Amazing Casting Products: glass marker

Wednesday, September 10

How Does Your AMAZING Garden Grow?? Fabulous Faux #DIY Garden Markers by Isabel Villarreal

This summer I decided to try my hand at growing a vegetable garden and it's been fun planting seeds and watching them grow into actual plants. I've watched my plants go from tiny seedlings to leafy sprouts that are starting to look like actual things and what I've learned is that all plants look incredibly similar when they first start out, especially if you're a noobie gardener like me. So how do I keep track of what I'm planting? I figured the easiest way was to use garden markers to identify my new leafy friends as they grew.

When I started this labeling adventure I had an idea of the size and shape I wanted so i looked through my supplies and found this plastic jar of Stampendous Pearlized Mica I got in a Frog Dog Studio kit earlier this year. It was the perfect size so I used it to create a custom mold using Amazing Mold Putty. I coated the jar with alumilite rubber release (you can also use olive oil) and pressed the bottom of the jar into the mold putty, making sure the edges were snug and even around the original jar. It only took about 7 minutes for the mold to set and the jar was really easy to remove from the mold since it had been coated. Please CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation.

Amazing Casting Resin cures in just a few minutes, so I mixed up a batch and poured it into my mold {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}. I poured a layer about 1/2" thick and figured I would use that as a base and build up layers until I got to a thickness I was happy with. Once the resin cured, I used Sharpie Markers to draw pictures of the veggies in my garden. This resin turns solid white when it dries so it makes an ideal canvas. The Sharpies dry quickly and are smudge free, but just to be safe I brushed a thin layer of Mod Podge® over the entire surface to protect the ink from smearing or running.

Once the Mod Podge dried it was nice and clear so I mixed up a round of Amazing Clear Cast Resin to pour my next layer {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}. This resin is crystal clear, so I added the tiniest amount of Alumilite Green Dye to give it the look of vintage green glass. This layer was also about 1/2" thick.

Okay, so I cheated and made a couple of molds – since I'm trying to grow lots of different veggies at once. I ended up with 8 different varieties. Since I was mixing individual batches of resin for my molds I got some slightly varying shades of green, but I think it gives each marker it's own unique look.

Now when I removed the markers from the mold I realized that the edges were a bit sharp and the markers looked a little flat. My original goal had been to create garden markers that simulated the look of polished glass rocks, but these were flat and I would have to do something to give them a smoother, more rounded look.

I built up the rounded surface by adding thin layers of Amazing Clear Cast Resin until it started to dome on top. This gave me the smooth top surface I was trying to create. The domed top also refracted the light and made the colors a little brighter. If you prefer, you can print out images and cut them to size instead of drawing. Just be sure to coat your images with a clear sealing coat for protection so they don't smudge or run before pouring resin over the top.

It's been about a month since I started gardening and I'm now on my 4th raised garden box so these cute garden markers give my garden a personal touch and they are really helping me keep track of what's sprouting. Plus I no longer have to recite a list when friends are curious about about what I'm growing. And since these are so easy and fun to make, I'll just keep making and adding new markers as I add variety to my garden.

What will you create with

Amazing Casting Resin

and Amazing Mold Putty?

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

User GALLERY on the Amazing Mold Putty Website for all the world to see.

~ Isabel Villarreal

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Tuesday, August 26

#Cre8time meets Vacation Memories... DIY Souvenir Wine Glass Candle by Tanya Ruffin

Making your own souvenirs with Tanya Ruffin for Amazing Mold Putty

Save yourself a little money by making your own souvenirs! Take all those shells your kids have collected and make a lasting souvenir of your vacation.

Materials:

Sand
Shells
Amazing Clear Cast Resin
Alumilite Blue Resin Dye
Wine glass
smaller glass votive
Decoart Glass Marker

Directions...

Pour sand in the wine glass. This is going to replicate the ocean. This is the sand on the bottom of the sea, so fill it about 1/6th up.

Drop some shells on top of the sand, stick close to the outside edge of the glass (you won't be able to see the shells in the middle very well, so don't waste them). Mix up some Amazing Clear Cast Resin (clear) and slowly pour in wine glass. Avoid the side of the glass, you don't want clear drips down your glass. The resin will slowly soak into all the sand. You may see air bubbles. Let cure. It took about 3 hours for my clear resin to cure enough to move to the next step.

Using the Alumilite Blue Dye, mix a small amount into part "A" of your Amazing Clear Cast Resin. You want just a small amount!!! I made the mistake of thinking it would cure more transparent the first time and it did not! Start light – you can always make it darker. Let this cure over night.

Add a layer of Amazing Clear Cast Resin on top of the blue layer. You can throw in a shell or two if you like. I dropped a little sand on the top after it had cured a little while. I decided to do this clear layer before I added more sand because on a test glass, the sand actually fell all the way through the blue in a few spots. The clear layer will seal the blue water layer and keep it separate from the sand.

What Will You SAVE now?

Now add some more sand and position your glass votive in the center. You can start arranging more shells. After you have the shells arranged you can add more Amazing Clear Cast Resin. I let the resin cure for a few hours then added more shells and more resin.

I love how it looks! You may see air bubbles coming up from the sand and need to add more Amazing Clear Cast Resin as it starts to soak into the sand.

Measure the bottom of your glass so you can use a computer to layout text.

I used CorelDRAW – but you can use any software that lets your curve text. Print it out and place glass under the print out and trace with a glass marker.

Now light your candle and reflect on your vacation.

With all the money you saved on souvenirs you have a jump start paying for the next trip! Think about how much grandma would love a gift like this made from shells her grand kids collected. This is much better than a "I went to the Caymans and all i got was this lousy t-shirt" shirt!!!

Until Next Time... ~ Tanya