Supplies:
- Love silicon mold.
- Silicon mat to work on
- Silicon cup to mix resin in
- Popsicle stick or silicon sticks to stir resin
- Paper quilling paper in a few colors
- Paper quilling tools to help make different designs.
- Elmer’s glue for paper quilling. I also recommend pouring the Elmer’s glue into a bottle with a small tip to help control the amount of glue that comes out. You only need a small amount for the quilling paper.
- Disposable gloves
I started out by making all of my paper quilling designs first. I wanted them ready to go, because once you mix your two parts of resin you do not have a lot of time, before it starts to thicken up and harden. I laid each piece of my design in the silicon mold as I made them to see how it looked and how many of each piece I needed.
I originally was going to fill my mold partially with resin, then put my paper quilled pieces on top of that after it hardened slightly. I then decided it would be easier and still give a similar look if I just left the paper quilled designs in the silicon mold and poured the resin on top of it. I had worked on smaller resin piece with cheaper resin before. This was much thicker than the cheaper resin I practiced with. Since the resin was thicker, I would not move my paper quilled pieces around a lot when I poured it. I did need to use tweezers to adjust a few pieces though.
For my paper quilling designs, I used some of the techniques I learned when I first practiced with paper quilling. You can see more detailed examples of these techniques here.
I started out by curling both ends of a paper strip, then used some pens to help hold it into the heart shape I wanted. This was to be the center of my heart in the silicon mold. Once I was happy with the shape, I applied glue and left it penned down until it dried. I attached a few spirals to it and used more pens to help hold these as it dried. It should dry fairly quickly. Once this was dry, I placed it inside my silicon mold and made more spirals in different colors to go around this heart and to fill the space. I glued each of these spirals as I made them. This was probably the hardest part of this project, because I had to ensure the spirals were not too big or too small for this space.
For the L I made a curved piece and attached small spirals along it with glue. It worked best having the main piece inside the silicon mold and just added pieces to it as needed. I noticed there was an empty space at the bottom of the L. So, I made an S curve that fit the space nicely.
The V took me the longest to make. I started out cutting a piece to fit in one side of the V. I then cut and folded small leaf like shapes and individually glued them on one by one. I really liked how this turned out, and it was not too difficult to do, but it did take some time. For the other side of the V I just made small circles. I had done lots of spirals already, so I wanted to do something different. It was a thin section to work with, but I think the circles fit nicely there.
Last was the E and I wanted to do something different. So, I decided to make a bunch of tear drop shapes. You can check out this blog to see how I made these. They are not too difficult to make.
I felt the piece still needed a little something. Some areas still had a few gaps to fill. So, I decided to add some gold flakes. I love rose gold, and really liked the sparkle it added to the piece. I used some tweezers to help distribute the gold flakes where I wanted them, but they were very staticky and were difficult to place.
Once I was satisfied with the placement of most of the gold flakes, I mixed my resin and poured it into my mold. When working with resin make sure to have plenty of ventilation, a respirator mask, and wear glove. This is a chemical and can be very dangerous. It was much easier pouring the resin over my pieces then taking everything out, pouring the resin, then trying to replace everything back in. This resin was a bit cloudy when it was poured. So, it would have been a bit difficult to see how to place each piece.
Now the anticipation of letting it dry and removing the mold. I let it dry for two days just to insure it was completely cured before I tried to remove the mold. I also used a lighter to pop any bubbles that formed at the surface. A heat gun is what is recommended, but I do not have one. I will need to buy one sometime soon.
I really love how this turned out. I was afraid there would be too much clear/empty space, but I actually like the clear look of it. I wish the mold was reversed. The back side of my piece is very clear and smooth. The front side is also nice, but not quite as nice as the back.
back 
front
At the beginning of this project I thought about adding a string of fairy lights to the piece. I wanted to make the piece and then add the fairy lights at the very end when the first layer hardened a little. I was not able to do this, because then all the wires would be showing and cover up the paper quilling designs. I am actually glad I did not add the lights. I really like the look of resin projects and look forward to many more projects. Just remember that resin is a chemical and can be harmful if not handled properly and to wear appropriate protection.
top view 
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
