Blogumentary: Cody’s Steampunk Earplugs Part 2 and a few other things…
Today I got on with the business of making the mould for the resin pugs I am making for Cody…
I superglued the model into the lid of a little tub to stop it from falling over…
I mixed the silicone in the main part of the pot…
I then popped the lid back on and tuned the pot upside down to allow the silicone to run around the model. The cup is for a bit of stability as the lid was slightly domed!
Also this morning before I went to work, I baked some tags for a customer. They are ready for sealing, just need to print a few more disks and her order is complete!
And on the subject of plastic tags (kind of), last night I bought the February edition of Crafts Beautiful from ASDA as my article on printed shrink plastic is in it, page 50-51! Check it out 
Product Review: Soop rings!
So I got some of those lovely animal rings from http://soop.etsy.com that I featured on my blog earlier, a cow and a little goat. They come in various sizes to fit everyone and are perfectly made from translucent acrylics. They feel comfortable to wear although I do find the horns on the goat are a little realistic and can get caught on things! Luckily I layer them (as pictured) so the cow protects his friend from causing any real damage. They come in different forest and farmyard favourites, as well as toadstools and trees being available for extra layering effect. You could create a whole scene on your fingers! Priced at $12 individually, or $50 or $80 per complete set of the forest or farmyard range respectively. Great, unusual gifts for the young and the young at heart, and the fact that they are made from one piece of material means that they will no doubt last a long long time.
Spotlight on… Soop
I’ve seen these rings before, but never realised that you could build a whole landscape on your finger, and that they are based in the UK too! All of the rings are cut from acrylic, one of my favourite mediums 
http://soop.etsy.com
New acrylic and resin range
I am currently working on a new range involving cutting shapes from acrylic and embedding metal leaf and dyes into the middle of the piece with resin as a plique-a-jour effect. Here’s the first prototype for a peace dove. I need to work on the join, but it’s pretty good.
Acrylic was cut out with a saw, using a sketch stuck on firmly with magic tape as a guide. Edges were filed and holes were drilled…
Join filled with epoxy resin, then heart shape filled with polyester resin and silver leaf mix…
Attached to necklace. I also added a coat of acrylic spray to seal the resin…
Spotlight on… Laura’s Jewellery
Bright, colourful and fun, Laura uses toys and knick knacks to create her pieces. You can visit her shop at http://LaurasJewellery.etsy.com
If you have any great tips for sellers to feature, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world, please drop me an e-mail at kerry@penny-dog.co.uk
Spotlight on… UpcycleMe
So I’ve decided to start showcasing the work of other jewellery and accessory artists that I have discovered and admire, and have started by featuring http://upcycleme.etsy.com a fellow UK etsyer, who shares my love for plastic and my birthday! She recycles items that would be otherwise hard to dispose of in an eco-friendly way into beautiful pieces of limited edition art jewellery. I particularly like her warped lego bracelets, available for around $20/£10! Here’s some of my favourites:
If you have any great tips for sellers to feature, please drop me an e-mail at kerry@penny-dog.co.uk
Happy shopping!
