Letting go and having fun

I have - at various times in my life - been called anal-retentive, uptight and a perfectionist. And yes, when it comes to some things, I admit I can be all 3. I brought this 'I need to make things perfect' mindset to my jewellery making too. Especially when I first started out. But slowly, I've been learning to let go, to embrace the imperfections that come with making things by hand and to just have fun. 

Last week, I had fun experimenting with some not-very-expensive materials. Air-dry clay + paint + ICE resin =

This is a pic I would not have posted a year or even 6 months ago since every item you see in it has several flaws and isn't 'finished'. I wasn't guided by any particular design or vision; I just sat down with some clay and made what my hands felt like making. I also tried not to overthink the colours when it came time to paint the lil critters. Looking back, the one area where I should have put in more thought was the 'dunking them in resin' stage. The resin basically pooled at the bottom of each charm/pendant and pulled away from the clay so I'm having to snip away excess hardened resin and file the edges. 

What I learned from this spur-of-the-moment project was:

a) not knowing how something will turn out when you start making it can be both enjoyable and therapeutic.

b) resin reacts weirdly with air-dry clay. It makes the beads look like they've been shrink wrapped in plastic. I don't know if this is due to some strange chemical reaction or if it's because my resin is (shh! don't tell anyone) well past its 'best before' date or possibly a result of my amateurish technique. 

c) flawed objects have their own innate charm.

Now you've seen my perfectly imperfect charms/pendants, what do you think I should do with them? I'm leaning towards the idea of key chains or phone charms myself. Or maybe use them to pretty up presents and gifts. 

BSBP and more resin fun

So I emailed my BSBP partner  - actually, we've already emailed each other twice - and now have a better idea of what might challenge her. I'm still deciding on the exact beads though. This is my first time playing - hers too - and I want to send her a really good bead soup. Or at least, something that she'll appreciate. 


In the meantime, I'm still dabbling with bezels and resin and generally making a mess. At the moment I've prepped 2 rings and a pendant. I'd like to prep more before making a batch of resin though, so I don't waste any of it. You can see the rings here:

I'm still debating with myself whether I should use resin for the ring on the left (with the red/green swirls - very Christmassy, I know  - I'm always a season behind) since there really isn't any more room in the bezel. At the moment, it's just been Mod Podged to death. It feels and looks pretty sturdy but I'm not sure if it'll survive being worn day in day out. 


What do you think - to resin or not to resin? I'd love to hear what you think. 


Oh, and in case there are any other literary nerds out there, the words you see in the other ring are from Leigh Hunt's Jenny Kissed Me. 

Adventures in resin

I have a confession to make. 


I am terrified of resin. 


I've had some ICE Resin on hand for longer than I'd like to admit. Let's just say that its 'Best Before' use date has come and gone. But last weekend, I was feeling a little reckless and decided to just play with it - and to heck with the results!


Here's a pic of my adventures in resin. I think the rings and pendants turned out really well for a first time. I was beyond relieved! I won't be so afraid of resin now. 

What to do with this pendant?

I'm stuck. I messed around with Diamond Glaze last weekend and made this pendant. I had some issues with air bubbles but in the end everything turned out pretty well. I don't like the pendant frame however. It reminds me of Star Trek somehow - very sci-fi like. Which doesn't quite seem to go with the floral design of the paper (which I love btw). So - my question now is....what do I do with it? Stick a pin on the back for a brooch? Or use it in a necklace? Maybe a bag charm? Hmm, that might be an idea. A kooky bag charm is easier to carry off I think.