Impish DIY

Resin Necklaces for Sale

2012-01-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share two new resin necklaces I have up for sale in my shop. I think they'd both make really sweet Valentine's Day gifts, don't you?

First is the "Romantic Rose and Pearls Resin Necklace." Check it out here.

Then there's the "Roses and Silver Resin Necklace," which is available for purchase here.

I'm the process of making and listing more resin jewelry, too. I'll be sure to make a post when I stock more items.

Thanks for looking!

How To Make Resin Charms

2012-01-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you'll know I've been obsessed with resin lately. I've had some requests for a resin tutorial and I finally got around to making one showing you how I made these:

What you'll need:

Stickers or printed images coated with Mod Podge

Glitter, sprinkles, fabric, fabric dye, chalk pastels, pigments, etc for the background

Resin (I use EasyCast, which is available at most craft stores/online)

Plastic cups

Plastic spoons

Popsicle sticks/toothpicks

Molds (For baking, candy, clay, resin, etc. The more flexible, the better)

Sculpey Glaze

File/Sandpaper
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Set up your work space. You'll want to work on a flat surface. You may want to put down paper or newspaper to protect the space from spilled resin.

Read the directions on your box of resin. Mine said to use equal parts resin and hardener. For this tutorial, I poured about two spoonfuls each of resin and hardener into a plastic cup and slowly stirred the mixture with a popsicle stick.

Stir until the mixture is all one color with no swirls in it. Be sure to stir slowly, otherwise you'll get a ton of bubbles in the resin.

Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes so it can lose some of the bubbles. Don't worry if there are still some left, you can pop them with a toothpick or a blow dryer after you pour the mixture into your resin.

Pour a thin layer of resin into your mold. You'll want just enough to cover the bottom of the mold.

I'm just using a heart-shaped baking mold from Michaels, but you can also find these at Wal Mart.

Pop any bubbles and let the resin sit in the mold for about an hour and a half. After that, the resin should be tacky and form little peaks when touched. The peaks should smooth out fairly quickly.

When your resin is tacky enough, you can add your sticker/image. If your image is printed on thin paper, or your sticker is very thin, you'll need to coat it with Mod Podge before putting it in the resin. If you don't, the resin will eat through the image.

Push the image to the bottom of the mold with a popsicle stick or toothpick. Be careful not to puncture the image. Let the resin cover the image's back. Pop any bubbles that appear.

Let the resin sit for about 30 minutes, then add glitter, sprinkles, pigments, and other backgrounds to the resin.

After the resin has dried, some people like to add another layer of resin over the glitter to seal it in. If you don't want to do that, you can simply seal it with a clear glaze like Sculpey Glaze once it's dried.

Let your resin dry for at least 24 hours. If the resin is still sticky and soft, it will need to dry longer.

Once it's dry, pop the resin out of the mold and sand down the edges. Then apply a clear coat of glaze to the piece and let it dry.

After that, you can glue an eye pin or flat-back bail to the piece's back to make it a charm. If you have a dremel tool, you can drill a hole in the piece and insert a screw eye pin.

You're done! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I'll be selling resin pieces in my shop soon, so keep an eye out.

Resin Reveal

2012-01-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

My resin charms are cured and glazed, though I still need to attach eyepins.

I'm pretty happy with how my first attempt at resin turned out, but I'm a little bummed that the white charm has a popped air bubble right in the front. I guess I won't be putting that one up in the shop. I'll either keep it for myself or use it as a giveaway prize. Let me know what you guys think I should do!

Tackling My Handmade Resolutions

2012-01-13T15:40:00.000-05:00

If you read my last post on handmade New Year's resolutions, you'll know one of them was to make resin jewelry.

Well, the weather outside is (finally) frightful where I live, so I decided to break out the resin, sprinkles, glitter and stickers and make some Valentine's Day resin charms today. They should be ready tomorrow around this time, but I may let them sit a bit longer. Either way, I'll post photos when they're ready.

Here's hoping they turn out OK!

