Birds and Trees

Today I laid out some designs and glued them in place. These will have a lot more detail once the resin is poured and decorated. I like to use “glass chunk snow” under the trees and glass chips / mica accents for sparkle.

Laying out the pieces for the ornaments
Glued in place and propped up for drying

Results…

So today is a results day – didn’t start anything new, just got to see the results of previous hours of work.

Palmetto & Crescent, yellow – approx. 6″ x 7.5″
Palmetto & Crescent, white – approx. 6″ x 7.5″

My first shot at the bracelets was interesting. I had a pretty rough time getting them out of the molds. Ironically, the one without the mold release was harder than the other one. I’m not really that excited about them. I think I need to pour a little less resin into the mold so the resin doesn’t get to the top. I’ve got a lot of sanding to do on the top edge.

Second attempt (all one pour) at left, first attempt at right (two stage pour)

The next project on my list will be a 13.5″ x 30″ window. I have no idea what I’m going to do. A sun? Maybe some spring flowers? A beachy scene?

What should I make with this?

Branching out

I finally got around to making some Palmetto and Crescents with variety today.

Laying out the pieces of glass for the Palmetto and Crescent panels

First, I mixed 80 ml of resin and then separated it into clear, a small container of clear with metallic flakes and one that would end up blue tinted.

I also finished pouring the resin for my new bracelet molds. I’m not too sure how to get my desired look yet, but it’s just the first attempt. I think they might make a nice addition to my PetMemoryBeads.com offerings once I figure it out. I started pouring the one on the left a few days ago, with a clear layer then adding metallic flakes, then a little blue over that. I think mixing the flakes directly into the resin before pouring into the mold will make the flakes distribute better in the mold. I also needed to add more blue to the first mold today to fill in the space. For the one on the right, I mixed the flakes directly with the clear resin before pouring into the mold. The mold on the right also has been coated with Castin’ Craft Mold Release. I ordered the molds not realizing that they are stiff plastic, not silicone, which all of my other molds are made of. I never need mold release for my silicone molds, so I didn’t have it on hand when I poured the first one.

Side view of second / right hand bracelet mold

I actually poured the clear resin over the tree panels first, then tended to the bracelets, so my photos are a bit out of order. I decided to add a little red bird to the trees for interest. I also set aside some decorative class chips, mica, etc for decorating the background areas of the Palmetto and Crescent panels. I use a lot of materials from Meyer Imports and I really like their products.

Ready to pour / spread the resin

Suncatchers and Ornaments

I have a few suncatchers / ornaments on hand for last minute holiday gifting. Drop me an email, message me on twitter or tag me on my facebook page (see social links down on the right) if you would like to see them. Rectangular ones cost $25 each and are generally between 6-7 inches tall (including hanger) and square ones cost $15 each and are generally around 4-4.5 inches tall (including hanger). I also have some coasters available. I’ll try to get some good photos of them this week.