Tuesday, December 30

Wear the Year on Your Sleeve! Four Seasons Snow Globe Bracelet tutorial by Isabel Villarreal


Hi there! This is Isabel with my final project for this year. As always, the new year prompts a look back at all the changes that made this past year special. And what better way to capture a moment than a series of small snow globes you can wear year-round. I'll be showing you how to make a bracelet to celebrate each glorious season that makes up a complete year. 

  

I started by taping one side of the copper rings with packing tape and really rubbing the tape into the surface to make sure they were stuck together well. Once the tape is on flip it over and pour in little Amazing Clear Cast Resin. I didn't use a lot of resin, just enough to cover the bottom. I did this to 3 1/2" rings and 4 3/4" rings. After the resin has completely set carefully remove the tape. My rings had a little glue residue from the tape so I used a cotton ball and some alcohol to remove it.

  

I filled the 1/2" rings about halfway with more clear Cast but this time I added some super fine glitter in White and Blue. Super fine glitter is very light and once mixed, will actually suspend in the resin instead of floating down to the bottom. I then added a layer of larger glitter to the 1/2 rings and now filled them to the top with Amazing Clear Cast Resin. a few pieces of glitter floated to the top but that's fine. Remember, the finished ring will be clear and it will give it more dimension when you look through it to the other side.

  

Using polymer clay I sculpted 4 seasonal symbols. I would be using one in each of the 3/4 rings. Then I mixed up some Amazing Mold Putty and pressed each piece into the surface of the putty. after about 10 minutes the mold was set.

  

With a small brush I painted colors into the mold using Alumidust. Then I poured Amazing Clear Cast Resin into my painted mold and left it for 24 hours. When I came back the next day my seasonal symbols were ready: a pine tree for Winter, an acorn for Fall, an ice cream cone for Summer and a flower for Spring.


I had some tiny black acrylic cabochons so I used a dot of E6000® adhesive to attach my shapes onto the cabochons, creating a a cool little stand for each one.


Meanwhile, I placed my 3/4" rings on the shiny side of a piece of packing tape and traced the shape using a Sharpie Marker. I then placed a second piece of tape over the tracing and poured a layer of Amazing Clear Cast Resin into the center of the circle. If you let the resin stand for about 10 minutes before pouring it will be a little thicker and won't run too much. At the top of the picture you can see the results of my pour. I made 4 of these- 1 for each 3/4" ring. Put these 4 pieces aside for now since they will be used as your covers for the 3/4 rings once they are filled.

  

Next I had to find a way to attach the larger hollow rings and the smaller filled rings. To connect the rings to one another I used leather lacing and a crimp bead on either side of each ring (left). A small dot of E6000® on each side will also help keep the leather lace from moving. I repeated this process with each ring, alternating the larger and smaller rings (right). What I ended up with is a 7 1/2" bracelet.


Now you're ready to add the final touches to your empty 3/4" rings and turn this into a celebration of seasons. Glue the shapes into the bottom wall of the ring using 1 shape per ring starting with Spring at one end and ending with Winter at the other. I used large flakes of different colored glitter as my "snow" in each ring and also dropped in a dash of White super fine glitter in each one. I chose glitter colors to correspond with the different seasons.

  

So what is that liquid in a snow globe? Mix 8 oz. of distilled water with 1 tablespoon of liquid glycerin and use a dropper or small bottle to fill the 3/4" rings until they are almost full. The glycerin thickens the water to create that cool snow globe effect when shaken. Now take those Amazing Clear Cast Resin circles we made earlier and glue them to the top of the open rings. Trim away as much excess resin as possible, this will make it easier to get them in place. Use jewelry glue or E6000® along the entire rim then press the resin sheet onto the glue to seal and let it sit. When it's dry test for leaks-I had to reattach 2 of my covers due to tiny leaks. If you find a leak just rip off the resin sheet, clean it off if necessary and reattach it. Test again. 


What I ended up with is this gorgeous snow globe
bracelet that I'll definitely be wearing daily!



This is a celebration of time and color that I can take along everywhere. You can personalize this bracelet project by creating your own themes for each globe.

help you celebrate your year?

I'd love to see what you create! Please upload and share your creations to the

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3 comments:

  1. Oooh, ooooh, ooooooh, this is totally AMAZING. I want to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A wearable snowglobe... utterly AMAZING Isie!!! I'm in love with these jewels :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the way you held it all together with the leather and crimps Sandra! Nice and fun as well! I love that glitter magic and movement too. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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