Friday, August 26, 2016

Which Resin to Use for Jewellery Making

Resin beginners are often confused about which resin to use.  When you're faced with so many different TYPES of RESIN to choose from, it can be confusing to work out  which resin is right for your project .  In the past 15 years, I've worked with at least 35 different types/brands of resin. That's a lot of resin and a lot of casting and it's given me a good understanding of what each one is capable of. So, let's take a look at the pros and cons of each resin type so you know how to CHOOSE the right resin for your project. As a side note, there are so MANY different brands of resin out there and they are all formulated differently. It's not possible to cover them all but this will give you a general guide to help you understand what kind of resin work you can do with each type of resin. We'll cover the most readily available types of resin: 2-part resins - this group includes Epoxy, Polyurethane (aka urethane), Polyester and Epoxy Clays. 1-part re...
Thursday, August 11, 2016

Upcycled Placemat Bracelet

You'll Never Guess What This Bracelet is Made From! This eye-catching bracelet is sure to surprise you. It's made from wood, metal and glass beads - a really striking combination. But there's something a bit out of the ordinary about this bracelet. Those long red wooden beads are rather interesting. And you're probably thinking that you've seen them somewhere before but can't quite put your finger on what it is that's so familiar about them. Have you worked it out yet? No? Well, keep scrolling down the page.... and I'm sure you'll recognise them straight away.  Did you guess? The wooden beads are actually from a bamboo placemat that you can find at your local kitchenware or dollar store. What an ingenious upcycle! If you'd like to make a placemat bracelet of your own, here's what you'll need: Bamboo placemat Eight 14mm silver donut beads (with 7mm internal diameter) Eight 6mm 'Jet' Black bicone crystals Eight ...