My Handmade New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Happy new year, everyone! I hope 2012 is treating you all well so far.

I know a lot of you have made up a list of resolutions for the new year, and today I'm going to share my list of handmade resolutions for 2012:

Make jewelry out of resin
Make at least one plushie I'm proud enough of to sell at Impish Designs
Learn how to knit
Make purses/bags to sell at Impish Designs
Bind my own journals
Write a completed short story (So, it's not a craft like most on here, but it's handmade!)

Do you have any resolutions (handmade or otherwise) for 2012? If so, I'd love to hear them!

SoCraftastic's Winter // Christmas Chocolates Tutorial

2011-12-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

Check out these easy candy recipes from SoCraftastic. Those peanut butter cups look yummy, but I think I'd fill mine with Nutella!

How To Make A Winter-Themed Candle Holder

2011-12-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

For Christmas this year, I decided to make my mom a hand-painted candle holder for her flameless candles. Hand-painted candle holders make great, thoughtful last-minute Christmas gifts, and they're easy to make!

What you'll need:

Glass vase/candle holder (I got mine from the Dollar Store)

Acrylic paint (white, blue, green, black, brown, etc)

Paint brush

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First, clean your candle holder and set it up on a protected work space. I set mine up on a pan so I could easily carry it to a hiding place so Mom wouldn't see it.

Paint a line of white paint all the way around the holder to separate the snow from the sky. It doesn't have to be straight as snow doesn't always fall evenly.

Fill in the bottom portion of your holder with snow by dabbing your paintbrush onto the glass.

Take some light blue paint (I mixed my light blue with white to make it even lighter) and dab around the top of your snow line. Dab some blue paint into the rest of the snow to give it some dimension.

Paint some pine trees and houses on top of the snow line. To make the pine trees, just dab your brush against the glass in a triangle shape, then draw a small line for the trunk.

Paint little white spots on the rest of the candle holder to create falling snow.

Put your candle inside the holder and let it shine!

I hope you enjoyed this last-minute Christmas gift and winter decor idea! You can paint different scenes for each season, too. Be creative and don't worry if it isn't perfect-- neither is nature.

How To Make A Clay Gingerbread Man Christmas Ornament

2011-12-14T15:49:00.000-05:00

Today's tutorial shows how to make a gingerbread man ornament out of polymer clay. It's really easy, so I'm just going to show you my process.

What you'll need:

Gingerbread man cookie cutter

Light brown polymer clay

Clay knife

Tooth pick or pointed clay tool

Baking sheet

Red, white and green puffy paint

String

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Work your clay until it's soft and easy to shape. Flatten it until it's wide enough for your cookie cutter to fit on.

Press the cookie cutter into the clay and use a knife to cut away the excess clay.

Poke a hole into the top of the clay so you can hang it on a string.

Bake the clay according to the package's instructions.

Decorate your gingerbread man with puffy paint. Be careful, though-- the paint comes out of the bottle thick!

Let the paint dry completely, then tie a string through the hole and hang your new ornament on the tree.

How To Make A Studded Clay Pendant

2011-12-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

I'm going to show you how to make a simple studded pendant out of polymer clay. You can make these in any shape, color and size you want, but I made one that looks like this:

What you'll need:

Polymer clay in the color(s) of your choice

Studs

Toothpick or pointed clay tool

Baking sheet

Oven

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First, decide what color or colors you want to make your necklace. I choose to mix black and purple to create a swirled pendant.

Work your clay until it's soft, then form it into the shape you want your pendant to be. I made mine an oval about .5 inches thick.

Once your pendant is your desired size and shape, press your studs into the clay. I took my studs from an old belt, but you can also find them at a craft store or online.

Make a hole in the top of the pendant with a toothpick or pointed clay tool so you can put it on a string or chain.

Bake the pendant according to the directions on your clay and glaze if desired.

You're done!

Impish Freebie: Winter Blog Header

2011-12-10T16:27:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! It's winter in my neck of the woods and things are getting cold. In celebration of the upcoming holiday season, I've created a new (and free) blog header for you to use.

