Friday, July 18, 2014

DIY Inspiration: Rainbow Rose Petal Jewelry!

I have something super fun to share with you guys today. BEHOLD!


RAINBOW-LICIOUS EYE CANDY! Woot woot!


So what is all this? Well, a few months back my friend Sharyn and I surprised our mutual friend, Renee, with some of those spiffy rainbow roses from FTD:


Then, just this week, Renee surprised us both with the most amazing resin jewelry - made from the dried rose petals!

She made us each two or three pendants and a bracelet:

 Layered orange & teal! Ah!



The back almost looks like a feather. OoooOOOooo.


PLUS, Renee sent me a box full of her "rejects," which included four more bracelets (which had resin spillage into the links) and a big handful of resin gems she wasn't happy with, saying maybe I could salvage some for future projects.

Operation "Rainbow Fun" is a GO.

I dove in with a zeal, using a pointed craft blade to shave off the resin spills from the metal links on the bracelets & drilling out the clogged holes, salvaging what I could, and then making new pieces from the loose "gems." I've been a supremely happy camper for the past 3 days, and I thought you guys might like to see.

First, I combined two of Renee's "reject" bracelets to make one chunky one:


Which goes perfectly with her teal pendant in the middle.  
(Kinda looks like a butterfly wing, right?)

(Technical note: These shallow bracelet bezels are super hard to fill without dripping resin in-between, which is why Renee had so many discards. Eventually she put small pieces of tape between the bezels to catch drips - but she says you have to remove the tape quickly before the resin dries, or it will absorb and stick to the tape, too! o.0)

Next I snipped off the loop on a tiny seahorse charm, filed down the rough edge, and glued it to the middle of a pretty sea-green gem:

I also added the silver bail, gluing both with E-6000. 
(Seriously, how did we live before that stuff?)

The domed resin acts like a magnifier, so you can see every little vein and color variation in the petal. And the little bubbles! Ack! So perfect!


I found a pair of metal wings in my craft stash, and knew JUST what to do with those:

 I really like that the heart has veins. :)

Again, all it took was a little E-6000, after snipping off the wing loops in back.

My favorite loose gem was a beautiful orange-to-pink ombré, so I made it into a ring:

 
Here's a close up:


Glue and adjustable ring blanks - talk about instant gratification crafting! I highly recommend getting someone to do all the real work making the resin pieces, 'cuz this part was pure fun.

I puzzled over what to do with the long skinny gems, and eventually decided they were the perfect ID bracelet shape:

I glued the chain links directly to the back of each gem. Since the resin tends to be concave on the back, the links don't stick out much, and are quite comfy to wear. (I still feel like they need a little something on the front, though. Maybe tiny initials?)

Here's Renee's final bracelet in the middle, flanked by two discards that were cemented in place with bits of spilled resin:



I managed to get all the links moving again by yanking out the rings, scraping off the resin, and drilling through the clogged holes with a pointed blade. Then I changed the order of the top bracelet so the colors won't match up when I wear them together. (Because MORE RAINBOWS.)

Every time I think I'm done, I get another idea I want to try. Here I was toying with some little silver filigrees from my stash:


I figured I could bend one into a kind of Art Deco clasp:



Hard to see, but I bent the metal like a stair step at the edge. The hardest part was applying the E-6000 so it wouldn't leak out all over the place. (You can clean up a bit with a toothpick before the glue sets.)

I still have one final necklace in the works, but I'm stumped on the placement of this dragonfly charm:


You can see more of the petal if it's off to one side, but the center position is pretty classic. Which do you guys like best? I can't decide!

I'll be adding that green tear drop as a dangle, since I like the colors together.

And then maybe I'll make another ring or two. And another necklace. But that's IT. (I can stop whenever I want, honest.)

 

I hope this helps inspire some of your own jewelry out there! Talk about a fun way to preserve a special flower; how about a pendant made from an anniversary rose? Or a bracelet from a birthday bouquet?

And the biggest, rainbow-wrapped "thank you" EVER to my friend Renee, who doesn't like this kind of attention at all, but is seriously one of the most talented crafters I know. (Did I mention this was her very first time working with resin?) Tell her how awesome she is in the comments, and maybe we can convince her to show off more of her brilliance in the future.

Happy Friday, guys! May your weekend be filled with rainbows and lazy crafting goodness.


*****

Come see ALL of my craft projects on one page, right here!

