Murrini Monday ~ Spooky Edition

Halloween is on the horizon, but there's still time to enjoy some spooky murrini. Don't be scared.

This Boo murrini from GlowPondGlass will add a bit of fright to your beads.

FritNChips has gone batty with some spooky bat murrini slices.

And here is some murrini in action on a beautiful bead called I'm Not Scared by FlamingEck. I'm not scared. Really, I'm not. But that one-toothed jack-o-lantern is looking right at me.

Happy Murrini Monday!

Murrini Monday!!!

That's right, Murrini Mondays are back! And for that matter, I'm back, too. I can't believe the last time I blogged was in July. So now that the school year is underway and I'm kid-free much of the time, I plan to be more regular - about blogging! So let's dive right in and I'll show you some of the awesome murrini I've been using.

This turtle features four slices of Lori and Kim murrini, all encased in clear. I'm not much into symmetry or making everything match, so I used four different slices of murrini, a twistie and some frit to decorate the shell before encasing it. I love the random color surprises.

Here's a newer style of owl bead I like to call patchwork. Before adding the eyes and other features, I cover the owl's chest will all sorts of random murrini - my collection of rosebud101 murrini works great!  Doesn't it have a patchwork look to it?

I've been making miniature dinosaur beads to benefit the JDRF (Dinobeadies for Diabetes), and they are perfect for showing off one slice of murrini (on each side!). These two brightly colored dinos are wearing murrini from FlamingEck - love them!

Thanks for coming back to visit on Murrini Mondays! I'll have new murrini to show off next week, and new posts in between. Have a great week!

Gifts from Across the Pond

This post has been a very long time coming. I've been wanting to share what two very special lampwork artists and one amazing bag designer did for my daughter. When Sue from FlamingEck and Laney of Izzybeads learned that my daughter, Annie, had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, they hatched a plan to bring some cheer to her - all the way from the UK! Both Laney and Sue have been my online glassy friends for a while now, and they both live in the UK. Little did I know that they knew each other (small lampwork world), but I eventually figured that out and it made perfect sense that these two smart and funny ladies would be friends. They commissioned Lesley, a bag designer from Scotland (Hand Maiden Scotland - clever name!), to make Annie a special bag for her diabetes supplies. The three of them put together the most wonderful package for Annie, and when she came home from school one day it was waiting for her.

The purse/bag is done in a gorgeous red-white-and-blue paisley pattern, and the lining has little British flags on it - the perfect touch.

Ernie had to check out the packaging, while Annie found more treasures inside the bag.

Here she discovers one of Laney's famous Chook (chicken) beads that's turned into a purse charm. Laney also sent one of her gorgeous flower beads (I don't have a picture because Annie socked it away where I can't find it and she's not home to tell me where it is - but believe me, it's so pretty!).

And here she's admiring Sue's patriotic flower purse charm (she doesn't see pretty flower beads like that around here!). Sue even sent some of her awesome murrini for me!

This is the inside of the bag with Annie's supplies inside. In addition to a zippered pocket on the outside of the purse, Lesley designed it to have a pocket on the inside, which is perfect for her pen. There's even a little matching wallet that holds her pen needles. 

I can't even begin to express how wonderful it was to know that these women, who we have never met, thought of Annie and made these special, thoughtful gifts for her. It means so much. 

Thank you Laney, Sue and Lesley!!!

Murrini Monday

It's Monday, and you know what that means - time to celebrate murrini! I didn't use a whole lot of murrini last week (shame on me!), so today I picked out some pieces I've been wanting to try. 

On the top left are some red, blue and tan (raku?) murrini made by my friend Mallory of rosebud101. I love the contrast of the colors and the stripes on the outside. I'm thinking they'd make some cool looking owl eyes. Any other ideas?

On the upper right side are three slices of flower murrini from Lori and Kim. They've been sitting near my torch for some time, waiting for me to play with them. Which little critters would like to be adorned with flowers today?

The tiny murrini slices on the bottom are from my friend Sue in the UK. These little rainbow scribbles are packed with color, and I've actually already tried them out on a couple of turtles (awesome!). But today I'm thinking I'll use a few on one bead - maybe as owl feathers? Or rainbow cow spots? Sue makes amazing murrini and she sells out quickly, so keep checking back at Flaming 'Eck so you can grab some!

What will become of these murrini slices? Will they linger at my work station, waiting in murrini limbo? Or will I have an a flawless and productive torch session and bestow them upon eager little critters? Find out next week on As the Murrini Melts.

I welcome any suggestions for these wonderful murrini pieces. Happy Murrini Monday to one and all!

Murrini Monday ~ From Across the Pond

If you've read my Murrini Monday posts before, you know I'm a huge fan of the murrini from Lori and Kim and rosebud101. Now I've got another murrini artist to show off - Sue from Flaming 'Eck in the UK. I've actually been a huge fan of her murrini for quite some time, but she only recently started selling it in her Etsy shop. So now I can happily pass on her tiny treasures to you. You won't be disappointed!

This set is called Rainbow Scribbles, and this colorful murrini has been flying out of Sue's shop! It's no wonder - look at it! It's so pretty on the bead. I believe there's one listing left of this murrini, so hurry over to get yours! If you miss it, keep checking her shop because she will have more blends coming.

Here is one of my beads showing off one of Sue's murrini creations - a ladybug!

Sue is not just a murrini maker, she makes gorgeous bead sets and focals, too! I especially love her floral beads, like this set called On The Pond. So when you stop by her shop to check out her murrini, be sure to have a look at her beads, too!

Happy Murrini Monday!