A Resin Oops and Upcycled Jar Tops Into Picture Frames

I don't know what is up with Blogger, or maybe it is Firefox, but adding images to my blog has become a real hassle. Anyways, almost a year ago, I painted a huge tree on my living room wall. This was to be our Family Tree. The first frames I tried, and loved, were actually magnets that I just added a sticky square to. Some of them stuck, some refused. So I crocheted a few, they were OK, but not exactly what I was looking for. Because I paint on recycled glass jars, I have tons of the lids that I have just thrown into a box. Yesterday, I put a picture into one and sealed it over with resin. Yes, this did use about 20cc of resin, but I really like the glossy and clean look it has when finished. You can see it on the tree. Right below it is just a rectangle resin piece with a picture in it. I like these the best, but not all pictures will be this small. So, I will have to make a happy medium of the lids and plain resin pieces. I do not like the wooden frames at all, just doesn't look the way I want. The other image is an idea I had while eating Lays Stax. The lid is perfectly round and flexible. Plus I thought it was the perfect size for a nice focal pendant, or Christmas ornament. So, just to try it, I put in four gemstones, a tiny bit of glitter and again, 20cc of resin. It popped out nice and easy, no problems there. I really like how it came out, with one tiny problem, the lid has to lays logo embedded in it, lol. I don't know if you can see it in the image but it is there nicely set in resin. Oh well, I will do something with it. Since it is our birthstones maybe a Christmas ornament.

Ruby, Blue Topaz, Amethyst, Citrine and Aquamarine Set In Clear Resin

These are the resin pieces with gemstones in them, that I have done so far. Some have been drilled but others have not. Because, I am still new to resin I do a bit of experimenting. For example I love the purple glitter with the Citrine gemstone. But, as you can see the Citrine moved a bit out of the window so it is not exactly where I intended it to be. The lighter colored stones, do not do well with glitter in the resin. I thought it would enhance them but it did not. The light blue stone, which I think is Aqua but could be a pale Blue Topaz, is really quite nice if you can get a good lighted shot. The pudgy pear Amethyst is a really lovely light purple but it kind of got drowned out in the resin. The two blue Topaz I really liked adding just a touch of white acrylic paint to the resin in the final layer to add some dimension, again I am not sure I like the glitter. I think I will do without it next time. On the other hand, the Ruby is in completely clear resin, with no glitter and it is quite lovely, but there are micro bubbles, that I did not eve know where there until I took it out in the sunlight. I think the micro bubbles don't necessarily take away from the piece, especially if you want to make it look more natural, but customers may not care for it. Some of these have been listed in my Etsy store, Melissa's Menagerie of Stuff, and some have not. This week the kids and I are on Spring Break, so I hope to get some more of these completed and listed. Some I list as cabochons, and others I make into finished pieces.

What I Have Learned About Resin So Far, and Cute Tiger Cub Peace Sign Pendant

I did my fourth pour of resin, this week. What have I learned so far? One, I really like the creativity afforded to me with the resin. Two, the silicone molds are much easier to use than the plastic molds. Three, do not let the water boil, before you put the bottle of resins in to warm it. This causes the resin to become too hot and immediately begin to set. I had to waste some resin, and I don't like to waste anything. I made a couple of ponytail holders, and some pendants this week. Some, I have listed as just cabochons for jewelry making. If after one cycle they don't sell, on Etsy, I will make them into jewelry pieces. After that cycle they will go in my Ecrater store, and not Etsy. Why? Because, Ecrater has no fees, and why should I continue to pay fees if I don't have to, right? Anyway this piece is just so adorable. It is a tiger cub holding a peace sign embedded into clear resin and then a pendant bail added. I made this bail using a silver headpin. It is available to purchase in my Etsy store. All of my Etsy pieces will eventually be in my Ecrater store. My older jewelry pieces, and my moms beaded cell phone cases can be found in my Ecrater store only.

Handmade Resin Keychains Butterflies and Flowers

Here are three finished resin pieces, from my very first set, that I made into keychains. I have completed a second pour and tomorrow will be my third. So, I have tons of new things to share, lol. Plus I continue to paint and crochet. These are all made with clear resin. The first two are butterflies, one dark pink, and one soft pink. The third one is a blue flower with a coral rose bead in the center. These make awesome gifts for friends, and family, and are very affordable, and durable. Check out my Etsy store to see all my new resin pieces, and bookmark it, so you don't miss any of my new creations. I will be slowly adding all my pieces to my Ecrater store as well.