June 5, 2026 • The Nativity
The Nativity 2026. This is my favorite murrini kit of the year because celebrating the birth of Jesus is very close to my heart. For those who create artwork a season ahead for upcoming sales, or for those who like to plan Christmas gifts in advance, it's officially time to start thinking about these projects. This year I redesigned the Wise Men and Angel somewhat, changing up some colors and shapes. Since this is my most requested murrini, I spent the month pulling more than normal in hopes to have enough for everyone. I also made a very special project, one I've been planning for some time. A clock, one with a pendulum, so the Angel can be floating above baby Jesus. It's all that I hoped it would be and was not too difficult to put together. Full instructions are later in the blog. Since it has a pendulum, I made a short video so you can see it in action (during the day, then at night lit up).
This month I also got our fall/winter murrini started with requested remakes of my Poinsettia kits, Mountains, and transparent Fall Leaves!
Housekeeping Notes:
All my murrini are COE 96 and made with Oceanside fusible glass. These will go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, June 6, at NOON Central time.
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This month's murrini:
The Nativity 2026
This kit will have 19 (and a half) canes in it. Mary and Joseph (bodies with heads), three Wise Men (bodies with heads), a shepherd body and head with both a black and white sheep, an Angel which includes her body, head, and two wings, and a Bethlehem star. Baby Jesus is the white partial cane. This will fill two full packages.
The above photos show the pieces in the kit and how they go together. You can use this for reference when working on your project. Note the placement of Mary and Joseph's heads. They are looking down on baby Jesus, therefore the lighter flesh color of their faces are toward the baby and the back of their heads are an extension of the color of their bodies. The Angel is not shown in the above photo, but can be seen a bit later in the blog.
Each cane is about 2" long and can be snipped into 16 equal pieces. Therefore, each kit can make 16 nativity projects.
In the Tips and Tutorials section of my website, you'll find a "Half in Half" cutting technique I show using a butterfly wing. This is the best way to make sure you get 16 equal pieces from each cane.
This year I will be giving each person an extra Mary Body (a scrap piece as I had a section of a pull that had some holes in them) for snipping practice. Use this extra piece to see which tool and placement of that tool works best for you.
The above photos show how to snip baby Jesus. Baby Jesus is the shorter solid white cane in your package. You only need a half cane because you'll be cutting each circle in HALF. This has confused some people in the past, so I have step-by-step photos above showing first the partial cane, then that cane snipped into 8 (or more) 3mm discs, then snipping each disc in half to make baby Jesus. The flat side of the half circle will sit on the top of the little manger. The manger will be a creation of your own design. I used transparent bronze glass in the photo above, but in the project, I used a cream/brown streaky glass from Oceanside.
NOTE: I highly recommend keeping the Nativity fused at your LIGHTEST tack fuse. This will keep the exterior design intact...most importantly... the frilly edges of the Wise Men heads and the Sheep.
To see a fully fused version of the Nativity pieces, look at my fully fused test pieces a bit later in the blog.
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Extras from the Nativity - I did have a few extra nativity canes left over after the kits were completed, so you'll find these extras sold separately as Angel Kits, Bethlehem stars, and a Sheep Duo!
I made two variations of Angels this year. The one on the left with the bolder halo is the Angel found in the Nativity Kit. The Angel on the right is the original design and will be sold as singles shown below.
Angel Kits
I did several pulls of the angels but changed the design of her head slightly after my first pull (this was the year for making new updates! 😜). The "new" design is found in the Nativity Kit. However, the original design will be in the Angel kits. The difference is the newer version has a brighter and thicker halo. These Angel kits are the original design with a single halo line. As a reminder, you can also put the body horizontal with just one wing on top to show her flying from the side.
There will be two options of Angel kits, ones running on the smaller side that will have 3 heads, 3 bodies and 6 wings. Then kits that are on the larger side which will have 2 heads, 2 bodies and 4 wings.
Bethlehem Stars
Several pulls were done of this star to make enough for all the mixes, so the inner design might vary slightly from star to star. However, all the designs are represented in the above photo. Each package may have a mix of sizes with 5-7 canes per package (most have 6).
Little Angel Wings
I will have a few packages of just Angel Wings. They are on the smaller side. Not quite tinies...but they are small. Each package will have a few small ones (seen on the left of the dime) and then some even a bit smaller (seen to the right of the dime).
