Resin and gilding flake experiments

I had no idea if this would work so I was quite chuffed when it did :)
My previous experiment with flowers had not gone well as you can see. After a few days the flowers had gone all peculiar. I am not sure how to get round this.  Dip the flowers completely in resin first and then add to the piece or use dried flowers?  Any ideas?

But onto the gilding: 

I use Envirotex two part resin.  It's good because it is not as stinky as some.  you add equal portions of the two liquids and stir slowly for a few minutes.  You need to avoid the dreaded air bubbles!

I saw on a Youtube video that placing the resin under a lamp for 5 minutes after stiring, helped it to settle and the heat of the lamp helped the bubbles to pop out, so I did that. 

Here is my mould 

Gilding flakes

First layer of (bubbly) resin in the mould

Adding gilding flakes with a cocktail and mushing them around. 

After creating a full layer on the bottom and sides of the mould I added more resin and a few more gilding flakes to top it off. 

I also tried it in some bezels for a 3D effect. 

Here are my pieces drying

And here are the finished pieces after drying.  I think I am going to make some more in the moulds and do a big statement necklace.  I am also going to try some bezelled rings. 

Mended Heart

I had a small amount of leftover silver clay so I had a little go at this.  The clay was very bumpy and difficult to work with as I had mixed two lots together and had to rehydrate them.  

The heart broke whilst I was sanding it so I glued it back together with silver clay paste and dabbed more paste on to make the heart look more "battered"

I then added the thread and glued it to the back and added jump rings and a chain. 

Resin workshop and creations.

I can't say enough nice things about the Bead Hive in Leeds. I have as a little treat to myself attending a couple of resin jewellery workshops on Saturdays at their shop and I had so much fun.  I am now playing about with resin at home as well. Here are some of my pieces. I will be doing some more soon and will do a full photo set to accompany them.

This was the first piece I did, incorporating vintage postage stamps seed beads and shells from my holiday

I then added it to a thick chain and added some gemstones

At home I did this with another postage stamp, seed beads and added a silver clay charm I had made with some leftover clay

I then did two more bits and made this. 

I like this little ring, the rock wren looks very angry and it amuses me.

I did these at the workshop on incorporating inks and dyes. 

A mixture of pieces

I have also tried using moulds with some success

This is some hyacinth blooms in resin but the resin reacted weirdly with the flowers and they lost their colour.  I will try dried flowers next time.  

The Sparkly Tree Silver and Crystal clay mirror.

This was a Christmas gift for my mother in law who is allergic to most metal but though she has been very supportive of my jewellery making endeavours can't wear any of it! So this was my solution, mixing the media of silver clay with crystal clay. So this was the full and quite difficult process. 

The idea behind it was a family tree, with each grandchild's birthstone represented as a crystal. (I will have to make her something else if we get any more babies in the family)  

I sketched a rough scale version of how I wanted it to look. 

I transferred the rough image to a white ceramic tile. I then "drew" the tree using silver clay in a syringe with a fine tip.

This is the tree drying on the tile. I left it 24 hours.

I transferred the clay to my firing block but typically it broke! I repaired it and strengthened the tree with multiple thin layers of silver clay paste. This took days and days to get right. It had to be left to dry in between layers for 24 hours. 

Once it was fired and carefully cleaned up and polished  I mixed up some crystal clay. 

                 (you can see how to do that here) and added the tree and the birthstone crystals.

I added AB crystals at random  until I was happy with the overall look and left it to harden for 12 hours.

My mother in law really liked it so it was worth the effort :) 

Silver clay cufflinks

 As one of the projects, I had to make cufflinks, so I decided to get my kids to help. This was quite a difficult thing to do and I am blaming them for the rustic nature of the design!!

Unfired. Lettering with a metal stamp, finger prints by my children!

Fired and cleaned up

Treated with liver of sulphur

Polished up

Backed added and turned into cufflinks

They made a great Christmas gift for my husband!

Welcome to the Earring Emporium!

As I plan to do a craft fair this year, I figured I needed to build some stock!

This was helped by receiving a 1 step looper for Christmas. This has made life and jewellery making so much easier!!

So here are some of my creations:

This is a pendant not  earrings but it's cute and I did it with the looper!

Memory wire - project six.

The final project from Cooksons was to make a beaded necklace using crimping, which I confess i haven't done yet and to make a memory wire bracelet.

I have made a few of these from the materials sent!

With beads from the kit sent and some blue sodalite

Banded agate and amethyst

Skull beads with haematite and some sparkly bits

Jasper hearts, haematite and a bit of  swarovski with flower charms

Dalmatian jasper and agate hearts


Most of the gem stones were from Jewellery Maker and I loved using them! I am getting into gemstone jewellery.