September 5, 2025 • Christmas Favorites, Leaves, Birds, and Rainy Days

Happy September! I hope you had a great Labor Day holiday. We spent ours with family who came up from Nashville and Atlanta to wish my Dad a happy 88th birthday. Not much was made in the way of murrini this past week, but lots of great memories were...and that's all that truly matters.

Up this week are remakes of Christmas favorites, leaves, birds, and a somewhat "newish" idea from a past "Ghost" series. Not the kind you find at Halloween, but clear shapes that make for some really creative possibilities. Here's a sneak peek on how they were used in this week's simple, yet beautiful project. More to come a little bit later in the blog.

Housekeeping notes: 
All my murrini are COE 96. This week's murrini (all Oceanside fusible glass) will go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, September 6, at NOON Central Time. 

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 Scrap Sale (coming again this year on Black Friday). 

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This week's Murrini:

Transparent Old Fashioned Christmas Bulbs 

Transparent Old Fashioned bulbs are back. Like the Opal version from a few weeks ago, Lisa worked hard to make sure the bulbs in the mixes are all relatively the same 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. Some of the colors will be available in single color packages. 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. It's hard to get a good photo of transparent canes, but the colors are Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Chambord (which is a purple-ish color put out by Oceanside a few years ago).

Here they are photographed in natural light above and lightly tack fused on a snowman below.

Artsy Christmas Tree

The Artsy tree is back with a slightly different look from last year. 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.

The Artsy Tree is definitely best at a LIGHT tack fuse. To see a sample of it tack fused in a project, check out my July 18, 2025 blog.

Multi-size Snowflakes

Snowflakes are the best. 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).

Note: These are multi-sized packages. Sizes will range from larger to tiny. This week they are heavy on the smaller sizes in some of the packages. 

Multi-size Transparent Blue Snowflakes

I made these blue snowflakes last year, and someone requested them a few weeks ago! I'm so glad they did, as I had forgotten about these little gems. The above photo shows a sliver of a snowflake snipped from the cane sitting on my fully fused test piece. You can see they are quite different depending on the temperature they are fused at. However you work with them, they are wonderful.

These are packaged as multi-size and you will receive all the sizes in your order, but some packages may have more canes leaning on the smaller or larger side. If you'd prefer more larger or smaller murrini canes in your order, the best way to request this is to leave me a note in your order and I'll do my best to hunt down the package that best suits your needs. 

Also, see the photo below. I put a blue snowflake on Vanilla Cream in a test and was shocked at the dark reaction between the two! They are cool, but it was totally unexpected. So just an FYI if you are thinking of fusing them on Vanilla Cream. Otherwise, they'll look like the above fused version on any other non-reactive color. Also, since they are transparent, they'll disappear on dark colors. So I'd recommend fusing them on white, ivory, clear, or light blue opal. 

Santa and Elf Belly Duo (and as singles)

Thanks for your great response on my Santa and Elf Bellies! The below informational section is copied from my July 18, 2025 blog just in case you missed it.

I thought these bellies would 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 be more on the medium side.

This was a sample made showing the smaller Santa Bellies used as buttons in a light tack fuse. More information on the Santa/Elf Bellies can be found in my July 18, 2025 blog. 

NEW Wreath

Also another requested remake was my wreath! This new design must have been a good one as it was copied exactly by another murrini maker before I could get this second batch ready for you. 😅 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!

Poinsettia Kits with Frit Blend

I’ve been making this lovely flat-end petal Poinsettia kit for several years now and it is an all-time favorite. Kits will include 4 Poinsettia Petals with 2 Dark Green Leaves and a .25oz frit blend packet. There will be two variations:  a mix of Poinsettia Petal sizes (best for layering) with Dark Green Leaves and Frit blend  or  mostly medium sized Poinsettia Petals with Dark Green Leaves and Frit blend. Poinsettia Petals can be layered for a spectacular end result. The Poinsettia leaf will be available as a single item as well and will be a separate listing.

The included frit blend is made with Olive, Marigold and Black Oceanside medium frit. If you'd like it a bit finer, you can always *tap* it with a little hammer. Always a good way to take out some pent up frustration. *wink wink


Here is the project using the Poinsettia Kits from my August 1, 2025 blog.

Multi-size Gorgeous Green Leaves
The Gorgeous Green Leaf is a staple in my shop. They will be packaged in multi-size from tiny to large for a great variety. Tack fuse is recommended.

Multi-size Green Ombre Leaves
Another oldie but goodie leaf in my shop this week is the Green Ombre Leaf. Like the Gorgeous Green leaf, they will be packaged this time as multi-size from tiny to large for a great variety. Tack fuse is recommended.

