GLOW IN THE DARK Resin!

I've been happily using one type of GITD additive, but this year I thought I'd test out some others to see how they compare.  In this experiment I tested the following phosphorescent additives:  Glow Worm, Europium Ultraglow, Art'n Glow, Glominex, HXDZFX Glow Powders, TechnoGlow, as well as Glomania ProFX GITD Paint, and GITD Nail Polish.  Of all of these, Glow Worm had by far the strongest glow, followed by Europium Ultraglow.  The GITD paints and nail polish barely glowed at all - what a waste.

I mixed in an equal amount of additive to Brilliant Resin and cast a 1" smooth circle with each.  I tested the basic white/yellow-greens, as well as some colored options.  Some of the powders sunk to the bottom while others stayed suspended. 

For the paints and nail polish (at the bottom of the board), I painted a thick layer on top of a clear cast piece. They all appear pretty whitish in daylight.

After 10 minutes charging in the sun, here's how they look in the dark.  It's hard to tell here, but while the top row looked about the same in daylight, the Glow Worm (top left) had a much stronger glow than the others. The greens and aquas all looked similar and all glowed pretty well, and I do like the purple/blue ones in the last row, their glow wasn't too strong but they were pretty.  The paler blues, the "pink" and orange were pretty ugly and looked much duller than in this photo. 

And here's how they looked after 1 hour in the dark, I hoped they would glow longer, but they do recharge quickly.

They look really pretty and colorful in the daylight while they still have a bit of glow but they dull back down to the way they looked in the first image pretty quickly.

Pricing and available container sizes vary, but you can get a small amount on Amazon for just a few dollars. The stronger the glow, the more expensive it'll be.

Here are some more of the awesome projects we made with our favorite GITD powders with Brilliant Resin and Clear Photo Film!

These eyes were made using 3 different GITD additives, the one on the top (bottom below) is Glow Worm, you can see how that one glows the strongest.

You glow girl!

I love this aqua colored glow-in-the-dark, a whitish powder I mixed into Brilliant Resin. The graphics were printed on our Clear Photo Film and cut into different shapes, domed with resin on both sides, then drilled for jewelry findings.  

Here's a simpler version, with just the creepy spider drops:

This piece can be made with or without the GITD layer, but looks entirely different from day to night.

Hop over to our Resin In Bezels post for more details.

And more in the traditional bright yellow-green:

This high-contrast look can be done 3 ways: by printing images onto Clear Photo Film, by painting by hand, or with clear-backed stickers.

STEP 1: Mix Glow In The Dark powder into Brilliant Resin and pour a thin layer in your mold 

STEP 2: Pop out cast pieces, stick on clear-backed stickers/insert images/paint on designs, and Dome them Up (click here to watch Doming Up how-to video).

The projects below were done the same way, but with images printed onto our Clear Photo Film  The round NBC Jack Skellington pendant, the creepy skeleton pendant, and the skull keychain were made using the Doming Technique - clear resin on one side, resin with GITD Powder on the back side:

The pendant on this spider necklace was made using our Medium Silicone Mold, the "beads" were made in our Silicone Cabochons Mold. For these, we printed these images on Clear Photo Film, and cast them in Brilliant Resin.  We then mixed GITD Powder into a new batch of resin, and Domed Up the backs. After 1-1/2 hours, I was able to embed the wire into the cast shapes. See this how-to video for reference on embedding wire in resin.

Here's another using an image copied onto Clear Photo Film, this one's in color and domed on both sides.  On the back I added GITD Powder, and embedded a pin into the resin as it was setting.  It looks very different from day to night.

 And what's Halloween without some eyeballs?!

These eyeballs were cast in layers (see this video for how-to's), then I painted designs on the outside of the castings with black nail polish.f

Again, here's a link to the Glow Powder I used which was really strong, but try to find a smaller container for sale or you'll have enough for a lifetime.

HALLOWEEN IDEAS!

Scroll down for FREE how-to videos

Fun with Photos

For the doming technique projects above you'll need:

• Special Photo Paper for Resin
• Brilliant Resin
• Doming Tray
• Spring Drill (for jewelry)
• Double-Stick Adhesive Sheet (for cell phone sticker)
• Printer, scissors, timer

Creepy Spider in A Bezel

This is a multi-layer project, that can be done with or without the back glow-in-the-dark layer. 

Here's how mine looks in the dark WITH the back layer added in GITD aqua:

Follow this link for a tutorial on working will all kinds of bezels.

Yummy Color

The pendants above were cast in our Medium Molds, then Domed Up over a piece of Resin Color Film, with a bit of glitter mixed into the resin.  Let that set up an hour or two, then push bent wire forms into the resin making a ripple effect and glossy dimension.

Click here to watch a video on embedding wire in resin.

For this necklace I also embedded wire in cast pieces.  Images were printed on Clear Photo Film.  I embedded the film in clear Brilliant Resin using our Medium Silicone Mold and Cabochons Mold.  We then added GITD powder into the resin to Dome Up the backs of these pieces, and embedded the wire as they were setting up.    CLICK HERE for more Glow In The Dark Project Ideas.

