Fun with resin!

First off, let me say, playing with resin is very very fun. But also, very very dangerous. So if you try this, be very very careful. Make sure to do it in a really well-ventilated area (I did mine outside), and preferably wearing gloves. This is stuff you do not want on your hands.

That being said, let's get into the fun part.

A while ago, I bought a package of Castin' Craft EZ Cast Epoxy Resin. It comes with two bottles: the resin, and the hardener. Unlike other resins, which require measuring a ratio of resin to hardener, EZ Cast makes life, well, EZer. It's a 1/1 ratio. Simple enough. If you're using the same cup to measure, make sure you wash it out reeeally well in between, though. Otherwise it'll gunk up and just be overall not very fun. I've also read that it's better to clean the cup out with rubbing alcohol instead of water to prevent gunking, but unfortunately I read this afterwards, so I haven't tried it yet. Once you've mixed, keep mixing. And mixing and mixing and mixing. Let it sit for a while until the bubbles settle. Then mix some more. Then let sit. I recommend using popsicle sticks for mixing, because you're going to need to throw them away after.


After you're all mixed up, it's time for the real fun part. First, you're going to need a mold. I've been using a Castin' Craft one with a lot of pendant designs in it, and it's been working really well for me. I've read that you should get mold release/conditioner, but I've been doing fine without it. If you're using any kind of mold that wasn't specifically made for resin (ice cube trays, candy molds), you should definitely invest in some, though.

Yeah, that's the one.

You can also buy resin colorants. They sell them in most craft stores. You only really need a few drops per batch, so they last a long time!

Now, pick out some objects. You can use toys, clay figurines, coins, teeth, glitter, stickers, leaves, flowers, food, broken jewelry...to name a few. Your imagination is the only limit! (And the size of the mold, I suppose). Mix up your colors (if you so choose), pour into the molds, and sink in your objects!

And now, we play the waiting game. This kind of resin takes about 24-48 hours to cure completely. Try popping it out of the mold after 24. If it doesn't come out with a bit of pressure, it's not done yet. Wait another few hours. Try again. Become impatient. Try again every few hours until they pop out. Squeal in glee.

I know you're all waiting with bated breath, so without further adieu (ado?)...my finished products!


Close up on my favorites:


Long story short, resin may be one of my new favorite crafty adventures, and I plan on taking full advantage of the temporary nice weather to get as much toxic chemical crafting in as possible!

Playing with caustic chemicals and molten wax!

Today I embarked on one of the most exciting crafty adventures I've experienced in a long time! This is an idea I've been toying with for the last few days, and thanks to a 50% off coupon to AC Moore, I was finally able to bring it to fruition.

A while back, I got some glass etching cream, and have been itching to try it ever since. The other day, I got the idea to combine it with another craft I've been wanting to try: candle making.

This is the glass etching cream. Basically, you make a pattern out of contact paper or something similar, stick it on your glass, and smear the cream all over it. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes (I had to do it twice because it wasn't as noticeable as I wanted it the first time), and wash it all off. I should probably mention, glass etching cream is EXTREMELY CAUSTIC, so you should be SUPER DUPER CAREFUL when handling it. Wear plastic gloves if you have them. I didn't use any because my glass had a handle to hold onto, but I made my brother wrap his hands in plastic bags. Because he's clumsy. Sorry no pictures of this part, I need a little bit of practice with this whole 'photoblogging' thing.

My brother made his own candle too. I introduce him to the coolest hobbies. ^_^

Makeshift double-boiler. A lot of sites recommend two pots, but I like doing it this way because then you have the added convenience of a spout! The only annoying part is holding onto the handle to make sure water doesn't get in. (Use pot holders!)

More supplies! Buttload o' wax and chunks o' color.

Around here is where I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the holder pre-wax. It looked pretty awesome.

Closer shot where you can see the skyline (a little) better.

My brother's finished product...the logo for his baseball team (Pirates)


Conclusion for today: caustic and molten things make for fun times!
In retrospect: I read that pre-heating the glass container reduces the number of bubbles in your finished piece. Which is good, because my candle is very bubbly. :( Also, I think next time I'm going to make a votive in the handy little metal mold provided by the kit I bought, then put it in the votive holder. That way, you'll still be able to see the nifty design on the canister.

The most epic earrings I've ever made, and pickled hair follicles

Those right there are several hours of work. Per earring. In retrospect, now that I know how they work and don't have to keep checking back on the instructions, I could probably get them done a bit quicker. But, should you decide to attempt these earrings, be warned: they WILL be time consuming. These are also the only article of jewelry I have made directly from a pattern. I got it from this book, which the boyfriend gave me for my birthday this year:


I'd just like to say, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in jewelry making. It's full of awesome ideas, and the instructions are super clear. They also tell you not only what to use, but where you can buy the materials you need.

