#Cre8time Halloween Decorations... Fabulous Faux Eygyptian Scarabs by Tanya Ruffin

I wanted to make dozens of scarabs for Halloween decorations, but I didn't realize how much resin would be involved until I started. So I have devised a way to make an original in resin and then make copies of it using plaster and sand.

Things you'll need for this project:

• Found object to use as body of scarab
• Air dry clay
• Amazing Mold Rubber
• Amazing Casting Resin
• Alumilite Black Dye
• Interference Green Alumidust
• Hot glue gun
• Playground sand (I used a 50 lb package – approx. $5.00)
• Plaster
• Large box for sand
• Small box to use for mold

Steps:

1.) First create your original.

I found a Transformers toy in the close-out section that came in a cool egg shape. I used the egg shape as the back of the scarab. I used air dry clay to sculpt the rest of the body. The legs are very delicate so it I had to make them thick enough so they wouldn't break when dry. The scarab is 7 inches long and 5 inches wide.

2.) Create a mold.

I then used a small cardboard box to be the base of my mold. I hot glued the scarab in the bottom of the box and mixed up the Amazing Mold Rubber and poured {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}. 

The mold came out great!

3.) Make a casting in resin.

Now to pour some Amazing Casting Resin {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}. I originally thought I would be making dozens of these in resin, but then realized how much resin I would end up needing. Sorry, but I have more crafty things to make with my resin! 

So I cast just one to use as as a decoration. I mixed Alumilite Black Dye with the Amazing Casting Resin and used some cool Alumidust on the shell... this Interference Green is awesome!!!

So you may be asking – why not just pour the plaster in the rubber mold? Well, to get plaster out of the mold you pull back the mold and you get this... 

Unfortunately the plaster is too fragile and the legs broke off as I removed it from the mold. 

4.) Make many from one.

So I came up with another way. I will use sand to serve as a mold and pour the plaster into that. To get the plaster out of the sand you just brush away the sand. So I ran down to the building supply store and bought a 50lb bag of playground sand for a whooping $5.00. 

**TIP** also buy your plaster at the building supply store {not at the craft store} it is way cheaper.

I had an old box that a dozen glasses came in so I put a garbage bag inside and dumped in the sand. Then add some water so that the sand will stick to itself and pat it down to make a flat surface.

Press your object {I used the piece cast from Amazing Casting Resin} into the sand and gently pull it out. If the side walls collapse, then you need to add some more water to the sand. Repeat to make as many that will fit in sand box leaving ample space between each.

Then mix up your plaster and pour into each void. Wait for plaster to harden.

And then... Tada!!!

The legs were rather fragile being cast in plaster, so I poured it thicker and that is why there are more places that need clean up. These will embellish a wall in an Egyptian haunted house, so I am not too concerned about them being perfect.

The thing I love is the sand that is embedded in the hardened plaster. It looks like an ancient relic of sorts.

What handmade decorations

will you create for Halloween?

Now go and Craft Your Own Way! ~ Tanya

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

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#Cre8time Resin Play... Quick and Easy Melted Snowman Gift Tags by Tanya Ruffin

Spruce up your gift wrapping with an adorable melted snowman gift tag!

I wanted to make some cute, kid friendly, name tags for my Christmas gifts and thought a melted snowman would be quick and flat enough that I would be able to write the "to" and "from" on... and be oh-so-adorable. In south Louisiana, the only snowmen we have are melted ones anyway! 

In my stash I have a small bag of mini top hats. No idea why I bought them, clearance I assume. I have had them for several years and darn it – it is time to use them!!

Supplies:

• Amazing Casting Resin
• Alumidust - Pearl
• Silicone Mat 
• Small black and orange beads 
• Small top hat 

  

Mix up some Amazing Casting Resin (follow directions based on how many snowmen you want to make). I made two the first time so I mixed 15 ML of each part ( using the measuring cup in the box) and scooped up some pearl Alumidust on the end of a craft stick and mixed them all together.

On a silicone mat, pour out 3 puddles of resin for each snowman – each one getting larger than the last. On the smallest one, set the top hat and the beads into the resin. Let cure {this is at about 20 minutes}.

Some of mine ran together, so I picked up the resin before it completely cured and simply cut them apart with scissors. You can reshape your pieces at this point. 

  

I used Allene's Tacky Glue to secure all the pieces together.

Tada!

If you made these tiny enough you could make them into pins or even earrings!

How do you embellish your gifts?

You can Craft Your Own Way!

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

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#Cre8time Pocket Art... Upcycled Dollar Store Mirror by Tanya Ruffin

Resin Embellished Compact

I started off with a Dollar Tree compact... and it actually came with a large hand mirror, so it was cheaper than a dollar!

This is a fairly quick and cheap way to jazz up a compact. I plan on doing a similar effect with the large mirror and this was my successful test!

Open the mirror up and lay it flat (mirror side down) on a non stick surface. Pour some Amazing Clear Cast Resin on the surface making sure that it doesn't drip off the edge. CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation.

Gather your powders. I chose several colors of Alumidust.

Sprinkle several colors of Alumidust. I placed a small amount on the end of a craft stick and tapped the stick till the powder lightly fell onto the surface.

Using a stick ( I had a chop stick), I swirled

the powders to make a faux marbled look. 

Let cure. Keep checking to make sure the resin doesn't drip

into the hinge. If it does, you can clean up with a craft knife.