94 comments:

  1. Those are so pretty! It makes me think of candy and stained glass at the same time. I can't believe that's Renee's first go with resin.

    For the dragonfly piece, I love the left-most shot with the dragonfly curving down to the left. Although my brain keeps saying to go vertical with the pendant. Leave the dragonfly just like that, but turn the backing piece up and down instead. It would be like the dragonfly is flying up into an ambery-yellow sky!

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  2. Renee is an utter genius for combining the rose petals with resin, and every single thing you both made is gorgeous. I've just been staring at my stuff, utterly besotted, since it arrived. (The bracelet goes really well with an ombre chainmaille one I wear all the time.) I think I like the dragonfly on the left best -- but I keep changing my mind.

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  3. I love the colours.
    The dragonfly on the left is my favourite. It looks like it's just landed.

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  4. The one on the left. It's "entering" the piece, which my brain likes better than the "where's that going?" one on the right.

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  5. Please tell me these will be for sale somewhere.

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  6. Shelley in So. IllinoisJuly 18, 2014 at 9:45 AM

    I would buy these in a heartbeat and tell myself they were gifts for someone, then end up keeping their rainbow beauty all for myself! Gorgeous!

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  7. Renee's stuff -is- keen!
    Re: dragonfly, I personally like best the first picture, where the curve of the body complements the curve of the resin stone and the wings fit into the golden ratio of photography :D

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  8. Ack, Renee could TOTALLY sell those charms at a beading expo. They'd be snapped up in a jiff, trust me (you can't imagine how popular resin sawdust pendants are-- these would totally appeal to the same crowd). I expect to see her pieces at the next one I go to! Also, I need to learn to use resin.

    And I like the third placement of the dragonfly. It's just off center enough to show off the petal, but close enough to the center to still be a focal point.

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  9. loving the dragonfly on the left, like he just arrived.

    the veins these pieces show are tremendous. just gorgeous!

    p.s. am i the only one who had never heard of rainbow roses? they are incredible!

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    1. I third[fourth?] the left placement - It looks like the dragonfly just landed on the pendant :)

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  10. Rainbow SQUEE!! This was an excellent idea to do with the flower petals. Great job, Renee.

    Jen, I love, love, love the seahorse necklace. The bubbles just give it that underwater look. I also like the dragonfly on the left.

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  11. Do you have any ideas with what to do with or how to create a more appealing medical ID bracelet or necklace? I have one that I have to wear around when I go places alone, but really am not big on the way it looks...Thanks! Lovin the rainbows xD

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  12. I think the dragonfly to the left is my favorite. And Jen, if you didn't live in the sweltering heat and humidity of Florida, I think we could be great friends. ;) Orange and teal/light blue is my favorite color combination, and I too love anything rainbow and/or ombre. Someday I'm going to visit Harry Potter World at Orlando. Maybe it will have to be during Star Wars weekends at Disney World. Then we might be able to meet. :)

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  13. Kay, Renee is genius for thinking of turning those petals into jewelry. So beautiful! And here's another vote for the dragonfly on the left--just looks the most natural to me (but I've also heard studies where people tend to choose the thing they see first, so maybe we're all just subconsciously choosing it since we tend to look at the left first . . . ).

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  14. Wow! Both of you are amazing jewelry crafters. I like imperfect components. Makes the piece more unique!

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  15. Lovely & fun jewelry! I really like the dragonfly placement in the middle, looks nice & situated. And yes, we'd all love to see more of Renee's handiwork. Jewelry crafting is not easy! I've tried & just end up giving loose parts to be fixed by crafters I know. ;)

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  16. This is wonderful! What a great collaborative effort :) I too like the dragonfly on the left best for the "flying in" look.

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  17. That is amazing! What a beautiful idea. Nice job, Renee!

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  18. What an awesome idea to preserve rose petals in resin! Might have to order myself some flowers, since nobody ever sends me any. :D Love all the bright colors! And I'm also voting for the dragonfly on the left. The piece looks more dynamic with it not centered. And many kudos to Renee for her first foray into resin.

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  19. I like the left most dragon fly idea
    these are lovely. I agree having someone else make the resin is ideal :) I can never get my resin to set up well

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    1. Yup me too.

      Soooooo preeeeeettyyyyy, all of it!!

      And now I want candy. Mmm pretty candy colors.

      Kimstu

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  20. For the dragonfly, I like the right-most picture. Looks like it's flying off into the sky, across the great yellow moon!

