July 18, 2025 • Christmas Fun

I love working a season ahead. It’s been fun in the shop these past few weeks because Lisa and I have been playing Christmas music! We laughed and sang and it got us in the spirit early as we worked with all this week’s murrini. Speaking of Lisa, I wanted to give her a shout out because she has done such a great job keeping up with me. We’ve been full steam ahead the past few weeks and this week’s Christmas Mix and last week’s Nativity kits took some extra work as she did her best to make sure all the sizes of all the canes were as equal as possible (Mary’s head wasn’t bigger than Joseph’s, etc.).

It’s the behind the scenes details that make each package the best it can be. After I create, pull, anneal, and sort the canes from good, seconds (mostly used for goodie bags), and scrap, I hand them over to Lisa. She cleans each cane, one at a time, works her magic on the chopper, and then sorts every cane by size and looks them over for any imperfections. Also, around here it's one day at a time (we have parents the same age) and it will always be quality over quantity. We are definitely on the same page in the shop and we have a lot of fun, too! When Lisa leaves each day, we feel like we’ve been to therapy. 🤣 It’s pretty great.

This week I’ve got some new designs as well as past favorites. I made lots of Christmas mixes, and there are some duos and singles, too. I pulled extras of the new items in hopes there’s enough for everyone. I was feeling “ornaments” this week, so I reached out to my friend Janice and she made me some pre-cut ornament blanks on her Wazer. She’s still in the works of getting her online shop up and running, but they are really fun to work with and certainly made life easier (info on her shop coming SOON!). I also did a little Gingerbread project, too!

Housekeeping notes:
All my murrini are COE 96 and these Christmas sweeties will go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, July 19, at NOON Central time.

Also, do you remember several weeks ago I pulled blue hearts because I have a new little great nephew on the way? Well, baby boy will be coming this month (on the 31st, if not before) and I want to be there if at all possible. My August 2 sale will happen as scheduled, but I’ll keep you posted if the shipping day moves to Tuesday instead of Monday. 😉 We all agree…family first.

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This Week’s Murrini:

Christmas Mix

Thirteen canes make up this adorable mix. You’ll receive 1 of each design, including the three new designs this year! From left to right: Christmas Blossom, Artsy Christmas Tree, Flame, Snowflake, Poinsettia Blossom, Elf Belly, Snowman Nose, Peppermint, Christmas Twistie, Santa Belly, Tiny Tree, Holly and a Wreath. More details below on each design. These mixes are weighing in at a hefty 2.5+ ounces.

Santa and Rudy Duo (and as singles)

Santa and Rudy are back this year and cute as ever. This dynamic duo will be sold as both a duo and as singles. Santa comes with a little white cane for the ball of his hat (snip the little white cane really thin, like a hockey puck, so it sits flat). Rudy will come with two ear/antlers. Position the antler/ears on Rudy where the little ears are on the outside and the two antlers are right next to each other on the inside. I love these guys tack fused, but they are also cute fully fused, too. You’ll see samples of both temperatures in the project section a little bit later in today’s blog.

Old Fashioned Christmas Bulbs (and as singles)

Old Fashioned bulbs are also back. Lisa worked hard to make sure the bulbs in the mixes are all relatively the same size (for those who pull cane, getting every cane exactly the same size is not that easy - so Lisa had her work cut out for her as she sorted and bagged them all by size). There will be packages with two of each color, which are what I’d consider “regular” size. Then slightly larger bulbs that will have only one of each color in the package. They will also be sold as single colors. Lisa packaged the single colors after the mixes were done, so they are all the extra remaining canes and therefore sizes will vary inside each package.

Christmas Blossom

The Christmas Blossom is a bit different this year. In the past I’ve used Fern green, which is bolder, but was also reactive next to the Vanilla Cream. Since this beauty is even more spectacular fully fused (and flip and fused), I didn’t want us to worry too much about the dark reaction at hotter temperatures. So I used Amazon and I find it to be just as lovely.

Artsy Christmas Tree

The Artsy tree is back with a slightly different look. The branches are straighter and more spread out so the bulbs can be the star of the show. These are a larger murrini and can be a bit trickier to snip. I used my wheeled nippers with the wheels on the fattest part of the tree but not quite all the way to the bottom. I had the best results by cutting each cane in half, then those halves in half and so on until you get 16 equal pieces. Also, the top point of the tree is facing me when snipping and the bottom is facing away. If you peek at my “TIPS” section you’ll see a section called “Snip Tips”. The Artsy Tree will snip exactly like Sophie the Cat’s body. Nipper placement is shown there. 

Multi-size Flames

These multi-size flames are also multi-purpose! Use them for a little campfire, flames coming from a fireplace, on a menorah, or topping off any little candle. They are best at a tack fuse so you still see the little curved tip. I’ll also have a few packages of just the tiny flames as a variation at checkout.

