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Tuesday, October 17

Casting a #Cre8time Spell... DIY Halloween Jewels by Tracy Alden


Hello! Tracy here with another Amazing Casting Products tutorial! My favorite month and time of year is here! October is going by so quickly and it is already getting close to Halloween! 

I need to make a selection of necklaces to give as gifts... and I am running out of time. I decide to revisit an earring project using Nail Art Stickers. I knew with the right mix of Amazing Casting Products and jewelry supplies I could make easy and stylish Halloween accessories!

Supplies: 
  • Amazing Clear Cast Resin
  • Alumidust in Deep Red, Deep Purple and Black 
  • Amazing Remelt (*Optional) 
  • Nail Art Stickers (found anywhere that sells nail polish) 
  • Toothpicks 
  • Stir Sticks 
  • Resin Measuring Cups 
  • Small metal frames (easily found at your local craft store in the jewelry or scrapbooking isle) 
  • Jewelry Bails, jump-rings 
  • Gold and Silver tone chain 
  • Glitter, Acrylic Paint, and Paint Brush (*Optional) 


I found a nice set of Halloween nail art stickers at my local pharmacy. All the stickers are the perfect size to fit in a selection of frames that have shallow basins. I sorted through the frames, picking the ones that went well with the stickers.


I am not sure what color the base layer of resin to be placed in the frames needs to be. Since the stickers are on a clear backing it is easy to lay the entire sheets of stickers over craft paper to get an idea what colors would help visually pop or complement the stickers. The majority looked the best on red, purple and black backgrounds.


I mix up a small portion of Amazing Clear Cast Resin, making sure to slowly stir to reduce air bubbles and let it sit for 5 minutes. CLICK HERE to view mixing and preparation. I add small pinches of Alumidust powder to three separate cups, then slowly add the pre-mixed liquid resin to each cup and stir until the powder is combined.


With these pieces being small and delicate, I like to place them on a small platform to keep them in place and level for resin application. I pulled two blocks of Amazing Remelt from their containers and place all of the frames on top of the Remelt block. You do not have to use Amazing Remelt – though Remelt is naturally a bit sticky and it holds the pieces perfectly in place. Once I am done with my project I can reuse the Remelt for any future non-food related molding projects. 

Using toothpicks, I put tiny drops of Alumidust saturated resin in to the bottom of each frame. The tinted resin acts as a canvas for the nail art stickers, helping them become more visible. The Alumidust makes the resin have a lovely metallic shimmer that shifts in the light. I let this layer cure about 5 hours. 


I carefully peel off the nail art stickers from their plastic backing and place them into the thin resin coated frames with a toothpick. I burnish the stickers a little with a toothpick or a stir stick to make sure the stickers are firmly in place so there will be no trapped air bubbles. Nail art stickers are originally intended for use in nail polish, so they do not need to be sealed before moving onto the next step.


I add glitter to a few of the frames for a extra bit of sparkle while the resin not quite cured – the glitter sticks to the resin when a tiny bit of pressure is applied. I use acrylic paint to highlight any of the stickers that are a bit too transparent, and let the paint dry fully before moving on to the next step.


I mix up another small portion of Amazing Clear Cast Resin, this time leaving it clear, then applied it to the frames with a toothpick. By using a toothpick I am able to control the amount of resin flowing into the frames, and to make sure I add just enough resin to create a dome which naturally magnifies the nail art stickers. I let this resin layer cure completely. 


With the addition of some jewelry bails, jump rings and chain I quickly made a Halloween jewelry assortment that any ghoul would be happy to have! With other frames and stickers imagine the variety of fashion styles that can be created! 

What AMAZING Halloween
jewels will you create?

Visit my blog Art Resurrected for more craft tutorials!

Until next time, safe travels! ~ Tracy

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