You can download it here.

Happy holidays!

Holiday Tip: How To Make A Beaded Ornament

2011-12-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I have a quick little tutorial for you today. I'm going to show you how to make an easy and cheap Christmas ornament using items from a dollar store.

The ornament I'm showing you was actually a gift from one of my friends, but I thought it was such a good idea, I just had to share!

What you'll need:

Clear ornament (can usually be found in packs at a dollar store)

Puff paint/glitter glue

Beads, beaded necklaces, sequins

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Decide what you want to write on your ornament. It can be a friend or family member's name, the current year, or a seasonal greeting like "Merry Christmas!" You can also paint on designs like snowflakes or snowmen. Once you've decided on a phrase or design, write it on the ornament with your puff paint or glitter glue. Let it dry completely before going on to the next steps.

Once the paint is dry, take the top off of your ornament and set it aside.

Grab your beads and/or sequins and pour them into the top of the ornament until it's filled. If you're using necklaces, you can keep them intact and just feed them into the opening of the ornament. Mix different colors, or make monochromatic ornaments-- it's all up to you!

When you're done, put the top back on and hang your new ornament on your tree or wrap it up as a custom gift.

Enjoy!

DIY Vintage Fabric Earrings Tutorial

2011-11-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share this awesome tutorial by mysisterstreasures on YouTube. These button earrings are so cute.

Etsy Envy Halloween: Black Cat Plushies, WereSomethings and Candy Corn Mice

2011-10-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello! On the last installment of this year's Etsy Envy Halloween, I decided to show you three plushies that are perfect for Monday's spooky holiday.

Up first is this adorably quirky victorian-style "Black Cat Plush Animal Art Doll" by Tooth, Nail, & Tail.

This plushie is so detailed. His outfit is impeccable and his face has so much character. This would make the perfect edition to any handmade plushie collection.

Up next is this "Big Ol' WereSomething" plush monster by Mint Conspiracy.

This little guy looks so soft and cuddly. I just love his eyes and little teeth. So. Very. Adorable.

Last but not least is this unique "Candy Corn Mouse Plushie" by Morumoto.

This orange, white and yellow mouse is all dressed up for Halloween. Isn't he so realistic looking? It's hard to believe he's made of faux fur and felt.

Well, that's it! I hope you all enjoyed this year's Etsy Envy Halloween series. Have a safe and spooky Halloween, everyone!

Last-Minute Halloween Costume Round Up

2011-10-24T15:43:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! Halloween is a week away and I am so excited. I'm not even sure how I'll be celebrating this year, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm content with watching horror movies all day/night long. But for those of you who need a last-minute costume for going to a party or out trick or treating this year, I've found a few ideas to help you out.

First, check out my semi-DIY last minute Halloween costumes post from last year. I show you how to make several costumes using both DIY and store-bought elements, as well as things you probably have in your closet already. You can check it out here.

If you have kids who need some easy and adorable last-minute costumes, you should check out this slideshow from Real Simple.

Huffington Post has some simple, cheap and humorous last-minute costume ideas here.

And Disney's Family Fun has their own Halloween round-up post for kids costumes here.

I hope these helped! Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Etsy Envy Halloween: Carved Gourds, Black Cat Twins and Spooky Owl Prints

2011-10-22T15:39:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Halloween is drawing near, but it's not too late to snag some thoroughly spooky handmade treats. In fact, I have three creepy items to show you in today's Etsy Envy Halloween post.

Let's get started.

The first Halloween item I found is this "Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Gourd" by Pinch Me Boutique.

The seller grows the gourds, then carves them into jack-o-lanterns. The gourds are then stained orange and sealed so they'll last year after year. I just love the shape of this particular gourd. You could set it up with some round pumpkins to add some visual interest to your Halloween decor.

My next find is this unique "Black Cat Twins - Conjoined Twins Art Doll Figurine" by Bonjour Poupette.

