RESIN HEARTS

Celebrate Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love, by making beautiful and unique Resin Hearts and giving them to family and friends! Resin is SUPER fun (and actually easier to use than it may seem), and there are endless things you can make with it; BUT…it’s not a great craft for younger kiddos. It’s messy, and you really need to wear an apron and gloves when using it so that you don’t damage your skin or clothes. You also need to work in a well-ventilated area. That being said, for older kiddos, teens, and adults, resin is an amazing medium. I for one am obsessed with it! Hope you enjoy making these gorgeous little hearts for Tu B’Av and spreading the love!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

-Heart-shaped silicone mold
-Epoxy resin (I used ArtResin brand)
-Epoxy resin hardener (I used ArtResin brand)
-Rubber gloves (to protect your skin)
-Apron (to protect your clothes)
-Tablecloth (to protect your table)
-Cups for mixing resin (I recommend using disposable cups)
-Craft sticks for stirring resin
-Items to mix in your resin (i.e., glitter, tinsel, flowers, small shreds of paper, etc.)
-Optional: resin dye

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

*Resin is super fun, but it’s not a great activity for younger kiddos. It’s very messy and can stain and ruin clothes and anything else it touches. Also, you need to wear gloves to protect your skin and an apron to protect your clothes; and you need to work in a well-ventilated area (I worked in my garage with the garage door open). Be sure to cover your table with a sturdy tablecloth, too. Finally, I’m a big fan of eco-friendly crafts and try to feature many of them. Resin, unfortunately, is not eco-friendly.

(1) Pour equal parts epoxy resin and epoxy resin hardener in a disposable cup (alternatively, you can use a non-disposable cup, but keep in mind that it will be tough to clean). (2) Stir the mixture continuously for three minutes (I like using a craft stick because it’s disposable). (3) If you’re going to add dye to your resin, do it now and mix thoroughly. (4) Whatever items you want to have in your resin — you can either sprinkle them in the silicone mold ahead of time and then pour the resin on top, OR you can mix the items right into the resin. For this craft, I mixed the mini sequins right into the resin and then poured it into the cells of the silicone mold. (5) Make sure your silicone mold is on a flat surface. (6) Now for the hard part — wait at least 24 hours for the resin to harden completely. It’s so hard to wait, but if you take the resin out of the molds too early, it will be a sticky mess. (7) After waiting at least 24 hours, pop your Resin Hearts out of the silicone mold and give them to family and friends on Tu B’Av as a reminder of how much you love them! * ArtResin has great videos and loads of information on all things resin—check out their site!