Resin Earrings

I’m really pleased with how these earrings turned out. I used to make a version of them a few years ago with clear embossing powder, but I found that even more time consuming and messy than working with the resin. Other than the investment in a big box of the resin stuff, this is a really cheap project, another great way to use up paper scraps, and a way of taking those papers and fabrics we love so much and draping ourselves with them.

Start by cutting a pair of earring shapes out of chipboard or really thin cardboard. I just love this stuff, I can’t stop working with it. And again, if you’re looking for it, go somewhere that sells scrapbook paper and ask to raid their shelves. Chipboard is shipping material in the paper world, so it’s usually treated like garbage.

Cut a couple of pieces of paper the same shape as your chipboard for each earring. You’ll need four total for each pair, one for each front and back.

Glue the paper to the chipboard with an acrylic sealer. Here’s the one I use.

Of course, if your design requires something printed off your home computer, and, like me, you don’t happen to have a laser printer, you’re going to have to take one extra precautionary step. An inkjet printer doesn’t print water tight, so if you start spreading a sealer or glue around your ink is going to run. So I use a spray sealer first to seal the printing, and then I proceed as normal. Here’s the spray sealer I happened to have around.

Before you start throwing the resin down, you’ll want to cover up those unsightly cardboard edges, so I gave them a quick brush with some acrylic paint. If you do this step after you’ve sealed the paper nice and tight, then you can just wipe off any stray paint.

Apply your resin, one side at a time, and let cure.

A few days later you’re ready to add the hardware.

The cardboard splits easily, so don’t try to drill through the whole thing. Use a small drill bit to get your hole started and to create a nice finished look on the front, and then stop once you hit cardboard. Use a thick needle to finish off the hole. Attach a jump ring and earring hook and you’re all done.

I’ll have a whole mess of these waiting in the shop at the end of the month too.