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  21. Absolutely brilliant, and what lovely synergy among you, Sharyn, and Renee! Amazing results for Renee's first attempts with resin, too.
    Could you maybe get a very fine bit for the Dremel and etch/engrave a design on the longer or flatter pieces? Something similar to a scrimshaw technique?
    Dragonfly on left, definitely.

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    1. Now that would be interesting - I wonder if you could dremel a design deep enough to fill it with enamel paint, for an inlay look. Hm....

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    2. I was thinking the same thing about engraving. If you can engrave it from the back it would probably look awesome!

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  22. Friend Renee, you are pretty gosh-darned spiffy! These are amaaaazing! I've always been afraid of messing with resin; seemed a little too advanced for me. But these...wow. These are beyond words. WOW!

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  23. So gorgeous! I would love to hear more about how she made the resin with the rose petals.

    And I'm going to swim against the current and say I prefer the dragonfly on the right. If I were doing it, though, I'd pull him down and out just a smidge so that the place where the lower wings meet the body would be on the lower right of what appears to be an internal oval. The tail would stick off the edge and there'd be more of a risk of it snagging, but it's what my brain prefers. I can't really explain it, but the curve of the dragonfly going up seems more hopeful to me--probably because it mirrors a smile.

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  24. Okay first of all; RAINBOW ROSES?! How do I not know that this is a thing? And preserving them in resin just looks amazing! I work with resin and I love the whole petal as a background to whatever you may put in front of it. Good job for both of you, looks beautiful! And I have an E6000 addiction as well, lol....

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  25. That seahorse pendant is the most adorable thing I've seen all day! I can see how the bubbles might be less than desirable normally but it gives a fun underwater feel now!
    Also, the dragonfly seriously needs to go on the left - the curvature of the piece works with the oval resin that way AND you get to see more of the petal!

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  26. Beautiful work on both of your parts!

    As for the dragonfly, I like the one on the left as is. If the asymmetry makes you twitchy, though, can you attach the bail to the opposite end so that it hangs longways instead of sideways? I don't know if it works in real life, but it does when I tilt my head and look at the monitor. :)

    Andrea
    kmen3035 at hotmail . com

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  27. Wow, Renee, just wow.

    No, wait, there's something else...more please?

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  28. I agree about the left most dragonfly piece. It's more pleasing to me as well, however, I think I would try and add a small something to the right of the resin piece, just to even things up a bit. Maybe a few sparkles. Or tiny green gems?

    I've never been a huge fan of rainbow colors, or even pink, but there's a list of trouble I would get myself into to get my hands on that winged heart necklace. :) BEAUTIFUL JOB to both you and Renee!

    That's pretty creative for dried flowers. I used to always keep my boquets and dry them, just in case... with no idea of what I would do before they got to the "dry as dust" stage and threw them away. :) So many more doors have just opened up in my craft world! Thanks, ladies! :)

    --Piper P from Washington State

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  29. Absolutely beautiful – all of it, really. But the seahorse? Got a bit of the crazy eye going on…I’m not the only one that sees that am I? Makes me love it even more, which I guess says a lot about me 

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  30. Another vote for the dragonfly on the left! Centered it looks too stationary.

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  31. Wow! These are amazing! You're both talented ladies! I love every single piece and I would wear/buy any of them. Really cool. (Is there an etsy shop where Renee or you sell your crafts?)

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    1. No, but I'm hoping Renee will open one eventually!

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  32. I vote the placement of the dragonfly in the picture furthest right (dragonfly offcenter to the top right of the gem). :-) Lovely work, both of you!

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  33. All the rainbows!! I would buy those in a flash, I love rainbows!!

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  34. What type of resin did she use? They look fabulous and I would love to try something with maybe mulberry paper or something with a similar veining pattern.

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    1. I *think* she used Easy Cast. (Correct me if I'm wrong, Renee!)

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    2. Right you are, Jen! Easy Cast! I picked it because it had Easy in the name ;)

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    3. Thank you! I'll have to look that up!

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  35. Thank you Jen & Renee, a beautiful start to my day. I had a stroke 10 days ago (at age 47 - dammit!) and am trying to. find the lovely in each day. MC from NZ

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  36. So. Gorgeous. Exclamation point! * . *

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  37. Oh yeah, Dragonfly on the right, btw.

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  38. I vote dragonfly on the left! I love all these colors, they're so beautiful! I would love to see your craft stash some day. It's probably heaven.

