Japanese paper necklaces
Autumn is over and I’ve had to move on from my beloved leaf jewellery. Looking around for inspiration I gravitated towards the washi that I collect for origami and for the backdrops of my photos. The actual paper textures were so beautiful that I wanted to showcase them in a piece of simple, fun, festive jewellery.
I really love the 3D layered effect that I get with my compositions, so I pour my resin in stages. First I use contact paper to seal the back of my ring – making it into a bezel. I put my head pin in first – to create a hanging loop and also to seal the hole so resin doesn’t leak out of it. Then I do my first stage pour.
First I pour a thin layer into the bottom of the bezel. I use a popsicle stick to push it to the edges of the bezel and form an even seal.
After I’ve put my first layer down I start creating my composition. The first piece of paper that I put down faces out to the back – this is the backing that will be visible when I peel off the contact paper later. If the contact paper leaves any residue behind I use ‘goo gone’ to clean it off – it doesn’t affect the resin, but you’ve got to make sure it’s completely cured before trying this.
Alternating pours of resin and layers of paper allows me to get that 3d look. When I’m done I pour a final layer and put a cover over it to cure. If I don’t cover it then even a tiny dust mote landing on the surface can ruin a piece!
And Voila!
I hope folks enjoy these cute little stocking stuffers :)