Messy Testing Denim, Aloha, Pixie and Splash ltd run

This post looks at a few more of the new colours coming out from CiM very soon (check out the artists preview page here). First up today is a chic steel grey blue transparent called Denim ltd run. The first pair shown are made with Frost ltd run wrapped with a 1mm Denim stringer. The second pair are made with a core of denim encased with Effetre 006 and finished with a silvered ivory wrap. The last pair show what Denim looks like as different sized dots over Frost. Denim is such a pretty and unique addition to the 104 palette. It is definitely on my wish list.

I have teamed up two of the new pretty cool toned opaques with Frost. The first two pairs of hearts are made with Pixie ltd run on the top half and Frost on the bottom half separated with a band of silvered ivory.

The two pairs on the right hand side are made with Aloha ltd run on the top half and Frost on the bottom half. Pixie is such a pretty shade of green, slightly pastel and minty looking. Aloha is a pretty mid turquoise shade similar to Smurfy.

Last but not least is Splash ltd run which is a lush bright light sapphire blue transparent. The nuggets here are simply made with Splash on its own and a ribbon of silvered ivory stringer. They seem to have a lovely glow to them.

The trio of heart pairs here are also made with Splash on its own. I have tumbled them with some silicon carbide grit in a rock tumbler to give them a velvety matt finish. Splash etches beautifully.

Jolene x

Messy testing, Yellow Brick Road, Painted Hills, and Bashful ltd run

Two new earthy shades of glass coming out soon from CiM side by side. On the left is Painted Hills ltd run decorated with Emperor over Peace. Painted Hills is a pretty pale faun colour which tends towards grey. It can give subtle pretty striations between melted in wraps.

On the right is Yellow Brick Road ltd run decorated with either dots of Emperor ltd run or Denim ltd run (also coming out soon) over Peace.

I have teamed up Yellow brick Road and Painted Hills with Bashful ltd run in these pretty hearts. Yellow brick road is a fascinating colour, warm caramel brown tones with a blush of warmer and darker milk chocolate brown in places. It is easily going to become one of my favourite glasses to play with.

Bashful ltd run looks like a soft and pretty warm toned grey in combination with these earthy brown and faun colours and silvered ivory stringer wraps.

These classic nugget shapes are made with Bashful ltd run which has been decorated with silvered ivory stringer.

Jolene x

Messy Testing Prairie Grass, Blue Arrow frog, Spearmint and Envy ltd run

This deliciously bright new opaque green is called Prairie Grass ltd run. I have decorated it with dots of bright orange Butternut ltd run (that came out a while back) and fine stringer lines made with a lush new dense opaque mid blue called Blue Arrow Frog ltd run. I will write more about Blue Arrow Frog in my next blog post.

Next I want to show you this pretty opal pastel green called Spearmint ltd run. I have decorated these hearts with stringer made for another new green glass, a mid green transparent called Envy ltd run.The red petals are made with Maroon ltd run.

Envy sits about halfway between Oz and Emerald City in shade. The beads below are made over a base of Primavera ltd run. They have been decorated with vines made from fine stringers of all three shades of transparent green for direct comparison.

The beads on the left with yellow flowers have Oz stringer, middle with red flowers have Envy stringer and on the right hand side with orange flowers the vines are made with Emerald City stringer.

Jolene x

Doodle a day challenge week 4

This weeks doodles are following that zentangle vibe in the main. The day 2 doodle was completed from start to finish during a couple of longish car journeys (I was a passenger of course) which means I made good use of what would otherwise have been thumb twiddling time. the later part of this week I have been looking at Henna tattoo designs and incorporating them into butterfly wing designs.

Messy Testing Dragon, Class M Planet and Quetzal ltd run

Next up in the newest round of Messy Testing posts are these three stunning new formulae called Dragon ltd run, Class M Planet ltd run and Quetzal ltd run, shown below in rod form.

In rod form Dragon looks like a flat pastel greyish green. After being worked in the flame it comes alive, becoming stunning striated mass of subtle colours from warm grey through pale pastel sage green and even some pale browns. The ferns and flowers were created with dots of Emperor ltd run over Effetre white.

Class M Planet ltd run is an absolute stunner. It's a silver rich blue that is just so pretty. As you can see here it gives striations and lighter patches of blue in places. The ferns are created with dots of Emperor over Effetre white and the flowers are Effeter aqua over white.