I'm not sure exactly about the legality of posting the entire tutorial from the book on the internet, but the earrings are essentially a whole lot of dead soft wire wrapped around a coil of half-hard. The Swarovski beads (I love Swarovskis) sparkle in the light and just look great with the silver wire.

Over the weekend, someone found out that I make jewelry and asked me if I had beads lying around my room. I told her she had NO IDEA. I've found beads in places you wouldn't imagine...like my shoes, my trumpet case, and my underwear drawer.



Also, this is unrelated, but today I learned that rinsing your hair with vinegar is supposed to make it look healthier, shinier, and fuller. So, before I showered today I filled a bottle with half regular white vinegar, half water, and a little too much spearmint essential oil. After shampooing and conditioning, I poured some into my hair and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing it out. My hair doesn't look so much different yet, but I do smell faintly of some strange combination of vinegar, mint, and cloves (the only essential oils I had on hand...) And my scalp tingles a little, but in a good way. It feels cleaner, actually. But that might just be the mint. I'll keep you all posted on my experiment!

I have a 50% off coupon to AC Moore that I think I'm going to use on a soap making kit (one craft I've wanted to get into lately). Ohh the possibilities!

Make this Coffee Cake!

A few weeks ago, I came across <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/big-crumb-coffee-cake/">this recipe</a> for big crumb coffee cake with rhubarb. Now, I'd never had rhubarb before, but it still looked like a pretty awesome recipe. Then, last week, I ran into some rhubarb in Giant, and knew what had to happen. And let me tell you, the ensuing cake-ness was magical. In the comments section of the original recipe, people were complaining about the crumb topping being too floury, so I decreased the flour in the topping to a little over 1.25 cups. I think I'd actually use a little more than this, though, because the topping ended up being slightly too oily for my taste (so much butter!). The boyfriend had no complaints, though. Also, I didn't have any cornstarch and didn't feel like going out and buying some just to use the 2tsp that the filling requires, so I substituted it for 4tsp of all-purpose flour and it worked excellently.

My camera is currently broken (it had an unfortunate meeting with a tile floor), so there aren't going to be any recipe pictures up here for a while. Sorry, folks.

Glass pendants

I have to admit, blogging is so much more fun than writing final papers.

That being said, I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite easy jewelry crafts. Glass pendants.

Once you get the hang of them, they're addictingly easy to make.


All you need is a few glass tiles, some aanraku bails, scrapbook or origami paper, and some clear glaze. I recommend Judikins Diamond Glaze, but you can really use any kind.


Grab some stickers, and the possibilities are endless!

Crepes crepes crepes!

Tonight I made crepes for dinner. No pictures, as I didn't finish cooking until almost 9 and was famished by then (not the crepes' fault, the boyfriend was in a meeting until late). Crepes are such a great dish though. They're pretty easy once you get the hang of it, and extremely customizable. They can be a meal or dessert! Or both. I have been known to eat brownies for breakfast...

This is the recipe I use:

• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan
  
  
• In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (note: I didn't do this last time I made the crepes and they turned out fine. I'd give it a couple slow stirs to work out the bubbles though) This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
• Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.
• *Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.
• *Sweet Variation Add 21/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.

When we made these, the boyfriend threw some salt and basil into the batter, and they were delicious. Then I sauteed up some peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spinach and put them into separate bowls, along with a plate of grated mozzarella and feta cheese. It was a crepe buffet! You can really put just about anything into crepes. Last year we made some with frozen fruit and homemade whipped cream...awesome.

Epic dragon birthday cake

This past weekend, I made this cake for the boyfriend's birthday:

That's right, a fire breathing dragon cake. No mold was used, just a pattern I got from Instructables. The cake was a chocolate Guinness cake with Irish cream cream cheese frosting. A carbomb cake! The cake recipe was from here, and the frosting was essentially made by mixing cream cheese, powdered sugar, and Irish cream until it tasted good. The cake recipe I used turned out to be great for this kind of thing, as it was dense enough to hold its own when being sliced and stacked and whatnot. I think if/when I make this cake again, though, I'm going to try it with a lighter frosting, because the cream cheese combined with the denseness of the cake was just a little too heavy. I think a buttercream would work well.

I also discovered an awesome low-fat (supposedly) super easy tiramisu recipe. I definitely highly recommend it. The whole thing only took me a few minutes to put together, and it tastes delicious! It ended up getting eaten before I got a chance to take pictures, but it's not that exciting looking anyway. :P