October 31, 2025 • Cats, Rainbows and the Luck of the Irish

Well, the day has finally come for you all to adopt Catie the Cali Cat. There’s a story with her tho. Not necessarily a good one. I thought maybe she was just a feisty kitty, but let me tell you…this one is down right feral!  Here’s the scoop: 

Lisa chopped Catie just fine into the beautiful 2” canes. Not even a hint of an issue. But when I went to snip her down into slices, I couldn’t get a clean snip. When I have a problem snipping the first thing I do is stop and ask myself some questions. Are my hands tired? Are the wheels of my nippers freshly turned? Am I snipping quick and firm? Is the murrini lined up in the nipper correctly? Is the cat’s “Chin up”? After addressing all the issues and still having hit or miss clean slices, I had my friend Helen snip some and she had no problem at all…with both techniques of snipping in half, then the halves in half, etc. Nor did she have a problem just snipping off 3mm bits off the end of each cane. They were all pretty perfect. Hmmmm…so had two other friends try snipping her and one person had trouble with the larger canes, but not the smaller canes, and the other person had trouble with the smaller, but not the larger. **Perplexed** Everyone was different!!

With the grey kitty, I only had one person message me with snipping troubles (which I appreciated) but those chatting with me about their projects didn’t mention snipping issues, nor did I have any. With Sophie the cat, and honestly any murrini with a complex outer design, there are always a few mis-snips or flared ends, which are to be expected. But nothing like feral Catie. So therein lies my problem (the kind that keeps me awake at night). I couldn’t predict if y’all would have problems or not and there was no way I’d put something into your hands that couldn’t consistently be cut. 

So I decided I’d put her on my saw. I have a Taurus saw with a murrini blade. Yep a very thin beautiful blade that does an amazing job and they are lovely and cut predictably. This is one of the times I prayed...I asked the Lord to let my saw and blade hold out long enough for me to cut all these heads (and it did 🙏🏼). So this is how Catie’s head will be sold…by the slice (not like a pizza). Since she was cut on a saw, she will have a dull/matte finish, but of course that glosses right up once fused again. Also the thickness of each head will range on average from 2mm - 5mm thick. I tried to keep them all at 3mm…but we are talking about thousands of cuts (and many hours at the saw), so they’ll vary some 😅. The bodies snip just fine, so you’ll have to nip those yourself because my hands couldn’t handle any more. 😉

Why such a problem? I'm honestly not sure! Sophie the grey cat didn’t seem to be an issue, so I’m thinking it might be the color combination of Catie that was giving me difficulties, more so than the design. However, it’s important to note that when Catie was fully fused on clear and put under polarizing filters for her quality control check (like I do every week on each design) they are perfect. Also, I anneal everything, so I put a batch back in for a second anneal in case they didn’t anneal properly for some reason, but that didn’t change anything either.  IF (big if) I ever make her again, I’ll ponder a re-design of her head, or just go back to the grey colors that didn’t give us trouble. 

On a better “Luck o’ the Irish” note, I have a couple of NEW murrini this week! One being a RAINBOW! It will come in a St. Patrick’s Day mix with Shamrocks and Leprechaun Bellies! More to come later in the blog when I chat about each murrini, both the feral and the fabulous! Also, I have three fun projects this week, too!

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Housekeeping notes: 
All my murrini are COE 96. This week's murrini (all Oceanside fusible glass) will go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, at NOON Central Time. 

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This week’s murrini:

Catie the Cali Cat Kit (say that three times real fast😅)

Each kit will have 30 pre-cut Catie heads, two 2-inch body canes (unsnipped) and 30+ tails in 3 colors…black, chocolate and terra cotta. Cats will be packaged by size (very small to X large). The above photo shows a medium size cat head/body. The head sizes may vary slightly in each order, which means a few smalls may be in with the mediums and some mediums may be in with the larges, etc. We did try to sort them carefully.

Thickness of heads will range between 2mm and 5mm. As mentioned above, most of the sides of the cat's head will be a matte finish from the saw. If there is a rough spot on the head, your grinder should smooth that area out nicely if needed. 

The hand-made tails are a fun variety and will be in different colors, shapes, and lengths. The tails will be too long for most of the kitties, but this way you can adjust the size by just pinching them shorter with your fingers, or using something like grozing pliers to pinch off the excess. Most of the tails are a curly shape, but some tails are long and wiggly or organic in shape just for a fun variety. Try placing the tail in all different directions for different looks and tucking under the kitty when possible to avoid it separating from the body in the fuse. If the tail doesn't lay flat, remember that in your fuse it will probably move just a smidge as it lays down and may move away from your body. 

I’m a fan of a tack fuse for Catie, but feel free to fully fuse her for a rounded look. 