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    1. I keep all the jewelry bits in the apothecary drawers in our dining room, so it's a very messy, hard-to-find heaven. ;)

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  39. omg! soooo pretty and colorful!!! i save all my roses and dry them, this would be great to do with some of the petals that fall off.

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  40. If it's impossible to not drip resin on the links of the bracelet why not take it apart when pouring? I guess maybe because it was her first time she didn't think about it. I like the dragonfly on the left. And all of these are so beautiful.

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  41. Those are GORGEOUS! My husband proposed to me by using embossed roses, and I have the petals still saved, waiting for me to figure out exactly what to do with them... I am pretty sure I just figured it out!! Hmm... Now to just get some resin and try it out!

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  42. That seahorse one is perfect!!! Love it. And the heart/wing pendant too! Gorgeous.

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  43. Wow wow wow, these are completely amazing! I particularly love the orange/turquoise heart pendant... swoon!

    I would really love to know how Renee made the loose charms... I mean I kind of get how you would do the bezels, by pouring the resin on top of the petals, but with the charms there's nothing to pour it into. Or the petals somehow stuck to the back of a glass cabochon? I need to know for reasons! That might possibly involve some horribly messy attempts of my own!

    Thank you so much for sharing... and I'm another vote for the left hand dragonfly btw!

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    1. They make silicone molds :)

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    2. Yep, they sell inexpensive molds in the shape of all those "gems", and the resin pops out easily. Check online or at your local craft shop that sells resin; a sheet of all different sizes shouldn't cost more than $5.

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    3. Thank you so much Anon and Jen, I didn't imagine that at all! It opens up a lot of exciting possibilities! I don't think you can get resin/accessories where I live (Mexico), but I'm going to put them on my shopping list for when I'm in somewhere I *can* get them! Looks so much fun :)

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  44. I like the first dragonfly position.
    Awesome resin. Trying to get the courage to do my first one.

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  45. Left please.

    Does Renee have a tutorial for drying petals and the resin beads? Beautiful!!!!!

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    1. I don't have a tutorial, but the internet has all sorts of stuff that I found! First, I used a food dehydrator for the roses. Lowest setting for a couple of days. With the resin, I bought a mold at Michael's and used Easy Cast resin. Then it was a LOT of trial and error.

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  46. Those are all amazing! So many pretty colors. Lemme know when she opens her etsy shop :P Cause she totally should!

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  47. I am in awe that you get to wear real roses in candy colors.

    Beautiful collaboration!

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  48. What a lucky lady you are and what a sweet friend you have. I love what you both have done! Beautiful!!

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  49. So cool!!! I love all these pieces. I vote for the dragonfly charm to be in the middle. It just looks perfect there!

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  50. I'd go left on the dragon fly

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  51. These are amazing! I wish I could go back in time and make some gems from my wedding flowers.

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  52. This is amazingly gorgeous stuff. I've never seen anything like it before. Granted, I lead a pretty sheltered existence, but I'm floored by the beauty and originality of pouring resin over rose petals.

    You wrote that Renee used the dried rose petals, but if she dried them first, how did she manage to get them to retain their fresh-looking vibrant colors? Or, does the resin remoisten the petals and cause them to look so bright and fresh and colorful?

    I vote for dragonfly on the left.

    Jen or anyone else know the name of that style of chain that the seahorse pendant is on? It's lovely.

    Renee and Jen: great work with breathtaking, inspirational results!

    KW

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    1. The particular roses that these were made from are actually injection-dyed: http://illusion.scene360.com/flowers-and-plants/7426/real-rainbow-roses/

      So they have additional pigment in the petals that is less likely to fade with drying.

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    2. I also used a food dehydrator. It was super fast in drying them out. My theory is that's why they kept their color? Maybe? I should try it on regular roses and see how it compares.

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  53. I love all the beautiful colors! I'm in love with one of the rejects, the square pendant with the floating heart is much too pretty to be a reject. :)

    I'd love to know the drying processed used, I've never had much luck.

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    1. I used a food dehydrator on the petals before the flowers became wilted :)

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  54. Seriously amazing! I had no idea that roses could come in such a colorful palette! I love, love, love the jewelry, though I am too lazy to attempt resin on my own I would buy some of these pieces in a nano second!

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  55. These are amazing! So bright and colourful, and the petals look so delicate in the resin. :D

    I really like the look of the first position of the dragonfly. Looks like it's curling around the resin to have a look at it.

