Glass Color Testing: CiM 541 Denim and CiM 625 Bashful

So, I had planned on blogging about a completely different color scheme a couple of weeks ago. Then, my computer's new solid state hard drive took a complete dive and I lost all the pics and notes about the new Creation is Messy color I had tested the week before. Soooo, I'll have to redo that one!

In the meantime, I have a bunch of other colors ready to blog about - and here are the first two. Both are limited runs (as are all in the latest batch), and both are relatively neutral colors. These days, my mood is darker, so I am in the mood to make dark beads! :) 


First up is Denim, which is aptly named, as it's a very dark, transparent grayish color that sits between green and blue.  I personally prefer more of a blue cast to my denim, so I like to layer it with a bluer opaque color. This time, I used CiM Blue Steel as the opaque to layer Denim with, which turned out a little more grey than I was hoping for, but still bluer than when Denim is used alone. It's still really pretty, especially if you like those dark futuristic neutrals as much as I do.

For me, this color is too dark to work on it's own as a base, so layering it thinly on top of opaques or clear is the way to go. It made gorgeous encased stringer with the Blue Steel!

Denim is a nice smooth glass to work with. It didn't shock, pit, bleed or bubble at all, and it's not too stiff for layering - which is really nice! I actually really loved how it melted in when placed on top of the Blue Steel, on clear-encased black (below) - it created very crisp flowers.

Denim is definitely a winner in my book. There's no other color like it that I know of, and it fits right in to a neutral palette.


Next we have a pale tint called Bashful, which reminds me of sepia tones without the yellow. CiM calls this a pale purple - which personally, I just don't see. I see a very pale grey/brown that reminds me of the color of champagne, or black diamond crystals. It's however not as dark as CiM Chateau.

At any rate, this is a lovely tint that I thought looked really great layered on top of the paler cream colors that CiM has - in this case, Antique Lace or Butter Pecan. The result is a neutral off-white or ecru that doesn't have the yellowish cast to it that cream usually does.

This is another glass that is almost problem-free. I only saw the tiniest amount of scumming if I heated the end of a stringer too long or too hot. As with most pale transparents, use a delicate hand when heating, and you'll be fine.

Encasing stringer with Bashful over Antique Lace yielded a very pale color that was kind of an eggshell - almost white but not quite. Lovely on top of black, and paired with the Denim. This is a wonderful color if you're looking for light cream without the yellow cast, but don't want to go into the light brown range.

More CiM tests coming soon!

Glass Testing: CiM 716 Chateau Ltd. Run and CiM 530 Zoe Ltd. Run

Continuing on with the testing for the giant batch of new colors I got from Creation is Messy, today's colors are the gorgeous aqua called Zoe, and the soft neutral called Chateau.

First up is Chateau, and lovely transparent brownish beige. It reminds me a bit of cream soda, and is a nice alternative for Effetre's Light Brown transparent.

 According to CiM's website, this color was created to be similar to Sepia, but without the reddish undertone.  It fits the bill nicely - it's a true pale brown without any reddish or greenish undertones, and works nicely as an encasing layer for any browns or creams.

One thing I need to mention is that this glass can scum easily if you heat it too fast.  Work it under a cooler flame, and when using it as stringer, don't let it get too melty or it will bubble up.  It's not too stiff, so there's not much of an issue getting it to melt.

One other thing - when using this color with Effetre Sage (the new handmade version, not the machine made version) I had some severe compatibility cracks when making encased florals.  I am not sure what the culprit was - but using it under a thick encasement of clear (DH Zephyr) produced cracks like I have never seen. I didn't get cracks with other combinations of similar colors, so I have narrowed down the culprit to either Sage or Chateau. The cracking didn't happen in any other beads made with these colors - just the encased florals.  So just bear that in mind.

Other than that, I really love this color - it's a nice neutral that adds a soft beigy brown cast to anything it's layered with. 

Chateau layered with Effetre Mudslide makes a nice toffee color.

Chateau layered with Effetre Sage is a soft latte brown - use sparingly to avoid cracks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to one of my very favorite selections in the new color batch - Zoe.  When CiM sent the new batch of colors, there were quite a few in the aqua/teal/blue range.  That thrilled me because I really love those colors.  Zoe is one of the best. For some reason, this color just shines and sparkles more than any aqua I've seen in any brand of glass.

Okay, enough gushing - on to the important stuff.

The first thing you need to know is that transparent aqua shades are a bitch to photograph.  Seriously.  The camera just does not capture the real color very well.  It doesn't even look right on the CiM website, which frustrates me to no end, because I want to relay to you, the color addict, just how gorgeous this aqua blue really is. 

CiM made this color to be a light version of Pulsar ( which is basically CiM's version of Effetre Dark Aqua) It succeeds - it's lighter and slightly less saturated than Pulsar, which I really like.  This makes it the perfect shade for springy aqua beads.

As usual, CiM's aqua glasses are better behaved than Effetre's - they don't scum or bubble or spread or bleed, etc.  Zoe is no exception. There may be some scummy spots when you first melt the rod, but those will disappear quickly as you melt the glass.  Zoe can take a lot of heat without burning out or bubbling, which makes it an ideal layering color.  Zoe isn't too stiff, which is also nice.

I think Zoe makes a wonderful layering color with either Effetre Light Sky Blue (for a brighter shade) or CiM Duck Egg (for a softer shade). 

As I mentioned before, there are several other aqua shades in the new CiM color batch. Most of these are very close in hue, with just tiny differences in the amount of green/blue and in saturation. I'm sure there are lots of opinions on which is best, but Zoe is my personal favorite. Since color love is subjective, your mileage may vary.  So far, I am of the opinion that any one of these aqua shades will be a great addition to your palette. :)

Zoe layered with Duck Egg (the purples are Heffalump, Dark Lavender and Pale Ink Blue)

Zoe layered with Duck Egg (the purples are Heffalump, Dark Lavender and Pale Ink Blue)

Zoe with Duck Egg as a raised floral is nice and bright.

Glass Testing: CiM 526 Ice Floe Ltd. Run

This pretty new glass color from Creation is Messy was kind of hard to capture in a pic, because it is very very pale.  Ice Floe is a limited run, which is sad, because it's a wonderful transparent color. There's nothing else like it that I know of in the 104 COE line - it's bluer than Effetre Pale Aqua, and a lot paler and more grey than any of the transparent blues out there.

The rods are a very pale transparent grey-blue, so the color name is really appropriate, here.  It does look like ice. I really liked this color - it's lovely alone, and layers well with opaque blues.

The consistency of Ice Floe is really nice - not too stiff at all.  It also didn't seem to scum or burn easily, which is a plus.  No bleeding or sinking to speak of, so the glass layers well in dots and as encasing.

In the beads below, I layered Ice Floe with CiM Zachary, for a cool, icy light blue that reminded me of frosty mornings.I love this light transparent - we don't have enough pale colors, I think!