Murrini Monday

It's Murrini Monday! Let's look at some murrini!

I've been having a lot of fun making "patchwork" owls. I make them when I just feel like using lots and lots of murrini. I use murrini from my friend Mallory at rosebud101. I have such a fun variety of Mallory's murrini, and I like to pick out about 12 pieces of different sizes and colors for each owl. I usually can't use every piece, but I sure try! I love the effect of them melting into each other to form the owl's colorful patchwork chest.

A while back I bought a pack of snowflake murrini from Lori and Kim. At the time, we weren't getting any snow, so I guess I wasn't inspired to start using it (why jinx our Chicago record for most winter days without snow?). But we did finally get our snowfall, so my elephants were out catching snowflakes with their trunks.

Speaking of Lori and Kim, they are having a President's Day murrini sale! Through February 20, all their COE 104 murrini is 15% OFF! I'm eyeing the 3-Peat Airstream murrini in the above picture - I see lots of owl eyes. 

I think I'll join the President's Day celebration and also offer 15% OFF in my Etsy shop. My sale will end tonight, so act fast! Use coupon code PRESIDENT at checkout to get 15% OFF your entire order.

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!

Murrini Monday - Results

Last week I didn't have much to show for my murrini usage. So I picked out murrini I've been wanting to use and even asked for suggestions on what the heck to do with it. So without further ado, here is the big reveal . . .

The rainbow scribbles murrini from Flaming 'Eck made awesome owl feathers, don't you think?

Super Dog is a big fan of murrini ~ he insisted I use rosebud101's powerful-looking slice on his red cape, and then he rolled over to show it off.

Nikki from NLC Beads suggested I place a flower murrini on a hippo big hole bead, and I had just made the coral hippo when I read her post. He's not a big hole hippo bead, but a hippo nonetheless, and he sure is happy with hist matching flower murrini from Lori and Kim.

HAPPY MURRINI MONDAY

to one and all!

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

I have been having a TON of fun with some surprise murrini I received last week. This murrini is made by my friend Mallory of rosebud101, and the detail in it is really cool. Let's take a look, shall we?

This cat head bead features some of Mallory's green and black murrini, with tiny dots of red (or is it pink?) in the centers. I had planned on making an owl with this murrini as the eyes, but I melted it in too quickly and I wound up turning it into a cat head. I love how the black lines look like tiger stripes!

Here is that same murrini on a turtle. The turtle has a maroon shell, to match the tiny dot in the center (so maybe it is red?).

Next I used a bunch of Mallory's special Chalcedony murrini on the chest of this owl. This murrini has special color-changing powers, and sometimes I can get them to work. You can see some pretty cool results in the crackling blue on the owl.

And here is some of that same murrini on a dachshund (a murrini weenie!). You can see that I got the colors to come out on his backside and under his eye. That blue is so cool! And that doxie is definitely not blue, but very happy with his unique markings. :)

Thank you, Mallory! And Happy Murrini Monday to all!

Murrini Monday

The critters around here are getting antsy for the holidays. So they've started rifling through my murrini stash and decorating the trees.

The tree on the left has murrini from lori and kim, rosebud101 and nlcbeads. Talk about a Merry Murrini Christmas!

These German Short-haired Pointers are big-hole beads for a custom order. I dressed up a couple of them with murrini collars.

And look where I found a fun piece of lori and kim murrini? It's on a turtle named Groovy in my friend Eileen's shop. DorsetHillBeads is filled with wonderful glass focal beads, bead sets and lots of new earring pairs.

Murrini Monday

I know I skipped last week's edition of Murrini Monday, but this week I'm baaaack! Check out all the fun I've been having with murrini. Jealous?

This pretty snail shell is decorated with chalcedony murrini made by my friend Mallory, at rosebud101. I love all the colors that come out of it, and I think my favorite way to use it is on brown glass. But it also looks really cool on blue . . .

Here is a night owl, sporting a blue moon murrini from lori and kim. It's from the Lucky Charms blend.

My first-ever big hole snail bead is looking cheery in rainbow murrini, by lori and kim.

Ok, I couldn't help myself. I love blue dogs, and this one was just calling out for a nice orange star murrini ~ also from the Lucky Charms mix by lori and kim.

Happy Murrini Monday!!!

Murrini Monday

My torch time has been limited lately, so receiving murrini in the mail has been like torture! But I've managed to sneak in a few murrini-filled beads with my new stash. Who needs sleep?

This blend of murrini is called Smudges, and it's from rosebud101. It is fabulous to work with, and as my daughter says, it looks like beach balls. I'm a huge fan of rainbow glass (who isn't?), so I've been having tons of fun with Smudges.

I named this pandora-style snake bead Smudge, after the murrini he's sporting.

I spy a beach ball in this sweet penguin's belly - nope! It's more Smudges murrini, and the shy penguin can be found at nlcbeads on Etsy.

This murrini from Lori and Kim is aptly called Jitterbug, and I did my own giddy version of the dance when I opened my pack of it last week.

See how happy Nellie the turtle is with the Jitterbug murrini atop her shell? She's up on her hind legs showing it off.

Murrini Monday ~ Turtle Style

It's Turtlepalooza in my Etsy shop today. What does that mean? I'm cranking out the turtle beads! And lots of them are adorned with murrini to boot! Here's a little sample of what's to come . . .

This turtle's turquoise shell is decorated with murrini made by my friend Mallory, of rosebud101. Murrini is a fairly recent addition to Mallory's shop, and I give it two thumbs up! I had so much fun playing with this chalcedony blend, and I love how it spread out on the bead. Yes, that's a slice of murrini from the blend - so there you see it before and after.

A cheery turtle, this one with murrini from loriandkim.

Two turtles. Two different murrini blends. One love.

Friday is on FIRE!

Red Hot Chile Peppers on Etsy


Mallory, from rosebud101 on Etsy and rosebud101 on ArtFire, is this week's featured Fire Diva. She makes the most wonderful disc beads, but she also creates amazing focal pieces, sculptural beads and finished jewelry. She's even making her own findings and is stocked with some lampwork supplies in her ArtFire shop. So let's get to know Mallory . . .

How did you find your craft, or did it find you? It found me because I took a single class, and then I was hooked. Favorite color glass? Bubblegum pink Do you have a nickname? A lot of people call me Mal, but I don't like it. Chocolate or Vanilla? ... Chocolate Laundry hamper: full or empty? At the moment, empty! Yipeeee! What did you have for dinner last night? Spring rolls with peanut sauce and a flour-less birthday cake for my daughter. Bed: made or unmade? If you could see it now, you'd know it's not made. What's on your nightstand? My bible and prayer book. Favorite fruit: blueberries Last book you read: Mistaken Identity Ever eat Playdoh? Yes. When my children were little I wanted to see if it would make them sick, so I ate some. It didn't taste good, but I didn't get sick. How do you like your eggs? Whites only, with crisp brown edges. Ever have a perm? Yes, but not now. Deep dish or thin crust? Thin crust Favorite smell/scent: jasmine Can you play an instrument? sort of--I used to be good at the piano, but that was before my glass days Three favorite condiments? mustard, dill pickles and onions Pets' names: I just lost my Spike. Ever try their (your pets') food? I tried a dog treat once to see why Spike liked it. I wasn't overly impressed. Ever broken a bone? Yes, when I was 8 I broke my arm and when I was teaching I broke my leg by slipping on ice. Do you like guacamole? YES! Most proud of: My children!

Albuquerque Sunrise Discs on Etsy

Candy Corn Beads on Artfire

Cherubs on ArtFire (aren't they adorable???)

Denim Heart on Etsy