Multi-size Snowflakes

Multi-size Snowflakes are back! I love these guys. I’m all-things-snowflakes! They are one of my favorite things on the planet. I have a favorite snowflake sweater, snowflake t-shirts and some priceless snowflake earrings I got on a trip to Banff, Canada several years ago. So these are close to my heart. I like to make them multi-size because I love the way different sizes look in a snow scene. I like them tack fused to fully fused. They are also the bomb flip and fused. They look best when fully fused on clear, so the outer clear of the snowflake blends in seamlessly with the background. They are also cool fully fused on a dark or black square (like flip and fuse only stopping after the first full fuse).

NEW Santa and Elf Belly Duo (and as singles)

Check out these new square cutie patootie Bellies! I thought they’d make the cutest packages under a tree, or used as an ornament…but guys…these ended up being ADORABLE flip and fused into instant earrings and necklaces. I did a bunch and learned a few lessons (the flip and fused technique can be found in the TIPS section of my website).

1. Either 2mm or 3mm clear works underneath for the flip and fuse. 3mm clear will give you a bigger end result but a greater chance of seeing excess clear around the perimeter.


The Elf Belly above is an example of a bit too much clear on one side. The Santa Belly is a good example of not enough clear underneath (on the Santa Belly, the clear square underneath was the same exact same size as the murrini on top of it - which was not enough clear).

2. Have the clear ever so slightly larger than the murrini, enough you can see it all around. I tried cutting squares that were the exact size of my "belly" and when I flipped and fused them, you could see where the clear started and stopped (like in the Santa Belly above), which was not good. Some had a bit too much clear showing and you saw some excess clear after flipping and that isn't too bad, but I recommend testing one or two before you do a bunch. 😉

Here you see the first step in the flip and fuse. On the upper photo you can see the clear is slightly larger than the murrini. Do not go any larger than this! In the lower photo you can see the clear is visible around them, but when you flip them over (after cleaning them) and fully fuse again, the clear should be just about right. You can also see a couple of them that are in the 2nd (last) phase of being flip and fused and they are adorable.

Since these are square, the flip and fuse technique is easy because you can simply cut the little clear squares to fit under them nicely. Look at these sweet earrings and necklaces!

3. If you don’t want to flip and fuse, a 4-6mm slice of murrini fuses up into a really cool dot, too!

Here are some of the different ways I experimented with them. Left to right:

Snipped from the cane
A 4-5mm piece fully fused into a dot
Flip and fused on 2mm
Flip and fused on 3mm
Flip and fused then flattened
Flattened

NOTE: The Bellies in the DUO will be on the larger side and it might be necessary to have a Chipper Nipper on hand to open wide enough to snip them. As singles, the sizes will vary in each package and most will be smaller than those found in the duo or the Christmas Mix.

Poinsettia Blossom

This is a great murrini for when you need a splash of Christmas Red! They are lovely tack fused to fully fused, flip and fused, or even fully fused by itself as a dot to embellish your ornaments or winter scenes.

Multi-size Snowman Noses

There are so many fun ways to make snowmen, so it’s nice to have different sized noses to fit any need. These always make me smile and are fun to work with. They are best at a tack fuse to retain their outer shape. 

Peppermints

I prefer these Peppermints tack fused. When fully fused the center pulls in and the outer lines become elongated, so I like to keep them “as-is”. These snip pretty easily with wheeled nippers, but I can get some really nice thin slices (2-3mm) with the Chipper Nipper. 

Christmas Twisties

The Christmas Twisties are a favorite each year because they are so versatile and fun to work with. Use them from the side as a North Pole, flatten them on their side to make swirly Snowman scarves, snip them thin and tack fuse for a peppermint look, fully fuse into a dot for sweet little holiday embellishment, flip and fuse for a larger magnified look, or my favorite way is to flatten them into a little swirly button. Nancy Sala has a great tutorial for flattening and her information is at the bottom of the blog in the “Helpful Links” section.

Tiny Trees

Over the years I’ve made these little trees in both Amazon and Fern. I chose Amazon this year to make them nice and bright. They are small and are perfect as little accents. These are also a tack fuse murrini so they keep their exterior shape and interior design intact.

Holly Leaves

Holly Leaves are back and are made with Olive Green this year. They have a transparent center line and are definitely best at a VERY light tack fuse because they do round out quickly. Be prepared for them to make quite the crunchy sound when snipping and I recommend wheeled nippers for these fellas. Also, don’t try to snip them too thin. I keep mine at about 3mm. 

NEW Wreath

Last but certainly not least…NEW Christmas Wreaths! The center is clear and they are adorable when used as a little wreath on a gingerbread house or anywhere a wreath is needed. They are going to be best at a tack fuse and they also snip thin with the Chipper Nipper. In a full fuse the middle pulled in and the exterior spread out. It still looked like a wreath, but not as much as when just tack fused. I did flip and fuse one and they looked pretty cool that way! I can’t wait to see what everyone creates with them!