Cardinals
Red Cardinals are ready to fly into your scene! They are easy to snip with wheeled nippers and are best at a LIGHT tack fuse to keep their outer shape. 

Yellow Cardinals

Yellow Cardinals are back, too! Yep...there really are Yellow Cardinals that are mostly found in South America, but have been spotted in North America. This beauty is also best at a very LIGHT tack fuse. 

Whimsical Bluebird Family

I pulled these cuties in multi-size to add some family fun to your projects. I thought these would be really sweet in a nest and I highly recommend a LIGHT tack fuse with these birdies as well. 

Here's a sample of the little birds in a scene. These branches were made with Joni's (Aggie Glass Designs) variegated brown stringer. I just put them in a torch to pull short segments with tapered ends and gently bent them into a wide "U" shape for the nest. The little Whimsical Baby Bluebirds look pretty sweet with Mom and Dad looking on. The Red and Yellow Cardinals are perched above and you'll see the variation from the largest to smallest of the two leaves this week. 

P.S. a link to Joni's stringer can be found at the bottom of the blog in the "Helpful Links" section.

There is one OOPS in the above scene! The little grey Sea Bird in the lower left will be sold in my next sale where we'll be having some sea-life fun, so stay tuned for this cutie. 

NEW Clear Multi-size Raindrops
These multi-sized clear teardrop shaped murrini are so versatile and can make for the most unique designs when fully fused into opal glass. To me, these look like raindrops! What fun you can have experimenting with all the sizes you'll get in each package. I snip these very thin when fully fusing.

NEW Clear Multi-size Circles
Also another versatile shape is the circular clear murrini. I used the tiniest size as a tack fused bubble coming out of the mouth of a fish (you'll see this in my upcoming 9/20/25 project). They are also used as the puddle in this week's project. I recommend snipping these very thin when fully fusing them. 

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Here's this week's murrini fully fused/tested on clear
The Snowflakes are always great fully fused. Most of the other murrini are best at a tack fuse to retain the outer design. You'll notice there are two clear squares. The Clear Raindrops and Circles were also tested and of course can't be seen as it is clear on clear. ;) But...I test everything. 

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This Week's Project!

Rainy DaysI put my project idea keywords into the AI graphics generator and asked for a "red umbrella on the ground in a plain scene with raindrops". I thought this would make for a very simple, yet cool scene. And it sure did! This is a SUPER easy project too.

First I started with a 6X6 piece of Pewter Grey Oceanside glass. I then cut a RED Opal piece that was just shy of 7X7 so I had about 3/8 red showing all around my grey. I drew my design on the glass with a sharpie.

Next I cut a piece of paper the size of the upper umbrella.

I then placed the paper over RED opal glass drawing out a basic shape. I used the grinder to gently make my lower umbrella shape. I placed clear Oceanside stringer going up the umbrella (to make it look like it has sections) and didn't worry too much about it going to the top as we'll be covering some of this with another layer in the next fuse. 

I snipped my multi-sized teardrops really thin and had my rain coming down. I did put a touch of super glue under each one so they didn't move during transport. I then cut the multi-sized circles very thin and lined them up to be my puddles. Of course only on the sides... as the umbrella will be keeping the ground dry. ;)

I put clear powder between the red and gray glass and fired this section at a full fuse.

After the full fuse was complete, (I was giddy over the look of the teardrops in the grey glass) I used the paper template to make the upper section of the umbrella, but this time used Oceanside FLAME as a slightly brighter red so as to look like the underneath umbrella is shadowed. I bent some clear stringers in my torch and placed them over the Flame piece, making it appear to have "sections". I then took one of Joni's brown variegated stringers (I use her brown stringers for so many things!!) and in the torch I bent the end to make the curve of the umbrella handle. 

Back into the kiln it went for a very very light tack fuse. 

When it came out I wasn't happy. The brown stringer SLIGHTLY came away from the umbrella and I couldn't live with that gap. Also, I felt the "outer" Flame portion of the umbrella was a bit short. 

So here is my second version. I had the Flame section of the umbrella come all the way down to the end of the underneath umbrella. I also tucked my brown stringer underneath the Flame glass, so there was no way it would separate away. This worked out really well. What a fun project to make...even twice! Ha Ha! Next time, I think I'll try it in different colors and perhaps fuse a slightly darker strip in the initial full fuse, just below the puddles and bottom of the handle for a slight added detail, but nothing that would distract from the scene. 

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Hints on the Horizon:
On Saturday, September 20, get ready for some Sea-life fun and a new Kitty!

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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 ornament blanks, find her at LakeRabbitDesigns.