May 31, 2024 ~ Kelly’s Wedding Mix
Happy Friday! This week I have a lot of murrini, but it’s been in the making for a few weeks and the idea has been in the making for about a year. My friend Leslie’s daughter, Kelly, is getting married this fall and she asked about making a mix for her after I did "Madelyn’s Wedding Mix" last year. So we’ve been pondering colors and designs for some time. It finally all came together and we couldn’t be happier. These beauties go on sale tomorrow at NOON Central time (Saturday, June 1).
I made a few different projects this week using this big mix of coordinating colors and they were all relatively simple, but exquisite. The colors used in this mix are all Oceanside. There is Celedon, Mauve, Vanilla Cream, Pink, Black, and Ivory opals with Ruby and Sea Green transparent. Besides the mix, each item will be sold in smaller 1oz. packages to help keep the cost down if you’d like to play with several colors. Finally, I have a Ruby and Vanilla Cream DUO that also coordinates with the bigger mix. Oh how I love Ruby. Let’s get started!
Kelly’s Wedding Mix
This mix has 11 designs for $35. As you can see, there are four different Ripple Petals, three Leaves, two Daisies, and two Roses. Each two-inch cane can be snipped into approximately fifteen 3mm chips. Most of these designs have an outer shape, which means it will be best at a tack fuse, but fully fused samples are shown below. The daisies are great at all temperatures and the roses look their best “Flip and Fused”.
Transparent Ruby with Vanilla Cream/Black Ripple Petals
These deep transparent Ruby Ripple Petals are absolutely stunning. Best cut with wheeled nippers, these beauties have a Vanilla Cream inner design that is filled with black. They make a perfect bold accent. I like them at a tack fuse, but they also fully fuse into a pretty rounded design. See the fully fused sample from the front and back below. On occasion, the Vanilla Cream design may be showing through the Ruby transparent and cause lines in a fully fused version. This wouldn't be the case if tack fused. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. Sizes range slightly in each order and have 5-7 two-inch long canes in them.
Pink and Ruby Dotted Mauve Ripple Petals
These Mauve Ripple Petals have a Ruby transparent interior that is dotted with Oceanside Pink. Best cut with wheeled nippers, they are perfect at a tack fuse, but they also fully fuse beautifully. See the fully fused sample from the front and back below. Like the design above, sometimes the darker inside might be to the edge of the ripple petal and may fully fuse with an unexpected line. You'll see this in the fully fused sample below. In a tack fuse this wouldn't be noticed. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. Sizes range slightly in each order and have 5-7 two-inch long canes in them.
Ivory/Mauve/Ruby Ripple Petals
These are a blend of Ivory on the outside, with Vanilla Cream tipped Mauve petals surrounding a fun Ruby transparent center. Best cut with wheeled nippers and lightly tack fused, these cuties also fully fuse into a unique design. See the fully fused sample from the front and back below. Sometimes the darker ruby shines through the petal in a full fuse, but will look "as-is" in a tack fuse. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. Sizes range slightly in each order and have 5-7 two-inch long canes in them.
Sea Green and Celadon Ripple Petals
Similar to the design above, these Ripple Petals have an Ivory exterior that blends into a Celadon petal with a transparent Sea Green center. The Celadon portion of the design also sports a black tip. Like the other Ripple Petals, these are also best cut with wheeled nippers. I like them at a tack fuse, but they also fully fuse into a unique look. See the fully fused sample from the front and back below. These also may have various uneven striping down the sides when fully fused, but won't be seen in a tack fuse. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. Sizes range slightly in each order and have 5-7 two-inch long canes in them.
Ruby Roses
These Ruby roses are lovely tack fused, but really become the star of the show when they are “Flip and Fused”. This technique is explained in the “Tips and Tutorials” section of the website. They absolutely spread out and BLOOM! Great for when you need a larger murrini as well. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18, which is 5-8 two-inch long canes. These snip well with either the Chipper Nipper or wheeled nippers.
White Roses
Like the Ruby Roses, these Vanilla Cream roses are equally lovely tack fused, but again really bloom when they are “Flip and Fused”. This technique is explained in the “Tips and Tutorials” section of the website. Great for when you need a larger murrini as well. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18, which is 5-8 two-inch long canes. These snip well with either the Chipper Nipper or wheeled nippers.
Vanilla Cream Dotted Mauve Daisies
These lovely Vanilla Cream petals surround a beautiful Mauve and Vanilla Cream dotted center. Beautiful tack fused to fully fused, so great in all temperatures. These snip well with either the Chipper Nipper or wheeled nippers. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18, which contain 6-8 two-inch long canes.
Celadon Daisy
Slender Mauve Leaf/Petal
This slender leaf can also be used as a petal. Created with a Mauve exterior lined with a Ruby transparent vein. This murrini is very versatile as it keeps its pointed ends in a light tack fuse, but rounds out into a fun oval when fully fused. See the fully fused version below. This murrini snips best when wheeled nippers are placed directly in the center of the design. Sizes may vary slightly in the order. Sold in 1oz. packages for $17, which is 5-7 two-inch long canes.
Sea Green Transparent Leaves
Created with Oceanside’s Sea Green transparent glass, they have a Celadon opal vein that works beautifully with this mix. A light tack fuse keeps the leaf shape intact. Either the Chipper Nipper or wheeled nippers snip this cane just fine. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18, which is 5-7 two-inch long canes. Sizes may vary slightly in the order.