The above photo shows the progression of sizes from "Very Small" to XL. Remember, your package may have a few heads that are a size larger or smaller than the average head for that package.

NEW! Rainbows
My friend Sherry asked me some time ago if I could do rainbows. It took a bit to wrap my brain around them, but this is what I came up with. My favorite way to use the rainbow is in a “flip and fuse”. If just fully fused, they will distort some (see sample of test rainbow a bit later in the blog). They are perfect in a tack fuse, but you’ll see the clear around them. However, if you fully fused them onto clear, like my dish, then flip it over…they are SUPER cool as it makes the colors spread out. I like to snip them as thin as possible with wheeled nippers.

In the below photo you can see what the Rainbow looks like Flip and Fused (there is a tutorial for Flip and Fusing in the TIPS/TUTORIALS section of my website). In the upper left you see a slice of rainbow on 3mm clear before a full fuse. Below it is the fully fused version but "flipped" over so the flat side is now up. Then finally the Flip and Fused version on white and in my hand. I'll talk more about the little dish in the Project section a bit later in this blog.

St. Patrick’s Day Trio
Look at these cuties together! Shamrocks are back this year, but with the addition of Leprechaun Bellies and RAINBOWS! Each package will have 3 green variegated Shamrock canes, 2 sizes of Rainbows and 2 sizes of Leprechaun Bellies. At checkout, you'll see two options. The only difference is the heavier 1.5+oz. packages will have slightly larger murrini in them. 

Stems for the Shamrocks are not included, but you can use any kind of thin stringer like Joni's gorgeous variegated green stringer, or Oceanside Fern stringer, like I used here. Another option would be to paint a little stem on. I use Easy Fire Enamels when using paint on my projects. I loved doing the St. Patrick's Day mix because of my Irish friend Tricia...it's HER DAY!  I recommend a tack fuse for the Shamrocks and Leprechaun Bellies. 

The Leprechaun Bellies are only found in the St. Patrick's Day mix this week, and they will be very cute “flip and fused”, similar to the Elf Bellies from a few weeks ago. However, the Shamrocks and Rainbows will also be sold as singles. The Shamrocks were pulled in a couple of batches, and since they are variegated, the colors may vary slightly.

Rainbow LeavesI thought a re-make of Rainbow leaves might be a nice addition to the rainbow murrini in some scenes. These are so pretty and are on the med/small side. A light tack fuse keeps the point pointy. :)

NEW! Yellow-Belly Bluebird
Also new this week is a bluebird with a yellow belly, which was a requested design. There’s a lot of yellow belly here, but this bright and cheerful bird will make an adorable addition to any scene. To retain the outer shape of the bird, a very light tack fuse is recommended.

NEW! Striped Green Leaf
This fun new leaf is made with Oceanside glass and has a very dainty striping throughout the design. To me, this murrini has the feel of Spring. A light tack fuse is recommended. 

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I was asked to make my Red Poppies again, but I have three variations of them. A Rippled version, a Flat-end version, and a Blossom version. So I decided to make them all (options are nice)!

Red Rippled Poppy Fields (multi-size)
Gosh I love these. I enjoy using them to show depth in a project having the larger ones toward the front of the scene and the smaller ones that lead our eyes to the back of the scene. These are definitely a LIGHT tack fuse murrini to keep the outer frilly edges as-is. Packages will have multi-size murrini, XL to small (but no tinies), as well as a few packages that will have canes on the smaller side with medium/lg to small rippled poppies in them. All sizes are represented in the listing photo above.

Flat-end Red Poppy Petals (with frit)
These beauties are used in one of the projects this week with a black dot as the center, which is gorgeous. However, I wanted you to have the option of using black frit for a textured center, too, so these will come with a .5oz. medium black frit packet. These are pretty from a light tack fuse to a full fuse. If using frit as your center, I'd fire it at a tack fuse only so the frit stays textured and elevated. Don't forget the more petals you use, the larger the flower will be! 

Red Poppy Blossoms
These blossoms are wonderful tack fused to fully fused. But in a full fuse they really spread out beautifully. The black center has some spiky black lines and is dotted with white for a fun little highlight.

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So since I had three versions of Poppies, I also decided to do my three versions of Sunflowers, too! I’ll have a Sunflower Flat-end petal, Sunflower Daisy and Rippled Sunflowers!

Rippled Sunflower Fields (multi-size)
Like the Red Poppy Fields, the Rippled Sunflower Fields also give your project the look of distance using the larger in the foreground and the smaller in the background. Also a tack fuse is a must to keep the outer frilly edges from rounding out too much. Remember, you can always put your project back in the kiln for another fuse to soften edges, but over-softened edges can’t be undone. 😉

These will be packaged with multi-sizes, but unlike the Poppies, these are large to tiny and do not have XL sizes in them. All of the sizes are shown in the photo.

