Be warned: Once you learn how to make things with resin, you WILL become addicted to it.
Resin, aka epoxy, is a durable plastic (not a single-use plastic, no worries) that starts out as a liquid and cures into… basically whatever shape you can pour it into, as long as you have a silicone mold! Yup, that also means ice molds.
Let’s check out some of the coolest, easiest resin DIYs for you to try out.
Let’s start off easy and let Diply teach you the basics!
This is the first resin tutorial I ever followed, so trust me when I say it’s simple! Mix parts A and B of your chosen resin until it’s clear, pour it into a silicone mold, and add your embellishments!
Boom, instant coasters.
Remember to follow these safety instructions before you start!
Now, you can make your own!
So, you have the ropes. Next up: going solo!
You can pick up a coaster mold for $10 on Amazon and make 3 at a time. Mixing in acrylic paint and some glitter will net you a gorgeous coaster in no time!
Magnets are also super easy.
Michael’s has no shortage of alphabet molds in the baking section, so finding your preferred font won’t be too hard.
That’s also an important resin tip: always check the baking section.
You’re ready to make jewelry now!
So, you’ve got the basics down. Now you can venture into different territories, like earrings!
Using a fun shaped mold and some earring hardware, you can make anything into jewelry.
Or you can make something even bigger.
Did you know you can preserve dried flowers in resin? This gorgeous bangle was made with tiny flowers and some clear resin. There’s legit no limit to what you can make!
Experiment with alcohol ink!
Now for some of the fun stuff: alcohol ink.
Alcohol ink exactly how it sounds: ink that has an alcohol base. You can drop it in resin and layer in a white mixative, which will weigh down the ink and create all sorts of cool patterns!
Case in point: this resin clock.
See how the colors have swirled and spread? That watercolor effect was created after the resin and ink were allowed to combine and cure for over 24 hours.
You can add some clock parts to this piece (they start at $10 on Amazon ) and have a custom made clock for your home!
Hang out with Mickey!
Ice molds are great for novelty ice, but you’ll have way more fun with them if you use them for resin! These Mickey necklaces were done in an ice mold from the Japanese store Daiso, but you can pick up similar ones… basically anywhere, let’s be real.
Embrace your dark side.
This amazing coffin is way more than just cool decor: it’s functional art! Most coffin molds come with a lid mold that you can make, this creating a gothic box for you to keep your knick-knacks in.
Preserve what’s important to you.
Did you know you can make furniture with resin? Diply Crafty collected some beer bottle lids and glued them down to a tray. They flooded it with resin and let it cure, and voilà! A new table that you literally made.
Finish off a painting.
A popular way to finish artwork is to flood the canvas with a layer of resin. It perfectly preserves the art, and it also allows you to add layers to your canvas. Many people will add glitter or gold flakes to their topcoats!
Let’s get a little more advanced and make our own molds now.
Look how cool these faux agate coasters are! Diply Crafty actually made their own mold for them using hot glue, and it totally worked!
Remember, the key to agate anything is in the swirls and the gold edging.
Make a notebook cover for yourself!
Yup, resin truly can be anything. This notebook cover was done with clear resin, white resin, white alcohol ink, and gold flakes. The optional gold hardware truly took it right over the top.
Use resin to paint!
One of the coolest uses of resin is as a painting medium. It’s popular for artists who like to create geode and agate art since those shapes look best when they’re a little irregular. And look at that pink! I’m in love.
Make coasters with dried flowers.
Welcome spring with a set of wooden coasters that contain real dried flowers. What can I say? Resin is the go-to when it comes to DIY coasters. Check out the full tutorial at The Crafted Life
There are literally no limits when it comes to resin jewelry.
Lil Blue Boo shows us that you can basically make a pendant out of anything with the help of resin. Glitter? Great! Sprinkles? Even better.
