We've been getting some dark clouds and wet weather in SF but it's rare to see a tremendous amount of hail. As it was coming down, it looked like it was snowing and lasted for more than a minute! This is only the 2nd time that I've witnessed such a scene! Feels very winter-like when the streets are all covered with hail but too bad it melts quickly!
One thing I like to do when it's nasty outside is some simple DIY projects while watching Hong Kong TV series. I never really stick to one craft but recently I've been making a lot of jewelry items lately. I bought every color of the Swarovski AB coated hearts available at the store because I was so indecisive because every color was really pretty. So far I've made about 25 pairs.
I really like the resin pendants with the rice and sushi stickers. I've tried both white and brown rice before but the color of the brown rice seems to pop out more. I'm still figuring the best way to embed the candy sprinkles. Some people will mix the sprinkles and resin together before they pour into the mold. I've tried this method but there's a lot of tiny air bubbles and tiny dents on the surface of the pendants (this happens when the sprinkles are too close to the surface). I now pour a thin layer into the mold and let it harden first. This will prevent the surface from having any imperfections. Then I'll pour another thin layer and throw in some sprinkles on top. Using a toothpick I will gently push the sprinkles downwards into the resin. After the resin hardens, I repeat another layer. So far this is the best method for me because there won't be air bubbles trapped between the sprinkles but this takes a lot more time.
After attaching the bails and sanding the edges, I like to turn the pendant over and pour some resin on the back of the pendant. This helps to fill up and level the back area because no matter what I do the pendants always have a concave surface. An added benefit is that the bail will be strongly attached to the pendant because it's semi-embedded in the pendant.
