Val Cox Frit: Champagne Rain

Love the sound of this name - Champagne Rain - I want to pronounce it Chaaaaam-paaaaaaain- Raaaaaain - like a motorcycle shifting gears on a loooooong mountain highway. (Anyone old enough and west coast enough to remember the old Rainier Beer commercials will know exactly what I mean!)

The Val Cox website says this about it:

A luxurious blend of opaques and sparklingly gold tones--perfect for when you want to play dress-up.

Melt slowly and avoid getting it too hot.

but the insert from the package says this:

Blend - Opaque/Transparent

Rich, complex and gorgeous neutral tones of highlighted with goldstone. (sic) Work in a neutral flame, with or without silver foil.

And you can see the flakes of goldstone when you look at it.

I did not see the advice about "melting slowly" - so I worked at my usual breakneck speed.

First up, on white, on the right, and on the left, a white base bead with clear, then rolled in the frit. I wondered as I made it if it was going to strike and go a bit darker - I was wondering about the lighter spots. But - it looks like I just missed getting frit on them.


Next - the old dip-the-gather and wind technique. This is a pretty handsome bead.


This cone is a ivory base, rolled in silver foil and melted in, rolled in frit, and a few daubs of Double Helix Psyche, and marvered into shape. I think this one is pretty cool - but where the heck did all those holes come from? They were there when I put it in - and I don't remember seeing it boil. Not sure if that is from not heating the bead release enough or if it is a reaction. Or maybe it was the "should have heated it slowly" thought. Hmmm - that seems most likely.


This bead is the same idea, white base on the left and ivory on the right, foil, melt in, frit, melt in.

I like this one too.


Same again, on Opal Yellow. Foil, melt in. Frit, daubs of Psyche, melt in. Shape, mash. I reduced this one, decided I didn't like it, and unreduced it.



This is a white base, built as a disk, roll in frit, melt slightly, wind on clear, and melt down - distorting the frit. I like this one so much that I have two photos - as it looks quite different on different sides. The goldstone shows very nicely.




This is on Psyche, and reduced. Ick. Don't do this one.



Got some nice effects with this one. Next time I use it - I'll have to remember to be more gentle with it and melt it more slowly.