2021
#nortel
#doublehelixglass
@creationismessy
@nortel_mfg