Quetzal ltd run is a vibrant petrol blue green that has deeper green striations. It is very bright and yummy. The ferns are created with dots of Emperor over Effetre white and the flowers are Effetere cobalt blue over white.





Jolene x

Messy Testing Barrier Reef, Mockingbird and Maroon ltd Run

This lovely trio of heart pairs are made with a lush new intense green transparent glass coming out soon from CiM called Barrier Reef ltd Run. I have pulled a fine stringer of Barrier Reef from the end of the rod and used it to decorate hearts made from a base of Frozen ltd run. The petals on the floral pair are made with a lush new red called Maroon ltd run.

These Frozen hearts are decorated with a stringer of  a new pretty and subtle transparent grey called Mockingbird ltd run. The flowers petals on this floral pair have also been made with Maroon ltd run.

I chose Frozen ltd run as the base for these new colours as it a beautiful opal white and I wanted to get a real feel for what shades I would get from Barrier Reef and Mockingbird from very fine stringer.

Interestingly, whilst messing about with the newer colours I found that Frozen kiln strikes a bit to something more opaque. I made the Barrier Reef dot and wrap beads first then got called out of the studio for over and hour and left them to keep warm in the kiln. Those first two pairs are markedly more opaque looking than the others.

Jolene x

Doodle a day challenge week 3

Week 3 of my doodle a day challenge and it seems to be going well. I am feeling pretty positive and think I am going to be able to keep the momentum up...or at least to be able to create 7 doodles over the course of a week. I am wondering if I build great habits and  keep it up for a year....

This weeks doodles include sketch pad size zentangles, ATC size zantangles and my first dabbles with watercolour paints.

Knitting inchies for a patchwork dolly blanket

The idea for this project was suggested to me by my good friend Sue. I am going to be teaching my daughter and a small group of her friends the basics of knitting over the summer holidays.

Below are some ideas and patterns to make little inch long patchwork pieces that can be stitched together to make a sweet dolly blanket.

Cast on 10 stitches
Knit 14 rows
Cast off

Cast on 10 stitches
1. Knit 10 stitches
2. Pearl 10 stitches
Repeat 1 and 2 5 more times (12 rows total)
Cast off

Cast on 10 stitches
1. Knit 2. Pearl 2, Knit 2, Pearl 2, Knit 2
Repeat Row 1 13 more times (14 rows total)

 Cast on 10 stitches
1. Knit 2. Pearl 2, Knit 2, Pearl 2, Knit 2
2. Pearl 2, Knit 2, Pearl 2, Knit 2, Pearl 2
Repeat Row 1 and 2 5 more times (14 rows total)

 Cast on 10 stitches
1. Knit 10 stitches
2. Knit 2, pearl 6, Knit 2
Repeat 1 and 2 6 more times
13. Knit 10 stitches (15 rows)
Cast off

Cast on 10 stitches
Knit 3 rows
4. Knit next row but wrap yarn around the needle twice.
5. Knit first stitch of every pair but slide both wraps off the needle
Knit 3 rows
9. Knit next row but wrap yarn around the needle twice.
10. Knit first stitch of every pair but slide both wraps off the needle
Knit 3 rows (13 rows total)
Cast off

Cast on 10 stitches
1. Knit 10 stitches
2. (Knit 1, Yarn to front, Knit 2 together) repeat 3 times, Knit 1
3. Knit 10 stitches
4. Knit 10 stitches
Repeat rows 2, 3 and 4 3 more times
14. Knit 10 stitches (14 rows)
Cast off.

Doodle a day challenge week 2

So far so good on my doodle a day challenge, here are this weeks offerings :) The Zentangle-esque pic second from last was the work of two days, the first in black and the second in colour. That one has become my first ever ACEO's over on Etsy www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KitzbitzArtGlass

Jolene xx

Doodle a day Challenge week 1

I'm starting a new chapter, this week I have moved my studio back home to a fab new space at the bottom of the garden. I have not been on a torch in what feels like forever what with all the packing and unpacking and am missing it so much. I get to light the torch for the first time in a week tonight, can't wait!

As part of my new routine I have decided to get out of my comfort zone and start a doodle a day challenge.
This is week 1....

Jolene x

www.kitzbitz.etsy.com