As soon as I saw this little statue, I couldn't get it out of my head. It's creepy AND adorable at the same time. It's certainly an interesting conversation piece that no one else on the block will have!

Last, but certainly not least, is this stunning "Owl Photo Print 'Mysterious Woods'" by S.S.C. Photography & Prints.

I love photographs of silhouettes-- they're so mysterious looking. This photo is perfect to hang up year round, but it's spooky enough to be the center piece of your Halloween decor.

That's it for this week. Make sure to stop by next weekend for the last installment of Esty Envy Halloween!

Impish Freebie: Halloween Black Cat Sidebar Image

2011-10-18T14:19:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I have another Halloween-themed blog freebie for you today.

You're welcome to grab this free black cat sidebar image to decorate your blog for Halloween.

You can download this Halloween cat here.

Happy Halloween!

Impish Freebie: Halloween Blog Header

2011-10-16T17:36:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I have another Impish freebie for you. It's a free Halloween blog header.

If you'd like to use it, you can download the full-size version here. And be sure to comment with a link to your blog if you use it--I'd love to see!

Etsy Envy Halloween: Mummy Dresses, Bat Scarves and Toe-Pincher Coffin Cases

2011-10-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! It's time for another installment of Etsy Envy Halloween, where I showcase spooky handmade items.

Up first is this "Living Dead Girl Dress" by xannabotx.

What I love most about this dress (besides the fact that it gets a certain Rob Zombie song I adore stuck in my head) is how versatile it is. You could definitely wear this dress as part of a mummy or zombie Halloween costume, but you can also wear it all year round. Pair it with some leggings and a cardigan in the fall or winter or wear it as is in the warmer months. This particular dress is a size small/medium. Be sure to see the listing for measurements.

Up next is this absolutely fabulous "Bat Scarf" by Haute Indiscretion.

I mean, how awesome does that scarf look? Of course, it's a great look for Halloween, but I would definitely wear this scarf all fall/winter long. I also love the mix of materials used in this scarf. It's made of alpaca blend yarn, aluminum chain and acrylic felt.

Today's last spooky find is this "5 1/2" Wood Toe-pincher Coffin" by Colorful Coffin.

This handmade coffin case is perfect for storing jewelry, Halloween candy and just about anything else you can think of. It has a magnetic hinge, so it's easy to open and close and is water-resistant sealed, though it shouldn't be submerged in water. This is a perfect Halloween or goth decor piece.

Well, I hope you liked this weekend's finds! Until next time, keep the DIY strong. And remember, if you'd like to submit some awesome handmade items to upcoming Etsy Envy posts, email me at impish@impishdiy.com.

How To Make A Dry-Erase Board

2011-10-13T16:49:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, in today's tutorial, I'll show you how to make a simple, personalized dry-erase board from a picture frame.

What you'll need:

Picture frame with glass sheet

Bows and embellishments

Strong epoxy (I used E6000)

Decorative paper or fabric

Scissors
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Decide which embellishments you want to put on the frame and glue them to the frame with epoxy. For my board, I tied a striped ribbon and a piece of twine into bows and glued them to the frame's two top corners.

Take off the frame's back and place your decorative paper or fabric between the glass and the frame's back. Replace the back and trim the paper's/fabric's edges with scissors.

You're done! Write on the glass with a dry-erase marker and erase with a cloth, tissue or white-board eraser. The best part about this board? You can change the paper or fabric any time you want.

Enjoy!

Huge Halloween Giveaway

2011-10-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that you have a chance to win my "Vampire Teeth Necklace" and "Blinged Up Bat Necklace", as well as a TON of other awesome handmade Halloween-themed items in WhatTheCraft.com's Halloween Extravaganza giveaway!

There will be one grand-prize winner and two runners up, so make sure you enter for your chance to win some seriously awesome things.

Etsy Envy Halloween: Halloween Towels, Sally Costumes and Monster Bags

2011-10-09T18:37:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Are you getting excited for Halloween? I know I am. I just love seeing houses decked out with Halloween decorations and jack-o-lanterns--it's the best time of year!