Bendy Resin Pumpkins

Resin Color Film pumpkins, inspired by an expensive glass piece I saw.  

You'll need Brilliant Resin, Resin Color Film, a Doming Tray, and a Spring Drill, and some colored wire.  Cut strips were domed, then shaped (as shown in our Brilliant 3D Butterflies video), drilled, and attached with colored wire.  The top one is about 3-1/2" across, the bottom one is about 1-1/4" across, and can be made into a necklace or earring.

SPOOKY STICKERS

This one has GITD powder mixed into the resin behind the stickers:

Domed Spider Necklaces

GLITTERAMA

CANDY CORN CREATIONS

PAINTED RESIN PIECES

These were cast with Resin Color Film as the colorant, then we domed them up with a bit of glitter mixed into the resin, and then painted designs.  You can paint between layers or on the outside.

VAMPIRE LOVE

     

SUPER STANDEES

MULTI-PHOTO PROJECTS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

How-To Videos Mentioned Above:

Costume / Cosplay Accessories!

Inspired by Amazing Maker Vicky Fisher, I'm so excited to explore cosplay applications!  Here are some accessories she's made for her beautiful daughter:

So this is a post I'll be adding to as we come up with more ideas.  My daughter asked for help to create her Halloween costume this year, Raven from Teen Titans.  She pulled together the costume, and I made the accessories - belt, cape pin, hand amulets and upside-down diamond-shaped bindis.  I think they came out pretty amazing so I thought I'd share in case you want to try something similar:

For the gems:  Cast Brilliant Resin in our Silicone Cabochons Mold, mounted Resin Color Film in Jewel Red on the back of each, followed by a cut circle of aluminum foil applied with a thin coat of resin for optimal reflection.

For the gold belt:  You can buy a gold belt, but I just got some fake leather and a clip from JoAnn Fabrics and made one on the cheap.  Cast thin round shapes to back gems in our Large Circles Molds (psst - you can customize our Large or Hearts mold sets to get multiples of the shape you want!)  I mixed gold powder into the resin thinking the resulting cast would be shiny - nope, just cast them clear to keep it simple.  

So I spray painted these cast Brilliant Resin pieces and the belt to get the look I wanted.

For the Cloak Pin:  I made a larger jewel and needed a larger lightweight piece in gold to back it.  I found this perfectly-sided canning top at JoAnn Fabrics (spray painted above).  I didn't need the slit in the middle, but it would be covered with the jewel so it didn't matter.  I applied 2 pin-backs to this piece so make it really secure.

You could attach these pieces all together in many different ways, but since I had Brilliant Resin on-hand, I embedded the belt and the pins into thickened resin on the backs of each piece.  I waited about 1 hour before pushing the belt and pin-backs into the resin, but it was 104F here, so if it's a normal temp where you're working, you may want to wait a bit longer to let your resin get nice and thick.

I placed the belt in the top half of each gem-back instead of in the center, so the gems wouldn't flip over while the belt is worn.  The finished pieces have a nice weight to them.

Finally I attached the gems to the golden belt circles using Gorilla Glue Clear (love this stuff, by the way :)

For the Bindi:  I made a few sizes (not having her head handy), simply cut shapes out of our Resin Color Film, domed them with Brilliant Resin, and once they were set up I painted the back with silver nail polish.  You could do this on the larger pieces too but they won't reflect as well. She applied it with eyelash glue.

Finished costume (minus the wig, saving that for party night :)

More to come :)

Resin Glitter Fun!

Ooooh, these are addictive. 

I'm not usually a glitter girl, but this is a slippery slope of fun!  Whether you're creating some Halloween flair, or just something sparkly and fun to wear any day, this is an easy and versatile additive. 

This video shows how to add glitters to resin for use in casting projects, which can be layered and embellished to your heart's content.  Have fun!

How-To Video:

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Action Standees

I made these for Halloween, but now that they're hanging out on my desk, I'm going to keep them there year-round!  It's like having a line-up of my kids as action figures and I love it!

Cut out the best part of your favorite photos, mount them on Clear Photo Film printed with a graphic design, and dome them up to make an awesome photo display for your home or office.  See this related video for a how-to.

You'll need:

Brilliant Resin

Special Photo Paper

Clear Photo Film

Doming Tray

Drill

Jumprings, or wire to connect them

Convertible Charms

We're hooked on charms.  Once we finished our Pics 'n' Chips creation, this idea evolved.  I went back and found photos of my kids from every Halloween (so far), and charmed them all.  I love being reminded of the silliness!   This top piece converts from a necklace to a bracelet using a hook-clasp, but works just as well with magnetic clasps.  

Check below for a cool idea for the back sides too!

Here's a different way to mount your charms, I used colored jumprings in the corners to attach them in this checkerboard pattern.

Using our Special Double-Sided Photo Paper, I printed a spiderweb design on the back of the cropped images.  Then I stuck some glittery number stickers on the back, showing her age that year, so it really tells a story!

Click HERE for a FREE how-to video

Candy Corn Creations!

These projects were all made using photos of candy corn with the Doming Technique!