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This week’s murrini test pieces fully fused

The full fuse works well with a few of the murrini, but most lose their outer shape and inner design. 

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Here are a few ornaments made with Janice’s lovely pre-cut ornament blanks:

Here’s the progression of this adorable Snowman cutout. In the upper left you see a flattened twistie (Twisties will be coming up on Aug 19!) I snipped it to size, then put it on the grinder to round the edges. I cut a little hat and brim out of 2mm black, then added medium size black frit for the eyes, a snowman nose, holly leaves with a berry (tiny red dot) and then used the Santa Bellies as his buttons. A-Dorable!

Here comes trouble!! This feisty guy has gotten himself in a tangled mess! He has a peppermint on his hat, snowman nose, frit for eyes and mouth, then he is all wrapped up with Christmas bulbs! I used thin stringer (you could easily use paint) and lined my bulbs up against it. I put a tiny stringer underneath him with a bulb coming off the end. Yes…it is cute with the little bulb coming off the side and is incredibly FRAGILE, but wanted to show it as a really fun option. 

 

Here is a clear fancy ornament shape that was fun to work with. The possibilities are endless. Since I’m a red gal, I used red stringer as a design element, then tack fused red bulbs, peppermints, and poinsettia blossoms on. 

Here is the same shape using Vanilla Cream fine frit as snow, then I simply placed two artsy Christmas trees and some multi-size snowflakes. At the top I used one of Mike's COE96 fusible bails, that I snipped the paddle part in half with nippers, just to reduce the size of it and make it look more intentional. Don’t forget to plug the hole with fiber if you are using one. A light tack was used on this ornament, too. The link to Mike's website is at the bottom of today's blog.

Now this little cutie is a bit different. I put TWO of Janice’s ornament blanks together to make the ornament 6mm thick, then placed Santa holding a peppermint and a poinsettia blossom, Rudy (remember ears out and antlers toward each other), a wreath and multi-sized snowflakes…then FULLY fused. Afterwards I made a little sleigh with multi-colored stringers at the top, and a black stringer (curved in a torch) for the runner under the sleigh. I also took one of Mike’s fusible bails and snipped it smaller and put it on the grinder to get a thin line (snipping too small of section could break the bail). I then tack fused the sleigh parts and the bail on. I knew this one would be cute from the front and the back (hence the use of one of Mike’s clear bails). Look at how cute the wreath is from the underneath (photo on the right)! 

 

The photo of this ornament doesn’t show how pretty the green is. It is made with Oceanside Dark Green opal. In creating this ornament, I started with a flattened twistie (upper left) and then snipped it in sections to make the ribbon. I used the grinder to round out the edges of the top part of the bow and snipped thin strips with my wheeled nippers to make the ribbons of the bow. You could also easily score and break these pieces, too! P.S...reminder I’m going to have a huge twistie sale coming up on Aug. 19!

After topping the bow with a little rounded circle, I placed my snowflakes. Some of these are seconds, as I pulled them out of my personal tub (they were still quite pretty). I also used Christmas blossoms and fired it at a tack fuse.

 

This was a fun one! I used TWO of Janice's wreaths to make it 6mm thick. I wanted it thicker to highlight how beautiful snowflakes and Christmas blossoms are when fully fused. There looks to be minimal, if any, reaction between the Amazon and Vanilla Cream in the blossoms, which was the goal. Also, I believe Janice told me this transparent green wreath was made out of Wissmach. I viewed the finished wreath under polarizing filters and there wasn't a trace of an incompatible halo around the murrini (which is all Oceanside), so they worked together perfectly. 

Finally there is this beauty that I just took out of the kiln this morning. Made with Janice's Dark Green Opal ornament blank, this one went through the kiln twice. The first time I had put a thin layer of Glasstac Glue all over the surface and sprinkled it with Dark Green Transparent medium frit. I had glued my candlesticks down on kilnshelf paper with a little stringer between the candle and flame. I laid the blank over the candlesticks and tack fused it. When I took it out of the kiln, it was perfect...but when I tested the integrity of the "freestanding" candles, one of the flames broke off. I was afraid of this...but wanted to give it a shot.

So I snipped off the candles with some nippers and started again. I rough-cut a piece of 2mm clear with wheeled nippers, just short of the size of the blank and put a dot of superglue on it to hold it down on the backside of the ornament. I flipped it back over and then easily placed my candlesticks (Vanilla Cream noodles) and flames on top of the center clear glass, then sprinkled on a little bit of clear medium frit all around the green wreath to give it some sparkle. Back in the kiln it went for another light tack fuse. This is the way to go. Sometimes the light catches the clear background and you can see it behind the flames, but it is much easier to have the clear behind it for this design. 