Sheep Duo
These little sheep cuties will be sold as a duo. There will also be a mix of sizes in each package. If they are a bit on the larger side, I prefer to use my Chipper Nipper when snipping them from the cane. Also, these are best at a very light tack fuse so the frilly outsides remain intact. If you are new to your kiln's temperatures, it's always nice to test one first. If they lose their outer shape, your top temperature was a bit too hot. 😉
Shepherd's Staff
This is the first time I've offered a Shepherd's Staff with the nativity. They are made from Oceanside Terra Cotta stringer in a hot head torch. These are EASY to make yourself and I figured a majority of you would prefer to make them yourself as that will certainly be more cost effective, which is why I didn't make enough for everyone.
Each package will have 17 staffs as your Nativity Kit will make 16 nativities. I'll have an extra one in each package in case there is one you don't like the shape of. The size of them can be adjusted by using your wheeled nippers to snip them shorter, or make the hook not as long. Some will be too long...so be sure to snip them to size.
Keep in mind if you do want them, only order one package per Nativity Kit and you'll need to order them at the same time you order your Nativity Kit. If I sell out, message me if you'd like some and I'll get them made asap (but will hold your order until I can get them made).
If you need some direction on making them yourself, I have a tutorial on how to make "Sophie the Cat's Tail" in my Tips and Tutorials section. Basically, that is how I made these except I didn't make them quite as tight and curly.
Red Poinsettia Kits with Frit
While I was in the mood for testing new designs and changing things up, I also changed the leaf in the poinsettia kits. I made both versions, but went with this simpler version for the kits as they don't have a vein direction. The "veined version" will be sold as singles. Each poinsettia kit will have 4 petals and two leaves.
There will be an option for a mix of both larger and smaller petals and then some packaged as all medium size petals. All sizes are shown in the photo above. Also included will be .25oz of a frit mix to put in the center of your flat-ends.
The above photos are from a sample I made in 2024, so the leaves are a bit different, but this shows how to layer them on your project, then filling the center with frit. They are also lovely in a single layer with the frit center, too!
White Poinsettia Kits with Frit
The White Poinsettias work the same way except they are all mostly medium size. They still layer well as you'll see in the "Napkin Ring" project later in the blog. Each kit will have 4 petals and 2 leaves with a .25oz frit blend package.
Transparent Fall Leaf Mix
I started the Fall season with transparent leaves this year (in July I'll have an opal mix). There are 5 solid colors (red, olive, orange, yellow and bronze) then an ombre version using all the colors. 
Since they are transparents, your background color will make a difference in the color of the leaves. I fused a little sample on clear to show how they look in the natural light and on a solid background.
Leaves are definitely a light tack fuse murrini. Also, the thinner you snip them the lighter the color will be.
The leaves will be available in both mixes and as single colors.
Mountains
I had a request for more mountains, so I was happy to remake these cuties! Each package will have about 6 canes in it (give or take) and will have larger to smaller canes for a nice variety. All sizes are represented in this photo.
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This month's fully fused test pieces:
I test a murrini from each pull by fully fusing on clear, then view them under polarizing filters to make sure there are no surprises as far as excess tension or compatibility issues after the pulling process. This also allows us an opportunity to peek at each murrini after a full fuse.
The above photo shows the nativity test tiles. As you can see most of the shapes round out too much and the Wise Men's crowns disappear and the Sheep become round. However, the Bethlehem star is amazing fully fused!
The Poinsettia kits (and veined leaf) are shown above. The leaf with the single vein held up well, but the other leaves and petals distort slightly in a full fuse.
I prefer leaves lightly tack fused so they don't round out too much.
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This Month's Projects:
Poinsettia Napkin Ring
After several years in a row making these Poinsettia kits, I tried to come up with a new way to use them. I don't entertain much, but if I did, I'd want to make a full set of these napkin rings! 
First I rough cut some clear glass as an underlying base for the napkin ring and snipped down my canes.
In the above photos I show the steps of putting a poinsettia together. I put my first layer down on my clear glass that had some Glasstac glue on it. After the first layer dried, I put my second row of leaves on and let that dry. Finally I used my spoon to place the frit in the center.
I did the same process for the white flower, but instead of putting it on clear glass, I built it on a piece of papyrus kiln shelf paper. I was afraid the clear underneath the red poinsettia was going to be too thick, so I made the white one this way. I set up my first layer of white glass, just like I did with the red ones above. However, I used super glue to adhere it to the kiln shelf paper. I placed my second layer of white leaves and put a dot of super glue on each one.
