I have a young women staying with me so that she can learn to make resin covered scrabble tiles for her Christmas gifts. As I taught her, it occurred to me that I should post it here on the blog as well. Resin covered scrabble tiles have been around for several years. They are quite popular at craft fairs and making them can be quite addictive.
A scrabble tile is about 3/4 of an inch wide. You need to work with art that looks great small. Luckily, there are a few artists who sell pre-designed scrabble tile art. One of my favorite digital image sellers on Etsy is Sparrow Graphics. They have a special where you can buy five different sheets for $10.49. Isn’t that an awesome price for all this great art sized to fit scrabble tiles?
The techniques are very simple. Cut out your image and make sure it fits on the scrabble tile.
Glue the paper image to the tile.
Seal you paper images with a great glue, I am now only using Aleene’s Decoupage mediums. They are light and dry quickly. When you brush the glue/sealer on your paper, it is white but dries clear. I apply three sealer coats, letting each application dry before applying the next one. Ideally, allow your glued/sealed scrabble tiles to dry overnight so that you are sure there is no moisture left.
You can see that I applied a glaze layer of Envirotex Lite to my scrabble tile surface. Not too much…I didn’t want an over pour, but enough to ensure that the surface looks like it is covered in glass. You can use either Envirotex Lite or Envirotex Jewelry Resin.
When the resin is cured..a thin layer like this hardens quickly, but I still let it have the full 36-48 hour cure, I glue on jewelry bails. Bails are found in jewelry supply stores.
Ta Da, quick, unique and one of a kind pendants.
My young friend is making 30+ of these. Each one is personalized with a unique image she knows the recipient will love.
What kind of glue are you using for your bails? I have been making these for several years but have found super glue and E6000 loosen their grip.
so pretty!
I now only use "Quick Grip" from Beacon. It is an amazing new glue.
E6000 is my back up glue if I run out.
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I try the Quick Grip and Aleene's. I have been using Mod Podge and it doesn't always seal. Nothing worse with resin leaking underneath the pictures.
These are so awesome! love them!
Fantastic! Now I know what to do with the stash of vintage Scrabble tiles!
Very cool project. Thanks for sharing!
I Love these! So very cute! Where can you buy the Scramble pieces?
Love knowing how to create these — yay, mystery solved 🙂 And I know of a great place to get cool vintage scrabble tiles — Margot Potter has them: http://www.margotpotter.com/collections/mixed-media-supplies/products/vintage-scrabble-parts
Thanks!
I am working on putting together a "round-up" of craft projects made using Scrabble tiles. I came across your Scrabble tile craft and wonder if I could use it in the round-up? The round-up will simply be a list of projects and a link to it on your blog. I would also like to include a small thumbnail for the project (approximately 120 x 120px). My website is http://familycrafts.about.com/ and this round up would look similar to this one: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/giftstomake/tp/HomeMadeGiftIdeas.htm. Of course, you will be given full credit for the link and the picture. 🙂 Thanks! Sherri
Sherri, you comment went to my spam box and I only just discovered it. You can link away!
I have a Mah Jongg set that is missing about 3 tiles, made of bamboo only; no bone. I've been thinking of trying to make pendants with the tiles, since they're not collectible pieces. The images are pressed into the tiles and inked, but they're not sealed. I guess I'll have to seal them first before I try to attach anything.
Another project in the pipeline!
Sealing is the key to success! Do send a picture if you can!!
do you pint the envirotex lite on the tile with a paint brush? How do you keep it from dripping over the sides? Thank you
The resin is thick, so when I paint it on with a brush I am careful not to go to close to the edge. You have to try it to see how controlled you can be.
How do you get the resin on the little tiles?
I brushed it on with a paint brush. I covered that in the post.
Carmi, i've learned that if you have your pictures/images printed professionally at Kinkos you don't need to seal them. Also, when i apply the resin i just use my resin mixing popsicle stick to drop about 3 drops onto the tile and then use a toothpick to hold down the tile and the popsicle stick to move the resin out to the edges. As a side note: use a straw with just your breath to pop the bubbles. 😉
That is great to hear!
Very good post. Thanks for sharing.
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