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Christmas at the Gingerbread House

I started with two 5X5ish pieces of Oceanside Chambray. I dusted one with clear powder and put it in the kiln. On the second piece I used some of *Joni's Brown Variegated stringer for a tree (I put it in the torch to taper the ends) and snipped up some random pieces of Paynes Grey. Since the underneath will be fully fused, I wanted there to be just a hint of a background...trees, hills, etc. I put on some multi-sized snowflakes and sat it on top of the first piece already in the kiln, running a full fuse on it.

*A link to Joni's website can be found at the bottom of the blog in the Helpful Links section.

In the upper left you can see my AI generated idea. I asked for a gingerbread house in the evening snow, with a tree in the background and a wreath on the door. It was close! So once my background was done, I started to add on my top pieces. I made a house shape with a chimney made out of Terra Cota Amber opal, then added a Vanilla Cream noodle for the roof and chimney and added Vanilla Cream stringer for the second story design. I placed a flattened Christmas Twisty in the center of the upper design. I made windows and a door, then placed yellow in the windows and door to give the appearance of the lights being on. Santa is on his way down the chimney with lots of treats, but that darn Rudy beat him inside and he's peeking out the window of the front door! Remember Rudy's ears face out and the antlers face each other in the center. 

Next I used some Glasstac glue all around the sides of the house and down to the bottom, sprinkling on Vanilla Cream fine frit over the glue. I also added some Glasstac and frit on the Vanilla Cream Noodles and around the top of the door and windows. I "shoveled" the snow off the sidewalk (gotta watch your back when you do that) and started placing the exterior decorations. Wreaths are on the windows, tiny trees line the front of the house and artsy Christmas trees line the sidewalk. Peppermints, poinsettia blossoms, and Christmas Twistie slices fill in around the base of the house. Note on either side of the house, there are flip and fused Christmas blossoms. 

This shows how much flip and fused blossoms really spread out compared to a slice of the poinsettia blossom just snipped straight from the cane. Also note there is a sneaky piece of clear placed under the roof to hold up the noodle during the tack fuse. 

Next came the trees! First I snipped some Adventurine Green glass with wheeled nippers along the edge of the sheet glass to create these curved pieces. I made a base with Chambray about 3 X 1.5 to match the background of the Gingerbread house. I put a little bit of Glasstac glue at the bottom of the base and put Vanilla Cream frit to also match the snow around the house. Next I started placing my tree "branches". There is a base layer, then a second layer on top of the base layer. NOTE! I created this on a piece of kilnshelf paper because I wanted to glue it down so it didn't move. This way it's easily transported to the kiln. I put my second layer of branches on and then finally my Christmas bulbs. Once it was in the kiln, I thought it needed some packages underneath. So I put some Santa and Elf Bellies on it. 

The house and the trees went into the kiln for a very light tack fuse. I ramped up slow up and came down slow (150 degrees per hour) and held my anneal for 6 hours. There were several layers to the house and I didn't want to rush it. Some may opt to ramp up and down even slower. That would a good idea if you don't want to take any thermal shock chances. 

After the pieces came out of the kiln, I used some Gorilla glue to put a little 2mm glass easel on the back. Just something simple and clear so it wasn't too noticeable if viewed from the side. To set up my scene, I had some "snow" stuffing in my Christmas stuff and put just a whisper of it down, then sat my pieces on it. It ended up being a pretty sweet little project. 

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Hints on the Horizon: My next sale will be August 2. I’ll have another smaller Christmas mix, a Wintry mix as well as some requested remakes...Red Mushrooms, Gorgeous Green Leaves, Footballs, and a "old but new" murrini. ;) Then on Aug. 19, I'm going to have a big Twistie sale with some gorgeous colors and great deals. I'll also have a brand new flower that I'm testing, too! So stay tuned!

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Helpful Links:
If you use COE 90, be sure to shop Lori’s beautiful murrini and mille options found at Wilderness Glass.

Oceanside's recommended Firing Schedules.

If you are looking for COE 96 stringer or pre-fused dots, Joni pulls matching stringer for the items I have each week. Find her beautiful work at Aggie Glass Designs.

For beautiful COE 96 Twisties, check out Sherry's lovely work at Love•Peace•Create•Shop.

If you are looking for Mike LaChance’s fusible COE 96 handcrafted Bails, find his unique work at Mike’s Innovative Glass.

For beautiful COE96 frit blends, check out Val Cox's website.

My favorite flattening technique is from a tutorial by Nancy Sala. It’s worth the $8 for the excellent tips she gives. Once purchased and she sees your order, she will email you the tutorial in a PDF.

For Janice's pre-cut COE 96 blanks, find her at LakeRabbitDesigns