How to Make Custom Crystal Resin Coasters
It’s time for another fabulous resin coaster tutorial! Meg Epps of Lyndly Grove is back and showing us how to make custom crystal resin coasters. The mix of colors and textures in these coasters are so beautiful!
Whether you have been working with crystals and painted glass for awhile or you are just thinking about diving in, this coaster tutorial is for you! Meg shows us how to make custom crystal resin coasters with some of our favorite CCDIY items. She uses Precious Metals, crystals and painted glass, and Artist Resin to make these elegant coasters. And she is showing us how it’s done in the video below!
How to Make Custom Crystal Resin Coasters
Not only did Meg show us how she made these beautiful resin coasters. She also explained how to match crystals and glass with other elements to make unique creations. Meg explained that stones aren’t just for geodes anymore. With a little bit of know how you can find fabulous ways of incorporating them into your own resin art.
Resin Coaster Tips and Tricks
One of the first tricks that Meg shares with us is how to clean our coaster molds. We all know how to wash and dry them. But Meg shows us that a little bit of packing tape right before you pour the resin can keep your molds free of debris.
Just hold your tape with the sticky side down. Then dab it onto your molds to remove any dust or floating glitter that may have settled on the molds while they weren’t in use. This will keep you from discovering a flaw in your piece later in the process!
Another tip that Meg shared has to do with the actual pouring of the coasters. Since the stones are heavy they will fall to the bottom of your cup. This allows you to start your pour with more of the foil flaked resin. That will give you a good base before you start to pour in your stones. That way your flakes won’t get too lost in your stones. Good thinking, Meg!
If you love making coasters and want to learn about other techniques, check out our post 6 DIY Resin Tutorials! There are so many fun projects and ideas in that one!
Tips and Tricks for working with Crystals and Painted Glass
One of the most important tips that Meg shared about working with stones is to make sure they are clean before starting. Actual crystals are usually pretty clean right out of the bag. But the painted glass is usually covered in a fine dust. Just a quick wipe down with a baby wipe will remove that dust. That way the shine and color of the stones can really shine through! Baby wipes really are good for everything!
Another good tip is to use a glitter spoon for working with the stones. The spoon is great for getting out a small amount of stones at one time. It is also perfect for mixing those heavy stones together! And when you need to rearrange your stones once they have been poured into your mold, the glitter spoon is perfect for that too. Especially if you need to carefully scoop one rebellious stone out of the mix!
What to do about Bubbles
Because we are working with stones for this project, there will be bubbles. All those beautiful crystals and painted glass allow for air pockets to form around them. But that’s OK!! We just need to use the necessary tools to combat those bubbles. Meg shows us how to use the torch to repeatedly pop bubble that rise to the surface.
Using the torch at every stage in the process with keep that bubble popping going. You can also spritz the resin with alcohol to pop the bubbles. Just make sure that you babysit your coasters for the first hours of their curing. Go back every 15-30 minutes to pop any bubbles you see. Once you’ve gotten past that point, you’ll be able to leave them to cure like normal.
Watch the video tutorial here!
How to Make Custom Crystal Resin Coasters
Materials
- Favorite Coaster Molds
- Silicone mat
- Mixing cups
- Large Silicone Mixing Sticks
- Glitter Spoon
- Filter mask
- Protective gloves
- Counter Culture DIY Artist Resin
- Onyx Painted Glass
- Dragon Egg Crystals
- Heart Stone Painted Glass
- Bronze Painted Glass
- Blush Painted Glass
- Aster Painted Glass
- Polar Painted Glass
- Oz Painted Glass
- Cotton Candy Crystals
- Lucky Crystals
- Royal Blue Painted Glass
- Honey Comb Painted Glass
- Amethyst Crystals
- Backstage Precious Metals
- Gold Record Precious Metals
- Sound Check Precious Metals
- VIP Gold Foil Flakes
- Sold Out Bronze Foil Flakes
- Torch
Instructions
- Pour some of your Polar glass into a mixing cup. Then add some of the Oz. Next add some of the Cotton Candy and Lucky. Finally, add your Royal Blue, Honey comb, and Aster and mix them all together.
- In a second cup add some Amethyst, Bronze, and Blush.
- In another cup add the Dragon Egg, Onyx, and Heart Stone. Make sure all of your stones in each cup are well mixed. Add more of anything you think needs a little more. When you have your mixes the way you want them you can move on to the next steps.
- Mix equal amounts of parts A and B of the Artist Resin according to the package instructions. Then separate the combined resin into 3 separate cups.
- Next add your amethyst stone mixture into one of the cups of resin. Add in some bronze foil flakes and stir well to combine.
- In the next cup of resin add your multi colored mix and then some gold flakes. Stir well to combine.
- Repeat the same process with your dark mix.
- Hit the resin in each cup with your torch to pop the bubbles that have risen to the top. Be light with the heat so you don't melt your cup or cause the resin to heat too quickly.
- Now sprinkle some Backstage along the edges of one of your molds. Then pour in your amethyst mix. Move things around until you get a placement you like. Then use the torch to pop any bubbles.
- Next repeat the same process with your multi colored mix but use the Gold Record instead of the Backstage.
- For the last coaster use the Sound Check and the dark mix to perform the same steps as the last two coasters you made.
The Finishing Touches
These coasters have such an elegant feel to them. As Meg said, the simplicity of the stones gives the coasters a rich look. Another neat thing that Meg told us about was that each crystal represents something. Certain stones symbolize traits or feelings that can give your creations added meaning. This can add another layer to your art by lending to the sentimentality and uniqueness of your pieces!
If you loved learning from Meg and want to see more of her creations and tutorials you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and you can check out her Facebook group, Curious Crafters. We hope you love her coasters as much as we do!
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