I've been bitten by the resin bug this week. In particular, the marbling bug. When I'm marbling, I look for a mould with a large surface to show off the marbling at its best and I didn't have to look any further than my big chunky wedge ring with the lovely flat top - it was an obvious choice! But you can't just wear your ring straight after you've cast it. There's work to be done.... like trimming it to shape with a sharp knife. And then sanding it to a smooth finish.... always with water to catch the fine resin dust. A well trimmed ring won't need much sanding but there will still be resin powder in suspension so you have to keep rinsing off the white paste to prevent it from scratching the surface as you continue to sand. And you need to rinse off the sandpaper frequently too so the paper doesn't clog up. When it starts to look like this with the grit flaking off, it's time for a new piece of sandpaper. And the final step is the polishing. Marblin......

In my last post, I shared with you that I'm officially writing a book and consequently I have been super busy making the projects and playing with all sorts of different ideas and techniques to bring you the very best leather jewellery designs that I can. Not every project will make it into the book, not because it isn't good but maybe because it doesn't fit with the style of the other projects or maybe because it's a bit simple.  This one fits into that category but I wanted to share with you how easy it is to make.   This ring is a very small fit because of the bulk of the lace. For a larger ring, create your coil by wrapping 20 gauge wire around a tube which is approximately 6mm (1/4") larger than the size you want the finished ring to be. You will also need to increase the length of lace you are working with. Here's what you'll need for this project: Ring size memory wire (for a larger ring, see note above) Memory wire shears Realeather Sof-Suede Lac......

Today's post is short and sweet! Here's a little bit of candy (or should I say, resin candy) for your Halloween enjoyment. In Australia we call these "100s and 1000s" and one of our favourite ways of serving them is to sprinkle them on buttered white bread which we then call Fairy Bread. Cut it into triangles, serve at children's birthday parties and watch it disappear... yumm. What a lovely sweet treat! Happy Halloween to all my northern hemisphere friends! 'Til next time..... If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs...

Neon is all the rage at the moment. It visited us in the 70s, the 80s and the 90s and yet it's still so fresh... what a contradiction! The thing about neon is that it doesn't blend with other colours. It is what it is - eye popping colour that stands out a mile. The trick to wearing it successfully is to wear just a touch of it so that you don't glow like a neon glow stick. Add just a couple of neon accessories like a bangle and belt to a plain outfit and you'll hit a good balance and still be in fashion. I've had a bit of fun making neon resin bangles and rings over the last few days using some retro bangle and ring shapes - they suit the neon colours perfectly! But if you feel a little intimidated by the full on glow of these electric colours and still want to be in fashion, you can compromise and choose pastel neon like the ones I cast in my first session. They are still neon coloured, but just not as intense. Don't you love the square? It's thin so it......

I hope you enjoyed the bird's nest bracelets from yesterday's post. Here's the ring, earrings and necklaces I promised to share. An adjustable ring featuring a little bird perched in the nest with her eggs. These earrings feature fresh water pearls and copper disks. Love the warm coppery tones! One of my favourites: the gold eggs are such a great contrast with the silver wire. Two love birds tend their nest in this silver and green necklace. Well campers, just one more sleep to go. I'm sure you're all excited and looking forward to Stamp Camp as much as I am. I'll be back tomorrow with just one more little teaser of the project we'll be making. 'Til next time..... If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs...

On my recent visit to Michaels, I found some rather unusual looking ring settings in the jewellery section. These adjustable rings from Cousin Corp have what looks like a stirrup on the top but it's actually a bail with prongs; just the perfect size to hold a Trinkette bead. But it was actually some Crystazzi bling that caught my eye and a quick and easy project was born. This project is so quick that you will go from this...... ........ to this, in not much more than 10 minutes! This ring finding is really easy to use. Just place your selected bead inside the bail so the bead hole and prongs are aligned and then pinch the bail together. To bling up the ring base, glue on some coordinating Crystazzi flatback crystals. Make sure you use a suitable crystal adhesive to attach the individual crystals up the arms of the ring Use tweezers to help you place the crystals. I stopped at two columns of 4 crystals so that it would still be comfortable to wear on your finger. And there it is.........

Shy and retiring types, this post is not for you. I have new ring moulds and I got a chance to play with one of them on the weekend. Take a look at these fabulous retro rings. Great Turquoise Retro Wedge These knuckle dusters are perfect for extroverts and those wanting to make a statement. Wear one of these big, bold beauties and it will get noticed. The great Turquoise Retro Wedge is a swirling ocean of blues, greens and turquoise. The Superman angle! Another colour, another angle..... Charcoal Slate The marbling is very fine in this one and it looks like slate..... Lots of lovely swirly white marbling through this last one. It looks like it could have been carved from a chunk of marble rather than cast from liquid resin. White Marble This ring mould will be added to the selection of moulds available for use in the Resin Bangle and Ring workshop so lucky students can make one of their own. Or, if you prefer to have you own, the mould can be purchased at the workshop. 'Til next......

How  about a little bit of eye candy to start the day? Beautiful, iridescent and shimmery, these pieces catch the light as you move. The camera struggles to capture that quality but whenever I wear one of these swirly looking pieces, they draw an amazing number of compliments. Notice how the colour changes when you look at the ring (top left) from a different angle. It really does change like that! Tide Pool Ring Iridescent Rose Pendant These two pieces are now available for purchase from my online jewellery boutique . Or maybe you'd like to learn how to make your own. Then head on over to Mill Lane Studio where you can purchase the Twist and Roll tutorial. For some other great jewellery ideas using Fantasy Film, have a look at the other tutorials whilst you're there. 'Til next time..... If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs...