Messy testing - Apple Pie, Turtle Power and Juniper ltd run

This trio of lovely green shades of glass are all new limited run colours out this autumn from Creation is Messy. These dotty monster beads from left to right are made with Apple Pie ltd run, Turtle Power ltd run and Juniper ltd run decorated with Butternut ltd run spots. I made these guys to donate to Beads of Courage UK and Ireland.

Apple Pie ltd run is a pretty pale pastel green that does not show any striations on the finished beads. It is melts smoothly and is quite soft. It is very easy to work with and coped very well with the texture tool (Karen Leonardo featherbone mashers) that I used to created these leaf beads.

These sweet little tab beads here show a direct comparison between Apple Pie on the left and Primavera on the right. Apple Pie is darker and a touch more blue than Primavera. The drawings on these are doodles that my daughter has drawn and they are also destined to become Act of Courage beads for some brave kids on the Beads of Courage program in the UK.

Turtle Power ltd run is a bright mid toned green. It melts smoothly, is well behaved in the flame and coped well when chilled quickly by the texture tool I was using. I am not sure who made the tool that I used to texture these beads with but it looks like pair of concave clam shell plates on the end of long tweezers.

Juniper ltd run is a rich streaky dark green opaque shade. It puts me in mind of Sherwood ltd run. I used simple parallel mashers to create these beads. The mashers have created concentric chill marks on the surface of the leaves which I have not flame polished out as I think it adds an interesting and subtle texture to the finished design.

Jolene x

Messy testing - Rapunzel, Buttermilk and Enchanted ltd run

Rapunzel ltd run is one of the newest colours out from CiM this autumn. It is a very pretty opaque lilac which looks like a pinker version of Heffalump. These little bird beads show difference between the two, Hefalump bird on the left and a Rapunzel bird on the right. These beads have been photographed in natural daylight.

Next I have some Rapunzel flower bud beads with Enchanted petals to show. Both Rapunzel and Enchanted look different shades under different kinds of lighting, These  buds  show how they photograph under white LED lighting.

I sometimes have trouble with boiling the glass and creating micro-bubbles in pale transparent colours because I tend to work on the hot side (Carlisle mini CC torch on 2 oxygen concentrators). Enchanted was very well behaved for me and a real pleasure to work with.

This next pair of flower bud beads have a base of Buttermilk ltd run with Enchanted petals over the top. Buttermilk is a lovely creamy looking pale ivory colour which looks just lovely under the soft transparent lavender of Enchanted.

These beads have been photographed under white LED lights.

Buttermilk ltd run can be fumed with silver leaf, shown here with this tiny goddess bead. The darker areas are where the silver leaf has been burnished on to the bead and vapourised in the flame to leave small caramel tan areas of colour behind.

Jolene xx