Lisa Frank 3DS Case

I've seen a few things like cases and other items decorated completely with Lisa Frank stickers before. I always really admired them and wanted to make one of my own, but I knew it would be pretty time consuming. Today was a pretty good day for something time consuming, though. I was a little stressed and needed something relaxing to do. I had an extra 3DS case and more Lisa Frank stickers than I will ever use in a lifetime, so I decided to give it a shot. 

I am really happy with how it turned out~ It took me a little over an hour plus the time to cover the top with several layers of Mod Podge. 

Here are a few more pictures of it.

Honestly, I had a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind doing something like this again as a gift for a friend~

Additional credits to BityKity for the cute chocolate charm. 

SprinkleChick Review~

I haven't done a craft trade in a long while, so when Ashley, the owner of SprinkleChick, sent me a convo on Etsy asking about a trade I was exited!

Ashley's shop features a lot of kawaii accessories that remind me of candy! She mostly has clay and acrylic charms. Probably one of my favorite things is all of the narwhal themed items! 

Onto the review!~

Here is what I got in my half of the trade! I picked out a cute elephant figurine and a lamb charm. Ashley also included a cute handwritten letter, some sticker flakes, and a few extra business cards. I'll probably keep the business cards in my bag when I wear the necklace in case anyone asks where I got it from~!

Here is the lamb charm. You can get your own here. I've never made my own acrylic charms before, but I did consider it and do some research on it. I can tell Ashley chose a high quality supplier to print her designs. The print very clear and the charm itself is pretty thick. I can tell it won't break or damage easily. 

The second item I got was this adorable elephant! Ashley doesn't have the same exact one in her shop, but there is a similar teapot elephant. The painting on this is flawless. It is also sculpted with a good quality clay. It is sturdy and will last a while. I currently have it sitting on my My Little Pony castle. I need to give him a name, but I haven't thought of one yet. 

SprinkleChick gets a thumbs up from me and I will be back in the future to buy one of her adorable Narwhals for my friend. I would highly recommend her shop. She was friendly when we talked on Etsy, quick to ship, and all of the things I got are perfect. Thank you, Ashley! 

New decoden items!

I made a post a little bit back about how I was now carrying decoden cases. Since then I have already improved on my piping skills so much! I am no where near the skill level of some of the other case makers I know, but I am proud of my improvement so far!

These first two cases are still available in my shop!

For the HTC One

For the Galaxy S4

This was a case for the 3DS XL. It has already sold, but I plan on making more cases for the 3DS and 3DS XL soon. 

This was a gift for one of my best friends for Christmas.  She really needed a case for her 3DS XL because the bottom of it was coming off for some reason! Ohno.

This was my first custom case request! Isn't it cute~ The customer had such a great idea. They even drew what they were envisioning out for me so I had a really clear idea of what they wanted. 

When I was doing some deco items I had just a little bit of 'whip cream' left so I decided to make this~ Whenever I go shopping I always save my change in this cute jar and once it gets full enough I take it to the bank to throw into their change counting machine. When it is full it can have anywhere between $20-$40! It takes a while to fill up, but it is worth it and I usually get myself a nice meal or get some new clothes with the money. I used to have a decoden lid on it, but it was pretty old from when I used to work with polymer clay and some of the pieces have broken, so it was time for a new lid. 

And that is it for now! I am really glad I started making decoden cases because I think it is super fun. I am continuing to work on my piping skills and I am thinking about taking a cake decorating class to learn some piping skills. It seems silly, but I think it would really help!

Also, for those on instagram I now have an instagram account! I post a lot of my shop items on there, but I also sometimes post things from my toy collection and some Pokemon I have for trade. I also sell off my extra resin cabochons on there for those that are interested~ I really recommend that if you are a case maker or interested in becoming one that you get an instagram. I see lots of other case makers on instagram and they all seem super successful with it~

http://instagram.com/rarasjewels

 Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rarasjewels

Personal Website: http://rarasjewels.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rarasjewels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RarasJewels

Tumblr: http://rarasjewels.tumblr.com/

Resin Safety Precautions

This is not meant to scare you away from working with resin! Resin is a fun, versatile, and pretty much safe medium to work with when worked with right. 

