Glam Halloween Jewelry Made From Scrapbook Stickers!

Check out the bracelet I just made from Halloween stickers, glitter paper, and resin:

It's huge, heavy, mildly(?) tacky, and I kind of love it.

Yep, I finally decided to give resin another try, but this time I went with the Little Windows brand. You might recall I used Easy Cast last time, and had issues with some batches not curing. I told you guys then how much I liked the video tutorials over at Little Windows, though, and I guess that made an impact, because the owner Fran sent me all kinds of her products to try as a thank-you. YAY CRAFTY STUFF!!

I started with these 3D stickers I found in the scrapbooking aisle:

Then I dug through my small stash of paper and picked out some nice glittery ones:

 
The best thing about Little Windows resin kits is that they come with soooo many useful accessories, like those template patterns you see on the right. Just trace & cut for the perfect size to fit all the different molds!

And at the risk of sounding like a sales rep, Little Windows resin is fantastic. Fran's kits come with all the tiny mixing cups & paddles you need to make conveniently small batches, and after 4 or 5 different tries I can tell you it mixes easily, pours beautifully, and consistently cures rock hard and crystal clear. YES. Now I'm not quite so scared of playing with resin! (Well except for the bubbles. CURSE THOSE BUBBLES.)

In addition to my Big Honkin' bracelet, I made some simple pendants:

 

Kinda cute, right?

The orange glitter paper is, hands down, the prettiest thing I've put in resin. The rounded edges of the resin distort the edges and make it look like fire:

And the distortion makes the black glittery paper look like a hyperspace jump - shooting stars galore.

Here's a side view of the bracelet. so you can see the depth of the gems:

The plastic skulls all had a tiny bubble right in the nose cavity - oops - so I glued little crystals on top to hide 'em. For my next batch, I put a small drop of resin in all the noses first, let that cure, and then embedded them. No more nose bubbles!

And an awkward shot of my own arm, to show how the bracelet hangs:

And here's what's holding it together:

I found that jointed bracelet in my discard stash (always save old jewelry!), and it fit the resin perfectly. I just had to glue each gem onto the links with E-6000. Easy peasy!

And finally, to use up the rest of my gems, I decided to try a bib/collar/statement necklace:

 

It looks a little silly on the form, though, so I had John take a pic of me wearing it:

 I bet it'd look cute over a collared shirt, too.

This was pretty easy to do; all you need is felt, ribbon, and some twisted cotton cord for the accent trim. (I found a big spool for $3 at Jo-Ann's.)

I laid out my resin gems on paper, traced out a pattern I liked...

  ...and then used that template to cut the felt. (Fold the paper template in half while you're cutting, so the two sides will be symmetrical.)

From there it was just a matter of gluing everything down and hand-stitching the ribbon ties on the ends. The trim is a little tedious, but I really think it adds a more polished look.
 

 (I was crafting on top of my to-do list. :))

K, that does it for this round of resin experimenting!

Now, who wants some free jewelry?

I made an orange bat pumpkin for myself, so these two are for you guys! Comment below and tell me which color you like best, and I'll pick two random winners in a few days. I'll even try to get them in the mail for you before Halloween. ;) 

[The give-away has ended, and my winners are Elizabeth Campbell & Shiny Happy Von!]

Hope this inspires some more resin experimenting of your own, everyone, and be sure to share your own pics in the comments or over on the Epbot FB page!

****

PS - That reminds me: one of last month's art winners never claimed her prize! So, Lauren-who-wanted-the-albino-ferret-print, please e-mail me your mailing address!