Playing with Ice Resin

I have been making a few little things here and there, using the Ice Resin product developed by Susan Lenart Kazmer.

It is a two-part thick liquid that you mix slowly together in equal parts. The larger kits comes with two large bottles, mixing cups, wooden sticks for mixing, and directions. The smaller set has a double-barreled syringe so there is no measuring ...just push on the plunger and you get equal amounts.

The caution is that you cannot mix a really small amount of this...so you need to make at least a 20-30 cc batch. I always have more than enough items that are to be "resined." That way, I don't have any left over.

You will need to gently stir the combination of the two liquids for a full two minutes, and then let it sit for two or three minutes. Once you get it mixed, you havea about 20-30 minutes of "open" time, where you can pour or paint it on your piece.

If I am filling a bezel, I will pour it half full, let it sit a bit, then fill the rest. If I am using the resin on flat or 3-D elements, I will paint it on with a throw away (but not foam) small paint brush. In the photos above, I used the new Sizzix Die and embossing template of the ornate dove. You cut first with the die, than align it properly in the embossing folder and run this through the big shot (or whatever you have.)

After the embossing step, I will sand the paper piece and the area where it turns white (from the sanding) will become translucent with the application of the Ice resin. Once I am done and have used it all up, the mixing cup and the brush are no longer usable and should be thrown away. Some people wear rubber gloves to protect their hands...it is a bit sticky and oily...I prefere to just wash my hands well, and I use the Ranger scrubby tool to get the resin off my hands while washing.

It takes a good 24 hours to dry and three days to cure, meaning it is better not to work with it in a project until it is cured, but it can be handled at the 24 hour mark.

Some papers will warp a bit with the resin, so I have taped the piece down to my craft sheet to get an even application. While the resin is still quite wet, you can add glitter, or charms. I like to add a resin layer over anything I have added just to keep it in place well.

So far, I have played with quilled flowers (from the Cuttlebug dies), medallions from the tim holtz dies, bottle caps, bezels, and flat papers...old dictionary paper makes an especially nice, translucent element for altered art.