Sunflower Daisy
This beautiful Sunflower Daisy is back and is great tack fused to fully fused. My favorite way is fully fused so the clear blends away from the flower. Enjoy this subtle beauty.

Sunflower Flat-end Petals (with frit mix)
Joni is my go-to girl when it comes to advice on Sunflowers (they are her favorite). She liked the idea of having options of centers because sunflowers come in so many different shapes, sizes and colors (I didn’t know this)! So you can put your flat-end petal against a dot, or fill the open center with the included frit blend (as shown in the project a bit later in the blog). The more petals you have, the larger the flower. Lots of fun options with this one.

If you are new to my blog, take a peek at the July 19, 2024 blog to see these flat-end petals used with all sizes of fully fused centers. That project was one of my favorites!

The frit mix is a blend of Oceanside colors that make a beautiful center. If you want to use the frit sifted into the opening and tack fuse your project, it will give you a beautiful textured look. You can also use the frit to make a fully fused smooth dot, too! I cut two 3mm pieces of Oceanside Chocolate and glued them together with a teeny dot of superglue. I then coated the entire top (including the little points showing from the underside) with Glastac glue and dipped it into the frit blend, covering the entire surface. Run these at a full fuse to create some really fun dots!

Jellyfish Duo
Per many requests, the Jellyfish are back and will be sold as a duo with both the Ivory/Yellow Jellyfish and the Lemongrass Jellyfish. Love these fully fused into clear then flipped over. However, no matter how you use them, they are adorable.

Little Chubby Starfish
I tried something a bit different with the setup of this week’s version of the starfish. The changes I made caused the center to be a bit chubbier and the legs shorter. Still adorable, but they are different than past starfish that had longer legs. These canes are also on the smaller side and on the darker side. It has a deep rich color, but might need to be placed on a lighter background color to stand out well. Lovely tack fused to fully fused. 

Gorgeous Green Leaves (Multi-size)
I’m going to try my best to always keep these available in my shop. These colors go with any scene and the sizes from tiny to large give you lots of options and variations in your scene. I like leaves tack fused so the points remain pointy.

Monarchs
Fall scenes need these beautiful butterflies. I recommend a light tack fuse as the wings have lots of pretty exterior details that are best kept intact. Just a reminder that there is a tutorial in my TIPS section of the website that shows how to best snip the butterfly wings.

Footballs
Another requested remake was the football. Just in time to be thinking about your Super Bowl themed projects! A very light tack fuse is recommended to keep the pointed ends pointy! See my September 20, 2024 blog post for a really fun project I created using just ONE football!  Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

Dandelions

It has been quite some time since I made Dandelions. Sorry about that...because they are just too much fun. Tack fused they appear "as-is", but fully fused the little tufts spread out into something really fun. 

Fall Daisy Petals

Yep! These are actually extra Catie bodies, but when Sherry saw them she said they'd make great Fall flowers! She was right! I put these on a strip of Sunflower Yellow glass and put a dot in the center of each grouping. Joni's brown variegated stringer (I tell you ... they are great for everything) was just the perfect touch. This piece is about 6 inches tall by 1.5" wide. Thank you Sherry, for the great idea. These beautiful striped petals will come 5 larger canes to a heavy 1.5oz+ package. 

Slight Seconds Clear TeardropsAnother request was for more clear Teardrops. They are multi-size from small to large (no tinies). As you can see in the photo, I caught some air bubbles in some of the larger ones, so they'll be sold as slight seconds. If fully fusing, the tiny pinholes will totally disappear. If tack fusing, you might still see them a little bit. Here's the project created with clear teardrops from the Sept. 5, 2025 blog if you'd like to see how I made it. 

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This week's murrini's fully fused test pieces. They all tested perfectly under polarizing filters.

The Sunflower Daisy, Poppy Blossom, Starfish, Jellyfish, and Dandelion all look great fully fused. Some of the other pieces tend to round out too much and lose their exterior charm. 

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This week's projects!

St. Patrick's Day Dish


First I started with a 5.5 X 5.5" piece of 5mm clear.  I snipped my Rainbow murrini and placed 9 pieces randomly on my glass (I did keep in mind where the dish would slump into the mold and kept murrini out of the areas that would have a bend in it). I fully fused the rainbows into the clear as my first step.

In the upper right, you can see where the Rainbows are now fully fused and I FLIPPED the glass over so the underside is now facing up, which is the coolest view of the fully fused Rainbows! I placed my Leprechaun Bellies and Shamrocks, then LIGHTLY tack fused them on. The Shamrock stems are Oceanside Fern stringer. Joni also makes a beautiful variegated green stringer that you could pull in the torch to make a slender stem! You could also paint a stem on as well. Lots of fun options! Again, keep in mind where the corners of the mold would be. Avoid putting murrini in these areas so they don't bend/curve which may distort their appearance in the slump. 

