Anyway, on to Ta-dah! Tuesday. Considering I put it up on a whim last week and didn't advertise it at all, I was really pleased at how many people linked up and will endeavour to make it a regular thing. If you missed it, the idea is that it will be a pretty open blog-hop - any post which showcases something you want to 'ta-dah!' will be suitable, whether it's something you've made, done, photographed, bought, upcycled or worn! I will always visit the linked up posts, and if you can also visit a few other participants it's always appreciated. Please also link back to this post so others can join in.
So, this week, I've been mostly being matchy matchy. I mean, you already know about my mission to adorn myself with as many household objects as possible, and you might just have figured out my nail varnish obsession - what could be more up my alley than nail varnish jewellery? There's all kinds of example out there on the interwebs - basically the only limitation is your nail varnish collection. Perhaps I should make it work for me and make these to order...
It's probably fairly self explanatory, but if you want to give it a go, you'll need:
- Plain cabochons - they come in a variety of sizes and shapes
- Ring bases - you could use regular ring backs, but bezel bases look more 'finished' and hold the cabochon better. Make sure you get the right size for your 'gems'.
- Nail varnish in your choice of colour
- Base coat if you're doing a shatter effect
- Top coat if you're not using a bezel base
- strong glue
- blue tac/play-doh or similar
- Use the blue-tac to hold the cabochon steady, and paint the reverse with as many thin layers of nail varnish as you require, letting each coat dry before applying the next.
- If you're doing two colours, remember you will have to apply 'back to front', so shatter first, base color second. Also you'll need to apply a clear base coat first if you're using a shatter polish, it doesn't seem to work without it.
- Apply a top coat or varnish to the back as a sealant if you're attaching to an ordinary ring base, as some protection against scratches
- Glue the dry cabochon into the setting, or onto the ring base.
- Give yourself matching nails...
You can also get necklace cabochon bases if you don't wear rings or want to co-ordinate everything.
When my bezel bases arrived from China - gotta love eBay - the package had these lovely bird stamps, so I also made these magpie and kingfisher rings using cabochons, the stamps and mod-podge. They came out pretty well, although I doubt they're waterproof, so bear that in mind if you try it.
What do you think? Got any great projects to link up which I can add to my Pinterest boards?
Lakota x
