A Resin Bracelet With Bling

I absolutely love my bracelet ...resin glitter pieces, silver charms, some pearls, crystals and lots of love.

This was fun and it turned out really pretty. The color combinations are endless .... and with all the wonderful glitter colors .... have fun!

Here is what you need for this project:





EnviroTex Lite resin
resin spray

2 measuring cups

a stir stick

A mold ... I used a fondant mold, it's rubber so it's easy to remove the pieces.

glitter .... mine is Martha Stewart brand.

assorted jump rings

chain

clasp

assorted pearls and rhinestones

charms

timer

 



 

So let's get started. Resin loves warmth, cold is not it's friend. When I first started using this resin I ran hot water into a bowl and placed the two resin bottles in the water and waited. Emptied the bowl added more water, return the bottles .... and on and on. It worked but it was time consuming. But one day I ran across this little Rival crock pot *light bulb* .... this would be perfect for heating my resin. And wow, did it ever make my life easier. It gave me the freedom to do other things while my resin was getting all warm and toastie!

 

 

 

First measure equal parts of resin and hardener in your cups. Add your resin to your hardener, start your timer and stir for two minutes. Be faithful .... stir stir stir, making sure to scrap the sides of your cup to blend thoroughly. You'll notice a few bubbles as you stir, it's normal. But oh my, lots of bubbles if your resin isn't warm. Next ..... let it rest for 5 minutes. 

 

 

Mold #1

Mold #2

 

Let the pouring begin. Let me say .... less is more when you fill your mold. You can always add more, but you can't remove it and it can get messy. I ALWAYS have paper towels handy. And, I always wear vinyl gloves. Use your popsicle stir as your scoop, it works great and helps with portion control. As you can see in the picture above, I barely had any bubbles ... one in the top middle, but very few. Warm resin is your friend :)

 

Then I proceeded to fill my next mold. Let me mention here, after I get my molds filled, I wait a few minutes and then check for bubbles. I use a heat gun to pop them. Just hold it about 6-8 inches above your piece, moving the gun slowly over your pieces, so they don't get too hot ... it's magic and the bubbles pop. Since we are using glitter, a few bubbles won't show, but if you were making a clear piece ... bubbles are your enemy.

Add your glitter, and be generous.

 

 

 

Once you have added your glitter, let you piece sit for 5 minutes or so, then check on them to make sure you see a nice layer of glitter. As the piece sits, you might see where the glitter sank a bit or moved from the edge of the piece. If so, just sprinkle a bit more over it. Now cover your pieces,  Iuse a large plastic lid, and let them harden for at least 24 hours. 

 

 

The next day is the big reveal. Tah dah! Don't they look great .... a little rough around the edges, which is no big deal. Just take a sharp exacto knife and trim your edges, then give them a light sand with a fine grit sand paper.

 

 

To finish these resin pieces all we need to do is spray them with resin spray. I took an old cookie sheet, lined it with wax paper, then laid my pieces on the paper. Go to a well ventilated area and spray your pieces. Several thin coats work much better than a heavy coat ... trust me.

 

 

Drill your pieces, add your chain, beads, rhinestones and charms and wah la ... a beautiful bracelet. As you can see, I made a few more colors of resin beads. The large rose pictured above, i'll show you the beautiful necklace I made with it in another post.

Have fun and let your creative juices flow.

Love Always ..... Carla