In the lower left you can see my tack fuse is complete and I placed it over my slump mold, which is Slumpy's SM-9273 mold. I used these molds all the time! The lower right shows the final mold. A fun little easy-to-make dish. 

 

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The Rainbow Bridge

Next I had Catie going over the Rainbow Bridge. Not that I was dreaming of her demise when she was giving me so much trouble, but I know (as a cat mama) that memorial gifts are a truly cherished gift and this idea came to mind.

This piece is 5.5 X 5.5". I used Oceanside's white/blue swirl glass as the background. The curved pieces are some of Joni's Brown Variegated Stringer. I didn't put the stringer in the torch at all, this was just the natural curve of her stringers. This made the outline of the bridge and I placed a Rainbow murrini at the end of it (in the distance).

I then began putting the rest of my design down. I filled in the bridge with Chocolate fine frit in the distance, then transitioning to Light and Medium shades of Amber medium frit, which created our little cobblestone bridge. Then came the rest of the elements. First Catie and her tail, tree branches (Joni's same stringer only pulled in the torch to make fine tipped ends), Rainbow Leaves, and a Yellow Belly Bluebird. After getting them all in place and lightly tacked down with a smidge of super glue, I then sifted on Almond fine frit to make some clouds (I was out of white) and a little bit of Grey fine frit underneath as a shadow. It was PERFECT...until fired. Drats...the almond looked much more off-white once fused. So I went back with some Vanilla Cream fine frit and sifted over the top. I put it in for another light tack fuse, but very very light...just enough to tack the frit down, but not change/soften the murrini any further. 

Much better ❤️.

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Catie in the Garden

Like the other pieces this week, this one is also 5.5X5.5". It is just one single tack fuse firing and is easy to put together. 

This series of photos shows the steps in creating this piece. Oceanside's blue/white streaky glass is the background. I used two of Joni's brown variegated stringers to line the path, then started with fine frit in the background, transitioning to medium frit toward the front to help show distance. 

Like the grass transitioning from fine frit to medium frit, I did the same with the path, using Chocolate fine frit and a mix of Light and Medium Amber medium frit, with a little bit of fine black powder, too. 

I placed my Sunflower petals in a circle, then filled the circles with my frit mix. I placed my Flat-end Red Poppy petals around a pre-fused black dot, adding the new Striped Green Leaf to my stems.

I placed my smaller flowers in the middle of the piece which will be "in the distance", then transitioned into the largest ones at the bottom, which gives the look of a foreground. I placed my kitties and had to put a little bit of green fine frit around the kitty in the path (not the best choice of where to place this kitty unless I was wanting her to be camouflaged in the scene!). Also in the path, I moved the frit away and placed my kitty so it was sitting flat on the background glass. I didn't want her to move during the fuse. Then I just snuggled the frit back around her. I also should have used a Terra Cotta tail instead of a black tail here because after fusing, the path darkened more than I thought it would. 

Finally I placed some Dandelions and put this piece in for a light tack fuse. Love the colors, but also wanted you to see a sample of the Flat-end petals placed around a pre-fused dot and how they look just filling the center space with the included frit. 

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Hints on the Horizon AND a chance to win a gift card:
On Saturday, Nov. 15, I'll have another NEW design, more leaves, Pansies, and lots of other beauties to set you up for getting your Spring projects going.

Per usual, I'll be closed the month of December. So Nov. 15th will be my last regular Saturday sale before the BIG annual Scrap Sale happening again this year on Black Friday at 10am Central Time!

Want to win a $25 Beth Alongi Glass Gift Card? I'd love to feature your work in the upcoming Scrap Sale Blog. If you have purchased scrap from me in the past and used it in a project, send me a photo of that piece to be featured in the blog and be entered in to win the gift card! I'd love to show off your creativity using scrap!

When submitting your photo, try using the CHAT button found on the lower right of my website (this helps me to keep them all in one place). Once you put your name and email address in the chat area (you don't have to click that button that says "opt into blah blah blah") then start the chat. Once the chat is started, you'll see a photo+ icon in the lower left where you can attach your image. If you prefer not to use the chat, send it directly to my email (the one found on my business card). 

Deadline to submit your entry is end of day Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.

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A note to new artists: Quality is my priority. I only sell the best section of each pull. The designs found in your murrini order will look like the samples shown in the blog (sizes of the canes may vary slightly, but never the inner or outer design). "Seconds" or "scrap" canes are those designs that are not yet fully formed or are starting to fade away, murrini with tiny air holes in the design, or with chips or dings. I sometimes sell the nicer Seconds at a discount, or you might find them in the free goodie bags, but more than likely I've saved them for the annual Black Friday Scrap Sale.

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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. 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!

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.

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