Get It Together...

I need a swift kick. The past week and a half has been filled with utter laziness (including a great trip to MD/DC...photo above is from the National Gallery of Art). Now I must get back on track. I have summer craft shows to prepare for and retail locations to re-stock. 

I could use some words of encouragement! And maybe better time-management skills as well. 

On the plus side, I am starting a new line of jewelry that incorporates glitter and resin. I find that the hexagonal glitter looks a bit more sophisticated than the typical square kind. Below is an example of one of my new glittery pieces: "Ruby Slippers" pendant necklace. Look for it in my Etsy shop soon!

Adventures In Resin

I think I may have finally figured out the trick to Envirotex Lite pour-on resin! Last time I tried, it didn't fully cure and I was so sad that my pretty pendants and coasters were all sticky. And since it's a chemical reaction and not a dry-time issue, the surfaces were still sticky after a week.

So, I tried again! This time, I was armed with good advice I received from the Etsy.com forums:
1) If your mixture proportions of resin and hardener isn't perfect, it will not set up and cure to a rock-hard finish. However, if you have a bit too much hardener in the mix, it's not the end of the world. Too much resin, however, means stickiness.
2) If it's humid, put your items (if they're small) in a barely warm oven. The resin cures fastest at 90 degrees, 50% humidity.

I have a gas range, so my oven is always warm because of my pilot. And the oven was perfect to use today because my apartment feels like a sweltering jungle rainforest.

So here's my resin pendant gallery:

Cells
My own artwork: Pitt artist pen and colored pencil on paper
collaged on to wooden discs

Dudes
Found images on silver-plated charms

Retro Flower
Found image on a mini domino

Stardust
Patterned paper and tons of glitter in a tiny frame charm

I still have to wait until Tuesday for the resin to fully cure. But I can tell that it will set up just fine. Yay!