When mixing/pouring resin

• Wear disposable gloves. Some people are highly allergic to resin and you probably don’t want to find out the hard way. If you get resin on your hands it is also hard to clean off and it just isn’t good for your skin.
• Work in a well ventilated/open room. If your room is small try opening a window, use a fan, ect ect Some brands of resin have stronger fumes than others. If possible try using a low fume brands (I have found EasyCast still has very strong fumes even though they advertise otherwise.) If you are not able to work in a well ventilated area or your resin has very strong fumes invest in a respirator. 
• Cover your work surface. Anything resin touches will be ruined. I don’t recommend newspaper because resin can leak through it and destroy the table underneath. Wax paper usually works pretty well. 
• Tie up long hair, don’t wear loose/baggy sleeves. Again, anything resin touches will be ruined. I recommend wearing clothes you don’t mind getting ruined when wearing resin. Wearing old aprons is also a good idea, especially when working with large amounts. 
• When you are done with pouring your resin put it up somewhere safe to dry, especially if you have kids/pets in the house. 

When sanding resin

• Wear a mask. Wear a mask. Wear a mask. Resin dust will ruin your sinuses and is just awful to have in your airways. 
• Wear safety goggles. It will keep resin dust out of your eyes and keep you safe if a piece slips out of your hands and comes flying towards you.
• Tie up loose hair, don’t wear loose jewelry, no loose sleeves ect. Basically you don’t want anything getting caught in those fast spinning sanders/buffers. 
• If possible work outside. If you cannot work outside please remember to go outside immediately afterwards and brush off all the dust on your clothes.

When glazing resin 

• Basically follow all the safety precautions for pouring resin. 
• Read the safety precautions for your glaze before use

Also anything used for resin is no longer safe to use with foods, don’t do that. Don’t reuse any molds with chocolate or any other foods. Buy a new mold. Any other tools you use with your resin, do not re-use with food. I don’t care if you cleaned it, it isn’t worth risking, the resin may have seeped into the mold/item. Just buy a new one. 

New Drippy Heart Bat Necklace

So I have always done my dripping heart bat necklaces with a colorful heart and a black bat in the center. Yesterday morning I woke up with a different suggestion from an anon. 

And here is the end result!

I really love how it turned out! I currently have a pink version setting right now. I think this version has more of a pastel goth feel to it. Thank you anon for the lovely sugestion!

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rarasjewels

Personal Website: http://rarasjewels.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rarasjewels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RarasJewels

Tumblr: http://rarasjewels.tumblr.com/

Hot Pink!

I have been working with mint for a little while now, so I decided it is time to start working with another color. A while back I had someone order a custom pair of wing clips in hot pink to match their outfit, but after that custom order I put the hot pink color aside and completely forgot about it. While cleaning I found it again and decided to experiment with using it. I used it to make some cabs for a phone case, but it wasn't until now that I decided to make regular jewelry with it too!

This is how the first batch turned out! I really like the color and I plan on making more items with the color during winter break. I don't know what color I will try out next, but I want to make sure I have a lot of hot pink items made before I try another color. Maybe neon purple would be fun!

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rarasjewels

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rarasjewels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RarasJewels

Tumblr: http://rarasjewels.tumblr.com/

Resin Care Tips

This applies to all resin jewelry, not just pieces I have made! If you own resin pieces from other shops these care tips should still apply.

1. Avoid submerging resin pieces in water. Your pieces will look newer longer if you take them off before swimming, showers, ect. Resin is water resistant, but not water proof. Water can damage resin over time, and it can also damage the jewelry findings. 
2. Avoid storing your jewelry pieces in direct sunshine. Repeated sun exposure can cause some resin pieces to yellow over time. This especially applies to pieces that are clear. Heat from direct sun exposure can also make larger/thinner pieces ‘loose’ and almost gummy like. This is not permanent and the piece will regain its normal hardness when cooled, but it is still not recommended.
3. Jewelry chain fall off? Ring base has become loose? No issues! Jewelry chain can easily be fixed up with some pliers. Almost every household has a pair, and if you don’t you can probably find them at the dollar store. For glued on pieces you probably won’t want to use super glue. While cheap, it is super messy. Instead opt to use E6000. E6000 can be found at most craft stores, but I have found that it is much cheaper at Walmart.. if your Walmart has a craft aisle. 
4. If you get a little something on your resin pieces no worry!  It can easily be cleaned off. NEVER. EVER. Use something abrasive to clean your pieces. Use a soft washcloth with somewhat warm soapy water to clean it off and then dry once it is clean. Try not to be forceful. It can leave scratched in your piece. Resin is strong and durable, but it isn’t worth risking! After the quick cleaning dry your piece off right away.
5. I have never tried this myself, but I hear that jewelry cleaning solutions can damage resin. If your chain needs some shining try using a metal cleaning cloth.