A Fun Experiment

Remember when I made these necklaces with heart shaped tea strainers? I painstakingly sewed tiny Swarovski crystals into each of the holes and then lined the inside with fabric? I love how they turned out, but wanted to experiment with doing a few different things with the hearts.

One of the comments my husband made to me about the first project I mentioned above, was that the heart was "too shiny" and that I should do something to dull it down. That was a good point, and I think it all depends on what type of jewelry a person likes to wear. Some people like to wear really shiny, perfect looking silver while others like to wear things that look antiqued, patina'd, or worn. So, I used heat to achieve some really pretty color all over the heart. I would imagine that if you were to use this strainer for it's real purpose, this might be the effect it would achieve after being dipped in hot water numerous times.
I left the outside plain this time, but knew I wanted to use some resin on the inside. I used a fabric like tape (like the kind you would apply a gauze bandage with in the hospital) on the outside of the heart to "block" all of the holes. I put a tea themed charm in each half - one, a teapot and the other, a cup. Then I sprinkled some loose tea leaves (Oolong to be exact), and I love the pretty green and pink colors I found in that loose tea! Then, the resin. The heat from getting the color on the outside turned the inside a really pretty rosy copper color, so it really gives the illusion of brewed tea!

I really like how it turned out, and now that I know it works I can make some more. I like the idea of the "secret" elements inside that only the wearer would know about and could show off as they liked. Or, I really could split the heart so that a necklace could be made out of just one of the halves. Lots of possibilities.

My only issue was with the tape the next day when I went to take it off. It left more residue than I thought it would, so I had to get it off as best I could with Goo Gone. I don't know if it was because it was reacting to the resin or what. Does anyone have any good suggestions for other tapes to try? Perhaps that blue painters tape that is supposed to have good release?