Beach Vacation Souvenir Necklace

This can be done with sand and shells that you found while on vacation at the beach or ones that were purchased at the local craft store.

I'm using EasyCast Resin, Castin' Crafts Mold Release, Sand, Tiny Shells, and a Seashell Candy Mold.
*ETI suggests wearing gloves when working with resin for safety* Gloves also help keep your nails nice :)
I'm doing this project using 2 pours.

For the first part: Spray the mold with mold release and mix up a batch of EasyCast Resin. Pour a layer of clear resin into the mold but only about half fill the cavities.

Place a layer of the shells into the resin making sure they get cover completely.
I let this harden for 24 hours before adding the next layer.

For part 2: mix another small batch of EasyCast Resin. Pour a layer of clear resin into each of the cavities but don't fill all the way full.

Add a layer of sand to the resin...

 

Top off the sand with another coat of resin to make sure that the sand is completely encapsulated.

 

Let these sit for 24-72 hours until hardened. This type of mold might need to be put in the freezer for a few minutes to help pop out the resin pieces.

These are super cute souvenirs that could be turned into magnets or keychains or in this case a necklace!

To make this into a necklace we'll need a necklace cord, split ring, bail, E-6000, and some jewelry pliars.
This necklace cord was found at Hobby Lobby.

Apply some E-6000 to the bail...

Press the bail onto the back of the resin piece and let dry for 24 hours to get maximum adhesion.

Attach to the necklace cord using a split ring and Viola!! You can take your vacation with you everywhere!!

4th of July Glowing Pins

I found all these cute 4th of July embellishments on sale at Hobby Lobby and thought they would be so cute in resin! I made some pins to celebrate the 4th of July and tried out a new product to get some glowing effects!

The Glow in the Dark ability is provided by glowing powder pigment that is  a typical white-ish color in light but glows sky blue in the dark or under a black light (the specific one I used was purchased here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-PAINT-PIGMENT-POWDER-COATING-mix-in-latex-varnish-plastic-etc-/120787352157)
These are some of the little embellishments I purchased!

Spray your mold with some mold release and Mix up a batch of EasyCast Resin. I poured some of the glow powder into the resin just like it was glitter and then gently but thoroughly mixed it in.
*ETI suggests wearing gloves when working with resin for safety* Gloves also help keep your nails nice :)

Pour into the mold but only about half way.



This is a mold from Yaley Enterprises.
They make resin and Deep Flex Resin Molds along with a variety of colorants.
Check out all the offer here: http://yaley.com/SitePages.asp?ID=46

Press the focal pieces face down into the mold cavity.

I added in some confetti stars...

Then some tinsel glitter in red, blue, and silver. I then finished filling up the mold cavities.

Then on the back I added some ultra fine glitter in red, white, and blue. Let these set for 24-72 hours to harden.

This is how they look under a black light...

This is them glowing- it's a great blue color!

It is so easy to turn them into pins with some blank pin backs and E-6000 adhesive.

Just add a dab of E-6000 to the pin back...

and firmly press to the back of the resin piece. Let the glue dry for 24 hours to get maximum adhesion.

Now I have some nice glow in the dark 4th of July party favors that will be able to rival the fireworks!

Glowing Flower Rings

I had previously used Scribbles brand to make some glowing resin and I wanted to be sure that Tulip brand 3 deminsional fabric paint worked too! It works just the same and offers additional colors!

I was super excited to find that Tulip has glow in the dark paints in purple and blue! These are all of the colors of glow in the dark deminsional fabric paint that I've been able to find so far- many of the colors are shared by both Scribbles and Tulip.

I also wanted to try out a new mold I got- it was with the polymer clay stuff at Hobby Lobby. It has several types of flowers and leaves.

Makins Clay molds work well with resin and jewelry clay!

Check out their products here: http://www.makinsclay.com/products/push_mold.php

 

Here's what I'm using... EasyCast Resin, Castin' Crafts Mold Release, Tulip glow in the dark puff paint, the mold, and some glitter.
*ETI suggests wearing gloves when working with resin for safety* Gloves also help keep your nails nice :)

Spray the mold with mold release and mix up a batch of EasyCast Resin. Seperate the resin into different cups for each color you're making.

I squeezed some puff paint into the resin and added some glitter. Stir well but gently to avoid bubbles.

Slowly pour the resin into the mold trying not to overflow the mold cavities.

Let these set for 24-72 hours until they harden.

The Tulip paint worked the same as the Scribbles! This mold worked well and the EasyCast Resin was able to capture all the details!

To make the flowers into rings we'll need some E-6000 adhesive and a ring blank. These would also make great pins!

Apply a dab of E-6000 to the ring's surface.

Press the ring onto the back of the flower and let dry for 24 hours for maximum adhesion.

Now it's a fun ring- would be great for a garden party!

And it glows!!

Black Light and Glow in the Dark Butterflies

This time around I've combined the black light reaction with the ability to glow in the dark all while testing out some neat new products!! The results are very cool!!

For all the neatness, there weren't very many supplies this time: EasyCast Resin, Castin' Crafts Mold Release, a hi-liter, glow in the dark glitter, and a Martha Stewart Jewelry Clay Mold.
*ETI suggests wearing gloves when working with resin for safety* Gloves also help keep your nails nice :)

They have a brand new section of Martha Stewart stuff in the jewelry section at Michael's. One of the new products was this butterfly mold which has great detail!

I wanted to try out some different methods of making my resin glow and one of the things I found is Glow in the Dark Glitter (also at Michael's). They had Martha Stewart Brand and Recollections brand. I went with the Recollections since it was a bit cheaper.

I sprayed the mold with Castin'Crafts Mold Release and set it aside to dry and mixed up a batch of EasyCast Resin.

 

Then, I broke apart the hi-liter to get at the marker's core.

I squeezed a few drops into the resin and mixed thoroughly but gently to avoid air bubbles.

I poured in a healthy portion of the glitter and mixed it in well.

I pinched a pour spout into the side of the paper cup and very carfully poured it into the mold. Then I let it sit to harden for 24- 72 hours.

They came out of the mold very easily!

Under a black light the pink color comes through...

When you turn out the lights they glow green!

I opted to make them into hair pins using some E-6000 adhesive and these hair pins I found in the jewelry section of Hobby Lobby. They have a plate on the looped end perfect for attaching resin to!

Just add a dab of E-6000 to the plate.

Then firmly press it to the back of the butterfly and let the glue dry for 24 hours for full adhesion.

The little butterfly is so cute and no one would suspect all of its glowing abilities!!