  

My mold is made from the face of an egret cameo pressed into a ball of Amazing Mold Putty. I dusted the inside of the design with more Alumidust. I tinted my Amazing Casting Resin (is opaque white, not clear) with yellow dye and poured. Love how the relief POPs!

I embellished with some stringed beads using E6000. I dripped a little Amazing Clear Cast Resin to further secure the beads and to finish the look. This will keep the beads from getting knocked off inside a purse!

TADA! This dollar store find jazzed up looks so amazing!

How would you customize your

pocket mirror into ART?

Go Craft Your Own Way!

~ Tanya

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

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Today we are hopping along with the artists of the Designer Crafts Connection who has taken on the challenge of creating with Amazing Casting Products.

For this challenge, Amazing Casting Products provided each of the Designer Craft Connection designers with Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast Resin. You want to pop over to the beginning of the bloghop HERE where you can enter to win what you see in the photo above... an Amazing Clear Cast Resin and a 3lb. kit of Amazing Mold Putty {which is 1 1/2 lbs of each part of this magical goodness}. An artist's dream PRIZE!!!

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How Cheer Up a Sick Plant... by Tanya Ruffin

I found some fun "prize" jewelry cleaning out my mom's house. In my childhood jewelry book alongside my "The Fonz" necklace, I came across some sweet necklaces. By sweet I mean tasty treats – an ice cream cone, fudgesicle, a macaroon and even a sandwich charm. Not sure what 10 year old would wear these, but I bet I won them at the state fair.

I have some great ideas for what to make out of these – but first I need to mold them with Amazing Mold Putty. With my new sweet molds ready... I brushed in some Alumidust powders before I making the first cast. I had to use the pink!! I then filled the mold with Amazing Casting Resin.

They came out adorable!

Now what to make with them?

I decided my first craft would be to create some fun plant jewelry. I used some dollar store (or takee outee) chopsticks and some 24 gauge wire. The thinner the wire, the better. Cording, string or embroidery floss would work well too. I wrapped the wire through the resin charm (my popsicle cast too), and then wrapped wire around the top of the chopstick. Since chopsticks taper you will never have to worry about your charm sliding down.

My plant jewelry is sure to cheer up this sick plant. :)

How would you adorn your plants?

Go Craft Your Own Way!

~ Tanya

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

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#Cre8time Furbaby Keepsakes... Making a Paw Print Rubber Stamp – Part 2 by Tanya Ruffin

Part 2: The Stamp

To read Part 1 – click here.

Now that you have your second mold you are going use the UMR mold release and spray several coats inside your silicone mold.

After they mold release dries, mix a small amount of Amazing Mold Rubber (follow the directions on the box for mixing small amounts). Pour into mold and allow to cure. 

Don't try to de-mold too soon. Let it cure overnight. 

The gently pull the rubber out of the mold. You may have some areas where the silicone mold sticks to the rubber. But if you used the mold release it shouldn't be too bad. 

THIS IS WHY WE DIDN'T USE OUR ORIGINAL MOLD!!!!

If you don't use a mold release or not enough mold release, the Amazing Mold Rubber will fuse to the Amazing Mold Putty making a solid rubber block.

Tape your rubber paw to an acrylic block.

Ink up with a permanent ink.

Make your print.

It may take a few tries to get a good print.

I scanned my print into the computer to make some background paper.

I also printed a laser print of my beloved Lily and mod podged it to a vase. 

I used the paw print paper to fill in some of the empty space

 and embellished with the black glittered resin paw. 

What rubber stamps can you make

with Amazing Mold Rubber?

Go Craft Your Own Way!

~ Tanya

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

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#Cre8time Furbaby Keepsakes... Making a Paw Print Rubber Stamp – Part 1 by Tanya Ruffin

In this project I want to make a rubber stamp of my dog's paw print. Yes, I could just ink up my dog's paw and make a paw print and scan it into the computer, but I wanted a little something different.

My Lily had become sick with kidney disease and I knew she wasn't going to be around much longer, sadly. So I made a mold of her paw before I had to go out of town. I am so glad I did because she died while I was in route home... she was only 7. I am brokenhearted, but that is another blog series.

I recommend any pet lover to make a paw mold while your pet is still happy and healthy. It will save you are a lot of heartache later.

Lily modeling for one of my earlier projects! 

This may seem like a lot of steps to get to the end results but you end up with multiple use pieces along the way. So I have made this in a two part series.

Part 1 – The molds

I first made a mold of her paw with Amazing Mold Putty {please CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}. I recommend that you write the date, "original" and pet's name on the back of the mold.

Mold #1 – the Original 

Then make a cast using resin. You will use the cast to make the rubber stamp. Make sure it comes out good, the next steps involve this first generation cast.

For the first cast I made – I used Amazing Casting Resin with black dye, and I put fine black glitter in the mold. Since my pup had black paws I thought this was adorable! I always tend to jump the gun and should have waited to make this cast until after I made my cast for the rubber stamp. It really doesn't matter except that my rubber stamp cast now has some black glitter in it.

Then I made the cast for the rubber stamp mold.

This is why you see some remnants of glitter in the cast piece. 

With this cast you will made a second mold with Amazing Mold Putty. 

With the resin casting made from first mold we are making a second mold – because the following steps are a bit tricky and you could ruin your mold. This way you always have your "original" saved somewhere that you can use to make another cast. 

Mold #2 

This is the mold we will use now. On to Part 2!

I'll be back later today with

another post and part 2.

Go Craft Your Own Way!

~ Tanya

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

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