The Blue Brick

Polyester Casting Resin (or, Why My Home Smells Bad)

November 1, 2013

So last night I bought polyester casting resin for the first time and decided to give it a whirl. I mixed it carefully according to what I understood the instructions to be, added some red dye and poured it into my bangle mold.

Here’s the letter I left for Tito in the morning:

DO NOT OPEN THIS BAG >:o(

The word ‘cured’ has no place in our home today. This stuff…congealed… into a sticky mess. Only the liberal application of cheap nail polish remover and the sacrifice of several layers of my skin enabled me to clean up the mess and save the mold. Also, if you’re wondering why the place smells like satan’s garage, this is why. By the way, the cats might be high.

It was as unsuccessful a resin experience as I could imagine. While it’s ~~refreshing~~ ~~humbling~~ different to be completely back in learning mode with a resin, I’ve got to admit that it was also as unpleasant an experience as I could ask for. The stuff smells like industrial strength solvent, and if you get it on your hands it’s as thick and sticky as honey, if honey smelled like an industrial strength solvent and required a bottle of acetone to wash off.

Yep. You win some you lose some. My Friday Shiny is on hold pending a successful pour with this smelly stuff, whereupon I will show off my success. In the meantime, I shall welcome this chilly Canadian November 1st with our windows wide open….
New Experiments – Resin with pigment and graphics

October 31, 2013

Version 2 of the book comes out tomorrow! I have paypal email addresses for everyone who purchased an e-book from me, so expect to receive your new pdf at that address.

For people who have purchased a blurb book in print from me – unfortunately blurb doesn’t give me any information about who made the purchase! If you are one of these people, please email me at hello@thebluebrick.ca with the date of your purchase as a confirmation and I will be happy to email you a free copy of the updated e-book. Remember, today is the last day to purchase the e-book for only $15, it goes to up $18 tomorrow!

In the meantime, version 3 is underway already! Here’s a sneak preview of what will be included in the next edition of the book, likely coming out around the end of the year, and of course free to anyone who has already purchased the book.

I’m working with pigments and print inlays to add texture and colour to my pieces, here are some creepy pieces I made last night!
Resin Jewelry – the e-book update!

October 28, 2013

The update to my Resin Jewelry book is ready to go :) I’m going to release it on November 1st. It contains a 6th project – how to use spherical molds, and also a 4th method for preserving flowers, one that allows you to keep the shape of the original flower intact.

Folks who, as of November 1st, have already purchased the e-book will receive the update free of charge. After the 1st the cost of the e-book download will go up to $18 instead of $15, so if you want to beat the price grab yourself a copy this week! More updates are in the works too – I’m writing a 7th project now on how to use pigment and inks with resin for special effects – stay tuned!
See how much I miss you guys?

October 23, 2013

I told myself I would write a weeks worth of blog posts and set it to run in my absence, but you know how that goes. Then I told myself I could break from the blog too, and that I wouldn’t even think of it until I got home. That didn’t work either. So here I am to say a quick hello and share some totally unworthy phone photos.

Speaking of photography, I’m not only on vacation, I’m test driving my two gorgeous new cameras. The little one is the fujifilm that I’ve nicknamed ‘Minolta jr.’ (‘minnow’ for short). It’s a great, light, walkabout cam and I’ve been pleased with the results.

The other one is (drumroll) a brand new 5D Mark III. All I can say about this one is that’s its so fine it should be written the Mark !!!. Accordingly, I’ve named it ‘the juggernaut’.

I shall share some results when I’ve gotten home and processed my mountain of raw. In the meantime, here’s where I’ve been so far:

Rome…

Amalfi…

And Capri. Tomorrow will be a ‘sit in the sun and knit’ day, and Friday I begin my journey home, possibly seeing Pompeii on the way!
The Friday Shiny – Bangle Molds by Zougeebean

October 18, 2013

I ordered my first bangle mold a few weeks ago – and I was so disappointed in it that I don’t even want to say where I got it from. This taught me a lesson–not all mold makers are equal! The mold was rough, left an ugly amount of excess resin on one side and wasn’t shiny.

I ordered my second bangle mold from an Etsy shop called Zougeebean, hoping that this one would be better and it wasn’t just that bangles suck and I had unrealistic expectations. Oh my, what a difference. I am in love.

Mandy, based out of Kitchener Ontario, is so friendly, receptive and talented. Her shop has a huge variety of options, including my next adventure, rings! The mold is extremely well made, even, shiny and flexible. I’ve only had it for a few days and I’ve already made three bangles from it.

You can see that the one in the photo above has not been sanded on the bottom yet – and even without sanding the bottom is fairly even, resulting in a base that’s easy to sand and finish. I’ll post a tutorial in the next few weeks on how I sand and finish my bracelets!

I’ll definitely be going back for more – the rings are calling my name, as well as ‘cuff’ style bracelets that are easier to put on. Can’t wait!
The snail

October 17, 2013

That’s me :) I pride myself on still being able to get by with a backpack, 65% of which is my camera.

And of course, super comfort traveling means crocs and hand knit socks :)
The best way to break in a new toy…

October 17, 2013

This is the Fujifilm X100s. It’s a beautifully designed, all-digital camera that looks just like my first camera – an old Minolta SLR. I’ve had it for only a day, and it’s totally transformed my idea of what a point-and-shoot digital camera is capable of. RAW capability, fantastic high ISO noise management, all kinds of cutsie tools on board for stylizing the shots and a remarkably compact design.

I’ve taken a few test shots – here’s my favourite. This is ISO 2500, believe it or not.

Nothing can replace my DSLR, but I’m now taking this cam as well as the ‘big cam’ on the trip to give it a good work out!
Viva Italia!

October 15, 2013

I’ve finally booked a vacation, just me and my camera and some knitting. Yes, not even resin shall accompany me on this on. Maybe a few books. I’m leaving for Italy on Thursday, this time for the Amalfi Coast. Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order, of the last time I visited this gorgeous country :)
WordPress app – testing, testing

October 11, 2013

A quickie test … Can I blog from my phone ? Yes !!
The Friday Shiny – Wooden Bezels

October 11, 2013

I found these gorgeous wooden bezels at an Etsy store called Art Base. Right from the moment they arrived I was delighted – even the wrapping is lovely, and contains a sweet, handwritten note. It’s the little things.

The bezels themselves are a delight to work with – the craftsmanship is amazing, the edges are perfect, and there is no rough detail to cause the resin to misbehave.

It was so hard to decide what to make with them, but I finally settled on 3 ideas. This one contains the seedpods of a bursting heart plant.

And this one features a sumach leaf – the colour and detail really compliment the dark wood.

This last one is a pendant version of the ‘I ♥ Autumn Ring’ from my Resin Jewelry book.

They have such a lovely, natural looks to them. Wooden bezels, seeds, sumach and birch bark. What could be more autumnal? I will definitely be ordering more!