ICE Resin

It's been a while!  What's new?

Last month as our "kit" for our Out of the Box book club (formerly, Scrapbook club) we were given:
ICE Resin (Created by Susan Lenart Kazmer)
the book Explore, Create, Resinate: Mixed Media Techniques using ICE Resin by Jen Cushman
a bezel
a little cup
& a stir stick

I was thrilled!  I had been wanting to try resin but was a bit intimidated with having to measure exact amounts & stir everything exactly perfectly, not to mention my concerns about toxicity.  It was enough to put me off of trying it before now.  Anyway, the book is gorgeous!  So many creative people contributed so many lovely pieces to it.  It also has great ideas on how to use the ICE Resin.  I loved that the resin came in a containers where I could press the plunger & the correct amount of both the resin & the hardener would come out.

I added pool colored alcohol ink the first time.   I poured a partial amount, filling maybe half of the bezel after the stirring & waiting process (2 minutes of stirring, 5 minutes sitting, stirred in the alcohol ink, then waited another 5 minutes for the bubbles to dissipate under my lamp).  The day after, I added my butterfly (painted with acrylic paint) & filled it in with more resin, this time I left it clear.  I love that it domed!  I figured there would be a few bubbles but I can't see any.  It looks like glass.  The only things I didn't like were more of a user related issue in that I think it would have looked nicer if I had added Mod Podged paper to the bottom of the bezel in  a light color to bring out the other items a bit more & if the contact paper I used had actually sealed my word properly. I made a few other things alongside this & will be back (hopefully) with a few pictures.

I love that you can use the amount you need & save the rest for later!  Very user friendly.  I'm looking forward to picking up some more bezels & making more pendants with what I have left.

 

Coupon code

Here's that coupon code, as promised :) 

The details
The code - THANKSGIVING2010
20% off your purchase
At The Whimsical Muse on Etsy only
How to?  Select your items & enter the code at check out

Just a quickie

Unfortunately, I didn't add anything new to my shop since my camera stopped working at the beginning of last week.  My new camera has a bit more of a learning curve, so I'm working on it.  Hopefully I will get to some more sticker seals posted by the end of the week.

**Stay tuned this week for a special coupon code to The Whimsical Muse on Etsy for my blog visitors :)**

New at The Whimsical Muse! 1-inch round envelope seals

New in my shop today! 1-inch round glitter envelope seals!
Currently available in silver, gold, green, red, white & sky blue.
Next week I will be adding a few more colors :)

In use on some enclosure envelopes that measure about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

The envelope with the red seal reminds me of Rudolf! I could see this becoming  part of some fun envelope art for doodlers :)

Here are the small glitter heart seals also available in my shop layered on top of the 1-inch round seals.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thewhimsicalmuse

Outside the Box

Last night's Outside the Box was so much fun!  I stayed way to long & so ended up staying up way too late (yes, I'm tired today).  For now, I will leave you with this picture of the necklace I pieced together for my version of the make & take.  It's simple but I like it :) 

We are using the Fall 2010 edition of Somerset Memories for our book of the quarter (well, whatever it is now that we are using a book for 4 months of the year...a third sounds odd).  It's really lovely and even  includes our lovely leader, Elena Etcheverry, who initiated & was part of the Lucky 13: A Year to Remember Circle Journal.  This edition of Somerset Memories magazine/idea book is very inspiring. 

Chipboard bird collages

before

after

I made these for a "bird swap" last month with my Scrapbook Club (now called Outside the Box).  They were lots of fun to make.  I started out with plain chipboard birds (from StudioCee on Etsy).  I basically collaged them using what I learned in the Collage 101 workshop I took at CREATE.  I added "Smooch Spritz" for the color & pearly sparkle, applied paint to the edge, adhered random inked words, added Diamond Dust to the wings & added some bling for the eyes. You can check out Kat's blog post for a much better look at these birdies: http://katstinkerings.blogspot.com/2010/09/out-of-box-at-urban-barn.html

As usual, since time flies, we have another meeting tonight where we will chat, show off what we've made in the past month & more.  I'm looking forward to it, though I'm not sure what I will bring for "show & tell."  Maybe the blue cowl that I knitted last week or maybe (doubtful, though) I will bring something from CREATE that I've finished.

Double rainbow and amazing sky!

 last night

 the sky in front of my house last night

You can see more pictures on my Flickr photostream:   http://www.flickr.com/photos/randomcreativemoments/