Using Silicone Molds to Make DIY Ornaments

While making your own Christmas ornaments is fun and rewarding, there is no reason you need to limit your DIY ornament making to the end of the year.  You can use this same process to make unique decorations for Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and more!

What you need:

• EasyCast Resin
• Gloves
• Mixing cups and stir sticks
• Resin dye
• Glitter
• Silicone molds
• Eye pins
• Baker’s twine

Begin by mixing a small amount of EasyCast resin. Adjust the amount of resin you mix based on the size and number of your silicone molds. Since my molds were quite small, I mixed just 1 ounce of resin.  Be sure to protect your hands with gloves and your work surface with paper, cardboard, or plastic.  Mix the resin according to the package directions, including the 2-cup mixing method.

Once your resin is fully mixed, you can choose to color the resin with resin dye.  This step is totally optional!  Then mix in a small amount of glitter. I love the unique look of this red tinsel glitter.  Mix the dye and the glitter until they are both thoroughly incorporated throughout the resin.

Place your silicone mold on a flat, level surface, then carefully pour the resin into your silicone mold. Be careful not to overfill the mold.  Allow the resin to sit for 15 minutes, then pop any bubbles that rise to the surface with a long arm lighter.

The glitter will sink to the bottom of the mold (what will eventually be the front of the ornament).  If you want to make sure both sides of the ornament are equally sparkly. Add another sprinkling of glitter on top of the resin after you have popped the surface bubbles, so at least 15 minutes after you initially poured in the resin.

Cover the mold and allow it to fully cure, about 24 hours.  Then pop the ornament out of the mold.

There are two ways to add hanging findings to your ornament.  The first is to add the finding to the resin while it is in the silicone mold.  This is the quickest method since you only have to wait for one round of resin to cure, but you have to rig the finding up so that it doesn’t fall into the resin in the mold!  The second method is to wait until the ornament has fully cured and been removed from the mold.  Then mix a tiny amount of resin and use the resin as “glue” to adhere the finding to the back of the ornament. Let that second round of resin cure fully.

Once you have a hanging loop added to the resin ornament, string the ornaments onto some baker’s twine and they are ready to use!

I created glittering hearts and stars, but there are so many different kinds of silicone molds on the market that your options are almost limitless!  What holiday is your favorite to decorate for?