The Bottle Cap Response

Hello bottle cap fans!

I want to take a minute to thank everyone who left a comment yesterday about the "mean-spirited" blog comment.

I really appreciate your thoughts...and boy oh boy, if I was looking to impress the folks at Environmental Technology Inc., your comments would definitely do the trick!  

They already treat me so well!

I don't think I could ask for a better relationship.

So thank you and let me share with you some bottle caps 

I made just for me!

I'll continue to share my love of resin, and my mistakes with you through this blog!

Carmi

The Resin Learning Curve

 I have a fresh batch of bottle caps to share with you today!  

These caps are going to allow me to give you a few resin using tips.

 First.  I LOVE SEQUINS.  Michaels Craft Stores had this pack on sale this past weekend...3.99 for what will clearly be a lifetime supply.

 I placed some Japanese paper into the bottom of my caps and sealed it with Mod Podge.  While the glue was in place I added in these cute butterflies and flower shapes.  When the glue was dry and clear, all I had to do was pour in some Envirotex Lite resin and wait for everything to cure.

 And cure it did!  See how clear and glass-like my surface is....not a bubble in sight.  

This should have made me super happy.

 But alas, the persnickety part of me found a flaw.  The glue on the sequins created a an uneven colour...some of it is glossy and some of it is matte.  I know, I know, you may not have noticed. The next time I add in big sequins I will be sure to only put glue on the back of the sequin!

 So I added gel marker to the surface!  These new lines and colouring distract you from the original butterflies!  I then applied a glaze top coat of Envirotex Lite sealing the markers and adding a little bit of a dome to the bottle cap surface.  VOILA!

A few months ago someone left a snippy comment on the blog saying "bottle caps...how original."

I believe that people who leave mean-spirited comments on anyone's blog are sad and lonely people so I ignored the post.  

However, I did want to share with you why I do use bottle caps.

They are universally available and for many people free.  

I think it would be very frustrating to come to this blog and see all sorts of exotic and expensive bezels that you would not be able to work in or have access to.

So I work in bottle caps.  

I experiment in bottle caps.  

I perfect my techniques in bottle caps.

Then I use that knowledge to work in something more expensive like a pewter bezel.

Besides, I can make a bottle cap look pretty darn good now!

Inspired Resin Project

This new resin sample looks so vintage! 

I am very happy with it because I turned a 5 cent button into something very special.

 Here is my starting point.  A plastic button and a used greeting card.

 I placed my paper image into the button and sealed the paper with Ultra Seal.  I added the gold peel off edging.  Then I poured in some Jewelry Resin and it cured beautifully.  I could have stopped here.

 However, I wanted to add this rhinestone chain to the edges.  Then I poured in another layer of Jewelry Resin.  Now the pink plastic seemed too plain.

 I painted the plastic with white gesso.  I did so with thick strokes.  Gesso gives you a surface to paint on...otherwise my acrylic paint would peel right off the plastic.

 I painted the triangle gold.....it sure didn't look like plastic anymore!

Finally I applied some gilders paste in various shades to get my final colouring.  You never know what something can look like until you experiment!

Resin Jeweled Tea Saucers

 Tea saucers are very inexpensive when they are missing the matched tea cup.  I picked up this pile at my favorite antique store last week and paid a whopping $2.  The plate on top is my finished sample.

This may be my best home DIY idea ever!  

I hope you enjoy the finished plates.  

All I did was glue an image into the saucer bottom.  

I sealed the paper and then I glued a ring of rhinestone chain around each image.  The next day I poured Envirotex Lite into the saucer so that it filled the bottom and flowed over the rhinestone chain.  This allowed me to place all these vintage glass beads around the plate.  Envirotex Lite is holding all the jewels in place.

What to Do With a Plate, If You Love Resin!

 These miss-matched plates are an opportunity for me to create something pretty!

 I have applied a few layers of gesso to the centers in order to make sure the backgrounds are white.

I think you know where I am heading!  Results tomorrow!

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Jewelry Resin Pendants

 Prince Charles and Camilla were in Toronto yesterday.  All day long I followed the royal sightings as they made there way from function to function.  With royalty on the brain, I decided to finish my Diamond Jubilee pendants.

 Could these be any cuter?  I glued rhinestone chain around the edge of these bezels and did one simple pour of Jewelry Resin.

 The Diamond Jubilee takes place in 2012, marking 60 years of The Queen’s reign. The Queen came to the throne on 6th February 1952 (her Coronation took place on 2nd June 1953).

 These turned out so well.  I feel like they made themselves.

 The artwork is what makes them so pretty.  

I bet you want to know where I got the imagery.

One of my favorite UK magazines; Crafts Beautiful included this paper pack with their May Issue.

This book of paper is chock full of great images.

Vintage Muffin Pans and EasyCast

 This is a very simple project that anyone can try if they are new to home decoration and resin projects.

 I always buy vintage muffin pans when I see them in antique stores.  I think they are ideal frames!

 The muffin pan I chose for this project is very deep.  For deep pours I always use EasyCast resin.  It was designed for deep pours and molds.  In this pan I have already poured and allowed to cure about 1/2 inch of EasyCast.  Now my images are being glued and sealed to that first resin surface.

 I also glued in sequins to act as my image frame.  You can use Ultra Seal or Mod Podge.  These glues dry clear and are wonderful sealers for paper.  I poured another 1/2 inch of EasyCast in each pan to complete my project.  There is still room to even work on that surface and do a third pour if I want to.

 I want my pan to be flush on my wall so I glued some hangers to the back of the pan rather than use the hole at the top of the pan.

 I did think about working this way.  Horizontally the pan is very interesting!

Here is another example of resin in vintage bake wear.   This pan is a favorite.  It features the six wives of Henry the Eighth.

The little pans are great too!

Vintage Muffin Pans

 Hello Resin Fiends!

It is a holiday for me in Canada today...the first of the summer long weekends. I am working on some fun projects and thought I would leave you with this teaser.

Do you have a vintage muffin/baking pan?

Or.

Did you see one at an antique store and wondered what you would do with it?

Tomorrow I'll show you what I do with my vintage bake ware finds.

Bead and Button Show

 Are you going to the Bead and Button show next month?

If you are, I want you to know that I will be a guest in John Bead's Booth.

John Bead wholesales ETI products throughout North America.  

I will be happy to show you our new Jewelry Resin and samples.  If you would like to set up a time to meet just send me an email!

Email:  carmimail@aol.com

Shell Disaster and Recovery

 This pendant has been on the work table for weeks.

I have worked on it on and off and it has been placed and then pulled out of the trash twice.

I do know you learn a lot more from my mistakes though.  

So here is what happened.

 It started when I found this cute shell necklace at Michaels Crafts Store.  It cost $1.50.

 I like to work in shells.  There were two in the set.  I gathered some pretty papers that I thought would showcase well in the circle shapes.

 I sealed the papers three times with Ultra Seal (you can use mod podge).  I was so sure I got all the paper edges.  When everything was dry, I poured in a very thin layer of Jewelry Resin.

 I placed my shell on my raised surface so it would be balanced.  However, 24 hours later I had resin stains.  See those stained edges.  That drives me crazy!!

 So I covered the edges with more Ultra Seal and then did a ring of glitter glue around the edges to cover the stains.  I poured more Jewelry Resin over all of this....and then can you believe it....ANOTHER STAIN.  How I missed sealing this I do not know.

 So I did a third glaze layer and added some charms to cover the stain.

In the end, I do have a pretty piece.  You can always save a resin disaster if you are crafty!