Curved Celadon Leaf
This beauty is very unique as it has a Celadon exterior with a black vein. Best at a tack fuse to retain the curved outer shape, but a fully fused sample is below for reference on the changes to the murrini in hotter temps. The sizes may vary slightly in each 1oz. package. Priced at $18, there are 5-8 two-inch long canes in each order. Either wheeled nippers or the Chipper Nipper snip this cane beautifully.
Also this week are a coordinating murrini but are not in the mix:
Duo of Ruby Transparent and Vanilla Cream
This leaf was a remake request that happened to go beautifully with Kelly’s mix. Created with just Vanilla Cream and Ruby transparent, the swirly centers of the Spider Mum and the straight veins of the leaves play off each other well. This is a larger 1.5oz. package for $27.
Vanilla Cream and Ruby Spider Mum
It’s hard to resist the versatility of this Spider Mum. The centers swirled and changed throughout the pull, so inner designs will vary. The outside of the petals have a Ruby line going down it that makes them spiky when tack fused but lined with Ruby when fully fused. See the fully fused version below. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. There are approximately 5-7 two-inch long canes in each order and both the wheeled nipper or Chipper Nipper snip these great.
Vanilla Cream and Ruby veined Leaves
These beauties were a requested remake and are really beautiful and blend perfectly with Kelly’s Wedding Mix. Best at a light tack fuse to keep the shape intact. They snip beautifully with wheeled nippers or the Chipper Nipper. I prefer to put the blades of the nipper back toward the fatter part of the leaf. Sold in 1oz. packages for $18. There will be 5-8 two-inch canes per order.
SECONDS Curved Celadon Leaves
As the design of the pull begins the change toward the end, the center veins of these Celadon Curved Leaves become thinner and begin to have an organic wiggle to them. I think they are just as lovely as the “perfect” ones, but some of these may have a tiny pinhole here and there, so that makes them SECONDS. They are packaged in the larger 1.5oz. size for $18.
Fully Fused Versions:
From the front.
From the back.
Size different and appearance of murrini after it’s been “Flip and Fused”.
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This week’s projects:
Dainty Wedding Dish
First I started by snipping some thin slices from each of the designs from Kelly’s Wedding Mix. I had pre-fused a 6mm clear square (about 4.25”) that I used as my base. 
My dish mold will accommodate up to a 5.5” piece of glass, but I wanted to keep this on the smaller side. 
I pulled out several pieces from my Vanilla Cream stringers made by Joni from Aggie Glass Designs. I found two that when put together would make a perfect heart shape.
I did leave the part with the flowers open (no stringer) so they’d all lay nice and flat. I only used one or sometimes two of each design to complete the shape of the heart. I did have a mis-snip with the stiffer Ruby Ripple and you can see near the top where I tucked it in behind the stringer and it was a PERFECT use for it.
Here it is after a LIGHT TACK FUSE. Just enough to tack them on but not change the shape of the murrini. 
I placed it in the mold and did a very slow and conservative slump schedule. Note with my soap dish last week I had it about 1/4inch larger than the mold so it would slightly drape over, but this week I wanted it to be slightly smaller than the mold so it didn’t have an outer lip.
150>150>10
150>1100>30
300>1240>30
9999>950>3 hours (one hour per 3mm layer)
150>800>15
150>700>15
300>room temp
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Wedding Design with one of Jamaison's Decals
I created this one at the same time as my sample from last week. So I made the same mistake using just 2mm clear underneath with no fill around my murrini. More on this in a minute. 
After covering my surface with GlassTac, I began to place my pieces. The Decal is UNDERNEATH just as a guide for now. The center dot is the Ruby Spider Mum that has been “Flip and Fused” to make it larger, but with the flipped side facing down as it will be the front side when I’m finished. I also have some twisties that I had previously fully fused so I had a flat side to work with. 
This was fun because I loved how the murrini looked in the design. I used small pieces of Ruby transparent glass as well. 
I added the Slender Mauve Leaves and the Sea Green Leaves to complete the pattern. 
Into the kiln it goes for a full fuse. 
Here it is out of the kiln, but a bit too small for the decal now because I only used 2mm clear as my base. However, I corrected the problem by cutting a 3mm clear circle and putting it back in the kiln for another full fuse. 
The decal slid on perfectly and I was really happy with how this looks so far. This is one of Jamaison Schuler’s designs. You’ll find the link to his Decal technique in the "Helpful Links" below. The decal has a yellow appearance to it, but that burns off leaving just the black line. 
Love it!
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Micro Mosaic Necklaces
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve created any micro mosaic pieces, but was really happy with how these two designs ended up. The technique I used was taught to me by an amazing mosaic artist, Jennifer Bevan. Since this technique is specifically hers, I can’t show it step by step, however, there are micro mosaic tutorials out there. Jennifer unfortunately isn’t teaching at the moment (she does zoom classes one on one) but she might offer this again in the future. If interested, message her through her Etsy shop (she's on a short break until June 15th) and she can put your name on a list or suggest resources for you. She also sells high quality bezels in her shop.
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Hints on the Horizon
A reminder my shop will be closed June 4-9.
The following week, June 8, I will have a beachy theme with a NEW murrini design!
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Helpful Links:
If you are looking for COE 96 stringer, Joni pulls matching stringer for the items I have each week. Find her beautiful work at Aggie Glass Designs!
Jennifer Bevan Designs has gorgeous bezels for micro mosaic jewelry. She is taking a short break until Mid-June, but her information will be here when she's back.
If you are looking for Mike LaChance’s COE 96 handcrafted open bails, find his unique work at Mike’s Innovative Glass.
Check out Jamaison Schuler's Facebook page and Decal Video.
If you use COE 90, be sure to shop Lori’s beautiful murrini and mille options found at Wilderness Glass.