If there is one thing I probably don't need, it is yet another fun crafty material to use for making jewelry. Yeah, another hobby... But that's just what I recently acquired!
At the NAEA convention, Michael's offered a selection of FREE hands-on workshops. I attended one, where we learned about Cool2Cast, a really awesome and easy to use casting medium that dries quickly, with an almost porcelain-like look. We learned to mix and cast it into molds (they even gave us molds to keep!), and we all got to cast a whole bunch of pieces. We also had time to paint a selection of pre-cast pieces that were given to us, using alcohol inks and also some stamps and stencils.
I packed everything I made into my suitcase, figuring the little pieces would all be broken by the time I made it home cross the country. And even if it had all broken, it would have been OK, because the workshop was totally free, I had fun, and I learned to use something new. But amazingly, not a single piece broke! As a result, I have about a dozen painted pieces (in great sizes for pendants, earrings, and maybe even a barrette), and probably at least 50 unpainted pieces, to decorate and use however I like. I even have some really large leaf shapes that I won as a door prize, that could be used to decorate a frame or maybe the top of a box, or ... I don't know yet! There are so many possibilities!
Meanwhile, I put a coat of gloss on the painted pieces that I thought were done, and glued jewelry bails on the backs of them. Then, yesterday, while it was warm and sunny out, I took the first two of my painted pieces, and transformed them into necklaces. And I'm sharing them with you here. The one in the photo above has not yet been incorporated into a necklace, but it will. Soon.
Here's one complete necklace and earrings set -
And another, with a double strand -
And a closer view -
Really cool! Could it be a craft for kids? If yes what age group? How long does it take to do one piece (pendant)?
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't see why not; it was easy to use, and there was no mention of of toxicity concerns. It has lot of possibilities beyond jewelry, too. The timing is certainly manageable.
DeleteReally interesting. I like the layered look of the stamps over the alcohol inks. Are the cast pieces relatively lightweight?
ReplyDeleteVery light. I didn't show them to you?
DeleteFun! I wonder if you could make some buttons with this (random thoughts by Erica) it would be cool though
ReplyDeleteErica, i don't see why not! Great idea. You'd have to drill holes in them, which in haven't tried yet, or glue a buttonhole back on them somehow, but why not... The stuff is easy, so I'd guess there's tons of ideas I haven't thought of yet!
DeleteJust beautiful.
ReplyDelete