As you know, this month's Etsy Envy posts are all about my favorite holiday--Halloween-- and today, I've got some great spooky items to show you.

Up first is this adorable "Witch & Vampire Yellow Halloween Dish Towel" set by Fabulously Fierce.

The embroidery on the set is made to look like a child's drawing. How freakin cute is that? These would make great Halloween decor for your kitchen or bathroom without going overboard. Heck, I'd probably use them long after Halloween, but that's just me.

For those of you in need of a Halloween costume (like me), never fear! This "Nightmare Before Christmas Sally ragdoll custom dress" by Smarmy Clothes looks just like the one Sally wears in the movie.

Throw on this comfy cotton dress, draw some Sally-like stitches on your face and neck and BOOM! Your simple, yet insanely cool costume is complete. And as if this dress wasn't awesome enough, the seller will make customizations to the dress for an additional cost--make it shorter, longer, lower-cut, whatever!

Today's last find can be used all year round, but is definitely spooky enough for any Halloween fan. This "Movie Monster Messenger Bag" by Stitches & Stones is made from fabric featuring the scariest of classic movie monsters.

This brightly colored bag big enough to fit all of your Halloween essentials, like candy, candy, shaving cream, eggs, fake blood, candy, candy and more candy. How sweet!

That's all for today. I hope you liked these finds as much as I did. Until next time, keep the DIY strong!

Halloween Items For Sale

2011-10-04T22:38:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! I just wanted to show you the new Halloween necklaces and charms I have for sale in Impish Designs.

Items shown:

If you purchase anything, make sure to use the code IMPISHDIY to get 10% off your order. Thanks for looking!

Etsy Envy Halloween: Franken Dolls, Spooky Glasses and Creepy Ornaments

2011-10-02T05:30:00.002-04:00

It's the weekend! That means it's time for another Halloween Etsy Envy post.

The first item is this "Frankenstein Doll Franken Boo" by Spooky Boutique.

This doll would make the perfect gift for any little girl who's into Halloween... or, y'know, me... if you're looking for gift ideas. *wink wink*

Moving on! Next up are these gorgeous "Spooky White and Black Halloween Trees--Set of 2 Hand Painted Wine Glasses" by Mary Elizabeth Arts.

Of course, these would be great for a Halloween party, but I know I'd end up using them all year round.

Last up is another gorgeous hand painted item. Isn't this "Original Spooky Halloween on the Farm Painting Ornament" by Bucks County Designs just jaw-dropping?

I love the color of the sky--it's the exact color of autumn. And I can't believe it's hand painted! If I tried to paint a curved object, it'd turn out to be a mess.

Well, I hope you liked this week's post. Have a great day and keep the DIY strong!

Impish Freebies: Two New Autumn Blog Headers

2011-09-26T05:00:00.025-04:00

Hey everyone! I stayed up late last night and made these two free autumn blog headers for you to use. Well, actually they're two variations of the same design, but still!

Here's one with a frame. You can open it in your photo editing software and add your own photo in a layer underneath the header.

You can download it here.

This next one is the same header without the frame.

You download this one here.

Feel free to use these on your blog or website. If you use them, I'd love to see--comment a link to your blog or site below!

If you want to see my other free blog headers and graphics, click here, or click the "Impish Freebies" button on the sidebar.

Have a great day!

Impish Freebies!

2011-09-24T23:49:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, I have some exciting news for you! I'm going to be adding a new section to the site called "Impish Freebies." In that section of the site, you'll be able to find free graphics I've made that you can use on your site. These freebies will be headers, post dividers, sidebar images and more. I'm really excited to introduce this as I love making graphics. I hope you'll like them too. I'll put a link to these freebies in the sidebar for now and a link at the top of the page soon.

Now, for my first freebie-- a vintage blackbird header!

I love how it came out and I hope you do, too. If you'd like to use it for your blog, please click here to download it.

I'm itching to make some Halloween headers soon, so keep an eye out. Until then, keep the DIY strong.