Flowers still blooming away in your garden?  Then you should try making some real flower and resin jewelry designs. They are popular!

Using wood findings with real pressed flower specimens would be a dynamic duo as both are organic!  So I tried the combination using my wood frames and shapes - they are available on my Etsy   - along with several new offerings.  (Note : New !! free shipping for all US orders over US$35. Flat rate shipping for under $35.)

The general method is no different from if you use metal frames. I placed the wood frames on small pieces of Contact shelf liner which is slightly adhesive. I firmly pressed these frames to minimize any resin leakage.

Some tips include using masking tape to secure the Contact liner onto some card stock.  Placing the whole thing on a clipboard also makes it easier to move the work around. I used my favorite jewelry resin - Brilliant Resin from Little Windows . Readers can get a 15% discount - use BG1516
I made up a batch and added a thin layer of resin.


Always cover resin during curing to prevent dust from settling.  I usually let each resin layer cure overnight.


The resin does seep out and covers the back frame - this is impossible to avoid as the wood is not entirely flat, even after sanding.  If the resin protrudes from the edge, just sand it off. You can use a tiny triangular file at the bail area to reach the corners.

Notice that the shelving liner creates a frosted look which I like.  If you prefer a clear look, use a good quality packing tape.


I pressed flowers from my garden using my microwave press - see my tutorial on How to Press Flowers using a Microwave.  All organic material must be dry before embedding into resin. Otherwise the material will rot and go moldy.

Use either small flowers and leaves or petals or sections of bigger flowers and leaves.


I also saved some pressings from last year.  Some of the floral colors - especially the pinks - will not be as vivid as if you used the pressings as soon as they are dried.


You can also touch up with acrylic ink which is much more delicate than acrylic paint. My favorite and the one I used is  Daler Rowney's Artist acrylic inks with pearlescent effect.   Let it dry before proceeding.


Some people use spray adhesive but I prefer a more controlled approach when gluing delicate dried flowers onto the cured resin background. I just use a little Mod Podge to secure the blooms and leaves.

Resin does make flower petals go translucent. So I carefully added more Mod Podge over them as protection - without spreading glue onto the background resin. Again let this glue dry.

One advantage of using Contact shelf liner is the frosted look camouflages any Mod Podge glue which might have gone beyond the flowers and leaves.


An alternative is to sandwich the pressings between clear tape or laminate the flowers as many do. I don't have a laminator so I cannot demo at this time.  But what you do is laminate the pressed and dried flowers and then carefully cut around them. Add a little more resin into the pieces and slip these cut outs into the resin. Then proceed to doming up with more resin.

(I did try the clear tape but it was tricky dealing with such stickiness.) Laminating is the way to go!

I added more resin to cover the flowers and leaves. If you are careful, you can just dome up within the frame. But more often than not, I found that the resin did get onto the frame so I just went on to add resin on the wood frames.  Adding some tape underneath the bail holes is a good idea is you don't want resin going into the holes - I had this problem with the wood shapes.

Remember to pop any bubbles with a toothpick before covering up and curing.


You can also use wood shapes rather than frames. I used Saman water based wood stain in walnut.  You can also use diluted acrylic paint for a washed look in other hues.  See my post on How to Sand, Stain and Paint Laser Cut Jewelry Designs for more updated details.


I experimented with using a spray varnish to protect the flowers -  I still prefer Mod Podge as the varnish was too harsh on delicate petals.


I rescued these flowers with pearlescent acrylic ink!


Another tip - always glue down any petal or leaf!  Otherwise the material will "poke" out through the resin coat.


Here is where I forgot to add some tape underneath the holes before I added resin to the top of the wood shapes.  Add carefully as you are only adding a glass like finish to the top of the wood.


This pair below is an example of a bad seepage problem! One which you can retrieve with some more work.  File away the excess resin!


But with the other wood pieces, it was quicker work to sand away the little bit of resin which went to the back of the pendants. I then re-stained the wood.  I also added a glossy varnish to complete the remedial work.


And don't forget to drill out the resin filled holes!


What a difference between photos of just the finished work alone compared to those with added floral accents with the jewelry! The pretty bails below were courtesy of TierraCast! You can get them here.


Wood pendants can be very light. So if you want them to stay in the front AND not have the clasp slip down to the front, connect up the chain as below.


I missed a late developing bubble in the middle of this pressed clover flower below.  But I was able to add a flat back crystal during the final resin process!





Photography
I used my iPhone 8+ with the Camera+  app. I used  the Orangemonkie studio which comes equipped with LED lights - for artificial light photography in my windowless basement studio. The Foldio2 is particularly affordable. I use the Foldio3 because I need the room and light for tutorial photography.  All final jewelry project pictures were taken in natural light. 

My online class Easy Guide to Smartphone Jewelry Photography is now available. Read more about it here.  

Before You Go

Disclosure This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
 ______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Wire JewelryTips  -Jewelry Business Tips