Pressed Flowers on a Wooden Cabochon

This is a great piece for nature lovers. It is made with pressed flowers.

The base is a wooden cabochon from Magic Wooden Jewel!
These are wonderful handcrafted wooden pieces that work wonderfully with resin!

Check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MagicWoodenJewel

The first thing you want to do is seal the wood with some Mod Podge.
Seal the back too.

I glued the flowers and leaves to the wooden cabochon using some Glossy Accents to keep them in place while I pour the resin.

Put down a layer of wax paper to cover your work surface.
Mix up a batch of EasyCast Resin. 
*ETI suggests wearing gloves when working with resin for safety* Gloves also help keep your nails nice :)

 Slowly pour the resin over the cabochon...

Use a toothpick to make sure the flowers and leaves have been completely covered.
You can add another layer of resin if it seems thin.
Let this set for 24-72 hours to harden.

Trim the stray edges of the resin with a pair of scissors.

Now you have a preserved flower piece!

This is a picture of what happens if you forget to coat the back with Mod Podge.
The wood soaks up some of the resin and discolors if it isn't sealed.
Luckily this is the back of the piece :)

To turn the piece into a necklace I'm using some E-6000 and a bail.

The bail I'm using is a Silver Medium Heart Bail from Aanraku Glass Studios.
They make wonderful metal pieces that work great with resin.
Check out all they offer here: http://store.abasg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

Attach it with some E-6000 and let it set for 24 hours for maximum adhesion.

Add a necklace with a jump ring and your necklace is ready to wear or give as a gift.
This could work with any pressed flower that would fit on the cabochon's surface, I used baby's breath and fern leaves.

Resin Soap Dish

A soap dish makes a great gift and could be made into any theme to fit anyone's bathroom style!

I started by using EasyMold Silicone Rubber to make a mold of this sports soap dish I found at the DollarTree.
I then made a tropical themed dish for my bathroom!

To keep the mold level I nestled it into a bowl of sand...

I made my fish using a stamp, some markers, and glitter on cardstock.
I also coated them with about 3 layers of Mod Podge

I mixed up some EasyCast Resin and colored it with some transparent blue and green to look like water.

Fill the mold almost full with resin...

Arrange the fish face down in the resin, making sure they're submerged.

I waited for the resin to "gel" for about an hour or two then added a layer of sand to cover the bottom.
Let it set for 24-72 hours to harden.

The sand was a bit scratchy so I coated it with some Resin Spray so it wouldn't scratch up my counter top.

This would be super cute in a basket with some homemade soap!

Snow Globe Paperweight

Paperweights make super cute office gifts for friends, family, or co-workers.

This one is made using a EasyCast Resin, a dome mold from ETI and some resin pieces I had from previous projects.

The dome mold needs to be nestled into sand to keep it level...

I am starting by pouring a clear layer of resin to create what will be the top of the paperweight...

Let this set for about 12 hours before continuing.

Pour another layer of clear resin but not all the way to the top...

Add your resin pieces to the mold...

They will sink until they reach the previous layer of resin.
Let this set for at least 12 hours before continuing.

The last layer will be the bottom of the paperweight so I am coloring it using some transparent blue color and some glitter.

Finish filling the mold to the desired depth with the colored resin and let set for 24-72 hours.

I had to pop mine into the freezer for a few minutes to help unmold it.
If you are worried about the resin scratching the desk/table you can glue a circle of felt to the bottom to pad it.

I love the snow globe look and the contrast of the glittery blue base!

Glittering Jewelry Clay Star Pendant

This is so easy and could easily be made into any shape you could think of!

Mix up a batch of jewelry clay and roll it out to between 1/8" to 1/4" thick.
Using a small cookie cutter, cut out a star shape.

 Poke a hole into one of the star points with a toothpick (for a jump ring) and let set for 24 hours to harden.

Once it's dry apply a layer of Mod Podge to the star...

Cover with a coat of gold glitter...

Let this set until the Mod Podge is dry.

Add a couple of coats of Resin Spray to seal the glitter to the clay.

Attach a jump ring through the hole and attach it to a necklace.
Such a fun project and less calories than making cookies!

Glittering Poinsettia Ring

This super fun glittering ring is made from jewelry clay!

I am using a mold from Makin's Clay they have some great molds that work well with resin and jewelry clay.

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

 

Start by directly dry brushing the mold with the PearlEx.
Be sure that you have completely coated the mold so that the jewelry clay doesn't get stuck and ruin your mold!
Tap out the excess PearlEx and mix up some jewelry clay.

For the poinsettias I'm using PearlEx 680 Duo Red-Blue.

PearlEx works great with resin and jewelry clay.
Check out all the colors they have here: http://www.jacquardproducts.com/pearl-ex-pigments.html

Roll the clay into a ball to remove possible cracks or seams in the clay

Press it the mold filling it completely. Try to get the back as smooth as possible (I know gloves make this a little difficult!)

You can also brush some PearlEx onto the Back of the piece.
Let this set for 24 hours to harden.

If you are too nervous about it getting stuck in the mold you can remove it immediately but you may have to reshape the piece a bit.
You can use an exacto knife or sandpaper to smooth the edges of the finished clay pieces.

For the glittery goodness I'm using Krylon Glitter Blast Spray Paint in Cherry Bomb.

Krylon makes lots of wonderful spray on finishes including Glitter, Stone, and Metallic.

Check out all they have to offer here: http://www.krylon.com/products/

 Spray a coat or 2 of glitter blast onto the poinsettia.

Let this dry for a few hours.

Add a couple of coats of resin spray to seal the paint to the jewelry clay.

 I'm making this into a ring but it could just as easily be a beautiful necklace pendant.

Add E-6000 to the ring blank and press firmly to the back of the piece.
Let this set for 24 hours for maximum adhesion.

This is a great way to have poinsettias around for the holidays without having to water them!