Dragonflies Embellish my #Cre8time Garden... by Brenda Burfeind

Happy Spring! Brenda here from Creativity is a State of Mind. I've been wanting to decorate for Spring and today is some inspiration for just that. I love to play with my Amazing Casting Products. I find that you are not limited to using a mold solely for that mold's purpose.

What I mean is... play, play, play!

Think outside the box. Just because a mold has a

certain shape doesn't mean you need to use it as is.

For instance, recently I made my granddaughter an "art" holding frame. I had purchased these awesome fan blades made out of wood. I even added one of my previous resin pieces cast using one of my Amazing Mold Rubber molds – the princess crown embellishment {you can view that post HERE}.

When I craft I am all over the place. While I'm creating one project, I'm already thinking of something else to do...

With that being said, I was thinking of dragonflies. I've seen Pinterest features of dragonflies made out of ceiling fan blades and spindles. While they are super cute – I don't have any fan blades nor do I have large space to hang these beautiful pieces.

There I was already thinking ahead –

Well this is what I created...

Wooden fan blades cut in half molded with Amazing Mold Putty

{CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}.

I filled each with Alumilite Violet Dye mixed with Amazing
Casting Resin {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}.

Love how the Amazing Mold Putty picked up the woodgrain detail. When your resin isn't cured all the way yet and it's still pliable, you can cut it with scissors or a blade.

 

I just cut each section in half again and

glued them to a dowel that I had painted.

I added some plastic beads to make a head and some wire to give it some bling. I also glued beads on the body and wings to make it fun and sparkly. Now I have some miniature dragonflies and I plan on making a bunch of these to hang on my fence around my deck.

I hope I've inspired you to find a new use for

a mold and have fun creating (playing).

What would you create with an existing mold?

Until next time, Happy Spring ~ Brenda

Visit my blog, Creativity is a State of Mind to see some more of my creations.

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Let Your #Cre8time Take Flight! Wire and Resin Dragonfly Pendant by Tanya Ruffin

I wanted to make something completely handmade without any store bought bezels or molds. Using some leftover resin paper from a previous project and some 18 copper gauge aluminum craft wire I created a dainty dragonfly. The directions to make the resin paper can be found here.

I started by bending the wire in the shape or dragonfly wings. I make sure the wire lies flat against the resin paper. Any gaps would cause the Amazing Clear Cast Resin to leak out. There is going to be some leaking, but you want to keep it to a minimum.

Because I still wanted to make the dragonfly body with the same wire, I bent the remaining wire up so it would held steady the wings when I added the Amazing Clear Cast Resin.

Stand the wire wings on the resin paper and mix the Amazing Clear Cast Resin. I applied the resin to the wire and inside area. I didn't necessarily need to cover the whole inside area because the paper was already coated with resin. Wait for the resin to cure, then using scissors and a craft knife trim the excess paper away.

I planned to add rhinestones for the eyes, but I ended up liking this look!

Snip the ends to make a hoop on the back.

Then I made a long loop of wire between the two sets of wings and then twisted it on itself, this made the tail. I repeated the step to make the body but I also wrapped wire around the section to make it fatter. I added two loops to make the eyes and formed a hoop on the back for a necklace.

"Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky: So this winged hour is dropt to us from above. Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower, This close-companioned inarticulate hour when twofold silence was the song of love."   ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti

I think it turned out so delicate!

Now I am thinking of a butterfly!!

How do you create with Amazing Casting Products?

Craft Your Own Way! ~ Tanya

Please visit my site to see more of my inspiring creations at www.tanyaRuffin.com

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Dragonflies to INSPIRE... AMAZING Inspiration from Carole Lassak

Hi!! Carole here with a June inspiration for you. I've always been intrigued by dragonflies – the way they dart over water and flowers, the iridescence of their wings. To me, they are the ballet dancers of the garden.

The original jewelry piece for these dragonflies came from a friend who knows I'm always on the look out for interesting items to mold and cast. Each of these dragonflies was cast using Amazing Casting Resin, but I used two different coloring techniques.

For the golden dragonfly, I painted the head, legs, edges of the wings, raised areas on the thorax, and antennae with gold metallic acrylic paints. The shadings on the wings was done with mica powders mixed with USArt Quest's PPA, and painted on with a fine brush.

For the silver dragonfly, I dusted the mold with Alumilite Metallic Powders Gunmetal for the head, legs, edges of the wings, raised areas on the thorax, and antennae. Pearlescent for the center of the wings. When the casting came out of the mold I used the same mica powder/PPA mixture on the wings and recessed areas of the thorax.

There are so many different techniques

for adding color to resin castings!! 

What other technique should I try? 

You can see more INSPIRATION using Amazing Crafting Products by Alumilite Corporation on my Create & Craft blog.

Carole

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Please use coupon code " summerhaus " {no quotations}.

Coupon expires June 30, 2013.

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Dragonfly ATC with Guest Designer Sandra Strait

Face it. If you do much crafting, sooner or later you need a dragonfly. 

In a seeming change of subject, I like to make fancy knots. I came across a pattern for knotting a dragonfly and promptly tried it out.

And what does this have to do with Amazing Crafting Products by Alumilite Corporation? Well, I really liked the dragonfly I created, and knew it would make an AMAZING cast resin piece.

Supplies:

Amazing Mold Putty
Amazing Clear Cast Resin
1 illustration board ATC
Waxed Bookbinding thread
A dragonfly knot (Google 'dragonfly knot'; you'll find all sorts of how-to's)
Krylon Pale Gold Leafing Pen
Pearl Ex Powders-Interference Red and Interference Blue
Golden Fiber Paste and Heavy Gel medium
Miracle Tape sheet
A photo of a Koi pond

The Dragonfly Knot

When I knotted my dragonfly, I used waxed bookbinding thread because it required two threads, and the tacky surface made it easier to keep them together. It also resulted in a solidly knotted piece that was perfect for casting.

I needed something to fill in the wings, however, and I had just made a *fiber paste skin, so I used some left-over pieces.

*Fiber paste is an acrylic paste medium that you can spread on a non-stick sheet to create a textured paper-like 'skin'.

The Molds

Amazing Mold Putty comes in two parts, a white putty and a yellow. You mix equal amounts of both, rolling them into a ball to remove creases, until the whole piece turns yellow. Then you wrap it around the object. The whole process takes 10-15 minutes.

Using this process, I created a mold for the Dragonfly knot and I also created a second mold using an illustration board ATC.

I wanted the transparency of a dragonfly's wings so I decided to use the Amazing Clear Cast Resin. A tip-- wear gloves. You can get the resin off with rubbing alcohol, but it's easier not to get the stickum on you in the first place (I speak from experience, lol).

To add a touch of color, I sprinkled some Pearl Ex powder in the mold, where the wings would be. I chose interference colors, which are very transparent and which change color in the light.

The Casting

As with the Amazing Mold Putty, you mix two products--liquids this time. You pour equal amounts of Parts A and B into measuring cups and then pour the two amounts together. Be sure to read the instructions to learn how to eliminate bubbles and pour the resin into the mold. There is a link at the bottom of this post that will take you to videos and detailed written instructions on both the mold and casting processes.

Both my knot and ATC molds were fairly shallow so there was some overflow, but it is easy to trim away the excess.

Putting it together

Although I wanted transparency, I also wanted more color. After thinking about it, I decided to use a Krylon Pale Gold Leafing pen. I skimmed the ink over the Dragonfly's body to pick out detail, while still leaving transparency. I also picked out the edges of the wings.

I chose a photo I had recently taken of a Koi pond. It wasn't a very good photo but that was okay. It had a watery look, and I wanted to keep the focus on the dragonfly. I printed the photo on printer paper and cut it to ATC size. Using Miracle tape, I stuck the photo, facing up, on the bottom of my resin ATC so it would show through. Using the same interference paint that was on the dragonfly's wings, I added a few ripples to the top of the ATC.

I decided to use Golden Heavy Gel Medium to attach the dragonfly because of the weight.

I felt the ATC needed something else, but I wanted to keep it simple. I had a piece of overflow that was a nice droplet shape. I added a touch of the interference paint and stuck it on the ATC.

Voilà! I had a dragonfly skimming across a pond!

I've added my ATC to the Anything But a Card challenge.  Been making ATCs? Consider joining in on the fun!

For more of my work in Amazing Mold Putty, zentangle-inspired art, and daily links to tangles, tutorials, and giveaways please visit my "Life Imitates Doodles" blog.   ~ Sandra Strait

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For both written and video instructions showing how to create Amazing Mold Putty molds, and cast resin object, please visit the Amazing Crafting Products library.