You could win a Resin Necklace Absolutely FREE!

How to Enter:
1) Share a link to my website on any social media outlet!

Here is the link to share:
www.artbyaelia.com

You will receive 1 (one) entry for each platform on which you share the link.
For example: sharing on Facebook would get you one entry; sharing on Facebook and Tumblr would get you two entries; sharing on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter would get you three entries; etc. 

If you share the link AND the contest image below, it will count as 2 (TWO) entries per website!

2) Once you’ve shared the link, send me an email ( to [email protected] ) that includes links to everywhere you shared. Please also specify for each website whether you included the image as well.

Contest Opens March 1, and Closes March 15, 2013 at Midnight (EST)

Full Contest Details Can Be Found Below

This is the Contest Image! Share it with the link, and each website you share on will be worth TWO entries!

Full Contest Details can be Found Below:

Term:
This contest begins March 1st, 2013, and ends March 15, 2013 at Midnight (EST).

Who May Enter:
Anyone is permitted to enter. If under 18, you must have parental permission.

What Websites Qualify for Entry?
Any social media website can be used to enter. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, DeviantArt (journals only please), Pinterest, Instagram, etc. You can also post a link on your personal website or blog. If you have questions about specific websites, please feel free to ask me. 

How to Enter:
Share the link, or the contest image and a link. 
Send an email to [email protected] that includes your real name and links to all of the places that you’ve shared.

Entry Deadline:
All entries must be received by Midnight (EST) on March 15, 2013.

How to Win:
All entries will be assigned a number. I will use a random number generator to pick a winning number. 

The winner’s name will be announced on my blog after the contest period has closed.
If the winner doesn’t respond within 3 days, a new number will be drawn and a new winner announced.

Prize:
The winner will receive 1 (one) resin piece of their choice (a maximum value of $30).
The winner can choose from the resin pieces already in stock, that will ship immediately, or can request a custom piece. Custom requests can include a maximum of two layers (a silhouette, and a background) and glitter if so desired.
I will ship the prize free of charge anywhere in the world.

Had so much fun with my first batch of resin jewelry, that I decided to start a new one right away! There are lots of things I still want to try, and actually got to a few of them this time ;)

Here's a photo of the second batch taken while I was working. This is after the first layer of resin was poured. I tried inserting some objects into this group, including some stones and fresh moss.

Another one of my favourite pieces so far... I took a few pebbles and some sand that I collected on vacation last summer and embedded them in the resin in two separate layers. The sand and stones are from Provincetown, Massachusetts (the very tip of Cape Cod). I went there for the first time to whale watch two years ago, and fell in love not just with the whales, but with the place itself! My family returned there later that summer, and again last year. 
I really like the way it turned out, and will absolutely be experimenting with embedding different things in resin in the future. 

Labyrinth inspired necklaces were pretty high on my to-do list! These are my first attempts. They include a silhouette of a character (Sarah as in below left, Sarah and Hoggle as in below right), which floats above a background inspired by the movie. Also played with glitter, and I REALLY liked the addition! I will absolutely be using glitter in the future, especially with Labyrinth items (seems especially fitting). 

I also tried this technique with some animal silhouettes. Although pairing sea creatures with space has been done before, I like the way it looks and decided to take a crack at it myself. Hence stingrays swimming in front of a nebula, and sharks in front of the moon. I LOVE the moon as a background, and will absolutely be using it again. The giraffes are in front of a sunset background that I painted. All include some glitter, which gives them a fantastic shine in the sunlight.

Right now I'm working on different methods for stringing them on necklaces, trying to find the best way. I'm also testing the strength and durability in a variety of situations so that I can be sure the jewelry will last as long as possible! Also working on some custom molds for casting... but you're going to have to wait until my next blog entry for more info! Until then... thanks for reading! :D

Welcome to my first blog entry! I've never run an actual blog before, so bear with me ;)

Casting resin jewelry is something that I've wanted to experiment with for some time... and I've finally begun! I have some really neat ideas for necklace designs and projects that I'd like to try in the near future, I think it's got a lot of potential! 
In this first batch, I was mostly working on mixing the resin correctly (which can be very tricky), trying different colouring methods, and seeing how I could incorporate different marine life. I tried sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, humpback whales, a sea lion, orcas and pacific white sided dolphins. 

One thing I did not fully anticipate about the process was the mess it was going to create! This is one MESSY medium! Mixing cups everywhere, all coated in semi-hardened resin... stir sticks (read: old popsicle sticks and toothpicks) jutting out all over the place... and having to wait for the whole thing to harden before cleaning it up! 
I've never been accused of being a neat-freak, but do have to admit that it bothered me a little bit XD

Here's a photo of my first set of pieces in the mold. Something to know about me... I HATE waiting. I'm used to polymer clay, a medium that is almost instantly ready once the sculpt is finished. I wasn't prepared for resin's 24-72 hour drying time, and kept gravitating to the mold to poke the pieces to see if they were dry enough to pry free. Casting in resin is going to be a learning process, hopefully I'll learn to be more patient while I'm at it. Hopefully. 

This shows a few of the colouring techniques that I've tried... not a big fan of the blue/white on the sea lion necklace, but pretty happy with the other three! I'm trying to learn to colour the resin while leaving it transparent, as well as colouring it to be opaque. 



The first on the left is opaque turquoise, the middle is partially transparent blue, and on the right is lightly tinted transparent blue. 

Sea turtles, orcas, and stingrays! These photos show two of the colour approaches I've tried so far... silhouettes and full colour. I really like the way the orcas came out, although I wish I'd have coloured the background resin differently. Oh well, learned lots! 

Check it out! Kind of difficult to see from the other photos, so here's a look at what I'm going for... they look fantastic against the light.