Superglue is both our friend and the devil! It never glues fast enough when you need it to, and then locks two pieces together instantly when you DON'T want it to!! So be careful if you do it this way.
Also remember that if a petal on the top layer isn't sitting still unless it's glued, then when the glue burns off, the petal is going to slip on you. Always make sure that the petal is sitting perfectly still on its underlying petal, THEN put a little superglue down to hold it in place.
I sprinkled my frit inside, but alas, a bit of super glue was still wet underneath and I had a stray piece of frit lock on where I didn't want it.
I ran these at a very light tack fuse so that nothing in the design of the murrini changed. I wanted it to look as-is AFTER firing them.
I ordered these adjustable bracelets on Amazon and wasn't too concerned about the shape of the bezel as the poinsettia will fully cover it. These will be nice to make micro mosaics in, too!
Once my poinsettias were out of the kiln and cleaned, I put some E600 in the bezel and placed my poinsettias on the top. I did the red one first and let it fully dry. Then glued the white one.
Once dried, I did slip it on as a bracelet, which was kinda fun, too! But after taking it off, I gently bent it into a smaller ring for the napkin.
If you are new to my blog, this candle cover was the Poinsettia project from last year. The instructions to this project can be found in the September 5, 2025 blog post.
The Time of Grace
With minimal hiccups, this is one of those times that the end product was what you saw originally in your mind's eye. I love it when that happens. It came together as planned, and was not that hard to make. Here are the steps:
First I did a sketch of my idea and laid it on my glass to see how tall I was going to make it. I had some trouble finding a "mini" clock with a pendulum, so I just made my piece to fit the regular sized clock mechanism that I purchased on Amazon.
I placed the clock mechanism with the pendulum on my glass, then sketched the city and manger scene on to make sure my scale was right. The reason I have clear glass here is because I want to fully fuse the Bethlehem Star into clear as it disappears beautifully and spreads out. Sometimes, since the star has clear around it, if it is fully fused into a piece of colored glass, there will be a defined circle around the star. To eliminate that, fully fuse it onto clear and it will blend into it like magic!
I wanted some smaller stars and some texture of a road or ground under my city, so I sprinkled Vanilla Cream fine frit in the sky around my Bethlehem Star and then some Chocolate, Black and Ivory medium frit underneath the city. Finally, I sprinkled on some Chocolate fine frit at the very bottom.
I placed this in the kiln over a piece of 3mm black glass that had been dusted with clear glass powder to help avoid bubbles (so what you are seeing above isn't a bunch of stars, as you are seeing the clear powder, too). I ran a full fuse schedule with a bubble squeeze in my Hot Shot 24G.
My background is now complete and as you can see the sky is perfect with little Vanilla Cream stars and my big beautiful Bethlehem Star. The "ground" for under my city looks good and I did catch a bubble in the upper left. It will be hidden by the wall of the clock, so no worries there. I then cut another piece of 3mm black that was about a half inch larger all around than the background glass. It needs to be a bit wider and taller than the background because this is the "city wall" that we want to extend out a bit.
The next step is to decide how big to make the opening of the city wall. For this I laid my clock mechanism down first to make sure I didn't cut the opening too big where the pendulum part would show. I took a small piece of paper and laid it on my background tracing out a general area, landing the top of the opening somewhere between the Bethlehem star and the base of the pendulum. Also making it not too close to the edges of the underlying background glass. Once I was happy with the layout, I then traced the opening on my black glass and cut it out with my Taurus saw.
Now... this was a little bit of guesswork, but I had done something similar when making a stone bridge for my Fox scene, so I tried the same idea here. I knew I wanted my "stones" to hang over the edges slightly so it would have a natural little uneven edge. And I knew I wanted to have a very slight gap in between each piece. So I cut out the brown streaky Oceanside glass just about a half inch shorter than my underlying glass, including cutting out the archway on my saw (not shown).
Now, I didn't do a very good job of photographing the scored streaky glass, but basically I started on the right side of the streaky glass and scored one long line up the side from the bottom to the top and broke it into a strip. Looking at the ruler on my grid it appears to be about a .75 inch piece. Some were larger and some were smaller. With each strip, I used my wheeled nippers and nipped it up into square pieces keeping them in order. I used my wheeled nipper to give me more of an organic cut instead of a perfectly scored and broken cut. I laid down the first row on the black glass (with a smear of GlassTac down first), slightly overhanging the black. I left a larger black border around the opening as I wanted to do little pieces there to make the archway more defined around the opening.
Here it is ready to go in the kiln to be fired. When you see my finished piece I know you are thinking..."what the heck...that isn't the same glass!" Well, I'm not sure why, but this brown streaky glass fires very light with a grayish tint. It's the same piece I promise! I knew it changed, but I like it finished as they look more like stones once fired than the wood look before firing.
Now, I put this in my Hot Shot 24G for a heavy CONTOUR fuse but not quite a full fuse. I wanted the stones to round out but look "bumpy" and natural. I was VERY pleased with how this part turned out. Remember, you can always fuse again if not enough the first time, but you can't undo over-fused.
Next is the manger and the murrini! I have 3mm black glass as my base. I could have used clear, but since this will be sitting forward in the project and black glass was behind it, I figured the black would disappear into the background and it does. You can see a little of the black behind the Wise Men and Shepherd, but it is also behind the entire manger and then of course the area of the "ground" below the murrini.
Two areas I'd like to point out. The sides and roof of the manger are the brown streaky glass cut in 1/8-1/4" strips and then turned on its side to show the streaks inside the glass. Being on its side, I was afraid it might tip over once the glue burned off, so you can see I have some kiln shelf paper and little dams resting lightly above it just to hold it in place.
Where you see the big red arrow...I thought I should probably dam that, but I didn't. It DID move slightly in the firing process, so next time I would add a little dam there. It wasn't bad enough to re-do and it looked a bit organic like a pole of a barn might be. Also, where you see the small red star with an arrow...is just a reminder that I put some kiln shelf paper under the Shepherd's staff to hold it in place during the tack fuse.
As for what is on the "ground" under the murrini...I just put the same frit I used for the base of the city here with some fine Chocolate frit sprinkled in to make it blend more. *Make for sure you don't have any pieces of frit hanging over the bottom edge of the black base as we'll need it to sit flat on our clock base.
Here it is fired. Remember... a LIGHT LIGHT tack fuse. We want the Wise Men's crowns to stay pointy and the sheep to remain fluffy! See the bend in the glass where I didn't put a little dam? 🫣
Now for the city. I used plain strips of Oceanside glass in different heights and widths (from my tub of scraps!). I decorated with doors and windows. I fired it in my Hot Shot 24G for a LIGHT Tack fuse and did hold the anneal for 5 hours due to the stacked layers.
This is a photo of the city in the kiln before firing. Note: I made two 3mm side pieces with a little building centered. The reason it is centered is because we are going to put the clock together like a narrow box and it will need to snuggle in beside the buildings on the main back piece (you'll see this step in a bit).
The last fused piece to the project is a base that all the pieces sit on and are glued to. I gave myself a generous inch or so in front of and behind the two main pieces, but only about a 1/2" on the sides. You can make this any size you want, but due to the overall size of the project, I wanted the base to be nice and sturdy. I have two 3mm pieces of black glass here (with a little bit of clear powder dusted between them to prevent bubbles) that I fully fused together.
So let's talk drill for a second. It had been a bit since I made a clock and no longer had my industrial drill press. I did however have this amazing little Dremel drill press! I bought a new 1/4 diamond bit for my Dremel and set it up.
With my wireless Dremel and drill press attachment in place, I submerged my piece in the water-filled sink with a piece of ceramic underneath that I could drill into once I was through the glass. Of course...I already had the back of my "stone wall" marked with a Sharpie. I took a deep breath and went for it. This little gizmo cut through my glass like butter. I did practice on some scrap glass beforehand to make sure everything was working and would sit still during the process!!
It ended up the 1/4" hole was a bit too small for my clock part to go through, so I just took my Dremel off the little press stand and by hand enlarged it a little at a time until it was just the right size.
Following the instructions from the clock kit, I assembled the clock. I should have waited until I had all the parts to the piece fully assembled as I had to be very careful to not bump my fragile clock hands, but I think I was just giddy over the success of the hole and got ahead of myself. It all worked out tho. 😜
Now for the final assembly!!
Because the back will always need to be removable (to add batteries to the clock or adjust the time), I purchased some plastic L brackets from Amazon. They come in all sizes, so I ordered 6mm. It fit nice and tight on the BACK piece, because it is 6mm, but the sides are only 3mm. I held them together temporarily with some painters tape.
With the pieces in position and taped in every direction to hold it together, I started with a dot of E6000 on the inside, gluing together the front stone wall to the 3mm side pieces. Just a dot! I also used E6000 to glue my manger scene down. I let this set overnight.
