Four Little Resin Projects That Made Me Smile

I have been spending some time experimenting with resin again, and I have four new projects that I am especially happy with.

There is something satisfying about working with a material that can take a project in so many different directions. Sometimes I start with a fairly clear idea of what I want to make. Other times, I am experimenting, adjusting, trying something a little differently, and hoping the finished piece looks somewhere close to what I had pictured in my head.

The first is this little turtle trinket holder.

I have always enjoyed pieces that are both decorative and useful, and a small trinket holder fits that description perfectly. Because it can sit on a dresser, nightstand, desk, or wherever you need a little place for those tiny things that seem to wander around the house.

But I think what I like most about this one is simply the turtle.

There is something cheerful about making an ordinary useful object into something with a little personality. Instead of being just a container, it becomes something you actually enjoy seeing sitting there.

The second project is this bowl.

This one gave me another opportunity to play around with the resin and see how everything came together once it cured. There is always a little anticipation involved in that part of the process. What something looks like while you are working with resin is not necessarily what you end up with once everything is finished.

That is one of the things I am learning as I continue working with it.

Resin has definitely been a learning experience for me. I am figuring out how much resin to use, how to work with bubbles, how long to let things rest, how different consistencies behave, and how little changes in the process can affect the finished piece. The past five months have taught me that patience is the main recipe for resin success. 

And honestly, I enjoy all of that.

I don't need every project to be perfect. I want my handmade pieces to look handmade. I want them to have some personality rather than looking like they came off an assembly line.

Of course, I still want them to be well made. There is a difference between handmade character and simply not caring about the finished product. And I am learning to find that balance as I go.

That is probably one of the biggest reasons I enjoy making things. There is always something new to learn.

Experimenting in Progress 🌞

Finally, these other two trinket holders were just as much fun as I continued to experiment with larger resin projects. These two actually taught me a few lessons before I worked on the turtle and bowl above. But these are keepers for me none the less.

A project that works well teaches me something. A project that doesn't work quite as planned teaches me something, too.

And occasionally, I get to look at a finished piece and think, "Well, that actually turned out really good!"

These four pieces each gave me one of those moments.

I am sharing them here because Simply Making Life has always been about the everyday things that make life a little more interesting, creative, useful, and enjoyable. Sometimes that means writing. Sometimes it means making something with my hands. And sometimes it means experimenting with a new material and discovering that I really enjoy it.

I have been sharing some of that creative journey over on my Pink Polkadot Butterfly Substack too. The projects themselves are only part of the story. I have been thinking a lot about what happens when we give ourselves permission to try something new without needing to know exactly where it will lead.

There is a little more of that side of the story in my latest Making Joy post.

And for now, I am just enjoying these four little resin successes.

One turtle.

One bowl.

One oval holder.

One heart shaped holder.

And a whole lot more experimenting still to come.