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  56. OMG OMG OMG, I have the dried petals of the first roses my husband ever gave to me (11 years ago!) and this would be the *perfect* thing to do with them. Squee!

    I love the bright colors of these! I, personally, think the first dragonfly is the nicest, but then I'm not a big fan of centering things.

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  57. These are so gorgeous. I may just have to try it sometime. Since I'm allergic to flowers this would be a terrific way to still enjoy them. For the dragonfly necklace, I like the first placement on the left.

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  58. This is gorgeous and so fun! I think I like the dragonfly in the center best, but that could be just me. :)

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  59. These are gorgeous! I vote for the dragonfly in the middle, but if you do go with it on the side, I like the way you have it in the left picture, where it looks like it's flying onto the gem, rather than where it looks like it's flying off of it. But I like the middle placement best...classic!

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  60. These are awesome--it makes me want to buy multicolored roses, learn how to work with resin, and start making jewelry.

    Dragonfly on the left!

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  61. Amazing, Renee...and Jen! Thanks for sharing...and I liked the dragonfly in the middle (I know...I'm a traditionalist....) And the seahorse with the bubbles...perfect, perfect, perfect! :)

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  62. These are beautiful; I love the magnifying glass effect that emphasizes the texture as well as the color. I wonder how Renee managed to dry the petals without fading the color excessively? I haven't had much luck with drying flowers... I bought a pendant with a preserved aspen leaf years ago when visiting a national park, and the color faded out almost completely over time. I wonder if the resin will be a more effective preservative...

    Dragonfly on the left caught my eye.

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  63. WOW!! Renee, you are really talented.

    I vote for the dragonfly to be on the side (movement) rather than centred (static). Either side looks good but I prefer the photo on the left.

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  64. OMG!!!!! I love it all. How did she keep the colors so vibrant on the petals. What you did was amazing Jen. Ilove the dragonfly off to the side. I love being able to see the petal more.

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    1. I used a food dehydrator to dry the petals before the flowers became wilted :) Lowest setting for a day or two. Super easy!

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  65. I like the dragonfly on the left. :)

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  66. You've probably already finished, considering it's Monday, but I vote for the dragonfly on the left.

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  67. For the ID-tag bracelets, I'm imagining a subtle monogram, stenciled on in a light "frosted" type look. Like the look of etched glass, ya know? Wouldn't obscure the rose petal texture, but would add just that smidge of interest it needs. Loving all these fun colors!

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  68. What beautiful work you both did! I've been holding on to a bunch of four-leaf clovers, and now I'm wondering if this might be something I could do with them.

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  69. I am in LOVE. I love colorful stuff and this is unique and beautiful. GREAT job. I would love to buy something like this for myself. I truly love love love (did I say LOVE?) every one of those pieces. And I vote for the dragonfly on the left. Something about that placement is just so sweet!

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  70. Even better than E-6000 is 2 part epoxy resin adhesive - I use Epoxy 330. It's a jewelry grade epoxy adhesive and yes, you have to mix the two parts, but you can bake it to cure it in about 5 minutes. I've found that E-6000 can fail after a few months. The resin adhesive is almost as good as soldering.

    These are gorgeous, though! I've been experimenting with flower petals in resin for a while now and can't get them to retain such wonderful color!

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    1. Oh, and the Epoxy 330 dries water clear, too, so it would be perfect for gluing filigree.

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  71. Renee, you may already have a brilliant job that you love, or not want a job making resin, but I think there would be such a wonderful market for making these beautiful resin pieces out of other people's "memory flowers." Memorials, weddings, romantic gifts, Mother's day, so many occasions people might want to preserve a bit of beauty from and what a charming way to do it. I would cheerfully be your first customer. And if you won't do that, I am going to have to bully my sweet hubby into making resin gems for me (he's way more talented with that sort of thing than I am) which he really doesn't want to do. So, he would appreciate your Etsy store as well. :)

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  72. Renee is awesome. Dragon fly to the left, OR to the lower right side. The pieces are beautiful. When will see see Jewelry by Jen for sale???

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  73. Brilliant! Yes it does look like butterfly wings. Dragonfly on the right. Those that do not seek greatness often deserve it most.

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  74. wonderful pieces all of them! for the dragonfly placement i think i like the one on the left. It's like it's swooping up from the left and it's curved in such a way that it makes sense to me to have it there...that is my vote :)

    thanks for sharing!

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