The next day, I gently removed the tape from the back panel and side pieces. Because my plastic L brackets don't fit the 3mm side pieces tightly, I was able to easily remove the back. My next step was to secure the front and sides to the base. So I put a dot of E6000 in the corners first (see RED arrows) and let that dry. Once dried, I put quite a bit of E6000 along the edges, especially all the areas where the front and sides are permanently glued to the base (see GREEN arrows).
While we are looking at the inside "guts" of the clock, the area with a YELLOW circle is where the pendulum swings. I failed to mention earlier that I tack fused a little angel on a piece of black glass and glued a piece of heavy wire to the back of her. I bent a hook on the top of the wire and hung it through the pendulum opening. The pendulum area, oddly enough, was metal and a little magnet and washer were placed to add weight so the pendulum didn't swing too fast and to hold the wire in place. ⬇️ 
Now for three finishing touches:
First, I wasn't crazy about the look of the plastic L brackets and they did not have 6mm in black. So my sis picked up some black "paint for plastic" at Michael's and this totally did the trick!
NOTE: I also painted the heavy wire connecting the pendulum to the Angel with this paint so as not to see the wire as much. It worked well!
Second, I needed to be able to secure the back panel to the sides better since the L bracket fit tight on the back 6mm glass, but not the 3mm glass on the sides. I could have made the sides 6mm, too, which is an option. However, these brackets fit SO TIGHT that it might be difficult to separate when the time comes to change the clock batteries.
Instead I cut a little square of a self-adhesive velcro Command Strip on the L bracket, then one on the side panel. Then I placed a full strip over the two and it worked perfectly. So now, when it is time to change the batteries, I just gently reach inside to remove the long strip and slide the back off.
Last but not least, in the evening it was just too dark to enjoy and I knew it needed a light. I wanted a light with a remote, but figured the glass would block the receiver, so I purchased a little bulb from Amazon that was on a wire with a battery pack where the bulb could hang on the inside and the batteries would live on the back side of the clock and was easily accessible for the on/off switch. I secured it with an extra self-adhesive velcro strip that I just happened to have laying around. 😜 If someone knows of a similar bulb that operates off a battery but has a timer, let me know!
Ta-Da! ❤️
Friends...if you made it all the way through these instructions...congratulations! I hope you had a cup of coffee close by. It was a lot of steps, but honestly not hard at all. I promise!
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Hints on the Horizon:
My next drop of new murrini with be the FIRST Saturday in July, which is 07/04/2026. I know it's a holiday, but it may be an easy one to remember! 😅 I will have a big Christmas Mix, big Fall Mix, an opal Fall Leaf Mix and more!
If there is a murrini you'd like me to have in stock again, please email me with a photo of it and I'll put it back on my list.
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On a fun note, I have a DISCOUNT code with Hot Shot Kilns! If you purchase a kiln from them and use ALONGI10 at checkout, you'll receive 10% off your order! I don't receive anything from Hot Shot Kilns when you use this code, but you'll get a discount and it lets them know you are a friend of mine! I'm a FAN y'all!!
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Helpful Links:
If you use COE 90, be sure to shop Lori’s beautiful murrini 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 murrini I make. Find her beautiful work at Aggie Glass Designs. Joni is also my supplier for the Window Cards that we can use for our artwork.
For beautiful COE 96 Twisties, check out Sherry's lovely work at Love•Peace•Create•Shop.
Kiln shopping? Check out my friends at Hot Shot Oven & Kiln. They'll give you great customer service along with a great product made in Wisconsin! For a 10% discount, use Alongi10 at checkout! I don't receive anything from Hot Shot Kilns when you use this code, but it lets them know you are a friend of mine and lets you know I'm a FAN of their KILNS!
Looking for a good Chipper Nipper or Leponitt wheeled nippers? I recommend purchasing these two "must-haves" from witsendmosaic.com. They call the Chipper Nipper "Ceramic Scissors". The wheeled nippers I prefer are the Leponitt G30C. They also have lovely jewelry bezels, too!
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.
I buy my Easy Fire Enamels from Cheryl Chapman's website.
Looking for a pneumatic chopper? Sue and Brad Darte make a great product backed by excellent customer service.
For Janice's pre-cut COE 96 ornament blanks, find her at LakeRabbitDesigns.
For information on Paul Tarlow's Powder Printer: Check out his Fusing Factory website and his Youtube Video for creating with the Filigree Stencils