How to Embed Flowers Into Resin
Embed flowers into resin to make pendants for jewelry or decorative accessories for your home. Molds for making resin designs are available at craft stores, but you can use other items from around your home such as a cardboard egg carton, small bowl or cookie cutter. To use a cookie cutter, tape one side with packaging tape to keep the resin inside the mold. Use this same taping technique to embed flowers into resin using metal jewelry findings.
Add a 3-inch layer of silica gel in the bottom of a plastic container. Silica gel is a reusable product for drying flowers and is available at most craft stores. Drying the flowers in silica gel removes the moisture without altering the shape of the flower blossom.
- Embed flowers into resin to make pendants for jewelry or decorative accessories for your home.
- Molds for making resin designs are available at craft stores, but you can use other items from around your home such as a cardboard egg carton, small bowl or cookie cutter.
Place freshly cut flower blossoms on top of the silica gel. Set tube-shaped blossoms such as petunias face down. Set flat flowers such as daisies face up. Pour more silica gel gently over the flowers, being careful not to bend or damage the petals. Cover the flowers completely with the silica gel and seal the container. Let the flowers sit in the container of silica gel for five days to dry completely.
Remove the dried flowers from the silica gel. Gently place them on a sheet of paper. Mix the catalyst with the polyester resin according to the package directions.
- Place freshly cut flower blossoms on top of the silica gel.
Spray the mold with non-stick cooking spray. Flexible plastic molds do not need a release agent to remove the dried resin, but it’s a good idea if you are using an egg carton or some other type of household object as the mold.
Fill the mold halfway with the mixed polyester resin. Pick up the dried flower blossom carefully with tweezers and set the flower blossom in the resin in the mold. You can embed the flower face up or face down, depending on your mold design. Pour resin over the flower to the top of the mold.
Allow the resin to dry completely according to the package directions. Remove the molded resin with the embedded flower from the mold.
- Spray the mold with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour resin over the flower to the top of the mold.
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Writer Bio
Katherine Kally is a freelance writer specializing in eco-friendly home-improvement projects, practical craft ideas and cost-effective decorating solutions. Kally's work has been featured on sites across the Web. She holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of South Carolina and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.