Hey, y’all! Have you opened your Tres Jolie May Mixed Media Kit yet? Have you seen all the creative fun you can have with it? I was over the moon excited when I saw the PearlEx powders! I love blues and teals! And a blank coaster set to decorate? How awesome is that? You can easily use these coasters as they are – just adding some kind of protective surface like epoxy resin (self-leveling!) when you have them decorated – or you can use them as mini-art boards and use them as home décor if you want! Endless possibilities!
However, I just already happened to have some square silicone coaster molds and epoxy resin, so I created a coaster set! I added some heavy white gesso from my stash, used the Tim Holtz stencils, Seth Apter texture paste, and the PearlEx “MicroPearl” powder from the kit, and decorated one side of the Dress My Craft coasters. I have a process video for you, make sure to check it out!
Creating these coasters wasn’t at all very difficult! Waiting for the epoxy resin to cure was the most time-consuming! I hadn’t originally planned on using the silicone molds I’ve had for a few years now, but after I added the texture paste to the coaster blanks, I decided to see how well they would fit into the molds. They weren’t a “perfect” fit – the blanks were a hair larger – but I decided it was close enough for me to work with!
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To start, I coated one side of the coasters with some heavy gesso, and after the gesso had dried, I added random stenciling using the Tim Holtz Stencils and Seth Apter Texture paste found in this month’s kit.
While the texture paste was still wet, I sprinkled on some of the “MicroPearl” PearlEx Powder, spritzed it with water, and then let everything air dry.
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I started my resin process by only adding a thin layer to the mold and letting the resin pool whichever way it decided to. Then, on the now-hardened pools of resin, I added some of the Transfer Me pieces. The next step was to add some color! After I mixed up a batch of resin, I separated some of it into three small cups so I could mix in the three PearlEx powders. I didn’t stir my colors together in the mold, instead, I pressed the texture paste coated coasters in and let any extra just flow over the bottom – which also has a lovely pattern!
After this batch of resin had cured, I unmolded the coasters and added more of the Transfer Me designs to the surface.
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To seal up and protect the final Transfer Me design, I used my gloved hands to spread a light coating of epoxy across the surface.
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I will be taking my coaster out to the workshop to smooth out the bottom edges a little from when I pushed the Dress My Craft coasters into the molds and then adding a second thin coat of resin all over the surface of the coaster, but overall, these coasters are done! If my resin hadn’t tried to get away from me too badly when I squished the Dress My Craft coasters in, I don’t think I would have even had to do any cleanup!
Thank you for joining me here on the blog today! I hope you enjoyed my coaster-making process and it gave you some ideas of what you can do with all the goodies found in this month’s Mixed Media Kit!
Stay Crafty, Friends
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In addition to this month’s Mixed Media Kit, I used (from previous Tres Jolie Kits):
Finnabair Heavy White Gesso, Amulite Amazing Clear Cast Epoxy, unbranded coaster molds, spray bottle
C.J.'s Corner Scraps 