When you need a creepy but still glam accessory for Halloween, use plastic bugs! Spiders and things with legs sticking out make for a ghoulish piece. Including some glow-in-the-dark paint will give your resin an extra surprise in the dark.
Skill level: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes plus curing time
Supplies
♦ Disposable gloves
♦ 1 oz. (30ml) plastic measuring cup
♦ Disposable wooden stir stick
♦ Marker
♦ Two-part clear resin
♦ Protected work surface
♦ Wet wipes
♦ Variety of small beads
♦ Plastic bugs
♦ Glitter, rhinestones, paint, and/or nail polish
♦ Glow-in-the-dark glitter and/or paint
♦ Scissors or craft knife
♦ Heavy-duty craft adhesive (such as E6000)
♦ Large jump rings
♦ Lobster claw clasp
Gay Isber
1. Use paint and glitter to “redress” the bugs into colorful creations. Allow the bugs to totally dry.
Mike Mihalo
Gay Isber
2. Place each bug into a plastic packaging mold, upside down (legs up). Add a few small beads and/or glitter.
Gay Isber
3. Mix resin and pour on top of the bugs, filling each mold less than halfway, up to the midpoint of the bug’s body. Allow to cure. Now the bugs are visible and frozen into place.
Gay Isber
4. Prepare more resin, this time adding a pea-sized amount of glow-in-the-dark paint to the resin, and mix well. Pour over the bugs, adding more glitter or embellishments if you wish.
Gay Isber
5. Allow to cure, then cut off the packaging by slicing the corner up with scissors or a craft knife. The resin will be easily released.
Gay Isber
6. Add jump rings to the bug pieces using glue. Connect them together with more jump rings to make a necklace. These would also make great pins or pendants.
Gay Isber
7. I used three colors of glow-in-the-dark paint in the resin to make the piece really impressive when it glows. Do you see the light blue, dark blue, and green shades?
VARIATION
These half domes with bugs inside them seem to magnify the plastic critters, making them even spookier!
Gay Isber